Heart Soul – Episode 03

Welcome back to heart and soul with me, Lauren booth, your place to reflect, and welcome to day three of Ramadan. Here at Qf radio, where I'm joined again by chef Omar Suleiman his journey of seeking knowledge started in 2000 in the United Arab Emirates, and he now has a bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies, a master's degree in Islamic Finance, and he's currently pursuing a PhD in Islamic Studies. The share has previously studied and served as an Imam in New Orleans for six years, and has since dedicated himself to full time teaching as salam aleikum.

Alright.

So here we are. And it is time for us to understand what happens to the body and the spirit from the whole time to Assa on the day of fasting. Now, for some of us, we may be at home, but some are at the office, what is the inner dimension of the fast that we can bring into the public domain. So, the fortress of Islam as his remembrance, right, and so, if a person is in the mindset of remembering a lot,

and they're, and you know, they could even it could be something as simple as thanks to Pamela 100 times, or 100 times, or whatever it may be. But the point is, if a person is in the mindset of remembering a lot as frequently as possible, what it allows them to do is that everything that they view during the day that comes up is through the, through that lens of Vic is through that lens of remembrance, and person who's remembering a lot throughout the day. You know, who sets those regiments for themselves, they're not going to be in the middle of and then engage in backlighting, you know, in the middle of their their kit or engage in a conversation that's going to spoil their

fast and spoil their dickish. So that's why they could is actually called that because it keeps you reminded it keeps you in that state.

And one of the most beautiful victims of Hanawon. This is actually something I wanted to share with you. But I think can be I hope have precious advice to each and every single one of us. You know, sometimes it's a bit awkward to be doing VIP kid while you're talking to you and you're at work, holding.

One of the best things to keep in mind is that the Prophet peace be upon him. He said that the best form of liquors, the best form of remembrance, is that you have a law. Simple, saying that Allah is the Greatest form of remembrance of Allah. It's not a vicar. It's the best one because, and one of the reasons why it's called the statement of sincerity is because there's one of the scholars have been has an under the sea, he pointed out that you can say that you love with your mouth closed, it's actually the only form of Vicodin. And you can actually test it right now. It's the only form of remembering to the loss of data that doesn't involve any movement of the lips. It's actually

fully the man, may I ask you a kind of tricky question here. So we were completely clear.

I had heard that Vicar means the air passing through the lips and the sound coming out even if it's a small muttering I know definitely Laila hell alive, just done it. Now, we can do it silently. Is it necessary to make a sound on your making record? Can we just clarify that? No, it's not necessary to make a sound altogether. In fact, the idea here is that the prophets lie for themselves in the height of the coffee, but the best form of remembrance of that which is done silently,

by name may seek in the best form of sustenance is that which, which is, which is good enough to sustain you. And so they can, you know, being silent, obviously, ideally, you don't, you would not close your mouth, and

you'd actually even say it out loud a little bit and things of that sort, but I'm saying that the beauty of nightmare handle was that even if a person you know, if a person is literally, you know, looking at something looking at someone they can continue to engage themselves with that either have a lot throughout the entire day, even with their mouths closed. So it's not a requirement for it to pass through the mouse and shot lots.

So a person could continue to do that even even in that situation, right. The idea here is that there is no way you're going to depart from a state of vicus

to a state of disobedience with your tongue in the same breath, it's not something that's it's going to feel awkward and unnatural. And so thick, it is not just a form of beautifying and adorning your fast it's a form of actually protecting it at the same time, making sure that nothing comes into it. That was beautiful. You actually get two birds with one stone in that way. Okay, let's go to the Quran. This is the month of reconnection, this is the month of immersion. If we can open our hearts to that and sit on our prayer mat after each prayer. How do you recommend we complete the Quran in a month? How is that best done? And how is that done with sincerity rather than rushing? And we are

Hey, got images done today? You know, high five, there's nothing wrong with any of those expressions, but for it to mean something. Absolutely. And look, this is

what I'd mentioned actually, in the previous episode was that Ramadan allows us to structure our entire day around the salon, you know, and outside of Ramadan, you're not so sure what it is you're not so sure when you have an idea. In Melbourne, you know, the minute that Frederick comes in, you know, the minute

you're fired. About Milan, you know, when Frederick comes in, you know, when Margaret comes in Eurasia is very important, because it's totally right. You know, everything about Salah, everything about your day, is revolves around the sell off. And the best way to really to really connect yourself to the ground until complete and in the month of Ramadan is to surround your recitation around the salaat. What that means is there's 20 pages and adjust. So if a person read four pages personal law, they would complete the end of the month of Ramadan, so two pages before two pages after or four pages after, they would actually complete the entire month, they would complete the

entire course, within the month of Ramadan. And that allows you to better your Salah, because remembering a lot before and after the salon is praiseworthy, it allows you to turn your salon into an even greater events in your life. It allows you to adorn it, it allows you to complete support. And it allows you to connect all these things together and chat last time. So my recommendation to anybody is really to to bring them to the salon.

You know, and try your best and a lot to finish the poll and using the time before and after, or before or after the salon. Because it's the easiest way in a lot to keep things routine and regular. And again, it's something practical, you can carry outside of Ramadan, you have to keep reminding yourself over and over and over again, that llama bond intends to bring about a permanent change in your life, not just a seasonal change in your life. And so the habits that you're going to bring into your life need to stay with you outside of Obama as well. So you need to identify the times of the day, that it's easiest for you to rebuild and inshallah for that outside of what I'm about. And

though you might not be reading as much, you're not neglecting the plan altogether, it's just, you know, you're not going to put it back on the bookshelf and say, See you next on the lawn. Right? You're going to keep it with you throughout

the year afterwards as well. What about with children? with younger children? I'm going to put that to one side, everybody has their ways of doing that, let's say from age nine, and up with the encouragement of reading the Quran during Ramadan? Is it a, is it a good thing to sit around as a family? Does that does that work? Is it practical? It might might be good one day and then everybody's busy the next day or everyone's too tired? Somebody's got a headache? Is it a solitary month? Or can we do things in unity? what's what's best chair? Okay, so this is something that I hope this particular message would resonate, inshallah Tyler with moms in particular that a lot

knows your situation, and Allah knows what you're trying to do. And a lot is aware of what you would do if you were not so busy with children, and so on, so forth. So it's a lot is very aware of everyone's unique situation. And a lot does not look at people without taking into consideration their unique circumstances. And a lot of times what we try to do with our spirituality as a whole, is we try to measure our spiritual success by quantity by numbers. So if I needed this much, hold on, I've succeeded spiritually. But you know, that's not the goal of it.

Though, certainly putting goals for yourself is important. So yes, I want to complete the plan all along. That's a noble goal to have. But you know, for example, some people say I'm going to complete it two, three times, four times. That's wonderful. But it's not that if I didn't read this much, or if I didn't do this much, then I failed my robot. The goal is to connect you to a loss of hundreds and Allah knows your unique circumstances, and the Prophet peace be upon him. What he did was he taught us that our

mundane actions in life, you know that? What are what are idle actions or actions that are seemingly meaningless since most people they indeed are, can be turned into something meaningful. And so that's why the hubby for example about feeding the fastest person and getting the reward of that person. So what that means is think about it we we tend to think of guests, when we think of that idea of feeding the fasting person, or you have a woman that might be cooking for her family each and every single day. She's getting the reward of everybody in her household every single day, since he's not considering that because she's thinking about the reward of feeding the fasting person

needs outside of your house, right? So the profit slice, turns that into something rewardable and taking care of the children. Yes, go ahead. And here of course, we have the moment when as a mother, we can be making Vicar while we're cooking, La ilaha illAllah lamb stirring La ilaha illa Allah, I'm pouring, whoever's making the food, whoever's with you, you know, be conscious of not chit chatting. I'd like us to move a little bit now on to the the behaviors between us that are

very nice, beautiful. They're

my own mother, they won't have mercy on her. She passed away about nine years ago.

Her last little mobile, and she actually finished the sounds daunting, right? She finished the poll on 14 times. And her last one. And I remember seeing her and I was thinking to myself, you know, so tamela she literally had the most half open next to her while she was cooking while she did not miss a beat. And I said I saw that. I said, oh my god. I'm trying to finish it a couple of times a few times in the month of Ramadan. Here she is my style I'm making use of every moment. So certainly making use of those times I've seen it with my own two eyes of Hanalei. I saw her that last summer about 14 times she finished has to put on a day. And it was primarily through making use of that

time while she was cooking while she was doing other things. She had her most aspects to her the entire time, and she was doing nothing.

So definitely make use of that time. And don't underestimate the use actually, because there is a spiritual feeling. You know, the gates of Jannah are open and they pour on all of us. And it's a reinvigorating time. And for the young who have that energy, I'll give you a quick example. One year,

I was on day two of Ramadan, and I'd already fallen behind in my reading, can you believe it and I was sitting in the masjid and I was crying to Allah was going Allah. I'm already on day two, and I failed. And I got a phone call from Gaza. And a little girl in Gaza said, Auntie Lauren, I've just completed the Quran for the second time in Ramadan. And I asked Allah to accept the whole completion for you. So Han Allah, Allah.

So it was so beautiful. Not to feel a failure to encourage the youth is important to make use of every minute is important. I want to move on now if we can to

change in what our eyes I'd like to move on now if we can to change in what our eyes look at, and what our ears here, give you example, an example. We drive it we we begin the day by recitation of the Quran, and good intentions and we get into the car. And we put on loud music that was there perhaps two days ago in the CD player, and it takes us to this funky place and how much of our habits should we be changing this month? And what's the benefit? So, you know, when it comes to Ramadan, I want to share with you something that none of us Addy Rahim Allah said that I think is very powerful. He said, there are three levels of fasting. And as we're talking about the inner

dimensions, he said that the first level of fasting is the fasting, which is, which is the following meeting, it's the mandatory fasting and so on. But is this necessary for your fast to even be considered

valid in the physical sense, and that's that a person does not eat and drink or be intimate with their spouses or do any of the obvious novel fires fast, right, so they actually maintain the fastest. So that's the first thing of just getting by. Second level of fasting is that the eyes,

the ears fast, the tongue fast, and you fast in the spiritual sense as well so that not only are you fasting and restraining yourself from eating and drinking and physical desires, but you're restraining yourself from spiritual illnesses, so you're not putting in anything into your soul corrupting the soul, just like you're not putting anything into your body that would corrupt your body. And that's the fasting of taqwa, which is the fasting of being aware of a loss of data, fasting of awareness. And finally, he said, the third level of fasting is that the mind fasts from thoughts of this dunya fast from World

The thought that your mind is focused on the action, your mind is focused on the hereafter. And that's the fasting of the fasting of excellence. And so this is really a powerful measure for a person because obviously, a lot wants us to get to the third level where we're so we're aware of the hereafter. And that's the idea that we're not about our thoughts, which occupying our thoughts and what's occupying our desires and our determination are the thoughts of the hereafter and success in the hereafter. And you know, and that's what we really want to get to. But the main thing here with what we just mentioned about the eyes and the tongue, and so on, so forth, we're not just staying

away from feeding our bodies, we are feeding our souls here. So if you're putting things into your soul toxins into your soul, then it does defeat the purpose of Ramadan, it truly does. And that's what the prophet SAW, I said that if a person does not leave, you know, backbiting and evil speech, and so on and so forth, then Allah is not, you know, in need of him leaving his food and his drink and his desires. So we have to make sure that, you know, we're trying to keep ourselves protected. From a practical perspective,

the best way to stay away from something that's bad for you, is to engage with something that's good for you. Otherwise, if you don't keep yourself busy with Allah, then shavonne will keep you busy with yourself. So you need to flip so that's the idea. I asked to find replacements. For those things that I usually listen to, I have to find replacements for those things that usually talk about as to find replacements for those things I usually look at, if I don't find those replacements, but it's only a matter of time before I get sucked into my old habits. That so that is that is brilliant and useful chef, I hope you don't mind. We're just going to take a short break

here. And we'll be back with more Ramadan reminders with Chef Omar Suleiman after this

hopes

I want to know Mecca to Medina by foot, but I'm too busy with life. I want to know Abraham like a father and now be the sacrifice. I want to know Jerusalem like the true followers of Christ. But Moses did not know the promised land, and he was still granted paradise. I want to know what it's like to travel to heaven and back in one night. I want to know what it's like to stand in the shadow of atoms. Hi, I want to know love. I want to know light. I want to know what it's like to hear the angels resign. I want to know the book is if it was written in my heart. I want to know what Noah felt when he was building up his Ark I want to know Moses split and sees that bird I want to know

the waterways upon which Jesus was

I want to know sacred before men set out to change it I want to know the scriptures in their original language. I want to know the Torah in Hebrew and the Gospels in Aramaic I'm gonna hear the songs read in the voice of David.

I want to know the prayer of Jonah in the belly of the whale. I want to know the prayer of Joseph in the bottom of the well I want to know the prayer of john when they locked him in a cell I want to know what would have happened if Adam never fell I want to know heaven like home. I want to know what have been like home I want to know Solomon's throne. I want to know Goliath overthrown and I'll be the stone and I don't want a crown I want a dome and pillars made of Chrome I want to console me I want to fill it in my bones.

You're listening to heart and soul on Qf radio with me Lauren booth, sharing gems of knowledge about Ramadan with us today is Chef Omar Suleiman as Saira Malik Lucia. Why? Cuz

just to wrap up what we were talking about before the break three levels of fasting, the basic validity, this is the first level is going hungry and doing without drink during the hours of daylight. Level Two is the fasting of the eyes, the ears on the tongue. No backbiting, change what you listen to, and be careful where your eyes look. And that will be the second level. And then the third level, we are really lifting out yourself. Just lifting yourself out of this realm out of the everyday and into somewhere greater is when your thoughts are actually occupied with Allah subhanho wa Taala and they're not drifting to unuseful entertaining, waste of time, or even toxic mannerisms

and habits. Is that correct? Yes, absolutely.

I would love us now.

to benefit in the few minutes we have left, from your message to everybody fasting out there, and everybody who wants to understand the meaning the true meaning and benefits of soul of fasting? Absolutely. So what we find is, there's actually a, quote, Anik concept or a framework, essentially, to these levels of fasting, a lot says in the quote, I'm quoting radical cmo, can I quickly dial in Medina in public on the concept

that fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those who came before you, so that you could come to a state of awareness of Allah. So fasting requires that you become aware of Allah, you become aware of his favours upon you, and you become aware of his presence. And when a person is engaged and constantly watching themselves, you know, normal Bob, you're constantly watching yourself, you know, for food and for drinks, and so on, so forth, then it necessitates that if you're watching yourself to make sure that you don't do anything that's typically head on, then you will watch yourself to not do anything that's always caught up. So that takes you to that state of

awareness. Awareness of blessings also means that you gain a sense of empathy. For other people, that's you, that's you, you become aware of his favorites upon you. And you become aware of the deprivation of those favors to other people. But Allah subhanho wa Taala has placed the responsibility on you to care for them. So it says your relationship with God, and it fixes your relationship with the people it puts you back and a you know, puts things back in perspective for you to understand what role you have to serve in this world. If Allah has put you in a situation where, you know, you typically eat and drink so much that you don't even think about it. You don't

think about quantity, because you're not you don't you don't live in a situation of scarcity. So it starts with that. But then it's really beautiful what Allah says at the end of the month is supposed to happen. At the end of the verses the fasting, Allah says when he took me to read data, wanting to be the law, Anima component, Allah confessional, which means that the period of fasting is complete. And then you glorify Allah for that which he guided you to. And you find yourself in a state of gratitude. So you went from a state of taqwa, which is being aware of Allah. So the state of sugar, absolute gratitude to a loss.

And what particular particularly are you grateful for, you're grateful for the gift of guidance, because you realize now that Allah has given you something that is so much more fulfilling than anything that this world has to offer you. And when I always tell people this, you know, I have a friend who is actually a pastor who, you know, he's a Christian pastor, and he,

you know, He fasted within the Christian tradition, right, which, which is obviously not as intense because you can see Brad you can still drink water and so on so forth. And typically, depending on which denomination, you know, you don't even have to fast from everything you can pass from, from a particular you know, food and a particular drink or a particular habit or what have you. And he's a Methodist, and so he decided to fast them up on one one year with us.

And he was so amazed by the meaning that he found in it but he's been fasting for the last four years. May Allah give them like gave him

And may Allah subhanaw taala bless you for joining us. You've been listening to heart and soul. A lot on this day. take us closer towards your pleasure. keep us away from your anger and punishment. grant us the opportunity to recite your verses of the Quran by your mercy. The producer for this program, is it have a chef until tomorrow as salaam alaikum