Lauren Booth – Heart Soul – Episode 01

			Welcome to heart and soul with me, Lauren booth, your place to reflect. The visitor is here. He
brings us precious gifts. And while here we feel he has changed us beautified our lives. My first
guest in this series is Chef Omar Suleiman.
		

			His journey of seeking knowledge started in 2000 in the United Arab Emirates, where he studied at
the feet of prestigious scholars, such as chef Tarik Eben Roger shirahama, has a bachelor's degree
in Islamic Studies, a master's degree in Islamic Finance, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Islamic
Studies. He previously served as an Imam in New Orleans for six years, and has since dedicated
himself to full time teaching chef a salaam aleikum.
		

			You are our first excellent guests, but the visitor I was talking about in my introduction, is, of
course, Ramadan, we are starting our journey again, we are full of good intentions. And we don't
want to be counted as those who merely get a bit grumpy and hungry. How do we make the most of this
month?
		

			source? Well, first and foremost, we
		

			anytime you, you have a great visitor coming by you get yourself ready by anticipating that visitor
and recognizing the value of that visitor and the Prophet sallallahu wasallam taught us to make the
most of the monthly shout out on the forum avant so that we can get excited about it and prepare
ourselves for it. So we fast the month of shaba. And we acquaint ourselves reacquaint ourselves with
the plan, especially if we haven't been acquainted with it for a long time. And, you know, we
basically try to, you know, make sure that when Ramadan comes, we're not practicing and training in
the first week, we don't want to lose the first week getting used to it. And so, you know, it's
		

			important for us to prepare ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, so that by the time Ramadan
comes,
		

			we're already ready to receive it. And the same way that you prepare your house for guests, you
don't wait for the guests to come start cleaning up and to start making it ready for the for the
guests, you. You get it ready before the guest comes in, depending on how noble the guest is,
		

			you know, is the intensity to which to which you will clean up your house and decorated and adored
it for that. Yes. So the way that we prepare ourselves for Ramadan is a great indicator of how we
actually view all along if we are starting at the very beginning, and we've rushed through the year
and here is Ramadan, the first day again, how do we cope with that change them? Well, the first
thing is that, you know, what we learned is that we have to be sure not to allow ourselves to
		

			despair from the mercy of Allah subhana wa tada because a lot of so merciful that in our most, you
know, vulnerable moments, he sees us turn to Him, and He forgives us. And so I mean llama bond
provides so many opportunities that if you slacked off before it started then a loss parotitis
forgiving him so you you get yourself ready by
		

			you know trying to seek that forgiveness from Allah subhanaw taala and do the things that certainly
should have been done before but but start doing what you can and a lot to absorb the month of
Ramadan, it'll definitely be a little harder to get set, start going but do acquaint yourself with
the pull and do start and shall on don't despair, you still have so many gifts that are left within
the month. And a lot of times what happens is that once someone comes in, we say oh my god, I
haven't prepared for it. But that doesn't mean that you wait for next year to prepare for it. That's
still you know, you don't know if this will be
		

			your last normal bought or not. And so you get into the mode and shot a lot as much as you can. You
and a lot of times what I've noted, and I think a lot of people that have experienced this, it only
takes one special night. Sometimes it really hits you that first night of total we sometimes
sometimes it really hits you that first day of fasting.
		

			But it really takes one moment to just unlock the blessing that you're in and then you can
		

			To wake up and you realize, you know how special this month is. And so what I what I tell people is
that many of the heartbeats, you know, that are common to us are actually not necessarily authentic.
And so it's sort of allow us to slack off or they allow us to,
		

			to look for one particular, you know, part of Milan and so on and so forth. So, for example, the
Hadees of
		

			that's frequently quoted about the first 10 days being mercy the second day, forgiveness that I've
had, that's actually not Yeah, it's actually not an authentic Cadiz. In fact, the prophets lie Selim
said that Allah has on every single night of Ramadan, this authentic narration he said that Allah
look to his creation on every single night of Ramadan at the breaking of the fast, Ola freeze a
group of people from hellfire. So you're, you really have to get it one day and novel on where it's
going to be that special day of fasting where you're going to have done everything right in the
sense that you would have avoided your backbiting you would have avoided saying things that would
		

			have nullified your fast in the spiritual sense. You would have truly perfected the fast in a
physical sense by not nullifying it. By the things that are clearly nullifiers of the fast you would
have read quote, on that day, you would have remembered a lot that day, you would have had a moment
that they were you reflected. Perhaps that day you provided charity to someone or you provide or you
have someone break their fast he said somebody else, every single night and Ramadan, there are
winners and the prophets license that Allah looks to this creation and that particular night. And so
every day the believer is asking themselves is today the day can today be the day and he just has to
		

			get it one day and
		

			and you got it. I mean, that's what we seek that that special moment. A normal bond happens to be
the season that prepares us for that special moment with a loss of habitat where everything can turn
around in our lives. I want to ask you, personally, how will you be changing your routine this
month, you will you will resit ready, you are already Mashallah involved in teaching the Quran and
advising students in this positive way. But you have to make changes to can ask how what you'll be
doing? Yeah, so personally,
		

			I've quite a hectic travel schedule, I tend to take it pretty easy. And
		

			you know, we read about the the pious predecessors one of the things that's common across the board
is that one number bond would come
		

			they would really focus themselves on their you know, on on personally developing themselves a lot
of reading
		

			and on engaging in the night prayer. So Oban in the early generations of Islam, what it looked like
was, every single person was in the zone, you know, all the real study circles stopped and all the,
you know, all the intense, intensified academic efforts, and so on and so forth, all that stuff. And
it was really a time to just experience everything that you were learning throughout the entire
year. And so, you know, personally for me, what I try to do in Ramadan is I try to focus on myself
as much as I can. And that's something that this is actually the least busy time of the year for me
in terms of work, but it's the busiest time of the year for me in terms of my own self, it's a
		

			yearly camp, right? And the last 10 days, I frequently would get invited to different places that
comes up in the last couple of years, I've had the blessing to actually you know, commit myself
character cast to seclusion in the mosque, and
		

			it's been absolutely phenomenal. It's been the recharge that I was looking for, as an activist as a
teacher.
		

			Every single year, I realized that says, You know what, I need to take this time for myself. So I'm
abroad for me is personally the time where I, I kind of settled down
		

			you know, and I'm just focused on myself. So this is this is an introverted months and really isn't
it is time to
		

			you know, we do we do group efforts during the year. Islam is a social construct, it really affects
everybody's lives and our interactions. But right now, we need to focus on our connection with Allah
give us the first step of waking up. Now the first step of even Sahar and can you talk us through a
day in getting it right? Absolutely. So, you know, typically speaking the Prophet for life
constantly speaks to us about this idea of starting today. Right?
		

			You know, making sure that start off with the right mindset with the right mentality from Oban
indeed is an introverted month but Pamela what we find is that when the souls are connected
		

			A lot individually, then collectively, society sees betterment. And so when people are engaged in is
coming together, charity is intensified the people's hearts open to give more, there's a month of
charity, it's the month in which people really engage themselves with a loss of power Canada. And it
betters the community altogether. So the community is brought together on that basis. So when people
are coming together for five,
		

			or 10 a week, there was a whole day where they were engaged with a lot in a way that they're
typically not engaged with along.
		

			And so the prophets lie some frequently addresses this idea of getting light. He says to us all
along, it was sudden, but every night the shape on wood, would try to tie knots on a person. Right,
he ties knots on a person's head. And when you wake up, and you remember Allah subhanaw taala. And
you do wobble, and you pray, these, untie these knots, so you're not allowing him to keep you
subdued. He also said for a long while he was sort of every day, when, when a person goes to sleep,
an angel comes to them and says to him, if I can defy it, which means endure night well under night
well, and I say Tom comes to me and says to him and your night medieval endure night evil. And he
		

			said that if a person and their night with the remembrance of a loss of autonomy,
		

			then the angel would spend the night at that person's side, making their outfit I'm supplicating for
them throughout the night. And when the person wakes up, the angel would say, if you if you say
which means start your day, we'll start your day well, and a sidebar would say start your day he
will start your day evil. But if you started well, the angel would stay with us throughout the
entire day. And if you started in an evil way to say violence, they would be throughout the entire
day. So what that means is
		

			starting the day with the remembrance of Allah is extremely important. So you start in Ramadan, it's
so for is actually it actually refers to the time as opposed to the meal.
		

			The time right before Frederick is called a sow a loss as well as how the homeless stuff feed only
describes the believers as during that time, the last hour of the night. That's when people are
seeking forgiveness from a loss of habitat of the believers are constantly seeking forgiveness from
a loss of data. So you wake up at that time and the prophets lie. Some said that the angels send
their prayers upon the people that wake up for sure food. Food is a blessing meal. But the idea of
the soul is that if you accustom yourself in Ramadan to waking up every single day, this four or
five years to feed your body to prepare yourself for the day. The hope is that after Ramadan, you
		

			will continue to wake up the forefathers to feed your soul before the day to equip yourself
spiritually. Now that is that is brilliant. I mean that already is an inner and outer dimension a
practical practice for the rest of the year. Absolutely, absolutely. And if a person was just to
wake up a few minutes before friends every single night, and to just make us too far to seek
forgiveness of Allah mentions to us in Nepal at the time where most people are passed out sleeping,
that's when you really pronounced yourself in the sight of Allah subhanaw taala in the sight of God.
And you say I'm here, Oh Allah, I'm still up, I'm still seeking your forgiveness, then what fasting
		

			is doing what the what the month of Ramadan is doing is making that time period of the night, which
is typically a time that you sleep, a very important part of your day. Because you have to wake up,
it's essential for you to wake up to feed yourself. So here's a question for you. How important is
the is it to make the intention to fast before going to sleep? After so hard to know before I get
confused? Yes, scholars differ about what the intention means in regards to them alone. And the
strongest opinion seems to be that if a person makes the intention to fast the entire month of
Ramadan when they don't have to renew that intention every single night. I mean, it's something
		

			that's clear, obviously, but every night when you're going to sleep, you're intending to fast The
next day, unless something happens otherwise. So if a person goes into Ramadan with the intention to
fast all of this all 29 or 30 days, and, you know, basically unless there's a hindrance to stop me
from the next day, then inshallah Tada, it's there, but clearly, every night you're going to sleep
with a mindset and with an intention that you know, I'm going to wake up for syphilis, I'm going to
hopefully, you know, start my fast the right way inshallah. That's, that's okay. So that's pretty
much how we get it, how we get it going, and shall we start with that? That night with an evening
		

			meal. And then, you know, we make sure we pray fudge it on time. And that's really the key
		

			Here is that you start with a law with the mandatory deeds. So a person should try to perfect the
mandatory deeds obligatory deeds with a lot during a double bond and get their prayers done on time.
And that in and of itself can be an accomplishment really a person renewing that commitment to pray
on time and be such an accomplishment. And so, you know, you start you start with Jehovah you pray
Sajid on time. And then you you you remember last time in the morning as well I mean, which is the
habit of the Prophet peace be upon him and that's what the prophets I said I'm saying that if a
person wakes up with the remembrance of Allah Subhana chiffon play you've enough's, he wakes up
		

			energetic, and was in good spirits. And if he, you know, wakes up late and lazy, and sluggish, then
ospital hackers learn and it's a mess, which means that you'll be sluggish for the entire day, and
his soul will be in a bad state. We're going to take a break there for a few moments, and we'll be
right back after this.
		

			sat quietly in the evening.
		

			Oh, beautiful man. Why do you sit here greeting.
		

			Those who follow me the future their faith makes me worry it's a lie, grind my bra.
		

			Sisters and
		

			be strong and carry on
		

			to
		

			draw fades to silently and preyed his beard becoming wet as he cried for all his views on law Don't
let this nation fade as he pleaded through the night the earth around him filled with tears.
		

			Those who follow me future
		

			makes me worried to lie cry, my bra.
		

			Sisters and navy strong and carry on.
		

			stew Miss fell over the LAN companions gathered near to where the Prophet lay. As I shot his wife
held tight to his hand. The Prophet spoke again before he passed away mine.
		

			Those who follow me the future of their faith makes me worried that I cry my bra
		

			sisters in Islam who gave me strong and carry on
		

			my by
		

			those who follow me future
		

			makes me worried.
		

			My
		

			sister's
		

			strong and carry on.
		

			He goes brothers and sisters
		

			levy strong and carry on to
		

			you listening to heart and soul and Qf radio with me Lauren booth sharing his gems of knowledge with
us about Ramadan today is Chef Omar Suleiman. We had started our day before the break we had had, we
had not messed up our soul. Because there's always two ways of doing things. You can get up five
minutes before eating shove things in your mouth. But go back fall into unconsciousness. Or get up
gradually praise Allah make so far, have a sensible, quiet meal with your family. Praise Allah go to
sleep prepared for the next day when you wake up, say on a working day during a fast take us through
how to maximize the this month. So month of Ramadan is the month of poor and it's the month of
		

			charity. It's month of remembrance of Allah. And what that means is you're in a mindset now, once
someone has started that, you want to maximize each and every single beat within the month of
Ramadan. So you want to what you want to do though is you want to inculcate habits into your
		

			Your daily regimen now that you'll be able to take with you outside of Ramadan.
		

			So you want to explore the day the routines, the daily remembrances of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam. One book that I recommend to everyone is fortress of the Muslim you can find it on
online, you can find it anywhere. It's a small book, which sort of goes through the daily there is
the supplications of messenger sallallahu wasallam. You want to you want to start to implement those
daily there
		

			so that you can make sure that you're able to take those outside of Ramadan as well because the
prophets have been empty in a large one.
		

			Most Beloved of deeds to a lot are the ones that are consistent even if they're small. So you want
to try to bring in habits in your life during Ramadan, but she'll be able to carry with you outside
the collarbone. That's that's a great tip. Sorry, sorry about that, because I'm holding the fortress
of the Muslim here. fortification of Muslim through remembrance and supplication for English
speakers. And, you know, if you're an English speaker, you can struggle to learn any, any little
tips especially in Ramadan, how we can do this, what's the best, most effective way for short or
short ones, say the door when you're waking up, this is how you would recommend learning it. Right?
		

			So you know, listening to it over and over again, obviously, the audio component is very helpful to
a person also, you know, to definitely learn the short ones first, there's no doubt about it, the
ones that are easiest for you to memorize and memorize those inshallah. The Prophet slice Island,
typically when we when we pick up the book, and it says,
		

			a scarf and massage, which are the morning remembrances in the evening remembrances. What it will do
is it will compile
		

			remembrances of the prophets why Selim was heard making during the morning or during the evening, it
does not mean that for all of those supplications he made them every day, for example. And so you
want to learn the ones that are shortest, and the ones that are easiest inshallah.
		

			And the ones that you can, can sort of bring into your life and just perfect those inshallah, learn
the meaning of them, memorize them, listen to them over and over again, and start to do those on a
daily basis in sha Allah,
		

			The Prophet, peace be upon him, he says that,
		

			remember Allah a little bit in the morning time, which is between the Frederick and the sunrise, and
a little bit in the evening time, which is between Moscow and
		

			Washington, which means a little bit before February, the last part of the night, which is basically
Showtime, and he says, and the moderate and balanced and you will reach your destination agenda. So
those three times are the precious times the time right after fetches and pledges to sunrise, and
then the time, right between us, which is typically when a person's getting home or a person start,
you know, depending on their work their job, right.
		

			And especially animal bond, the person who's getting ready for a swab, and so on, so forth. So it's
really easy to remember a line you kind of get two birds with one stone, but this is the beautiful
part of it is that they're blessed at times of the day, right to remember a lot, the most blessed
side of the mall is that time of ciphers. So if you manage to even say it's tough for the loved
ones, most of us have time
		

			that a person will remember the loss of their blood at times of the day, in and out of Ramadan. And
then you have the blessing of Ramadan, the month of Ramadan, the blessings that that brings in and
of itself. And then you have the blessings of being the fasting person because the prophets I said,
I mentioned that the
		

			supplication of the fast in person is accepted until he breaks us fast. And so all of these things
are coming together all these elements to really make these super drives. And so they are so
multiplied during this time. And that's why number hottie narrates, from early that one should have
a lot of things that have a low one time a normal one is equal to 1000 times outside of just being
able to spatially panel on one time a normal bond yields the reward of 1000s of analogues outside of
the bond. So it's such a beautiful opportunity to just learn some simple words that you can say
throughout the day in sha Allah, particularly looking at the times of the Prophet peace be upon him
		

			used to do them. And the beauty of fasting is that it forces us to structure our day around the
Salah. That is beautiful. You've been listening to heart and soul. My sincere thanks to chef Omar
Suleiman, who will join me for more tips on fasting in Ramadan. Assalamu alaikum the producer for
this series is a have a chef