Ramadan Preparation

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100 we praise Allah subhana wa tada for allowing us all to gather here today. And to be a part of this gathering, the ministry will discuss some very important points to help us prepare for the beautiful month of Ramadan. The month of Ramadan was a very special month for the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was a person who was always worshipping Allah. He was always using every opportunity of every day to bring himself closer to Allah subhanho wa Taala. But there was something there was something about the month of Ramadan that when it got closer, it made the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam excited and that whatever he was doing, he

made it a point to increase that the closer he got to Ramadan, the month of Raja was very special to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, because it was two months away from the month of Ramadan. And then a month ago Shabbat was even more special for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam because they were right at the door of Ramadan, and two months in advance 60 days before the month of Ramadan actually comes in the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam begins to pray Yeah, Allah, I'm at the end of it almost there. Allow me to reach the month of Ramadan is let me step foot into the month of Ramadan. It was something so special. And when something is special to a special person

that shows you how important that thing actually is, you know the prophets of Allah holiday was set up was the source of revelation revelation came on to him and we seek revelation through the prophets that Allahu Allah was sort of, he understood what was important and what wasn't important and hear the purpose that along while he was sitting he gives the special attention amounts due to Rahmatullah era. In his seat, he quotes this very beautiful narration. He says that Allah subhanahu wa tada created time. And after creating time, Allah subhana wa tada looked at the moments of the day, and then chose the five special moments of the day, the five moments, the five times in the day

that are more valuable than the others, those that we praise a lot in. These are special moments. That's the time of fun, it's actually more spiritual and more virtuous than the hour before it. You guys understand that? The hour after fighter slot is not as virtuous as the moment of wonder that time of budget, the time and the date in which you're worshiping the law in is actually a very important time that is a very special time in your life. Then Allah subhanho wa Taala looked through the days and after going through the days, Allah subhanahu wa taala chose Juma because Friday is a very special day. Monday is not as good as Friday, neither is Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday

or Sunday, these days cannot match Friday because this is a very special day. And then out of the night, Allah subhanho wa Taala he chose the night of power later to other all the nights in the year can never match later to Allah subhanho wa Taala and Allah subhanaw taala Quran tells us that 1000 months cannot be equivalent to this one night, the power of that night. And then out of all of the months, Allah subhanho wa Taala chooses the month of Ramadan. And the month of Ramadan is a very special month. Just if you look at the etymology of the word Ramadan. You know you notice that the three words the three root letters in the word Ramadan are Rama, Rama yonemoto means to burn. And

the scholars say the reason why the month of Ramadan is called it on Milan is because it has the ability to burn away the sins that were committed throughout the other 11 months. The month of Ramadan holds down your year, just as Friday holds down your week. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says one July to the other Jamaat, if the Juma is are conducted properly if you follow all of the all of the advocates that we have for Juma There's a famous narration that tells us about how to prepare for Jamaat properly. If you follow that narration and fulfill all the etiquettes that are that are that are recommended by the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam for Juma then that Juma and

the Juma that will be before it, they will your sins will be forgiven in between you guys understand that?

So for your day, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam tells us you pray your Salah properly, whatever happened the rest of the day ALLAH forgive it. Right There's a famous narration. The problem is that a lot of it was said I'm told the hobby that what is your opinion regarding the person who takes five bath today and the companions that say he will be very clean. So whatever happens in between that salon will make sure that is all forgiven about Allah subhana wa Tada. You take care of your Joomla properly, you give it that extra attention, Allah subhana wa tada will waive everything that happened in that week. And then comes the month of Ramadan. If you deal with

Ramadan properly, if you follow the etiquettes of Ramadan and you give it that love and attention that Ramadan requires that allows the Pato Matata will also wipe away he will wipe away everything that has

The year before, our teachers used to say that Allah subhanho wa Taala in the month of Ramadan gives you a spiritual power. It's a very special power. And I'm going to talk about that in a minute.

And that power is such that you can do things that you will not you are not able to do earlier in the year. Can you imagine fasting 30 days in March. Most of us know even though March The day was actually shorter. But fasting in the month of March was something that we probably didn't do. If I asked people here who were who fasted in the month of March, maybe someone may raise their hand and said faster, two days faster, three days, someone may say 10 days, but no one fast 30 days. Because that strength, that ability isn't there too fast, that extra push that spiritual power that Allah subhanaw taala gives, it's not existed, how many people can say they prayed the 100 Salah straight

in the month of March without missing a single one. Most of us can say that how many people sitting here can say that they did not miss a single day in which they didn't recite the Quran in the month of March. Most of us can say that, but when that very same March becomes Ramadan, that very same March, give it a few years and that March will become Ramadan. And when it becomes Ramadan. You ask the same question again. This March What did you do? And that brother will tell you this was the month in which I didn't miss a single fast. This is a month in which has a which I decided to put on. This was a month in which there were some nights that I cried so profusely over my state and I

bet a lot for mercy. And when you come to Allah on the Day of Judgment, it may be that March will be the one that will title you to gender. Because that march was from Milan it wasn't just March. It was a special March it was Ramadan. Ramadan the purpose of a lot of money was centered regarding the month of Ramadan. He says in Ramadan, when the month of Ramadan enters foot the heart of wobbel Jenna woollacott Ababa na was Silsila

the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says when the month of Ramadan enters, the doors to paradise are opened, the doors to the fire of hell are locked. They're not just closed, what are they called? They are locked, will soon see that the shouting and the shouting The devil is tied away. This narration is very important. It tells us three important things that happened as soon as the month of Ramadan enters. The first thing is that the doors of Paradise are opened up. What does this actually mean the doors of Paradise are opened up, what the scholars they say is that when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam says in the month of Ramadan, the doors of Paradise are open.

What this actually means is that the pathway to gender is now much more easier. You know when a door is closed, you have to figure out how to open it. But if the door is open, all you have to do is he's gonna walk in, if you walk in, you're walking right into paradise, there are certain things you have to do. They're very simple, very easy, everyone's doing them, you just have to go with the flow, there's nothing special that needs to be done. You just go with the flow and you're going into agenda. And then on the other hand, the purpose of the law while he was sitting says the door of the fire of hell is locked up. So now in order for you to go to the fire of hell, in the month of

Ramadan, you really are going to have to break that lock. It's not as easy as walking in, you don't fall into jahannam in the month of Ramadan. In order for you to send in the month of Ramadan, you really have to go out of your way. You have to consciously defeat yourself to go and just obey Allah subhanho wa Taala because you're already fasting during the day, at night, you're praying that I'll leave prayer, you only have a few hours left till too soon. So if you think about it during the day, do you actually have time to disobey Allah you don't, there's no time everything's so quick. It's so fast. There's so much that needs to be done. But if after you don't have time, you still take out

time to just obey a law then it's as if you're breaking that law and forcing yourself into the fire of hell. And then the progress of the law while he was still him says and the shell theme the devils are chained away. And this is a very important part of the Hadith.

When Allah subhanho wa Taala created the human being, he created the human being, there's a body there's a soul, which we call the root. In Arabic, there's a body which we call the system, the body, and then within the body in order for it to be alive. There's something called the root. What's the word? Root means the soul. Now along with these two components, there's an extra component called the knifes the nuts is kind of like the springboard within the human body. Right? It now has the ability to push you up, or you can get caught underneath and you can't get out. It can push you up and make you a great person. Or that very same knifes can be the reason why you are

duck you are you are you are you are deep beneath the ground. You dig yourself in your own grave and you seal it off that very same level. It's something that's inside you. Either you can make it for you, or you can make it against you. The question is which direction do you pull it? Do you pull it this way? Or do you pull it that way? Now shaytaan what he does is that throughout the year, he feeds your nuts. He feeds it with temptations, he feeds it with evil, and he continues to feed it he continues to feed it until what happens is he takes control over it. Right the nuts my teacher used to say that a good example of understanding the nuts is like it's like a dog. Right? Anyone that

throws the bone at it, the nuts will run to anyone that throws the bone at turnips. That is the nuts is so it's so

Sincerely when I look at it one from one perspective, it's so keen that if anyone comes and throws a bone at the nuts, the nuts will run around at it. So now you have to maintain the loyalty of your enough. But if someone else comes into picture, they'll take control over it. shaytaan makes every attempt throughout the year to take control over that knifes. How does he do that he throws at you certain things that tempt you, he may throw at you certain things that you like to see that a lot told you not to see. You've said, strike, he may make you listen to things that you like to listen to, but a lot told you not to listen to strike again, he may make you say certain things that a lot

is not likely to say strike again. And he continues to strike you and strike you and strike you until what happens is that he has your nuts on a color. And now he can pull it right left back for whatever he wants. Allah subhanho wa Taala in the month of Ramadan removes shape on from the picture. And I want you to imagine your knifes that is colored by shade on that color is removed and allows to kind of without access to the nuts. I will hold shade on back. This is your month, build your strength because 30 days later, he's going to be back again. It's kind of like you know, those of you guys, any of you guys watch WWF when you're young, it's rude every time you have WWE the

color now, right? What would happen is that one guy would be beat up, they beat him up and beat him up and beat him up. And they used to beat that guy up so badly. So what this guy would do the guy with that was getting beaten up, he would inch his way to his corner, you guys were that he would slowly slowly inch his way to the corner. And when he wouldn't get when he would get to the corner, what would he do?

tack and when he would tag the guy in the corner would come and beat that guy up and push them out of the way and this guy would come out of the ring. He would rejuvenate himself get his energy again, and then he would be tagging get back in the ring. You guys remember that. So that's how you want to think of Ramadan. It's kind of like your tag buddy. It comes in tags you and says I got shaytaan I'm holding shift on out. I'm going to hold them out for 30 days you won't be able to get inside your life for 30 days. I'm going to hold him out. He had you under control for 11 months but I'm going to hold him out for 30 days and this is your chance to now build your energy. You build

your energies for one straight line comes out again you are ready to face him. So this is what the prophet said a lot while he was sort of a teaching us that Ramadan is a month in which shavon is locked away. The Temptations are now deduce how beautiful those temptations are that it also deduce it's been reduced. Now it's your chance to look at the beautiful things chiffons color is off your neck, use your nuts, turn that nuts into one that is obedient to Allah. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam teaches us that if you look at the Quran, you will notice that the Quran makes three different references to the word nuts. The first is what we call nuts with a model. The second

is what we call nuts, the llama. And the third is what we call natural, multiple variants common discussion, we hear this again and again. What is nothing more nuts than Amara is that inner soul or inner self that you have that encourages you to sin. It tells you to sit you know, when you talk about sin, it becomes happy. If someone talks about disobeying the law. Let's go watch this hot on let's go listen to this head on. Let's go cut this person out. Let's go and back by there's a smile that comes to the face all of a sudden your heart feels happy that I'm going to disobey Allah, I'm going to eat this haram thing or engage in this haram thing. You're not pushing you towards what

I'm, you know going on and doing something silly with your friends, you get excited about it. When someone tells you to come to the machines, you get depressed and sad. When someone tells you this or read the Quran, you feel like they're mocking you, they're making fun of you. If someone tells you bro, why don't you pray somehow you get angry, because you're nuts is now in complete control of shaitaan. It encourages you to do evil and does not like you doing good. It doesn't like it at all. The second types of knifes is what we call Nestor, Loma nutzern, Loma is that inner self that may sin. But when it does sin, it feels the regret. You might do something wrong, you might drink

something wrong, smoke something wrong, you might look at something wrong, you might touch something wrong. But as soon as you commit that sin in your heart, you feel that guilt that I shouldn't have done that. Right? This is a very important part of the human life. You know, to be able to feel even at the body, I always give an example that in your body if you didn't have a sensory if you didn't have your sensory system, right? Would that be good for you or bad for you?

You would think it's good, but it's not good. It really bad for you. Because if I were to take a pin and poke it into your hand, would you feel it? You wouldn't feel it. And I can continue to drill in that pin deeper and your hand deeper and ahead until it comes out the other side? Would you feel it? If you can't feel you wouldn't feel it, you wouldn't know you'd probably bleed out you would have known. Now on the other hand, because you can feel because you had your sense there. If someone was to poke a little bit of that pin into your head, what would you say? Ouch. Pull your hand back right away. You wouldn't let that needle go through all the way. So the fact that you said ouch is a sign

that you feel and nosler wama is enough that says ouch every time it spins. When it spins it feels bad it regrets it has remorse and then it turns back to Allah then it may sin again but it feels bad. It regrets it has remorse. It turns back to Allah and this is the cycle that keeps him going this person right. The third knifes is enough that has been trained properly for the obedience

Have a lot. And this is what we call nafcillin motema. In, this is the knifes that wakes you up with 100 solar. This is enough that encourages you. Let's open the Koran and read it. This is that inner self that is always pushing you do good and do good. And if anyone even mentioned the idea of standing in front of you, your heart feels turned down that I don't want to talk to this person. What is this person talking about? Many of us here have no idea what this feels like. Because we've never experienced it. I speak to myself first. But we've seen certain people who actually desire to worship Allah subhana wa Tada. They were people who we had met before who used to wake up for the

100 whether there was an alarm or not, you know whether there was an alarm or not, you have to realize during the Prophet's time, do they have alarm clocks? Yes or no? Absolutely not. At the 100 time three in the morning, even the animals are asleep. How exactly did they wake up? It's called natural movement in we are nuts tells you it's time to wake up. It's kind of like you have to have a flight 5am in the morning, you can set your alarm for four o'clock. But even if you don't set your alarm, trust me, you'll wake up yourself. It happens to me all the time. Right? I go to sleep, I don't have two hours of sleep because my flights gonna be very soon. And two hours later, when my

alarm goes off or not. I'll wake up, I'll wake up sometimes a minute before my alarm goes off two minutes before my alarm goes off and you wake up right away and you're ready to go nuts to multiply encourages you to do good. A lot of how to walk down and look around he tells us up on our ATM a little ha ha ha ha ha Have you not seen the person who has taken his desires as his Lord. He is swamped by his desires. Ask yourself this question. When was the last time I said no to myself? For anything? Whether it was last time I bought my car or last time I desired a cell phone or the last time I desired a pair of shoes. Or the last time I wanted a laptop or the last time I wanted some

dessert or some food to eat. When was the last time I said what to myself? No. You know you have to train to say to your nuts. No. Because when you tell your nuts No, that's when you gain control over it. That's when you learn to gain strength over it. The month of Ramadan. One of the key

forms of Avada we conduct in this month is fasting. Now I want to bring up a Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. The problem is that a lot of body wisdom teaches us and this is a very famous Hadith we've all heard this in our Sunday school. The Prophet sallallahu it was said I'm says booney al Islam Allah humps, Islam is built on five pillars. You guys remember this hadith? Yes. The five pillars of Islam? What are they Shahada to testify in the oneness of Allah, your salon, your prayer, yours the cost your charity in your arms, your song fasting, courage and your pilgrimage. It's as if the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is staying in the world when you go into the

world. shavon is going to be your enemy in the hula kumawu movie shaitaan is going to be your enemies and attack me like crazy. But when shaitaan comes to attack you I'm giving you a bag right of artillery. This is weaponry that you have with you. And if you use this you can destroy shape on any day. What are the five great weapons that Prophet is telling us to hold on to Shahada right justification for Allah Zakat song and Hutch, what's so special about these five? Why these and not others? What's so special about these? Why are these the foundation of Islam? This is a very important question because, you know, this is the foundation of our Islam. And if this is a nice,

we're gonna quote every time we invite someone to Islam, there has to be some depth to the Hadith. Would you guys agree? Yes, it has to be some meaning behind it. Why is the Prophet saying these five things in particular? Why are these the Pillars of Islam? So my teacher used to give a very, very beautiful analogy. He used to say, think of your Shahada, like an ocean,

you guys with me? Right? And then think of the other four pillars, like rivers. And then at the end of it, think of all of the other acts of worship, like small little streams, the streams are connected to the rivers and the rivers are connected to your sea and your ocean. So all the other acts of the dean, if you look at them properly, they're actually connected to the other four pillars of Islam. Any activity in any guru act that Allah subhanaw taala the Prophet Allah says in the Quran or Hadith, they actually come off of these four pillars of Islam, your Salah, Psalms, a carton Hutch, and these four pillars are actually linked to the ocean which is for the sake of Allah,

Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, as taught to me by the prophet, Muhammad and after you have the ocean, you have the rest of you don't have those, you didn't have anything. So why these four? Let's bring up that question. Again. let's address it.

If you look at all the actions that the dean tells us to do all the different ibadat all the forms of worship, you will notice that they fall into two categories. The first is what we call a VA doctor, but the Nia and the second is what we call a bad data. Malia a badass Amalia means the act of worship that you are conducting involves a financial contribution. You're making a contribution. That's one whole genre of Alibaba, one type of Alibaba. The second type of Alibaba is it's not involving your your wealth. It actually involves your button but it means your body

Now those who pay attention carefully, I'm going to draw spider chart for you okay? So all the acts have been the either involve your wealth or they involve involve your body, if they involve your body now there are further two categories. Either they involve your fan or they involve your code only means your statements. For example, a Chateau La Ilaha Illa. Now, that's a statement Allahu Akbar, Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah Subhana, Allah, Al Hamdulillah, all the words, you can think of the author in this category, that they all revolve around your statements. Okay? That's one and the other is your family. That means your actions, so you have to do something. So now let's look at

this all over again. your deeds, two categories, your wealth, what's an example of your wealth being an act of worship, from the five pillars of Islam?

Now, your body in your body? There are two examples. There are those that involve your statements, for example, from the five pillars of Islam

Shahada, okay, now it involves your body, what's an example of your body?

solid and some thought and some both of them? Now the question is, why are they two in this category? Why are there two in this category. The reason why they are two in this category is because solid and stone are two different aspects of a bother with the ball with a body, Salah is to engage and foam is to refrain, you guys understand. So there are two types of rather than involved the body. Sometimes Allah is telling you to do something with your body. And other times Allah is telling you to refrain and to not to do with your body. You guys with me so far. So there you have the card here, you have your Shahada here, you have your salon here, you have your soul here, it all

fits within this chart. Now hunch brings all of that together. That's why they call it luminary, but it's the mother of all you have to make the debate your own is there, you have to wear your home you have to learn to prevent. That's what the harm does. It teaches you to prevent, you have to use your wealth to get there. And at the same time during your head, you need to do your harm, you need to do your study. So now you're engaging as well. If a person can conduct their Hajj with proper sincerity, then it's as if they've understood all of the pillars of Islam. So So fasting is a very important component of Ramadan. It's a very, it's a very important component of your life either.

Because you're teaching yourself to say no, you're cheating yourself to say I'm not going to obey Allah. Not many people, when they think of fasting, they think of hunger and thirst. That's what most of our non Muslim friends think of when we talk about fasting to them. For them. Fasting means hunger and thirst. If I was to tell one of my friends, I'm fasting for 30 days, what's going to be his first concern?

Are you going to be thirsty? Aren't you going to be hungry, because so then fasting equals to hunger and thirst. But for a Muslim fasting is not only a hunger and thirst, fasting is beyond hunger and thirst. Fasting teaches us that you don't only stay hungry and thirsty. These are two things that are actually halau that Allah has taken away from us, eating and drinking our halaal throughout the year, you can eat and drink as much as you want to. Even though it's not too good for you to eat too much drink too much. But nonetheless, you could if you want to know hypothetically, Allah subhanaw taala saying, Let me take these two things away from you. And if I'm taking away a lot of things

away from you, then by our greater understanding, you should also stay away from all of the Haram as well. So fasting isn't only hunger and thirst, that may legally meet the definition of fasting. The legal definition of fasting is to refrain from eating, drinking and sexual intimacy from the break of dawn to the setting of the sun with a valid intention. That's the legal definition of fasting. But just because you meet the legal definition doesn't mean that fast is rewarded by Allah subhana wa, tada, the province had a long while it was Southern says how many people are they fast, and the only thing they gained from their fast is hunger and thirst. You know, when we look back at our past

Ramadan, and the other 1529 bonds that came before that we need to ask ourselves was RM not all about hunger and thirst, and if it was about a hunger and thirst, and we made sacrifice for 30 days, and all we got out of it was hunger and thirst that we don't even feel anymore? Where's the reward with the loss of Hannah Montana, I mean, Ramadan has to be more than that. It has to be more than being hungry and thirsty. So what's the higher level of fasting among because it says the second level of fasting is where you're not only fasting with your private part and your mouth, your eating and drinking, but all of your limbs are fasting from how long now you're not going to use your hands

for hot on so while you're fasting, and you feel that hunger into remind yourself, this hunger reminds me that my mouth is fasting, and so should be my eyes should be my ears. So should be my hands, and my feet, and every limb, my body should be fasting from hot on. So while I'm fasting, I shouldn't be looking at her arm because if I'm looking at her arm, then what's the purpose in staying hungry and thirsty? Are you guys following me? It's like a person who's praying Salah, but while they're praying Salah. So let's say for example, hypothetically, is it permissible to listen to something being played while you're in Salah?

hypothetically, is it permissible? Let's say for example, I'm praying salah and I'm in a store and there is some announcement going on while listening to that announcement break my prayer. Yes or no? It won't. Everybody agrees on that. Right. You're at work and you're praying and maybe in the background, people are talking and chatting.

Well listen to them breaker prayer. Now what if someone takes, you know, a set of a set of drills and puts it on his ears and prays one out while he's pumping wrap?

It kind of defeats the whole purpose of fasting. While you're still not count, it might count, you know, like legally listening to that won't break your soul. Ah, but is it gonna break, it's gonna destroy every aspect of worship, every aspect of the ibadah all of that spiritual health is going to be gone because you're destroying the foundation of your ibadah which is to build a connection with Allah subhanho wa Taala. So when we're fasting, we can't be hypocrites. We have to be sincere and promised ourselves that we will fast properly with our entire body. It's tough. It's hard. I know. It's very hard. You know, may Allah grant me the ability and everyone sitting here to make that

struggle. But that's how you gain taqwa. That's where Allah says quotevalet ecomuseum kana. kuchibhotla. Allah Allah, Tata hoon. That's how you can taqwa. And then the second one was and he says, the highest level of fasting is where you're not only fasting with your mouth and your private organ and the rest of your limbs, but you've learned to fast with your heart. And you save your heart to think of anything other than Allah, from the break of dawn to the setting of the sun. The only thing that's on your heart is I am for Allah. And Allah created me a lot is the greatest and you're just thinking about Allah for that full day. And that's the fast that is so beloved by Allah,

that for that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says that Allah will say to that person on the Day of Judgment, that asked us formally one, Zb, that that fast was for me, and I will reward for that fast directly. You know, so we have to put ourselves in the right mindset when we're entering into the month of Ramadan month Ramadan is not about losing weight, I have many friends who have come and told me she has inshallah, Milan coming up for a month over, I'm going to drop a few pounds and I'm going to look healthier. Well, whether you're going to be healthier or not, I don't know

whether you're going to drop some weight or not. I don't know. And that's not my concern. My concern is what's going to happen to your spiritual state after Ramadan? What's gonna happen to you in Ramadan? Is your spirituality going to increase or not? So there's an idea of fasting. If you look at fasting when Allah subhanho wa Taala tells us to stay away from eating, drinking and sexual intimacy. You'll understand that these are three things that are beloved to a person, what won't a person do for food?

I mean, people will do anything for food. You guys all saw that creekstone fiasco that happened, right? Everyone was going crazy because of meat. I said, I texted one of my brothers, one of my friends. And I said to him, man, I'd like to talk to the brother who posted that up. And I said to him, Bro, I don't imagine you can cause such a fiasco over the internet just because of

when I say food, meat. I mean, people are so excited by the awesome thing. If there's a budget that opens in Chicago, someone may know someone who may not know, you open up a new Italian express in Chicago, everyone in Chicago knows Italian Express opened up. People love food, right? People love food. That's the way that's the nature of people. So Allah subhanho wa Taala says, the one thing that distracts you from your Lord, let me cut that out of the picture.

Right people, they go to work and you ask people, why do you work? They'll say, I have to put food on the table. Unless and how about I move that out of the equation for a little bit? Let's forget your food. And then many people when they come home, they have an attraction to their spouse. Allah says, Let me remove that out of the equation as well. So now it's just you and me. Now it's worship me. You have no reason not to worship me anymore. I've cut out the things that are gonna distract you. The things that were that were to distract you. I've cut them out. There's nothing else that you can do. Now it's me and you I created you. You were created for me. Why don't you worship me

now? So sown fasting Ramadan is to teach us to remove distractions between us and Allah subhanahu wa, tada, you know, so you need to ask yourself, what distracts me from Allah? Is it my social media? Is it my Facebook, my Twitter, my Netflix, my YouTube, you know, what is it? Is it my TV, my sports, whatever it is, you need to make sure that that is not a distraction, go home and move on and pull the plug out of your TV and say, This is what I'm fasting from this Ramadan, you have to choose a object that you're going to fast from, as far as telling you to fast from eating and drinking and intimacy. But beyond that, we all know that we have our personal vices, and there are

things that distract us from Allah, our number one problem, it may be for some people, my number one problem may be that I don't sleep early at night. For someone else that may be that their number one problem is that they eat too much. And let me just stop right there. Ramadan, you know, you have to remember you have to find your voice. Just because you're fasting doesn't mean you don't eat a lot for some people may Allah protect the reality is that they skip one meal, but they eat five meals at a time. So you beat the whole purpose all together, you know, and you know, that poor stomach must be asking Allah Allah, why did a man come in again, I get tortured on nighttime. You know, at least

in the day, it was like, you know, in increments like you know, in installments, sorry, it's in installments. But at nighttime now, it's just all the way through and people might be in so short. So what they do is that if I'd have thought they have a meal, then after that, they have another meal. Then they have another meal. And if you look at the three meals, they're actually spaced out and how many hours

they

Six, seven hours, right? And then there's a little sleeping in the middle, for hours, right? For five years, maybe more than that, I don't know. It's based on six hours, and there's a little sleeping in there. So you think about it, when you look at it all. It's kind of like a little prayer, eat, eat, eat, and sleep and wake up again. So what happens to that, you know, you're kind of we're kind of defeating the purpose of fasting. Fasting is here to teach us I'll give an example. Allah subhanaw taala. In the Quran, he says, Yeah, you know, cootie balicasag, comma katiba, latinamerica, Polycom, all those who believe fasting was ordained upon you as it was ordained upon

the people before you. Now one thing we know for a fact is that not every nation has the same form of fasting people that different types of fasting for us, right?

Is that very odd? He said, I'll give you an example is the karate Salaam is 80 years old. How old is he? 80 years old, old man. His limbs are probably very weak. His hair must be all white at this point. And he's making the model a lot. You guys want the full story right? He goes to visit his niece, Miriam. And he sees that she has fruits she has fruits with her that are out of season. So he says to Marian Where did you get these foods from? She says we'll give it to me. Mandela Allah gave it. So he thought to himself, a lot can give money and fruits out of season if she can get grapes, strawberries and pineapple out of season. That means I can have a child out of season two, he begins

to see dreams and having a child at the age of at the age of 18. That's a little interesting, right? So Zachary, Allison, um, he didn't have a kid. He stabbed him in his place of worship, he raises his hand, this is Yala. Give me a son. And he's been making cloth for so many years. But when he makes us do all this time alive, so the lessons, okay, you're going to get a son, man, imagine how happy he was. Imagine how happy he was. He's been making dua for how many years? 80 years. And after 80 years, you ask someone that you know, who was trying to have a child for five years, in that five years when they have a child Finally, they are exploding and enjoyment, exploring, enjoy. They'll do

whatever it takes to make sure that that birth of the child is perfect. The gifts, the decoration, the preparation, everything. So here's a kid, he has just been told that you're going to have a kid.

What do you think is the cardiologists around wants to do? What's the one thing he wants to do?

Anyone, when you find that you're having a child, what's the first thing you want to do?

to family or friends, right? He wants to go on Facebook and post it, go on Twitter and post it, you know, take a picture of himself post on Instagram and having a kid everyone else announce it. So he says Yala. And having a child, what do I do now? Allah says, Well, you can't talk to anyone for three days. The one thing he's dying to do, he's dying to tell everyone. He wants to go out and scream in the street, guys, I'm having a kid. I'm eight years old. Check this out. And Allah says you can't tell anyone for three days. Right? And what's happening here is that Allah is training him that your excitement to announce may be a distraction for you to think Allah, what you should be

doing right now, because I gave you a childhood for eight years. So let's take your tongue away. And how about you spend the next three days thinking of love first. And as a cardiologist, he turns to a lot, I can't even imagine how he holds himself back. That's what you call real fasting, by the way, where he's dying to see it. But he can't speak at all. He can't not only ally, loud to call him on as far as he can even speak the truth 21 Allah says no talking at all, in larhonda, except for gestures. That's what some scholars say. The cardiology salon was one of the Masters in sign language a long while and what that actually means, because I said that not to talk to people, but

through gestures. And he began to speak to people through gestures. But nonetheless, I was actually in. I was in North Carolina a few weeks back. And while we were doing while we're conducting the weekend retreat there. There were some brothers and sisters that came from the deaf community. And they couldn't speak. And they couldn't speak or hear. So while we were, while we were speaking, while we were lecturing the speakers, there was a sister sitting on the stage, and she was interpreting, she was actually the sheath, and she was interpreting what was actually being said. So the brothers and sisters who are deaf can actually understand. And I thought to myself, so hon

Allah, we, those of us who can hear, we take hearing for granted. You guys understand, we take hearing for granted. And these young men and women after the lecture is over, they came to me to the front, and they sat with me, and it's a shift. We have some questions. And the questions they were asking, too many of us will be silly, fundamental questions that everybody already knows. But they don't know the answers because they can't hear. And many of us kind of many of them can't even read, they can't read either. So it's not like they can go on YouTube and start reading the captions. And then the brothers they said to me, the sister who was interpreting she said to me shift, you know,

every now and then if you incorporate some sign language into your, into your lecture, people will love it so that I learned a little sign language. So I'll teach you guys to gestures real quick, you know, he's just robotic with sign language. Like this.

Is that cool?

You know, my dad has to do this to me.

It's actually, I don't know, my dad loved me so much. I just figured it out.

You know, you say inshallah, like this. You click your belt, you flick your thumb and your middle finger outwards, with your other hand, other fingers open, and that's like inshallah, so it's interesting to combine and become an electrician, right? We start doing this

and we start doing this stuff.

Wasn't, the carrier is no talking, he's telling him the one thing you're dying to do, you have to cut it out of the equation. The month of Milan is here to teach us to be better people to learn to say no, to learn to take control of ourselves, to learn to make that knifes powerful with every day that goes past, you'll realize you can start doing things that you couldn't do before the first day of Ramadan, you struggling with fasting, five, six days into it, it's easier now. You read and put on your praying that all we have prayer, things become so much easier. And be honest with yourself, you know, when the last days of Ramadan come that 27th night, if you pay attention, you're probably

on a spiritual high. You're on a spiritual high, something that you haven't experienced for 11 months straight. And you know what that last April bond comes in that announcement that Dan is being called, and everyone's announcing that tomorrow was eat. It's like a sour sweet taste. There's a sweetness that tomorrow's either Alhamdulillah but on the bitter side to it is that.

That's gone, all those all that joy and all that strength, it's all gone. It's kind of like you were in a boot camp, and you had all that working out and all that dieting, and the last day you're leaving, you're like, I don't know if I can do this anymore. You know, I'm going to go back to being that same person. That's why when your inner Milan, my friends, the one the law I'm going to ask you to make from beginning to end of Ramadan? Is your law, the changes, I'm making them gone? Don't let them reverse back again, say I mean, one law you should make every day. And if our time we know are the ones are accepted the one do I want you to repeat your law, any positive change, I'm making a

move on, don't let me go back on it. Let me only progress and build on it forward. So with that said, I just want to close off with a few things to do in the month of Ramadan. Some very important things to do in the month of Ramadan. First of all, we talked about fasting and its understanding and how we should fast and so on. We talked about that with all the detail. I'm not going to expand on that any more. The second thing that's very important to do in the month of Ramadan is to give charity and abundance. This habit at the progress that it was set on was generous in Oregon. He was generous throughout the year, but when Ron came he became extra generous. And the one simple to do

and basic simple thing that you can do easy thing you can do is I want you to find a really any relief. It could be locally in Chicago internationally, find a relief organization and fund the thought of one person for every thought you have at home, can you do that inshallah. Find a relief. Please don't say inshallah walk out of here and forget about it. I want you to go home tonight. This is a to do thing. find any relief organization you feel comfortable with and donate for 30 that 30 thoughts. So while you're eating at home, someone in the world is also eating the progress of the long audio system said, if you provide the thought for someone, then who gets all that reward?

Do you know how much these thoughts cost? I mean, I don't know what the price is this year. But I think one or two years back, I was looking at it, it was like $3 for your thought. You know, at the end of the month of the month, if you pay for the full month, it's 100 bucks is 100 bucks really gonna hurt you? Yes or no. I mean, honestly is 100 bucks really gonna hurt you. It's not gonna hurt you. But if you make that contribution, then there is a lot of reward. I think we have been taught here to write everything in this year again. So another good place for those of you who are here right now ICC has a an effective program that is the every single day after McGill Uppsala every

single day a full meal. For those who can afford to eat those who can afford to eat Everyone is welcome to come. So if you're looking for a place to donate to sponsor nixar, again, ICC is right here, you can reach out to him go and make your contributions there. The third thing I want you to do is increase in the recitation of the Quran. dedicate time. I didn't say read a juice, because sometimes reading a juice can be hard for someone it could be easy for another person. I want you to dedicate a time that Everyday I'm going to set aside half an hour for reading the Quran. Now whether in that half an hour you read two pages are in that half an hour you read three Jews, that's not my

concern. But if you cannot set aside a half an hour everyday for reading the Quran. The reality is that we are not welcoming along the way it should be welcomed. We're being negligent to the Ramadan. So set aside time every day. And for those of us who can't read, you can easily listen to the Quran. Go online, download a recitation and listen to the jurisdiction of the Quran. But at least dedicate half an hour in Ramadan. For those of us who work and we travel. Do not listen to the radio in Ramadan. I'm not saying it's Haram. I'm trying to teach you how to be more more productive in Ramadan. Listen to the Quran. When you go to the gym, if you're going to go to the gym, listen to

the Quran. If you're going to be playing sports in Milan, listen to the forum, your earphones and your audio tracks need to change everything needs to change. Okay, be productive in the month of Ramadan. And the last thing I'm going to say is do not miss your thought all the prayer whatever happens don't miss your therapy. I didn't ask you for a lot All I said was make sure you fast which we're all going to do inshallah everyone

give your subaqua which can happen just like that very easy inshallah, half an hour a day of Quran inshallah. And the last thing I'm saying is, don't miss your turabian prayer. I know the days are long, you want to rest in the middle, there's a lot of time for you to rest. But don't miss your throw in prayer. What ends up happening is the first day of Ramadan, everyone's here, second, third day everyone's here. The fourth day what happens is you think to yourself, you know what, I'll get there a little late and I'll pray my Isha while they're praying God

We have prayer that's how it starts off by the way usually then a few days into it think to yourself, Brother 2010 I was too long limiters do eight ricotta we have a ticket a ticket robbery, what happens is that a little while later one of your one of your buddies invites you over for a thought. You go for the thought and then you tell yourself you know what, I'll pray that that I'll be at home. And then when you reach home all that a thoughtful takes a hit on you and what happens? That's when you miss your first interview. And when you miss your first RV, you're really going to lose out. The last minute I want to quote is the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He said may

that person be destroyed me that may well be to the person who entered the month of Ramadan and exited it without being forgiven by Allah subhanho wa tada because like I said, the doors of Paradise are open. You just have to walk in, but Allah subhanaw taala make it all easy for us made this Ramadan be productive for us, allows us It allows wouldn't allow us to reach spiritual heights in the month of Ramadan that are even beyond our imagination, but lots of other keep us on eemaan and see how Allah subhanaw taala give us death with the mind and resurrect us at the moment in the hereafter. What's that Allah tada Allah Allah he was having a ceremony.