Ramadan Reflections Day 27

You're listening to the problem Institute Podcast Series Ramadan reflections by Mufti Hussein Kimani?

Find us on [email protected] slash column Institute

smilla rahmanir rahim al hamdu Lillah

Allahu Akbar first Ramadan a buddy he lived in a spa, also sarada cedre suitable hotmail MBA early hilinski I was having a look at another

candidate we praise and thank Allah subhana wa tada for once again, having the opportunity to finish the recitation of the Quran during Salah.

It's a very beautiful journey

every single year, when we start off from a thought and we start off with the sort of thought to hide instead of a thought. And everyday as we pass by, we make an announcement today, we finished off sort of Bukhara today we finished earlier on today, we finished tsunami saw. And as we're reading through the reading through these jizz, and working our way towards the completion.

Personally, for me, this is a very emotional journey.

And the reason why it's so emotional is because it takes me back almost 20 years ago when I was six years old. And my parents sent me to memorize the Quran.

And today, we start sort of RTI, and start reading sort of Bukhara, all those pictures and all those images start flashing past my eyes. And every slowly finish every page reread. I remember the struggles that I had on that page, and the difficulties that I had on that.

And as we work our way through the Quran, I remember all I remember I had a mistake here once, and everyone's here, I got a little hit by my teacher. And then this I was very hard. This page was very hard. And I remember when I was in the 23rd juice, I said to my parents that I can't do it anymore. It's too hard for me, I'm giving up. And when I was on this cruise, I actually pulled off for a little bit. And then on this just I got back in. And today when we were reading student Laughter But actually, when we were reading what I said, I actually couldn't hold myself back and I was flowing in tears. And the reason is because sudah also actually has a very big story of my life.

I was maybe five years old at the time, and I went to the local machine.

And the local Imam May Allah reward him wherever he is in the world and bless his family. He was teaching us put on and we were very young kids very, very young for five years old.

And my father, his dream was that we become happy.

So he said to my father, that I will take the responsibility to make your son happy.

So we sat with him. In the first letter, we learned what suited us. The second sudo was Sora fall of the third sort of a surah

I had a class like this, we worked our way back, work their way back. And finally when I came to set up, I learned so awesome. And he said to me read it. So I read it to him. And I made so many mistakes in that small sliver that he said to me, no one has seen you should just give up altogether.

This really isn't for you. He said I've been telling your parents that you've been reading good reading good but the reality is that it's taking you so long to read this much and you're still making so many mistakes. This probably just isn't for you. And I think this is the time right now where maybe you should consider doing something else. And I I told you when I when I think about that I think to myself that he was being sincere that and the reason why I stood out also so powerful on me is because I know that my teacher what he was saying was a truth I was never worthy of

well law hit on him his words were right. I wasn't worthy of it. Not then not after and not today. But today when I read mineralogy nuttiness, I felt like this accomplishment that I just climbed Mount Everest, that once again, somehow we recited that.

impressed me sometimes when we are reciting in a throwaway prayer, there are times where even I don't know what the next verses but I was putting it on the tongue.

And if I tried to actually write down what I read to you in the finale pray on a piece of paper, I probably wouldn't be able to do it. Because the words and their fluency and the way they're, they're the verses, every single part of the memorization of the Quran, I swear by Allah is nothing less than a miracle.

And when we were finishing off this journey of the Quran, like I was saying, when we read the Quran and throbbing prayer for me, it's a very, it's a very emotional journey.

I keep thinking of my parents, that how many years passed by all my parents every single night disturbed during the nights making the motto Allah that I want my son to become happy. I remember when I was young, and when I wanted to study, my father went to drop me off to the mother, sir. And the doctor said to him, he shouldn't go to drop me off because he had injured his leg and he was on a crutch. And the drive from our house to the mother, sir, from Kentucky to Buffalo, New York, if I remember well, something between 10 to 12 hours. And my father said whether I have to lose my leg or not. I will never accept that my son goes to memorize the Quran and I'm not there for the first day.

And he drove us all the way to the mothers. And I remember when I was going into the class, I was six years old. And when I was going into the class, I turned back on my father and I waved at him when he was leaving, and he was standing on a crutch.

And today, when I go back to me that very same father Subhanallah, now that youth is gone, all that hair is gone white, his back is now hunching down. And when I meet him, I think to myself that this was the legend. He was the true Matt had not been for him and my mother, it was impossible. Now why do I share all of this with you guys? The reason why I share this is because the journey of protecting the Koran, preserving the Quran is a very unique journey. It requires heart, it requires confidence. It requires trust Allah, you give up sometimes, but then you have to say, No, Allah loves me, and I have to keep going. Sometimes you cry because you lose hope in yourself. But then at

times you feel no, I have to do it. Sometimes when you come back to the community in the holidays, the people in the community make fun of you saying that, Oh, I remember once someone told my father that why are you sending your kids to study the dean, they're gonna grow up to be beggars one day. And my father, literally he thought prey of this target, this this arrow of shaitaan. And he called, he called my relatives, and he said to them, send my sons back immediately, I will no longer have them memorized.

He lost hope. But the journey of the rod is just that that nature, because the prophets that allow it was sudden when he started his journey, he couldn't believe it either. When that first revelation came, even, he couldn't believe it. And he came to his beloved wife. So these are they long on her. And she calmed him down. And she said to him, that this journey was going to be long, and he needed to be patient. And she gave him the warmth that he needed, she gave him the love that he needed. She gave him the support that he needed, and the progress that allowed a person through his life, all the revelation that came to him.

Obviously, he was given the strength by a lot to bear the revolution. But the people around him served as a very powerful support for him to fulfill his mission for him to fulfill the preservation of that's what my teacher used to say. Family plays a very big role in preserving the Quran. Listen to this very carefully. My shift is to say, family plays a very big role in preserving the Quran. And we learned this through the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Because revelation started in the arms of Khadija and ended in the lap of Isaiah.

It started in the arms of Khadija, and where did it end?

in the lap of eyeshadow lawanna.

We realize as Muslims that the most powerful legacy of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was the

and the people that are sitting here that were not given the opportunity to memorize the Quran. Today, when you sit here, I'm sure in your hearts were thinking only if I was at the front today on them with somebody.

Today, I could have been the person reading. Yes, no, everyone has that feeling right. And if I can do it, that I want my child there. You know, we felt the very same way. I remember very clearly, every time when there was a HIPAA graduation in the Mother Teresa, one of the students were graduating when they would graduate. And when I was sitting in the crowd, and I hadn't graduated at this point, I would cry. And I would think to myself, Oh Allah, what did I do wrong? That I haven't finished my memorization of the Quran yet? Why can I do? So every person in this gathering, we should have a great desire to memorize the Quran. And if we can do it, there should be a fire that

burns in our heart that why can't I memorize the Quran, we can all memorize something, if not the full put on this just ama, if not the full color, and

if not the full quote on any sort of Manson mafia and Islamic sirsasana cough, the verses of the Quran that we need to recite on a weekly basis that were prescribed to us by the prophets that allowed them at least that much we should memorize. If there are people in this community who are telling me that I am 60 years old today, or 40 years old, or even 20 years old, for that matter, and I haven't found the time to memorize surah Yaseen till today, then I'm sorry, you have no excuse at all. You have no excuse at all. Because if you had the love for it, you could have done it. Trust me. When we memorize the Quran, it's not like we sat down in front of it and started reading it and

it was done.

There were times I still remember the first time I ever recited three lines to my teacher was after I had finished memorizing Tejas, I remember as the 30th Jews, the 29th Jews, and the opening verses of Psalm Yala, that was a first time in my life, I recited how many lines to my teacher, three lines, you guys can learn more than three lines, you're going to lecture You're so smart, you have businesses, you run families, you run empires of your own. And we're saying we can't memorize the Quran, of course we can do it. We just have to have trust in ourselves. memorizing the Quran is a blessing from Allah and only that person can have it who is truly acceptable. It's not about the

power of the memory. There are so many people that I know as students who studied with me who were very intellectual, but the one thing they didn't have was

The memorization of the Quran they didn't have. You know, there's a very good scholar from the Indian subcontinent by the name of Sean was medium de la era Manasa Kashmira.

They say regarding him that he was so intellectual, he was so smart that they said he had photographic memory. He would look, he's the same himself that if I glanced at something once, 40 years,

40 years.

I'm not forgetting it. And if I stared at it with the intention of memorizing it done, that's not no one can erase it from the memory card. It's step one, the Muslims would have debates with the audience in India, when they would sit in front of the courts. And in the courtroom, courtrooms and have debates, The Guardian is would bring all of their they would bring all their books and bring their scholars and the Muslims when they would come to debate them. They wouldn't bring any books for any scholars, they would just be one comedian. Excellent. And every time they would these guys bring a reference they would turn to him and say is the reference right? He would say yes, the

reference, right? They will say the reference, right, he would say the references right, but he skipped a lot of our quoting this happened once he said the guy skipped a line while quoting. And the judge said, What's your proof? He said, I don't have any proof. The proof of this that he skipped a line about quoting that text is that the only manuscript of that book lies in the library of Alaska. I went there a few years ago, I read the book, he said hold the case stop here, we will go there and bring us Xerox, Xerox, like an image of the of the of the of the book, we will go and bring an image of the book when they brought the image of the book The case was, was held on pause.

When they brought it back, they realize that that person really skipped the line while coding the text. I mean, this guy was a genius. They used to call him jalta pitaka tokara. Like a walking a walking library. You know, I'll share one story with you regarding him.

You know, when he was a big shift, he was a he was a he was a chef of Dilbert. For some years, he talks that he said many collections of any third taught many classes there. So one day What happened was that there was a lot there was a robbery in the city.

And the police were looking for the robber. They only had partial information regarding the robber, so they were searching for him. So shadow shadow media was reading the newspaper. He looked at the partial description and said, Oh, this guy.

They said, Oh, how do you know him?

He said, trust me. I know the guy. They said we have five potential sub suspects Will you be able to spot him he said, Of course bring the five in front of me. Now when the queue in front of him, he looked at the guy and said that these forego this is the guy right here that this guy he looked at me and said to him

from Hogan, like who are you? I don't know you I've never seen you before the Madonna model the consumer the Mr. Johnson, did I kill someone in your family died? Robbie wants some time back. How do you know me? So she

said, Well, when I was young, I left Kashmir to study. And I was traveling and traveling and traveling. And every day I journeyed from my search of knowledge. I had to pray to Allah and beg Allah that I would somehow feed myself and I wouldn't collapse out of hunger. So what I would do is that I would study during the day and I would stand outside the masjid and beg during the during the evenings. Because that's where the poor people in our countries where they line up outside the massage. He said I was in the hospital outside the budget. One day after salon I was begging for money, hoping that someone would give me some money.

And people were walking past someone threw a coin. I mean, someone threw another point at me. And the hunger became so severe in my stomach that I fainted. And while I was fainting, the last thing I saw was your ID card hanging around your neck, your Shanaze card. You guys want to shut off Carter's? If you're from India, Pakistan, you know exactly. It's an ID card that everyone has. He said you had your ID card on your bag that was hanging around your neck. That's the last thing that I saw before I fainted. And I remembered all the information I matched one to one and I know you're the criminal.

The guy confessed. He said You're right. I am the criminal. This man. I mean, I can go on stories and stories and stories regarding him. And these stories. By the way, I had the chance to hear them directly from his son, Mona Anza. shock. I heard them directly from his son, his father, his son would sit in front of us, he passed away as well. And he will tell the stories and stories about his father that my father was like this. My father was like that. People who say that he had photographic memory. They did not exaggerate. He said one day my father

everyone said to him shift, you've memorized every book but you haven't memorized the Quran yet. Why not? He's i don't know i try but doesn't happen. You know what I'm going to do today? So he said today, he wouldn't say the room lock the door, took a copy of the Quran and he said, I'll be back we have a hard time inshallah. I'm just gonna read through the ones that I'll have memorized. You guys do whatever you want. So his family started preparing the food, the biani the preparation for the dollar because they were expecting I thought there was going to be a big dollop because my mama shocks me it was because I was going to be haunted by them. So they sat there trying to preparing

and he said they were like, you know, people were preparing for him to become happy. They were standing outside and waiting. Maybe someone was standing there with

what do they call it Hakuna. In Indian culture, they have the good aka

the wrong way around. The applause is a little tricky. Sometimes.

So, you know, in our Indian culture they have they make these a

cauldron of roses where they take to make a big necklace out of roses. It's a little annoying, but still, so they have these ready they were gonna give it to them as soon as he got up. When he got on he was scratching his head like this. It says, has it hooked out? Is it done? He said, Yes.

Because Oh foolish man, I couldn't get past the Fatiha. Every time I would read the I will go deeper into the meaning deeper into the meaning deeper into the meaning I couldn't get past it.

Because the crowns too deep, I can't memorize it. And the one book he couldn't memorize was that was

that was the one book shop was not happy with every other book he was happy with. But the one book he couldn't memorize from beginning to end that today our children are doing was the memorization of the Quran. The Quran is a gift from Allah subhanho wa Taala. Every person should desire to memorize it. And you should want your kids to memorize it. My father couldn't memorize the Quran, his only dream was that I couldn't do it, my son will definitely do it. No matter whatever happens. If you couldn't do it, you need to make sure your children do it. If you can make a commitment in this room alone on this blessed night, which could possibly be later than that, I make a commitment that from

my progeny, there will be those children who will memorize the Quran, then this night will testify for you on the Day of Judgment Budo amin,

trust me this night will testify for you on the Day of Judgment. People in America can't believe it that they're here, outside America, you're telling me what we have found in America, they don't believe it. They think that we still need to invite people from England and Canada to the dollar prayer. They don't know what's happening here. You come to Chicago.

The seniors of Chicago tell me that there was a time where you know, there were only three or four people who had memorized. Now you go to Chicago, every basement has five people leading together. Every basement, every person that has at least one coffin here, one cut them here, one cut them there, you know, just this, I think last month or something, there was one school of Chicago that had a graduation of the memorization of the Quran. And you know, how many students graduated in one day? Was it 5860 I think it was 60 students who completed in one year, but in from one school that is that B.

That's in Chicago that's in you know, one hour from where we're sitting right now. There are so many kids that have done it. And you can also do it.

Our dear audience, Claudia Naaman, he's also working on he was telling me that very soon, you know, we're going to have our line of, of students that are going to be graduating from his level put on, this is the amount of Allah Allah has promised it. I remember, what am I, one of the young men that are sitting in this in this in this gathering? He came to me said, I've memorized a lot of the Puranas still have a little left? What do I do? I'm on holiday. I said go for 14 days a month.

Kill the monkey.

Right? I said to this kid right here some holiday he was my first student in Chicago, by the way. When I landed in Chicago, the first one I ever taught was this little hockey right here. The first kid I taught him, his brother was sitting there and his sister, I don't know, she's probably here somewhere. These three young kids were the first people I taught when I came to America. When I came to America, my first students were these three. And he said to me shift, I went for 40 days and today he met me after motive, actually, before motive. After the lecture, we had a pastor, and he's a chef, I want you to know that Al Hamdulillah I completed my memorization of de

de la de la, this is just the beginning, my friends, how about law, the law. This is the promise of Allah. In the Quran, Allah, Allah Hafiz. We all need to be a part of it inshallah, we all have to have in on an initial loan as is, we have to make an intention that we will do it. We will have everyone in our family memorize the Quran, the men and the women alike, but not only memorize it, also act upon it as well inshallah, also bring the Hakama doctrine into our lives. There's one last part that I have to discuss that's very important that relates to this, is that the children in our communities will memorize the Quran, as elders in our communities, please, I appeal in front of you,

I beg you, for the sake of Allah. I give you the sake of Allah and ask you learn to support our young men who are serving the deen. You have to be there to support them. You got to understand that if my community wasn't there to support me when I was young, I'm not talking about financial support, I'll take care of that. What I'm talking about here is just moral support. And being them going them hugging, hugging them, inviting them to your house. When I was young, and I was memorizing the Quran whenever I came home from holiday, everyone in the community will take turns sending food to my house. Oh, the kid has become happy to hear the kid has become happy this year.

The kid has become the hub for this year. today. We don't even know the kids that are memorizing the Quran in our communities. That's one thing. And the second thing is as community members, we should also learn to love and support the people who serve rd. You guys understand that? I promise you. Many of you have no idea what kind of sacrifice is put into being an imam of a community. I promise

I see that there are times where I got phone calls at 12 o'clock at night, I was lying down next to my wife and I was just going to go to sleep. And the person calls me and says, Yes, I need to speak to you. I said, this is not a good time, I was just about to close my eyes. He said, not only do I need to speak to you, I need you to come to my house right now. So what happened? He said, my wife and I are very bad point you have to come.

And at that time, I turned to my wife and say I apologize. This is a burden the last put on our shoulders, I have to go. And then you put your thumb on you rubbing your eyes, asking your wife to make you a cup of tea, carrying that in your car, driving with your feet while you're drinking some tea, and you go there and you come back for him in the morning.

And this is not a one day thing. This happens every single day. Today after today morning, we woke up early, had a long day, we had electricity, lower soda. We had a phone conference after that lecture. After that I came home and I was thinking that I'll get some rest. Before I knew it. A father walked inside my door. And he walked in saying shift. My son claims he's no longer Muslim.

Today, today at three o'clock, my son claims he's no longer Muslim from the Milwaukee community. And he said not only that, but my son has taken on himself to drink alcohol. He does drugs openly. And now he just went the other day, he got into a fight while he was drinking at a party in the month of Ramadan during the day hours. And someone hit him so hard that he shattered his entire job, and he has a wire in his jaw. He can't speak anymore.

As a mom, you have no idea what kind of things the community, you know brings to us. And at times like that, when we give everything for our communities. The only thing we always ask in return is to learn to support your own ama. Be very careful of backbiting these people who give their day and night for the sake of Allah subhanho wa Taala Be very careful of having any animosity towards them. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said one How do you deal with this well and

couldn't

be a scholar, or limit or be a student? Oh savvy. And if you can't be a student, at least be a listener, almost everyone. And if you can't be a listener, at least learn to love then why not tackle Harmison. But don't be the fifth person who is not a scholar who is not a student who doesn't listen to the scholars and also does not love the scholars because that person is disliked by lots of Hannah Montana. If you can't love at least don't hate. Learn to love your scholars learn to support them. You know, there was a tradition of people that used to love their scholars so much. masala hanaa one estimate Hunan De La Jolla, zucchini Salam. I love the pious people, but I'm not

one of them. It's possible Allah may allow me to stand with them on the Day of Judgment of a law.

I'm not one of the scholars, but I love them. It's possible Allah subhanho wa Taala will allow me to be with them. My shift is to always say to me

that I remember once when I was showing me Not a lot give him a long life. When I was graduating when I was coming back to America, I was leaving the machine one day, and my chef leaned forward, he picked up my shoes and put them on the ground.

I said chef, what are you doing? Your chef Hadid I studied Hadith from you. He was a very great man, honey for chefs, Lolita last Khalifa

passed away. This man was a giant. And he picked up my shoes, put them on the ground for me. I said, What are you doing? I'm supposed to be putting your shoes on the ground. So he said something then, and I'm only narrating the story, just so that we can learn a lesson. That's the only reason otherwise, I have no other interest of sharing this story not to destroy my reward or lose my sincere. He said that while you were a student in Mother Teresa, I realized I never had to bend over to take my shoes because you always put them down for me. And I thought to myself that you will take all the reward of figma and before you left, I would never get the chance to do your Finland return.

So he put his shoe he put the shoes on the ground. There was a love that people have for Obama. You know, we love their teachers. The today the shift in his law. Did you guys hear a unique draw he made was one very unique draw that he made.

He made two offers teachers. Have you guys heard of that before? How often do you hear people making law for their teachers on the 27th tonight, it's because there is a connection we owe them something there's a debt that we have to them. But it seems like today, the community just them feel indebted to their scholars. They feel that their scholars are actually their slaves and they will dictate to the scholars everything the scholars have to do and if a scholar is against that, they will then do bahala and they will come and rebel against their scholars. So we pray that Allah subhana wa tada protects us from this and that allows them to preserve the scholars allows you to preserve preserve

their Havas and Allah Allah gives us opportunity to see these Knights again and again in the month of Ramadan. Subhana Allah Subhana Allah Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah and the stuff you're going to be like after the awana on hamdulillah assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.