Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura

Friday Sermon

20 March 2026 / 30 Ramadan 1447H

Reflection and Hope at the End of Ramadan

Zumratal mukminin rahimakumullah,

Let us continue to strengthen our devotion to Allah s.w.t. Fulfil all His commands and abstain from all that He has prohibited. Let us focus our attention on Allah, especially on this closing day of Ramadan. May Allah s.w.t. accept our fasting, our prayers, our recitation of the Quran, and our other acts of worship. Amin, ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.

Blessed Friday congregation,

Ramadan is coming to a close. Only a few hours remain before it departs. For those who have strived tirelessly in performing righteous deeds throughout this month, continue doing so; fill these final moments of Ramadan with the same spirit. As for those who feel they have fallen behind in their worship, do not despair; there is still a little time left to beautify our deeds.

Did not our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. remind us, in a hadith narrated by Imam Al-Bukhari, that every deed is judged by its ending?

My dear brothers,

Alhamdulillah, we are close to completing the month-long fast of Ramadan. Many among us have performed the night prayers, recited the Quran, increased our supplications, paid our zakat, given charity, and engaged in many other good deeds. At the end of Ramadan, some may ask: What more can we do?

Here, the sermon invites us all to reflect and reassess the quality of our deeds throughout this month of Ramadan. It is narrated that among the righteous, once they had completed their acts of worship, they would be overcome with anxiety as they wonder if their deeds had truly been accepted by Allah s.w.t.

So how confident are we that the deeds we have striven to perform throughout Ramadan are worthy of being accepted by Allah? If we are not granted the opportunity to meet Ramadan next year, will our deeds thus far be sufficient as our provisions?

My dear brothers,

The sermon does not intend in any way to belittle the acts of worship that have already been performed. Rather, it invites all of us to make the best use of the remaining moments of Ramadan. Among the goals that every believer should strive for in this blessed month is to attain the forgiveness of Allah s.w.t.

Rasulullah s.a.w. said: “Ruined is he who encounters the month of Ramadan, yet it passes while he has not been forgiven.” (At-Tirmizi)

Therefore, even if we have already completed our recitation of the Quran, even if the opportunity for tarawih prayers has now come to an end, and even as time is fast passing by, one door of worship remains wide open for anyone who wishes to use it – the door of making du’a and supplication. Yes, dear brothers, the act of making du’a, seeking the mercy and forgiveness of Allah s.w.t.

Such is the great role of supplication for a believer. Allah s.w.t. says in Surah Al-Furqan, verse 77:

Which means: “Say: ‘My Lord would not concern Himself with you if not for your supplication. But you have denied Him, and the punishment will inevitably befall you.’”

Therefore, my brothers, even though we are in the final moments of Ramadan, and its peak – Lailatul Qadr – may have already passed, let us make the best use of the time that remains by asking and beseeching Allah to accept our deeds and grant us His forgiveness.

Imam Hasan Al-Basri once advised: “Increase in seeking forgiveness, for you do not know at which moment mercy will descend.” It may well be - and Allah knows best – that among all the deeds we performed throughout Ramadan, the most sincere, the most deeply felt, and the most valuable in the sight of Allah is the supplication that we continue to raise at the final moments of this blessed month.

Ya Allah,

Here we humble our hearts and raise our hopes to You. With deeds that are modest, and with shortcomings beyond measure, we seek none other than Your generosity. Accept from us our deeds, our fasting, our prayers, and our acts of worship, for You are the Most Generous, the Most Merciful.

Ya Allah,

So many blessings You have bestowed upon us. So many opportunities You have granted us. Yet at the same time, our gratitude to You remains too little. Our sins and mistakes before You remain too many. We have fallen short in obeying Your commands too often. Therefore, Ya Allah, rectify our condition.

Rectify those matters pertaining to our religion. Rectify our worldly affairs. And rectify our affairs in the Hereafter when we stand before Your majesty and Your judgment.

Ya Allah,

To You alone we turn in supplication. To You alone we seek help and assistance. If it is not Your mercy that we seek, whose mercy could possibly help us, Ya Allah? If it is not Your forgiveness that we hope for, whose forgiveness could erase our sins and our transgressions, Ya Allah? If not in this month of Ramadan, the month of forgiveness, that you forgive our sins, when will we ever have the chance to cleanse the record of our deeds, Ya Allah?

Have mercy upon us, Ya Allah. Have mercy upon our parents.

Have mercy upon our children and our families. Have mercy upon every one of Your servants who place their hopes in You, Ya Allah.

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