Prepration !

The year is a tree, Rajab is the time when its leaves appear, Sha`ban is the time when its fruit appears, and Ramadan is the time when the fruit is picked !

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The scholars likened the year, and what it contains of special seasons and occasions to several things. The greatest of its special seasons is the month of Ramadan, hence Islam urges us to do more righteous deeds during that month.

One of the most important things is to prepare for doing righteous deeds before the month of Ramadan. The scholars designated the month of Rajab as the start of the preparations for the month of Ramadan . It is as if the year is a tree; its leaves begin to appear in the month of Rajab, its fruit begins to appear in the month of Sha`ban, and the people pick its fruit during the month of Ramadan.

So the individual should prepare himself by doing righteous deeds in Rajab, and pay extra attention to making them perfect in Sha`ban, so that he will be able to do them in a perfect manner in Ramadan.

The scholars refer to this idea in several ways, including the following:

• It was said that Rajab is for a person to stop drifting away, Sha`ban is for striving and sincerity, and Ramadan is for truthfulness and purity.

• Rajab is the month of repentance, Sha`ban is the month of love, and Ramadan is the month of closeness to Allah.

• Rajab is the month of sanctity, Sha`ban is the month of service, and Ramadan is the month of blessing.

• Rajab is the month of worship, Sha`ban is the month of turning away from this world, and Ramadan is the month of increase.

• Rajab is the month in which Allah multiplies the reward of good deeds , Sha`ban is the month of expiating bad deeds, and Ramadan is the month of waiting for gifts and honours.

• Rajab is the month of those who are excelling, Sha`ban is the month of those whose progress is moderate, and Ramadan is the month of the sinners [in which they can mend their ways].

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Dhun Nun Al-Masri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

“Rajab is the month for giving up sins, Sha`ban is the month for doing acts of obedience, and Ramadan is the month for waiting for gifts and honours. So whoever does not give up sins, and does not do acts of obedience, and does not wait for gifts and honours, is one of the people whose main focus is trivial matters.

He (may Allah have mercy on him) also said:

Rajab is the month of planting, Sha`ban is the month of irrigating, and Ramadan is the month of harvesting. Everyone will reap what he sowed, and will be requited for what he did, so the one who neglects his crops will feel regret on the day of harvest, and he will not get what he was expecting.

One of the righteous said: The year is a tree, Rajab is the time when its leaves appear, Sha`ban is the time when its fruit appears, and Ramadan is the time when the fruit is picked.”

(Al-Ghaniyyah by Al-Jilani, 1/326)

Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Lata’if Al-Ma`arif (121):

“The month of Rajab is the key to the months of goodness and blessing.

Abu Bakr Al-Warraaq Al-Balkhi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The month of Rajab is a month for sowing, the month of Sha`ban is a month for irrigating the crop, and Ramadan is a month for harvesting the crop.

And it was narrated that he said:

The likeness of the month of Rajab is that of the wind, the likeness of Sha`ban is that of a cloud, and the likeness of Ramadan is that of the rain.

One of them said:

The year is like a tree; the month of Rajab is the time when its leaves appear, Sha`ban is the time when its fruits appear, and Ramadan is the time when its fruits are picked; the believers are the ones who pick the fruit.

It is appropriate for the one whose page has been darkened with sin to brighten it by repenting during this month, and for the one who has wasted his life in idleness to make the most of what remains of his life.

So brighten your dark page in Rajab with righteous deeds that will save you from the flames.

One of the sacred months has come, so the one who calls upon Allah will not be disappointed.

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Glad tidings to the one who does a sincere righteous deed in this month, and gives up obscenity and dubious matters during it.

Making the most of this opportunity by striving during this month is gain, and making the most of its time by doing acts of worship and obedience is immense virtue.”

So the individual should sow a lot of good seeds and do a lot of righteous deeds . These are the seeds that he should plant during his lifetime, hoping for the day of harvest when he meets the Lord of the Worlds with a crop of good deeds.