Hamza Tzortzis – Ramadan Is Not Only About Dos and Donts

			Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim in Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah brothers and
sisters and friends as salaam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa better cattle.
		

			Brothers and sisters and friends is the month of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar.
It's a blessed month is a month of the quarter and it's a month of guidance. It's a month of mercy.
It's the month of supplication.
		

			Now, I don't want this month to be a month of just do's and don'ts. Don't get me wrong.
		

			obeying Allah
		

			is extremely important. obeying Allah brings us closeness to His mercy and His love.
		

			We must
		

			obey Allah we must follow the do's and don'ts but don't make it only a Ramadan of do's and don'ts.
That's my point.
		

			And the way to articulate this is in a linguistic way.
		

			Allah says instead of Bukhara
		

			Yeah, you helina Ave quotevalet como Seon can akuti Bella Dinamo, publikum Lola takuan all you had
believed, fasting has been prescribed for you like it was prescribed for those before you in order
for you to attain taqwa, mindfulness of Allah, God consciousness.
		

			Brothers and sisters, Allah doesn't say in the Quran.
		

			It is a forward to fast it is an obligation to fast we know it is an obligation. We know the
language implies is an obligation. But you missing the point. Allah doesn't use language in that
way. He doesn't say you must first full stop, turn the page out of his majesty and glory. He could
have said this, he could have said fast, full stop.
		

			But look at the language he uses to penetrate your soul. Allah subhana wa tada starts by saying
yeah, you * let me know. All you who have believed us, me, you allies saying
		

			we are people of America, people of trust people that we have a relationship with Allah, which is
the rearrangement of carbon which does matter. But Allah has elevated this matter, this flesh to a
person that has a status that Allah calls a person of belief,
		

			a person of ananna a person of a trust between himself and the Lord of everything that exists. So
before Allah is addressing you in terms of telling you want to do, Allah elevates you. He's saying
Yeah, and you hit livina ermanno Oh, you who have believed. Then Allah continues quotevalet camassia
fasting has been prescribed to you katiba in the Arabic language is in the passive form. It's making
it sound easy. Allah is making Ramadan fasting sound easy cookie by has connotations of Yeah, go do
it. It's in the passive form.
		

			So Allah is showing his mercy here, doesn't want to overburden you doesn't want to harm you, what's
good for you? And then Allah says, Can I kind of put you back in the dino publikum like it was
prescribed for those before you, meaning other generations have done this. Other spiritual
traditions. Other people have achieved good from this. So you're not alone. Don't worry. Imagine
going into the gym for the first time and you see someone just like you really bench pressing 200
kilos. You're like, wow, he's got two legs and two arms. If he can do it, I can do and it motivates
you. Ally's doing the same here he's motivating us. He's saying other traditions have done this and
		

			it worked. Alone, what's easy for you What's good for you.
		

			And then Allah ends, that Allah contacta cone in order for you to attain taqwa, God consciousness.
		

			And the person who has taqwa has the love of Allah. The person has taqwa has his mercy. The person
has taqwa has his paradise, eternal bliss and tranquility.
		

			These verses are Ramadan, brothers and sisters are verses of love.
		

			The Quran is one giant love letter between the lord of everything that exists and his believer
because even when Allah mentions his punishment,
		

			remember he hasn't hastened the punishment.
		

			He mentions it as a warning for you to reflect upon because he wants you to come to paradise.
		

			And that's why when he mentions suffering or tell Tony
		

			meant in Hellfire, it's to remind you to be back on track. And that's why ruin love or ruin lovers
are those who remind the people that they love the person that they love, that if you deviate from
the path of mercy and love, you could end up in a dangerous place. So come back. So the whole of the
Quran is like one merciful, one love letter to us. And you see this resonating in these, this verse
of the Quran. When Allah doesn't just say fast, full stop. He says, Oh, you have believed the
elevate your status.
		

			Fasting has been prescribed for you making it sound easy. It's in the passive form. It was
prescribed before you.
		

			You're not alone in this. It's worked. And look at the end goal in order to attain God
consciousness, which facilitates His mercy and facilitates his love.
		

			You can be loved by everyone, brothers and sisters. But if you're not loved by Allah, then what's
the point? So let's focus on the motto Ramadan, to really engage with the acts of bad acts of
worship. And I pray that I follow my own advice. And let's really reflect upon the Quran because it
kind of addresses us elevates our status makes it sound easy and gives us an amazing and gold which
essentially means paradise. Because Allah loves you. That's why he
		

			couches the language in this way to penetrate your heart and soul.
		

			So that's why I said don't let this Ramadan be just do's and don'ts. Make it also be something
inner. And many of the pious predecessors always saw Ramadan in this way of being online, but also
having their hearts connected to Allah, knowing that he loves them, and that we should love him.
		

			And this is why final piece of advice when you're in frustration. Don't forget what the prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said
		

			that this is when you're closest to your Lord, so supplicate to him. This month is also a month of
supplication to speak to him in frustration.
		

			Speak to Allah, talk to him. And I remember all those years ago, around 12 years ago before I was a
Muslim, I was in East London in the big mosque. I used to pray before I became a Muslim. I remember
my friend Dr. Amir, who runs a gym in Layton.
		

			May Allah bless him, he told me when I was a non Muslim in college, Hackney Community College, when
we're praying, and when we're in frustration we're closest to our Lord because of the symbol of the
ego. We break our ego and humble ourselves. And he said supplicate to your Lord. I remember this and
I supplicate to Allah and you know, I said to him,
		

			if this is the truth Show me.
		

			And just after a few months, I became a Muslim. So supplicate to your Lord Solomonic Rahmatullahi wa
berikut