Allahumme Barek Lena Rajaba We Shabane We Belligna RAMADANE

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَات وَالأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ

Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred.

Tomorrow, the evening of April 29th, we will welcome the Recebi Shareef insallah. The opportunity Allah SWT gives us is the mean Allah informs us in Surah Maidah verse 35; O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed.

Older Ummahs had longer lifes. Prophet Adam and Nuh Alayhimussalam lived more than thousand years. These days and nights are the opportunities served to ummeti Muhammad to compensate and even get more rewards in comparison to older ummahs.

These three months, starting by Recebi Shareef, continuing with Shabani Shareef and eventually Ramadan is the chance for us to renew our spiritual sides of our lifes, attain ridha of Allah SWT and reach jamalullah. Just like an automobile needs yearly maintenance, Muslims have to get ready for their reparation of spiritual sides by preparation of Holy Ramadan.

To get a more fertile harvest, the field has to be prepared, then seeds have to be planted so we can get our barakah in the harvest. Recebi Shareef is the time for the preparation of the field and seed, so we can implant the seeds after that and get our harvest in the Holy Ramadan.

Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW points what we need to do in this holy month in the following hadith:

إن أردتم الرّاحة وقت الموت من العَطَش، والخروج مع الإيمان، والنجاة من الشيطان: فاحترموا هذه الشّهور كلها: بكثرة الصيام، والنّدم على ما سلف من الآثام، واذكروا خالق الأنام، تدخلوا جنَّة ربّكم بسلام

If you imply to be comfortable of thirstness at the time of death, leave the world with iman and free yourself from devil, respect all these months by fasting too much and regretting your older sins. Make zikr of Allah who is the creator of the whole universe so that you may enter your Rabb's paradise.

In another hadith, our prophet reveals that in the first day of Recebi Shareef, whoever fasts, gets the reward of three years of fasting sawaab, second day gives two years sawaab and third day gives one year sawaab. After third day, every day is rewarded with one month of nafilah fasting.

Because this month is Allah's month, we need to recite Sura el-Ihlas a lot.

There is a 12 rakats prayer in the night of first Friday of Recebi Shareef. We will describe this prayer after the maghrib of May 1st.

There is another prayer, special to this month. It is a 30 rakats prayer of which 10 have to be performed in the first 10 days, second 10 in the second 10 and third ten is in the last ten days. Omar Radiyallahu Anh was afraid of being a munafiq, so we have to have the same concern, so we will pray this prayer. For more information, Thursday May 1st, we are in the Selimiye Masjid after maghrib.

Please do not forget to fast on the welcoming day of Recebi Shareef Tuesday April 29, first three days of Recebi Shareef and if possible whole three months. And we need to recite this dua as many times as we can:

للهم بارك لنا في رجب وشعبان وبلغنا رمضان

O Allah, please make Receb and Shaban mubarak for me, and let me reach to the month of Ramadan.