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.

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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