Ramadan 2023 (1444 A.H.) Message
by Hazrat Ameer (V) Prof. Dr. Abdul Karim Saeed
شَہۡرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِیۡۤ اُنۡزِلَ فِیۡہِ الۡقُرۡاٰنُ ہُدًی لِّلنَّاسِ وَ بَیِّنٰتٍ مِّنَ الۡہُدٰی وَ الۡفُرۡقَانِ ۚ
“The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance to men and clear proofs of the guidance and the Criterion.” (The Holy Quran, 2:185)
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Assalam-o-Alaikum Wa Rakhmatullahi Wa Barakaato Hoo.
Let us all thank Allah for having granted us another month of Ramadan and the opportunity to connect with and gain nearness to Him. There is a Hadith-ul-Qudsi (Divine Tradition) in which Allah says that between Him and man there is no veil but between man and Him there are seventy thousand veils. This means that Allah Himself is closer to us than our jugular vein but we distance ourselves from Him by our own actions. Each of our actions which goes against the guidelines ordained by Allah Taala in the Holy Quran places a veil between Him and us. Allah is most Beneficent and Merciful towards His servants and grants them forgiveness for their sins when they repent; but the repentance must be a sincere one. We must regret our actions and repent for the sins we have committed and do not repeat them.
Among His countless bounties is the revelation of the Holy Quran and the blessed month of Ramadan in which its revelation started. In this month, His mercy and forgiveness become manifold and He readily forgives our faults and weaknesses. The Holy Quran guides us in all our affairs and lays out for us the ways in which we should spend our lives. The Holy Quran being called a Criterion (Al-Furqan), points to the fact that it contains teachings that separate the truth from falsehood.
I pray that during this Ramadan we are able to remove all the veils between us and our Maker by following the guidance that the Holy Quran gives us and gain
nearness to Allah through our supplications and acts of devotion. May He grant us health and strength to carry out all the devotional services we offer and their acceptance by Allah Taala.
Aameen summa aameen.
Professor Dr. Abdul Karim Saeed
Ameer and President
Worldwide Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
21st March 2023