Finishing the Race E-Reminders

Yes, brothers and sisters, As Salam alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

some of us are

wondering, how, how could it be so quick

and others may be thinking

it's been so long.

I think most people today are on the quick side. And that is about how fast Ramadan has transpired.

And people are saying it's the fastest ever.

For me, it's been long. It's been a really, really long Ramadan

I feel it's been Ramadan forever

and some are going to be saying,

you know, alas, Ramadan has left us. And some are going to be saying well Hamdulillah

that is eat. And I don't have to fast and I'm not going to be awake all night.

You know what, it's okay to be for me the party.

Yeah, even it's okay to say that you're glad Ramadan has finished from the point of view of you've suffered. And it's been hard and it's been tough. Obviously, every believer is enjoying the fruits of Ramadan. Che the shaytaan is chained.

You know, they're a blessing so many blessings in this month. How Allah has made it a month of forgiveness, how Allah has made it a month of opportunity, month of so many opportunities

in terms of sadaqa, and liqueur and reading Quran,

and the rewards and benefits of fasting.

And some of those benefits, we haven't been, you know, we haven't been able to experience them this Ramadan for many of us because of

still being in a state of

lockdown. So those greatest dials where we're

sharing with our brothers Alhamdulillah breaking fast with them being in the masjid with them. So for many of us that maybe it hasn't happened, that maybe we spent more time with our families, so it's been replaced by another blessing. Whatever it is brothers and sisters, it's okay. You don't have to like or enjoy a particular acts of worship.

And you don't have to feel bad if you feel that Ramadan is tough.

And you don't have to feel bad that you're feeling happy that it's the fasting is finished, then I can eat and drink again. You don't need to feel bad about that. That's okay.

Because, you know you don't we're not Muslims because

it feels good, necessarily. I mean, overall, of course being a Muslim should feel good.

I guess from the point of view of knowing Allah and following his deen and being on the path is what we have been created for.

But that path is often hard. That path is often tough. That path is often wrought with hardships and difficulties and trials and tests and tribulations. Because that's what Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,

he said that when Allah

created

the Paradise, he said to Gibreel Oh Jabril go and look at my paradise and tell me what you think so Chabrier when he looks at Paradise came back he said to Allah,

Allah, anybody who hears about it, they will enter it.

Even because it's so beautiful. You just if you just hear about what's in Chennai, he will do whatever it takes to get there.

And then Allah surrounded paradise, with difficulties and hardships and tests and trials.

And then he said, Oh Jabril now go and look at my paradise and tell me what you think.

And Gibreel said all along, I'm afraid that nobody will enter it.

The same with hellfire. Allah created the hellfire. He said to Gibreel look at it, tell me what you think. Jibreel said, Anyone who hears about it, they will never go there.

But then Allah surrounded it with temptations and ease and comfort.

You see?

And then Gibreel he said, Jupiter will tell you now what you think Jabril said, I'm afraid no one would escape it.

So this is the reality.

This is the reality of our life.

The path to Hellfire is a paths path. Mostly there is a path, that path of ease and comfort.

You know,

all sorts of things that we like.

And the path to Paradise is surrounded by difficulties and hardships.

Some of those hardships may be

the things that Allah has ordered us with, because that is that's what it is. It's a trial. It's a test.

You know, to be patient

in the face of calamities.

And to be firm upon the acts of worship, even though they are difficult, and that's why they have a big reward, they get a big reward because they are hard.

This is why I feel more inclined to

think that

that the the the reward for fasting Ramadan, and standing in prayer,

and doing that with iman and hoping Allah is that your sins are forgiven means all of your sins, not just the minor sins, like hedge.

Because Ramadan is really, it's not easy.

Like Hajj is really not easy. I mean, relatively, Your sins are forgiven, your minus sins are forgiven for praying five times a day, it would seem strange that the reward of the whole of Ramadan is the same as just praying five times a day. However, some scholars are of the opinion or scholars are of the opinion that, you know, the major sins need to be repented from. Allah knows best.

But that's something we can expect at the end of this month if we have fasted, and we have prayed. And we've done that, with hope and expectation that our Lord forgive our sins SubhanAllah.

So it's a great and powerful acts of worship, and it's nearly finished. Now.

For many of us, this, for some of us, may be may be many of us. This may be the last Ramadan we ever

we ever have.

I remember reading that some,

some scholars said that, if you could come back, and just complete one acts of worship, meaning you know, after you've died, and you could come back, there's one thing you could do. One thing you could repeat, you would wish it would be Ramadan.

And indeed the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, you know, he encouraged us to fast he said, there's nothing like it, there's nothing like fasting, which is, you know, obviously I agree with that, because the Prophet said, whatever the Prophet said, I agree with sallallahu alayhi wa sallam 100%. But meaning I, I agree with that, from the point of view of experientially, I would say I have to concur.

Fasting is

there's definitely nothing like it from the point of view of, in my opinion, its difficulty in its challenge. And

the Sahaba also used to consider fasting really challenging and really difficult was one of the things that they many of them really struggled with. But you know, these things that we can find them difficult and have some sort of love and connection to them at the same time.

So it's definitely for me, brothers and sisters been hard. Have I accomplished everything that I set out to do this Ramadan? Not yet.

Because another thing that I've really struggled with

I did have an intention to try and read the Quran

one and a half times. And I think that with Allah's permission and Allah's help, unless something catastrophic, catastrophic happens

I will just about finish it one time, I'm not going to get the other half. And that was a bit ambitious of me. And that's been really difficult. Like to the extent that I've had to drop everything, I haven't read any other books, I can literally stop. I do some regular online courses that I do, because I'm always trying to improve myself in different ways. Basically, almost everything has been dropped, except for this E reminder that I've done. Even my

show I did with Abu Bakr we are with Abdullah heartbreak.

Baker, we stopped it.

I've kept doing this. And a few other things, obviously talks and lectures I've been asked to do and live appeals that I've been doing.

Almost every well, in the beginning, every few nights are now every night, which has been really really, really exhausting because they're all night. And this has just left me super drained.

So what I really want to talk about brothers and sisters is it's never too late is actually never too late.

And what I mean is even Yes, we have one or maybe two days left, what is the date today? Is the 28th. So tomorrow, the 28th. Day. So tonight it's going to be the 29th night.

And so, yeah, so we can fast 29 or 30 days.

Tomorrow could be the last day, theoretically.

Subhanallah Is it too late? No, it's not. It's not too late. Because tonight still could be late to recover. It could be

Sivan, Allah.

You know, as the scholars talks about this, they said, you know, like, a horse horses racing.

And have you ever had an if you ever, I've never raced to it? Well, I have raced horses, but not, not seriously. I've raced horses in the desert with you know, my family and friends like is a fun thing, not as a sort of not like a jockey racing. But you know, like, I'll race you to that next Sanji type thing. I've done that. And but when we used to go out in, in, in the desert near the pyramids,

we'd go out riding with the horses, and

the horses would always know when it's time to get when we're heading home. And when they came when they sensed that they'd pick up their pace. And you'd have to sometimes really hold the horses back like you. Like if they once they knew you're going home. Like it's really hard to turn them round. Like they they would not be happy. If you decided to go back out into the desert again. It was like they would pick up the pace. That's what they would do. You know, you could feel it. You could feel it's like they're just so happy to be heading back to the stables, right?

And you see,

don't be like, don't be less smart than the horse. You see, the horse knows when the race is finished and he picks up his pace. And that's the same with us. The races nearly finished brothers and sisters, right? Don't step up now.

Right? Don't don't start watching movies now. Don't start looking at all rubbish stuff and wasting your time with HUD on things. No, this is the time to buckle down and make absolute use of these last few hours because they are it's literally we're counting the hours now brothers and sisters, look at the days, we're counting the hours left. But these are still blessing days. These are still days in which there is so much blessing there is these are still days in which your Ibadah and your prayer and your vicar and you're reading Quran. Right? And you're enjoying the right and forbidding the wrong. And you're all of these things are amplified, and it could still be leadless or powder

tonight. It could be because it's an odd night. any night of the last 10 Nights could be laden with all color. I'm sure you've heard this so many times now. And

and I was discussing this Pamela just with my wife because the Hadith mentions that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he was coming out of his house and he found two Muslims arguing.

And when he saw them arguing he was so upset. He was so upset.

Subhanallah I mean, that's just a We should pause and think just about that.

About arguing and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when he found Muslims arguing he was upset how how

The Prophet de, if he found us the way we are today, divided, bickering, fighting and killing each other, even, of course, the prophet knew that we were going to do that he mentioned it even mentioned that that was what was going to happen. And he Subhanallah how sad he must be knowing that.

So even to find his companions, arguing and it's not a good characteristic, arguing is not something that is approved of a tool. In fact, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that he's a contender for a house in paradise for the person who leaves off arguing even if they are right. And many times in the Quran, Allah subhanaw taala, you know, described that the believers, their characteristics, they're not argumentative.

You know, and, and actually, they they, you know, what did they say to the ignorant people, salam, they just, you know, they just don't get involved in argumentation. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, so two companions, arguing he was upset.

And then he said, I came out to inform you of then the later to cover the light of power, but because I found you arguing, I forgot.

And he said, maybe that's better for you, which is also so beautiful.

Because he was talking about this. I think it was last week I was talking about this. How Subhan Allah the Prophet sallallahu, ala he was, so he's always finding the positive, something positive. Mashallah, even, it seems so negative. But he looks for a positive angle.

And maybe it is good for us. Because if we just knew that it was on one night, we just put all our effort into that night. But now what do we know? The Prophet said? It's in the last 10 nights.

And he told us it's. So he said, it's in the last 10 Nights.

So did was the Prophet salallahu alayhi. Salam did Gibreel was the prophet told that it was one particular night? Or was he going to be told details about that night so that we could identify it? And the Prophet did tell us some signs, some things that can let us know what night it was. And many scholars have opinion that little cutter moves? Right? It moves through the nights, it's not fixed on one particular night. And that could be what Gibreel

was hinting at. And the Prophet said, look on look for it on the, if you can't look for it on every one of the nights look for it on the odd nights. So is this because the Prophet knows that Allah is Witter, and he loves what is water? And he is, you know, he's thinking is most likely to be on those last 10 nights, and the odd ones? And he said, If you can't look for it on every odd night, look for it on the 25th, the 27th and 29th. So that's the most we have, right? Many Yes, some companions did swear there, it was on the 27th. Many scholars scholars opinion that it was the 27th right, as other seven others have also said that it moves, it's not on one particular night.

So it could still be tonight, brothers and sisters. So even if this is your last night in Ramadan, and you've done nothing,

right, if you catch a little condo, think about it. Even if you wasted your whole life.

And you still caught late with your condo.

Then that's 1000 months of worship.

That's a lifetime.

And you know what, this is what I mean brothers and sisters. This is what I mean.

This religion is a religion of so many opportunities, so many blessings that Allah has given us. You see, and to be honest, if you were really crazy.

Not really crazy. I don't mean it in a bad way. I mean here, good crazy. Yeah.

You could even possibly complete the whole Quran. You'd have to be quite good at reading Quran in the sense that you practiced it a lot. But you may even be able to do that if you started right now.

And you just did nothing except read the Quran and say your prayers you might even be able to finish the Quran. If you started now, by the end of Ramadan, you will have to read nonstop. I record that you know if the man had been a fan used to read the whole Quran in one night, he's the read it in his prayers every night Subhanallah

so it can be done.

There's no doubt about it, you might even be able to do it twice. Me, I would find that really hard. I mean, my honest thing is I will read the Quran, maybe for two hours.

That's really it, I have to take a break. But I find it way too intense to be able to keep out. It's really Subhanallah respect to those people who can do that.

But it's one of those things, I guess it's like anything, you have to work on it.

But it gets if you really want to do it, you could still do it, brothers and sisters, you can still give charity. There's so many live appeals. So maybe you could just hop from probably 1000. So probably you can hop from one to the other. Right, giving generously to each one.

Subhanallah you could do that.

You could still feed the orphans and the you know, the care for the widows.

You could say something beautiful to your mom. And you know, serve her and find paradise at her feet maybe.

Yeah, there's so many things you could do brothers and sisters, support the Dow

so many things that you could do

in this last little moment

to save yourself, because that's what the Prophet said. So a lot while he was in it, save yourself from hellfire. Save yourself do something, do something to save yourself from Jahannam even if it's with a date, so there you go. Even if you just gave someone a date to break their fast, maybe that saves you from hellfire. Or if you haven't fasted well if you give you know 30 people something to break their fast with. That's like break that's like 30 fasts you get rewarded for

Subhanallah because that's what the Prophet said so long while he was slim, whoever gave someone something to break the fast with they get rewarded of that person is fast and even a cup of water if you give them something let alone if you feed them completely so they actually get fed.

So you know what is never too late. And actions are judged by their endings don't remember that. So everybody whether you've done nothing

you can change

you can change and if you have been powering it through this Ramadan brothers and sisters Alhamdulillah dot you know, make sure you just increase do even more. Right?

do even more.

And one of the most important things about this and so I want to remind you finally,

is intentions, right? At least make the resolve at least make the firm intention to make the absolute most and get the absolute benefit of these last few moments of this blessed month of Ramadan. May Allah May Allah help us all to do that. May Allah allow us all to finish this Ramadan with real strength, with many good deeds withdrawing closer to Allah with good intentions and firm resolve.

And let's not collapse at the last hurdle. Absolutely not brothers and sisters, let's power it through. Make the best of it. Because that's, you know, the real testimony. The real you know, that's how our deeds are judged by the endings our life is judged by its ending. You know, that's why the Prophet said so Allahu alayhi wa sallam said that a person

does the deeds of the people of paradise. But what is written for them overtakes them and then they do the deeds. They just the hand span, a hand span that's like how we are we're just now a hand span away

from the end of Ramadan

right so you may have fasted and done good those whole Ramadan your hand Spanaway and then you mess it all up with some big haram thing. How do you think what do you what's your conclusion then? If you're Ramadan? What's the conclusion of your life? If you do the deeds of people to paradise that the then the end you do the deeds of the people of hellfire?

You make sure you make cover.

You do something terrible.

And you go to hell

Subhan Allah or, and this is just to make a short just don't ever, you know, don't stop guarding yourself against falling into evil. Don't ever think yeah, I'm there until you are there. Like I really have been humbled

But when he was dying, and on his deathbed, he was saying Not yet Not yet. And they're trying to get him to say Shahada. You're saying Not yet Not yet. Can you imagine?

So they said, Why? Why is there and he sort of came back from his illness? He recovered a bit. This is what you saying? He said, shake on, came to me said, Oh, you escaped me because of your knowledge and piety. You escaped me? And he said, No, you're saying Not yet. Not yet. So to shape it say No, not yet. Subhanallah

because the only time you've really escaped a time, is when you've died with the labor law, then that's it, you've done it.

But until then, right until that last moment, same brothers and sisters, let's just power through. Let's keep giving sadaqa let's keep praying. Let's keep up those fasts. Let's keep reading Quran whatever it is, we're doing Alhamdulillah right up until the last moment. And it could be as well you see, that a person does the deeds of the people of hell. And then their hands burn away from it. And they start doing the deeds of the people of paradise. Because of it the goats paradise. How do you want to enjoy Ramadan? Brothers and sisters? How do you want to end your life? This is the last sprint.

Just gather all your energy Alhamdulillah you're nearly over the line.

If you've done good, do more good. If you haven't,

doesn't matter. You still got a day or two left. You still got a night or two left.

Make the best of it brothers and sisters. May Allah make us the best of the best. May Allah make us better and better every day in every way increases in demand

and good health.

And that's it brothers are male lot support all our brothers and sisters suffering all over the world. Especially our prayers have to be with

the Muslims in Philistine Masjid Al Aqsa, but everywhere, because there's still suffering in concentration camps in China in Kashmir.

The Rohingya still they're still so much suffering and many other places. You know, I didn't mention them but it doesn't mean they have been they've been forgotten. They haven't been they shouldn't be. We are one body brothers and sisters. We are one body we are one that's the truth. So hello, and we're a blessing on that and even this suffering is part of the blessings is better we suffer a bit in this life and then Allah takes it easy with us on the next

the we get diluted with wealth and power.

And then we got to help me a lot protectors. We don't want that. But I've been in it for dunya has now filled

Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah.

Day