By Shaykh Mustafa Abdulla
9 January 2026

﷽ 

Every day that we wake up, many of us immediately start thinking about our problems. We look around at our situations, searching for solutions, trying to live moment by moment, joust to survive. For some, it’s the stress of work. For others, it’s family. Internal battles. External struggles. And in the middle of it all, we forget something critical: the time that we are living in.

Because time isn’t just passing by. It’s one of the greatest blessings Allah has given us. Just like He gave us our bodies, our children, our health – He gave us time. And from the twelve months He created, He chose four to be sacred. He says:

And right now, we are living in one of them: Rajab.

It’s easy to get caught up in our daily issues and overlook this. But Rajab is not just another month. It is a blessed moment. A chance to pause and prepare for something greater. As the scholars of the past said: “Rajab is the month of planting, Sha‘ban is the month of watering, and Ramadan is the month of harvesting.”

And what are we planting in Rajab? We are planting tawbah. We are planting sincerity. We are planting actions we want to see multiplied.

Allah says:

Even if you feel far. Even if you feel distracted. Even if you feel like you’ve lost focus. Don’t forget that Allah also says:

And Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

Allah is more merciful to His servant than a mother is to her child.

[Bukhari, Muslim]

The sacredness of Rajab means that any good deed you do is multiplied. But it also means any sin is heavier. So even the smallest act of good, like a prayer, a verse of Qur’an, a coin in charity, is an investment. One that counts more than usual.

And when we look at time itself, we see something amazing. The Prophet ﷺ said that time had returned to how it was the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. That means the day you’re living today has existed before. The 20th of Rajab came last year, and it comes again. Friday came last week, and it comes again. Time repeats itself. It gives you another chance.

But how many chances will we be given?

Sha‘ban is coming. Ramadan is coming. And the Prophet ﷺ would fast so much in Sha‘ban that ‘A’ishah (ra) thought he might not break his fast at all. Why? Because he was preparing. Not reacting. He was training.

This is the time to plant. Start now. Build habits. Water the seeds with consistency. Because when Ramadan comes, it’s too late to begin. That’s when you harvest. 

This is also the time to think deeply about what Allah has given us. The story of Prophet Sulayman (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) and his father Dawud (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) reminds us of something powerful. When they were blessed, their first words were: “Al-hamdu lillah, Who has favoured us.”

Not because of wealth. Not because of status. But because of deen.

As long as you are Muslim, you are blessed. Whether you have a high salary or a low one. Whether people know your name or don’t. None of that changes the fact that deen is the greatest ni‘mah Allah has granted you.

So as we live in these blessed days, let’s not waste them. If you are not praying, start now. If you don’t read Qur’an, begin today. If you haven’t given charity in a while, give something. Small actions matter. Small shifts change lives.

The months will come and go. The days will pass. But the mercy of Allah never ends.

“O Allah, grant us sincere repentance in the month of Rajab, expand our chests, illuminate our hearts with Your remembrance, and grant us the best preparation for Ramadan.”

Ameen.

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