Fasting and Taqwah

said Mr de como Rahmatullahi wa barakato

Thanks for your service to Allah subhanho wa Taala Jesus peace blessings and salutations upon our Master and exemplary Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa early he was happy he was seldom. It is a very blessed day today we thank Allah Subhana Allah Allah for granting us life and EMA to be present not only in the masjid for Juma, but also in the masjid for Juma during the sacred month of Ramadan. Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah

the month of fasting is actually not supposed to be called the month of fasting. The reference to fasting in this month should be secondary.

That this month be about only abstinence from eating and drinking and intimacy is to be little, the nature of this month.

The month of fasting in its true essence is a month of taqwa.

That's the core of the month, not the fasting. All Allah azza wa jal but an akula otter Billahi min ash shaytani r rajim Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem

Allah Dena Manu tiva ra como se MOOC Emma makuti vinylidene amin kabani Camila alaikum Khun O believers fasting has been prescribed for you, as it has been prescribed upon those before you so that you may be from among v Mu 13 la la quinta takuan.

So that you may have DACA

DACA, often translated as God fear God consciousness, but DACA has a meaning in the Sharia it has a definition. And knowing this definition may assist us in understanding how exactly we are intended to attain support in this month. Now, as a preamble, I might add that whether we know how fasting in the month of Ramadan brings about taqwa or not. If we follow the rules, the regulations and the recommendations from the profits of Allahu alayhi wa sallam, the month will do its job regardless. So whether we know how fasting brings about that quote or not, we will still if we do what we are supposed to do, and we stay away from what we're supposed to stay away from, we will still be if

Neela developed a call.

Let's have a look at the mechanism. Because I do believe that by understanding the mechanism, we can give ourselves the best possible chance to attain DACA.

So first and foremost, as I said, the definition of taqwa as defined in the Sharia is Malacca tune the hamilo Sahiba LMT thoroughly our Mariela he watched ynab in our he,

we all know what good bad, right? Wrong, at least to a basic degree. Even if you didn't study Islam in detail, he would have a very good idea of what is good, what is bad, what is right, what is wrong. But the question that we should really be asking is, do we follow that which we know? Do we do that? Which is good, always? And do we stay away from that? Which is wrong? Always?

And if the answer is no, then why not?

If I know something is haram, why don't I have what it takes to abstain from it? And similarly, if I know something is good, and is required from me, why don't I do it? Why do we struggle with even the basics indien like Salah zakka?

Why do we struggle to stay away from even the most heinous of crimes, Xena, Reba, what is this thing that we need beyond knowing what is right and what is wrong in order to actually live by what is right and what is wrong?

And the missing ingredient in that is the cola.

The cola is separate from Ireland.

Now on the one hand, we need the island because the knowledge is that which will guide us to what is right wrong, good, bad. But taqwa is what will motivate us towards that which is right and to that which is good. And it is what will dissuade us from that which is bad.

And that which is wrong. That's dakwah.

The Sharia defines it as Malacca tune, it is a quality, it is an internal intangible quality that we have within us that we should have within us insha Allah, the hamilo Sahiba, which drives its owner iomt thoroughly our Mirella to implement the rules, the regulations, the laws, the decrees of Allah, watch the NAB in Nevada, he and to refrain from its prohibitions.

Taco has been defined by a number of other definitions, sometimes more practical at the harbor would explain, you know, if you're walking through a thorny bush, you would raise your government. And you would step very carefully in between, to make sure that you don't get hurt, or that your clothes don't get damaged by the thorns. I said, That's dakka

dakka is a consciousness and this is why God consciousness will probably be the the most suitable English translation walo RLM, much more so than God fear. Because it is a consciousness it is a an awareness of Allah all the time, that causes us to do things that we should do and stay away from that which we shouldn't do.

That why is that feeling that you have after Ramadan, if you spent the month wholesomely doing what whatever it is that we needed to do. And then you go into an arena where harm is being perpetrated openly, right? of any sort. And immediately you feel uncomfortable, immediately. Like you shouldn't be. No one said anything. No one's gold. They just simply stated. Rather, they just simply felt that presence of evil in that particular area, like the person coming from Hydra Amara, who spent the time wisely. It's weird for them to come back to a non Muslim country such as South Africa. way you will see people walking around and the hour is open or whatever the case may be are these posters

up, that's inappropriate things that you've never noticed before. You'll notice then, because you have an increase in taqwa.

But then isn't it also true that soon after that, let's say it was in a mall that you experienced that feeling. And when you left because you thought I didn't feel so lucky, and you went home, the next weekend, you went back, and that feeling wasn't as prevalent as before.

And then the next day, you had to go back to return something to the store and then the feeling wasn't even there anymore at all. Now, it felt normal again,

this type of sensitization, or de sensitization, this is how taqwa increases and decreases

and we need the cola to fight to stay on the sirata Mr. team, we need the cola to fight to stay on the straight path.

Because on the straight path as the Prophet Alayhi salat wa salam once drew a line in the sand, and then showing, you know, different lines going off from from that line, saying that this is the straight path. And these are all the temptations, these are all the ways that you can go with us today. Now, we need the COA to stay on the sirata Mr. Kim for every day of our lives. But we cannot develop the Aqua while we fighting.

We can't develop the Aqua, while we are fighting, at least you won't be able to do much you'll get knocked down more than anything else. And the example that I like to use in this regard is that of a person training for a fight, person training for a fight. Imagine you walk into a gym, the fighting gym for the first time you sign up, you want to be a fighter,

and the coach agrees to train you.

Now you'll never be if you've got no training before this.

What's the first thing you're going to do?

The first thing you're going to do is you're going to get stronger, you're going to get fitter, you're going to build up the necessary skills, the movements, the different moves and tactics, etc. and after some time in that training, now you enter into the ring. Now you will engage in the fight But imagine if the coach tells you in the first day okay, sign up here, get in the ring. Your fight starts in five minutes. And then you say but I have no training and the coaches No no, don't worry about that. You train in the ring while you're fighting. How much train you're going to get in get trained to get knocked down and that's it.

So this is like what allodynia does for us vanilla and method will Allah Allah is the best of examples. Imagine we were to fight our knifes and shaytaan anything patients in the dunya

all at the same time while trying to train to fight of those temptations to fight shed.

Want to fight the nerves? And that's, you know the recipe of our success. Imagine that.

So what Allah does, behind the moment the either easy grant system and Ramadan

in this month, those of Jana are wide open and the dose of jahannam or locked shut, even hazardous Kalani in his shadow in his explanation of the Sahaba Malmo Bill 42 huge encyclopedic work

of Hadith exegesis. Basically, he explains that this doesn't only have a literal connotation that the doors are locked and the doors are open. This has other connotations as well, that when Jen has those are open, all the pathways to goodness is open for us. And when Jan names, those are locked, all the pathways to evil are constructed for us. So it's more difficult to get to evil. And it's more difficult to get to haraam. And it's easy to get to goodness. Just think about it in Ramadan is always a program a talk a lecture a class, there's always something is that are we in this tahajjud is always something we can do of goodness, doors of Jannah are wide open. And think of how limited

imitations are in Ramadan, because we are so aware that it's Ramadan, and we want the best of the month. So we lower our gaze more, we won't watch that movie, we won't listen to that song, we won't engage in that conversation, we will restrict ourselves to a much greater degree because of the month of Ramadan. So the pathways of evil are constructed. So Johannes, those are locked. So this is not only the literal interpretation shavon is locked up. We've all heard this before, but even in this regard, even Haji Raskin, he says that, you know this the literal possibility that shaitan he believes himself is locked away. And then there are other meanings as well. That either the

individual Shelton's each person has a shaytaan assigned to them that shaytaan is locked up. But there are still other cronies about or the main share times locked up but they are still his cronies about that's another interpretation. And then the other one is that shaytan is still out, but his power against you is locked away. So it's as though he's locked up. It's like he's been given a dose of of

some paralytic who is completely paralyzed and he can't do anything cause of your fasting. Because Sam with Jonah, you're fasting is a shield for you. How conscious are we that we must be careful of our anger we must be capable of getting into an argument with someone who must be careful of saying a bad word Sweeting This is Rama burn. The month just mentioning the month of Ramadan brings a certain feeling to our hearts minds and souls no matter what time of the year it is. Because this is a less draining grounds for us La La Quinta tahune so that we can develop taqwa. But then hold on. Okay, so shaitan is locked up. The doors of of goodness are opening, the doors of evil are closed.

But what about enough? So what about other temptations? Ha. So now that shaytaan is gone, and the power of shaitaan is gone. Now Allah turns his attention to our knifes, and he gives us fasting. And this is why fasting plays a role. Because now, right now, as we speak, there's a battle going on inside each and every one of us inside me as well. One side of the battle is saying, I need to get that bottle of water into my mouth, because it's starting to get dry and talking. But the other side is saying no, you can't do that. It's not married yet. You have to wait.

In the one side of me is telling me that food of last night will make a lovely tomorrow lunch today. But the other side says no, there's no lunch today, you will have to wait until if thought, because it's Ramadan and Allah siento.

And you may go home and see your beautiful wife, your beautiful husband, those of ladies who are perhaps present.

And then you may feel an inclination towards him or her depending and when

can you engage in any form of intimacy. Now, I can't do that afterwards. Because it's Ramadan, and I have to be fasting.

But these things that you're fighting the water, the food intimacy with one spouse or these things, how long? No, they are not hold on. So how does that help with fighting haraam? And here's the beauty in fasting as well. These things mentioned, these are the basic necessities of humanity.

These are your physiological needs. food, drink physical intimacy, without them, either the individual will perish, or the species will perish. If everyone were to stop eating and drinking, we would all die.

And similarly if everyone were to immediately stop physical intimacy, the species as we know it will come to an end. So Allah is teaching us you my slave can stay away from your bare necessities for my sake, I'm showing you and I'm training you that if you can do this for my sake set then you can stay away from the haraam things for my sake because you don't need them at all.

And this doesn't just happen once. This doesn't just happen like five minutes of training and then you go No, this is a full day of training

for 30 days

a full day of training for 30 days even fighters when they go in train for the fight they didn't train the entire day they trained for one two hours they can't anymore beyond that, because they tie it so they have to go home you were getting training for 24 hours a day

when we need done with a daytime training of abstinence than the night Anthony you tired now Are you tired none of us Danny tarawih and when you die they no good standing tahajjud and then when just when you think it's overnight was wake up to start the next day and make so hold Subhana Allah and the training goes on. It's like flexing that muscle pumping that iron. And each time we fight the nerves each time we say no to the stomach, no to the tongue no to the whatever. Each time that happens, we strengthening ourselves, our hearts against our nerves. So that lower self is demanding but the highest office saying no. And as this proceeds, it's bolding its building its building and

just like with the fighter with a bodybuilder, the muscles physically start to grow and the fat starts shrinking away. Similarly, with the fasting person that duck was starts to grow at that point starts to develop

and that evil build up that that remnants of sin starts to dissipate the effects of sin starts to fade. And before we know it, we came here the last 10 days of Ramadan and we in tears becoming the de ver eat and we in tears thinking wow what happened? Is this the same me that felt at the beginning of Ramadan and I wasn't even ready for fasting. You know it's it's again, Ramadan, things are gonna be tough, etc. Now I'm crying at the month of Ramadan is leaving, how did that happen to me, this person with a stone heart, this person with a heart of a rock, when nothing can penetrate? How did that happen to me that this month has affected me so much that now I'm shedding tears

because of the departure of the month that now i'm i'm My heart is breaking because I can I can no longer look forward to the Knights of tarawih. And I have to now make my own way. This is Ramadan, like I like that. So that you may attain that goal Allah.

Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam also told us the place of adequate attack wa hoonah. And he pointed to his heart attack or hoonah. Because the Ramadan and all of it's a bird that is a spiritual exercise. But this spiritual exercise is so powerful that it requires physical components.

And if we want the best training, I want you to think about this example now further, that fighter in the gym, training for one two hours right tired now any train his body physically. And he comes home, and he buys a Gatsby and awareness in chips parcel and a two liter coke. And then the next day goes to drain again. And then he comes home and he buys a Gatsby and the van is inches parcel and a two liter coke and he sleeps and he sleeps all night. Even though he doesn't sleep at all.

This person is getting one or two hours of training, and every day is ruining it with his bad habits.

After 30 days of this person's training, he's walking away with some development, but very minimal. So now that we understand the process of how we are training, now insha Allah, we should make the near to aim for the high level of training in that we not only going to get the very bare minimum of training, we you you went through the process, but you didn't really gain anything. It was no real growth. It was just you just did what you needed to do. Now we can actually make wiser decisions. Think about it in this way. It matters what I eat and what I drink at night. It makes a difference. It matters my my sleeping habits at night that matters as well. The things that I do beyond just

abstinence from food, drink and intimacy that matters as well. What I watch what I listen to what I engage

It's not just the exercise that matters, if we went through training and we want to develop the most possible dakwah that we can get in this month of Ramadan, it requires for us to go above and beyond that when it's gone when it comes time for taraweeh that we do to the masjid that we stand in taraweeh that we read that Quran that we stand up for tahajjud that we we wake up for Soho, and we have so hold that we hastin for a thought that we give sadaqa The more we put into this month, the more we'll get out and when we leave this man Pitney lighter either we can leave as mood clean, or something Allahu ala Sayidina Muhammad Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil aalameen Allah Subhana Allah Allah

grant has to be from the Buddha theme from the meaning from the solly hain from those who make the maximum out of this month of Ramadan May Allah Subhana Allah Allah grant all of those who are ill at home and in hospital complete Schieffer may remove the battery from us of this pandemic entirely. May Allah Subhana Allah guide us on the straight path and make our hearts strong, our souls strong so that as we approach the nights of the last 10 days of Ramadan, that we are super ready to have the best, gentle, inspiring time of our lives, or after that our annual hamdulillahi Rabbil alameen Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh