Ramadan is the month of patience and consolation, so people should focus on good spending and sharing, according to today's sermon.
Whoever contributes something will receive the same rewards as those fasting, it says.
"Be faithful to Allah during this month with your worship to win credits and forgiveness and show Allah the good in you to receive a great status."
Fasting is given special importance during the sermon as Allah did not specify what rewards a faster receives.
"Every act [of worship] by the son of Adam is his, except for fasting, it is for me and I reward by it," Prophet Mohammed said in a hadith.
"One of the most important things a person can offer his brother in the blessed month is spending money for charity," the sermon says.
According to the Quran: "Believe in Allah and His messenger, and spend of that whereof He hath made you trustees. And such of you as believe and spend [aright], theirs will be a great reward."
The sermon goes on to say that the Prophet's companions were always keen on contributing what they could to charity, focusing on endowments - a form of charity that lasts forever, as does its reward, which continues after the benefactor's death.
The sermon concludes by saying that Emirates Red Crescent is giving out iftar meals, eid clothes, and fitir zakat, "so let us contribute in helping the needy and the poor".
[ hdajani@thenational.ae ]
