The last third of Ramadan is the time for the release from Hell-fire, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the Hadith reported by Salman Al-Farisi: “O people, a great and a blessed month is approaching you. In this month there is a night that is better than one thousand months. Allah has made fasting during its daytime obligatory and prayers at night commendable during this month. Whosoever will do a voluntary good deed during this month, it is as if he performed an obligatory good deed at another time and whosoever will perform an obligatory good deed, it is as if he performed seventy obligatory good deeds at another time. This is the month of patience and the reward of patience is Paradise. This is the month of kindness and charity. In this month the believer’s provision is enlarged. Anyone who will give food to a fasting person in this month, it will bring forgiveness for his sins, will save him from the hellfire and he shall have his reward without the person who is fed losing any of his reward….The first third of the month of Ramadan is the time for Rahmah (Mercy), the second third is for forgiveness, the third is for the release from Hellfire…”

The duties of the Muslim in this last third of Ramadan are to try his best to perfect his fasting, to avoid any shortcomings or sins that can harm his fasting, to offer more prayers, preferably in congregation, to advance in reading the Qur’an, making dhikr (remembrance of Allah), and helping others to be more committed to religion, to enter i`tikaf (seclusion) if it is possible for him/her, and to remember that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to give extra attention to the last ten days of Ramadan. He could hardly sleep, and his family used also to stay in vigilance with him. The Prophet’s generosity in this month and particularly in the last ten days was compared to a fast wind.

We should not miss to remind you and all Muslims to try to settle disputes. It is the best occasion to forgive one another and forget about all enmities and grudges. We should come out of Ramadan in a better shape, understanding, and moral behavior. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it clear that “If any Muslim comes out of Ramadan without gaining forgiveness and goodness, he/she is a real loser.”

13. Speaking the truth and not fearing punishment of anyone: The prophet peace be upon him said, “The leader of the martyrs is Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib and a person who faces an unjust ruler and advises him to do good and he is killed because of his speech” (Sahih Al-Jami)

12. Remembering Allah at all times: The prophet peace be upon him stated that Allah said, “I am as My slave thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself. I make mention of him to Myself and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it.” (Al-Bukhari).

11. Jihad in the way of Allah: A hadith of the Prophet peace be upon him says, “Being on guard in the way of Allah for one month is better than perpetual fasting for a year. Whoever dies while guarding in the way of Allah will be safe from the great frightening. And he will be provided his provisions, and smell the scent from paradise, and receive the reward of the one who guards until Allah resurrects him” (Sahih Al-Jami)

9. Performing many voluntary prayers: This is particularly beneficial during the last third of the night in which the gates of the heavens are opened and the supplications are responded to. The prophet peace be upon him said, “Allah waits until one half or two-thirds of the night has passed and He says, ‘My slaves, shall ask from no one except Me. Whoever asks from Me, I shall respond to him. Whoever asks Me for something, I will give it to him. Whoever asks for my forgiveness, I shall forgive him. And this continues until the dawn” (Sahih Al-Jami).

Similarly, performing the Sunnan prayers, is also a way of gaining Allah’s pleasure and reward. These Sunnan prayers are two rakats before the dawn obligatory prayer, four before the noon obligatory prayer and four after it, two after the sunset prayer and two after the night prayer and the witr prayer.

8. Having good manners and character: The prophet peace be upon him said, “The most beloved of you to me and the closest of you to me in the Hereafter are those of you who have the best manners; the most hated of you to me and farthest from me in the Hereafter are those of you who have the worst manners, those who speak and do not even care about what they are saying” (Sahih Al-Jami), and he also said, “The person of good manners will get the same reward as the person who prays during the night and fasts during the day” (Sahih Al-Jami).