Spiritually Preparing for Ramadan 1445

This is what Ramadan is all about. You see, as humans, our iman, our faith goes up and down. We have days where we feel closer to Allah and these will be further away. We have days where we engage in more acts of Ibadan, and we have days where our sins are high.

And the purpose of praying five times a day is to give us some stability to give us some constant connection with Allah so you can keep coming back to him, and we can make up for our sins on a daily basis.

Fasting and Ramadan play the same role while on an annual basis. So if Salah keeps us grounded on a daily basis,

Ramadan gives us that high of Imam that we can try and write out for the entire year even if you don't reach the same height within the each passing month. So Ramadan serves as a annual reminder of our potential and annual reminder of the spiritual benefits and blessings that we get out of worshiping Allah subhanho wa taala.

From the other benefits of fasting of Ramadan, the other important one that we tend to overlook and perhaps this is one of the most important ones, it is emphasized repeatedly many Hadees is that Ramadan is a month of earning the forgiveness of Allah subhanho wa taala.

Again, going back to the concept that we sin, and we sin all the time,

Allah created us to be weak, Allah created us and we creatures to constantly fall into sin. And Allah out of his Rama has created many ways to have our sins forgiven. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam he told us that from one Salah to the next every salah is the means of forgiveness for our sins. And he said from one Ramadan to the next is a means of forgiveness of everything in between. And for one Omar to the next is a means of forgiveness for everything in between. and So Ramadan is meant to be a means of forgiveness for our previous sins, and the many other Hadees to back this up. Call Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Muslim or Ramadan or Eman or what the Saba

who fear Allah who might have got the means or maybe the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said whoever fast the month of Ramadan would sincere faith and hoping for Allah reward all of the persons are forgiven. Bacala Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam one

Ramadan you might know what the Saba who might not be whoever spends the night of Ramadan in Salah in prayer in the late night prayers. Would EMA and seeking Allah's reward their passions are forgiven when karma Leah to cause an Imam and what is our view that we might have got them? I mean somebody whoever spends the night of father in worship of Allah would Iman and sincere hope in Allah's Mercy did all of the persons are forgiven. And when it comes to the do ours that we are supposed to make in Ramadan, the most famous dua Allahumma Inaka phone to people who are wondering Oh Allah, you are forgiving. You love to forgive so forgive me this is why we meet in the last night

right? Put all of this together the Hadith scene from one Ramadan to another in the means of forgiveness, the Hadith saying we have a faster month of Ramadan, it's a means of forgiveness, that hadith that says Whoever prays taraweeh in the month of Ramadan is a means of forgiveness that He says says whoever spends later on in worship, it's a means of forgiveness. There are these seeing the DUA you should make in the last few nights. Oh ALLAH forgive me. What are all of these Hadees telling us what is the common theme across all of these Hadees Ramadan is about earning Allah's forgiveness. That's the common theme. We sell all year round. We said, Allah gives us his 29 days to

earn his forgiveness. But how do you earn the forgiveness of Allah in the month of Ramadan? A mistake some of us do is that we focus only on the ritual side of Ramadan. So we fast but while we are fasting, we are still looking at haram. We are still backbiting we are still slandering, we are still gossiping, we are not controlling our tongues without controlling our eyes, you know controlling our hearts.

And then we wonder why Ramadan didn't make a different solver. So. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam warned us that there are people who get nothing out of the fasting, besides hunger and thirst. Right. The promise was simply there are some people who get nothing out of the fasting besides hunger does mean they don't get any reward for the Boston. Why? Another narration explains and he said that while they are fasting, the backbiting someone they may slandering someone didn't control the dumps.

Think about this. Ramadan is about earning Allah's forgiveness. There are certain sins that ALLAH does not forgive unless the person who keeps backbiting someone slandering someone gossiping someone these are sins you have to ask that person for forgiveness. So if you are spending the bulk of Ramadan committing such sins

With the forgiveness of those things are dependent on people forgiving you.

Then what are the chances of leaving Ramadan with our sins forgiven?

And so we need to start looking at Ramadan holistically. It's not just about fasting. It's not only about the Salah. These are important parts of Ramadan, but it's also about our hearts. It's also about our tongues. It's also about being better in every way that we can to be earn the forgiveness of Allah subhanho wa taala.

And this means improving the quality of our Ibadat in the month of Ramadan. So focusing on fasting, how do you improve the quality of your past, you improve the quality of your past by not just staying away from food and drink, but from staying away from the sins of the tongue. And I'm staying away from the sins of the ice. Which means why you are fasting. You do not look at anything that is displeasing to Allah subhanho wa Taala you do not say anything that is hurtful to anyone that is pleasing to Allah subhanho wa Taala that you're fasting is not just a fast food and drink. It is a fast from sin. This is how you improve the quality of your fast that you stay away from sins while

you are fasting.

What about the quality of our night prayer?

The famous Hadith and the problem with how we integrate this hadith we tend to get caught up on the wrong side of it right the very famous Hadith about Aisha Rajon ha when she was asked about the prophets Allah isms night prayers, and we spend so much time having heated debates over the number of records he mentioned his Hadith that we forget the actual point that she's trying to make with his head he's right about the quality of the prophets Allah is something like prayer. So this hadith which is found in most of the major books of Hadith, including the room what type of magic It is narrated the Aisha Rajon How was US

game for Ghana?

The amo pursued the loss of vision Ramadan. How was the prayer at night of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in the month of Ramadan?

What didn't look at the question

I show is not asked how many records did you bring?

She wasn't asked about how many records should we pray. She was asked How was his prayer? mean? What was the title? What's the quality of the day what stood out about his prayer? And she answers in two parts. And we can only focus on the first part. The first part she says she said that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam never prayed more than 11 rockets in and out of Ramadan. He never prayed more than 11 rockets in our Ramadan she broke it down for four and three. That is you know the eight of of the night prayer the three of the winter. That's how she got to 11 He never breathed more than that.

Now, what happens with us is we stop there. We stick to that and we turn into a heated discussion. Right? The one group is saying that there are all these delivered robots the other signals 20 records and we fight with each other over this.

Understand that you live in regards was the Sunnah of the Prophet saw you Islam 20 rakaats was the Sunnah of many of the sahaba. Both sides are following the Sunnah of the first generation, the fighting over nothing, you're fighting over something where both opinions can be found in the tradition. That's not the point of the Hadees. That at least is not about how many rakaats is the night prayer. What's the point of the Hadith game for Ghana? Dr. Maura flows and how was the quality of the prayer of the prophets law yourself? So you go to the second half of the Hadees. What does Aisha say? She said he never played more than you live with regards. But I cannot explain to you how

long was his era? And how long was he such?

Right? I cannot explain to you how long was the piano and how long was disaster? Meaning Rasulullah saw some sometimes you bring only two records of gambling. But these two records will take up the entire night. Sometimes even three, four, but he will spend so long in such a way I showed him to touch his legs to see if he's still alive. That's how long he would spend in such them.

It was never a set number of records. It was about the quality. He was about spending the night connecting to Allah talking to Allah engaging with Allah be close to ALLAH asking ALLAH that's what the night prayer was about. It was about connecting with Allah. Sometimes I wouldn't be to rock out sometimes we will be for record sometimes we we never records right later on some of the Sahaba settle on 20 Because it was easier for the people. It was easier for the people to pray 20 records over 11 Because 20 Records means more breaks. Right if you ever been to a masjid with a pre delivered or catch Dharavi, the sometimes you're taking three Jews into later parts. Right? So it's

actually much other than paying 20 regard so you have more breaks. So that's why they increased it to 20 to make it easier for the people.

But yes, something interesting that people don't realize, Oh my regular one who, who initially

aged around in the masjid of 20 rakaats, behind the Imam, he actually do pray by himself the 100th time instead. And you never pray a specific set number of records, he focused on the quality of the prayer. And one more point, the depth on the fifth perspective, you actually won't find in the books of Hadith, a chapter on tarawih. It's simply the chapter of praying at night in the month of Ramadan. The word rally was invented 200 or 300 years later, actually, I think longer than that, because the books of Hadith were written 300 years after the time of the Prophet sloggy Islam, and they still never use the word alarming. So we'll probably invented 400 or 500 years after the

Prophet sign, because by the time of embargo funny, this word didn't exist yet. That's 300 years after the prophets time. But if you open Sahih Bukhari he has a chapter of praying at night in the month of Ramadan, praying at night in the month of Ramadan.

More interestingly, on the fifth perspective, when you open Imam Mohammed II, but hasn't achieved Barney's narration of the motto of Imam Malik Imam Mohammed was one of the main Hanafi scholars, the student of Imam Abu Hanifa. But he also was a student like Malik. So in his version of the moon dichromatic, he always takes the Hanafi opinion. So in his version of the mod that we have this hadith of 11 records, and then we have a statement from Iran, Abu Hanifa student saying, This is what we follow that it's okay to pray at night in Ramadan, voluntarily.

He doesn't mention a specific number of records, and he said it's a voluntary prayer.

Again, very different from how we understand it today. Perhaps we'll have a separate football on the fifth of the night prayer. But the main point here is the quality of the prayer.

The quality of your Salah, I'm sorry, the quality of your fasting depends on the controlling of the tongue and the heart in the eyes. The quality of your Salah depends on your show your connection with Allah subhanho wa Taala

and I would say that for some people, they may have more reward in bringing two or four records of night prayer in Ramadan weather is crucial that is concentration is connection with Allah there is long such does is long, cara de is crying, they will get more reward for that drink 20 records but you need dreaming and just waiting to get over with it.

For each person is different for some people, it's better to pray the 20 Because otherwise you're not going to play anything at all right? But

if you are focused on improving the quality of your Ibadat if we have to start looking at the night prayer the way Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and the Sahaba looked at it and that was an opportunity to connect with Allah in the last 1/3 of the night in the month of Ramadan. That's what the night prayer is meant to be. So let us focus this Ramadan on improving the quality of our worship. We have five weeks, five weeks to prepare our hearts and minds for Ramadan. Let us spend his five weeks thinking of how am I going to be better how am I going to improve the quality of my fasting? How am I going to improve the quality of my night prayers? What extra evaluate am I going

to do what sins am I going to try and give up? So when Ramadan comes it doesn't hit us suddenly but we are ready to welcome the month of Ramadan walking dawanda in the desert

I'm the lucky one that was Salatu was Salam ala manana inner circle ADC tabula rasa yo have you heard the Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam morning to have a coulomb audacity Vida COVID-19 De La La Jolla tintina

is a narration attributed to Abdullah even Masuda Rajala one when Allah knows best treats authenticity, authenticity, but generations meaning is definitely in line with our tradition. And this generation says that the students of Abdullah even Massoud asked him they asked him how the de Sahaba prepare for Ramadan. How did the Sahaba prepare for Ramadan? So you may think that the answer would be they started fasting before Ramadan they start doing the calculation before Ramadan. He gets a very interesting answer.

He said we would not like to enter the month of Ramadan with a atoms word of hatred for anyone in our hearts.

This was the answer of Abdullah even Massoud How did you prepare for Ramadan? By removing from our hearts any hatred towards any Muslim?

I want us to think about this. Sometimes

we end up breaking ties with our family members or friends over trivial worldly issues. Somebody lost their temper. Somebody said something they shouldn't have said somebody made a mistake and we ended up breaking ties with them. And we spent the month of Ramadan praying our Salah fasting, but we never tried to reconcile with them. Understand that breaking ties is a major sin,

the fasting and the salah of Ramadan

Is it forgiveness for minuses? major sins, especially when they breaking family ties to. To make up for this major sin you have to do Toba and you have to patch up with that person, you have to make an attempt to patch up with that person.

And it may be harder for many of us in Ramadan, to give the person a call and ask them for forgiveness than to pray or are we. But that's actually the good deed you need to focus on. If you really want to have pure hearts, this Ramadan, it's time that we reach out to anyone who we may have cut off ties with, whether it's a friend or a family member, or any member of this ummah.

And maybe they were wrong. Maybe they said something he shouldn't have said maybe they had a very sharp tongue. Maybe they hurt your feelings.

Maybe he did, he did something stupid, that you am still angry with about him with him about you slept with him about it. But for the sake of Allah, and for the sake of your soul, and for the sake of their soul, you forgive them.

And this was the methodology of the sahaba. We have many narrations showing us that the Sahaba would worry more about this issue about their hearts being free from hatred towards other people than many of the other things that we take as more important.

And they will go out of their way to forgive people when they want them.

I'll give one example. And we'll close off with this example. hasn't even sabbat radula one who the great poet of Rasulullah sallallahu I think he was sort of what the leading forward of the answer. The one who when he spoke Jabra it was

during the slander against Aisha radiAllahu anha. He was one of those people who slept it

was one of the people who slandered Ayesha Rajaratnam. And of course, he slandered not just Ayesha, but when you slander slander to people, right? So when I share the man, we both slander, and that man actually waited in the bush for her son to go pass on his way to the masjid and beat him up right for slandering him. It was a very intense time

that we have narrations. 20 3040 years later, when I Sheridan is teaching her glasses, and one of the students say something bad about herself. Aisha would correct me say don't speak bad about if he was the poet of Rasulullah.

Those big valuable contributor he used to take aside during his poems. Imagine that this man slandered our mother Aisha, with what we will consider the worst possible slander. Right.

But he paid the price in this world he was received the lashing in this world.

She forgave him and moved on. And she wouldn't let people bad mouthing, she wouldn't let people bad mouthing we haven't relations 20 years later and even 30 years later, when people tried to badmouth him in the presence of Aisha and she would correct them. So you don't love it compatible.

This is the attitude we need to have. If I shall Rajala one How could forgive Hassan even sabe for such a terrible slander against them,

then we can forgive our family and friends for whatever mistakes they have made.

So let us enter the month of Ramadan with pure hearts. And that means spending the next five weeks patching things up.

Give somebody a call who you haven't spoken to for a long time.

Ask people for forgiveness, which has been something boiling between your for a long time.

rebuild those relationships, not just with your family, but with your former friends and with other members of the ummah. Because at the end of the day, whatever happened between you and another Muslim, you are still Brothers and Sisters in Islam and they still have the right to be Muslim upon you.

And so we want to enter Ramadan with clean hearts and and the forgiveness of Allah. It starts with us, forgiving others. Allah subhanho wa Taala again going back to the incident of Aisha Raju and one of the other people who slandered her with her own cousin, and a father Abu Bakr wanted to cut her cousin off for that. And then Allah revealed the verse saying forgive him, don't you want Allah to forgive you? Forgive him? Don't you want Allah to forgive you? Let us take this approach to dealing with our family. Robina Artina dunya Hasina what will after the husband are walking out Governor Robina habla Dominguez watching them? We're gonna get to the hotel tequila in Baba Aloha. them to

further steam elements or being able to steal away the most to me from 100 years. Old saline will come to me