Free at Last – Ramadan Renewal

Brothers and Sisters may be a uniquely blessed Ramadan for you and your loved ones and the Muslims everywhere.

We know that Ramadan is the month that Allah restrains the shaytaan restrains the devil and his whispers.

And it's useful to note that the Quran often describes the Quran as an OIC, as the shaytaan as an open enemy. The devil is an open enemy. And one should think how is he an open enemy if he is invisible, meaning he is open and crystal clear in his enmity to you. There's not going to be sort of a compromise. There's not going to be a negotiation. It's a fight to the death, if you will.

And we even know that he is restless, he does not sleep, if you will.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam even said to us that the reason why children cry so early upon childbirth is because they shaitan stabs them like he pokes at them, as soon as they're born. He's declaring his enmity to them before they even know who they are.

And also we are told that he attacks in crafty ways, he is not random in his assaults in his whispers in his schemes. And that is why Allah warned us and cautioned us let that Debbie rocoto it Shavon beware of the footsteps, the slippery slope, the gradual baiting, and entrapment, that the shaytaan that Satan sets. If he can get you to disbelieve, he'll get you to fall into that right to worship God, how you like and if you worship God arbitrarily, then you're really worshiping yourself enough God, if he can't get you to do that, then he'll get you to fall into the major sins that enormities the destructive sins. If he can't get you to do that, only then will he move on to the

minor sin silly pile on you. If he can't get you to do that, he'll get you to fall into excess with the permissible until you lose control in your extravagance in your excess. If he can't get you to do that.

He will get you to sell yourself short. And I want to start with this one. Get you busy with what is inferior so that you don't at least get what is most superior? What you were made for the greatness for which Allah created you. And the prophets Allah Allahu alayhi wa sallam would often remind us or habit to never aim low.

He would say when you ask Allah when you ask God, ask him for a dose for the highest garden of paradise. It is the height of it. It is the center of it. It is where all of the rivers of paradise erupt and its ceiling is the throne of the Most High SubhanaHu wata Allah.

And he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam once was trying to return a favor to a man and said to him, What can I do for you to show my appreciation for your your assistance, he said, If you could get me a camel to ride on and maybe a you know a goat to milk, I'd be very happy. And so the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam smiled, and he said, is one of you in capable of being like that elderly woman from the Israelites from the children of Israel, from the followers of Moses, peace be upon him. When Moses escaped from Egypt with them from the tyranny of Pharaoh, they kept getting lost, there was like a very thick fog, then ultimately, their scholars said, we know why. We know why this

is happening. Our ancestors had promised Joseph the Prophet of Allah use of peace be upon him to if we ever leave Egypt, back to the promised land back to Jerusalem, if we ever leave back to his homeland, we will take him with us that are alive. And so we did not bring the corpse, the body of Joseph peace be upon him with us. That's why we're not able to travel. So he said, Well, who knows where the grave of use of is Alehissalaam they said, no one's left that still recalls exactly where it is. But this woman, so Moses, peace, be upon him goes to the woman says, Can you direct us to the body of use of Alayhis Salam? She said, No. Unless you fulfill my condition.

My condition is that I am no less than you. I am. You're right. I'm your neighbor. I'm with you in paradise. And so Moses peace be upon him became upset because this is not the time for negotiations. We're on the run. This is difficult. This is not something I can grant. There's only for God but then God revealed to him tell this woman she will be granted her aspirations the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, or is any one of you incapable of thinking big of aspiring high of having the ambitions of this why?

his pious elderly woman.

And even when Zara hit his head was not like a city dweller like the rest of the Sahaba and Medina, he would come from the outskirts check up on the Muslims learn a thing or two and go back to his nomadic lifestyle in the life of the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and the Prophet alayhi salatu salam would have a very soft spot for this man, and would always go out of his way to make him feel at home. And one day in the market is Oza here in the market shopping around to get back home. So he embraced him from behind sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and he said jokingly, who will buy this leaf.

You know, a pre Islamic practice was people were abducted into slavery. So he embraced him and laughingly playfully said, many a study had that Abdul will buy this slave from me.

And so when he realized there was the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he leaned back further to fully lean his back on the blessed chest of our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And he said, I have to tell you, you're gonna find me worthless. Nobody wants someone like me. He said, he said to him, Well, I can knock in the Mahi laser because it but you Oza hit in the sight of God or not worthless. Don't ever sell yourself short. And I begin with this introduction to the hotel because we are in Ramadan, where our enemy who keeps telling us we can't make it, we can't climb higher, we can't do better has been restrained. And so now it is our run. It's time for our streak. It's time

for our renewal to say, I will not become my own worst enemy.

There is greatness available for me.

And as we should never get tired of saying, Have we forgotten the greatness on display among the people of Gaza?

The people of Gaza today as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said lie as Allah Allah who yells at issue. We have a Dini, Rosen yesterday YesStyle Middleham feet or it Helio milk piano, Allah who will never stop planting. The guidance is there in the book, The Great Scripture, the guidance is there in the example of the Prophet SAW Selim, the guidance is there for you to experience in your own individual life, but he will also continue planting on Earth, those that will show you what it looks like in living color. He said, Allah who will not stop planting on Earth, people that he will use that he will utilize, make instrumental for others to sign on to being

servants of God, sign on to being devotees of God, they see what that looks like. All of you know the names of the journalists whose family members are being bombed into the next life, who are being gunned down, left and right. And they're still insisting on turning their cameras towards this genocide for the world to see it. And the world is seeing it, the world is being inspired. We cannot have the small share of this inspiration, when they look at them and say, What kind of faith do these people have? What kind of greatness they've achieved? These are like mountains in which souls were blown in. These are not human beings. Or then the children. You know, it's very interesting.

People get skeptical sometimes when we speak about the earliest and greatest Muslims who pulled an arrow out of their body and continued praying or said I'm not going to drink the alcohol. Wait till I'm praying if you want to sort of amputate my leg because he had gangrene. Urawa Radi Allahu Han we hear these stories and we're like, is this like an exaggeration? And then Allah sends you. I 1011 year old boy, live streamed reciting Quran as they're stitching up his head because there is no anaesthetic.

Allah brings you another young boy. You know you read about Jaffa, Radi Allahu Anh, in the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, when they were forced to go off into battle in moto and he loses an arm and all he cares about is getting the flag back up with the other army loses the other army grabs it with what's left. All he cares about is the flag standing. And you wonder like this, someone really liked that. And then you see Muhammad or Muhammad or Joe, in the hustle today. The first thing after he lost both of his legs, he asked his mother upon coming to us. How is his concern? How do I perform Salah now that I don't have legs? How do I do the prayer thing? That's

what preoccupied him. Where did they get this strength? The whole world is asking and we have to keep asking. It's available right there.

One of the most difficult things I saw us in these last five months was just this week, a young girl saying I want the Muslims to know

that they have not given up on us we have given up on them.

They have not this owned us we have this own them. We don't want them. We're not waiting for them. They have not sold out. We have sold them.

But we can't find anyone to purchase such worthless people.

But am I saying we are worthless nowhere I am not saying that I am saying the one who believes they're worthless is the one that is worthless. Allah azza wa jal gave them opportunity and gave us opportunity, gave them worth and gave us worth. There are many things we cannot do today. That's not the problem. The problem is the many things that we can but choose to think that we cannot do today and so we have step in them.

This is the month to believe that you can be uniquely devoted to Allah uniquely disciplined in your life in your day in your technology usage uniquely ethical that people point towards that some Muslim,

uniquely beneficial to humanity, you must believe that you must believe that directly or indirectly 1000 or 10,000 or 100,000 people can become Muslim at your hands. You need to believe we need to believe that this Masjid can make a difference in changing the face of massage in the United States and beyond. We need to believe that Palestine can be free be if Mila from the apartheid in our lifetime say I mean, but believe it

Ramadan is the month we discover this about ourselves. We have the people who have us to remind us and we must never forget that. But we also see it within ourselves.

You have worth you have potential. You have greatness. Allah chose you for this. Now just reach for it. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam promised that Allah has declared whoever takes a step towards me. I take 10 steps towards them.

You have worth on the condition that you sell yourself to Allah and for him

as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said Allah in sha Allah He OLALIA certainly the the treasure of God is expensive. Allah in Nusselt Allah He Jana, certainly the treasure of God is an eternal paradise. You are expensive because you are the price for that Paradise. Allah gave you Islam, or if you're not Muslim allow you to hear about Islam because he wants to give you paradise. Now all we need to do is receive the gift with our heads raise a cola COLA that was stuck for a lot of Emily work.

And hamdu Lillahi wa salatu salam ala Milena via via the shadow Allah ilaha illallah wa Tada Hola. Sharika are shadow Anna, Mohammed and Abdullah, who whenever you who are solo, brothers and sisters to bring this full circle, one of the most important motivators in this discussion on change for the better

is to differentiate so you don't get discouraged or deflated to differentiate between your sphere of concern and your sphere of influence. In other words, to be able to see a little bit of your impact is by being reasonable, I'm going to change myself before I expect myself to change my family and beyond. I'm going to be able to effect a change here locally. Before I expect change to happen globally. You already know the announcements went out that today is our annual fundraising and child loads Allah you know the system this semester is trying to implement to be an incubator and an anchor for our faith and for the faith of others. You know how hard we are trying to make strides in

the ketchup game of our institutions that by and by and large, they're in their infancy and there will be a short presentation on some of that some very bright moments this evening inshallah. But for now after this Joomla this semester is full fuller than I've ever seen it on the first Friday of Ramadan. And so after this Juma we are going to put our hands together and we are going to collect $150,000 Just to put our first dent in that target Bismillah shaitan threatens us with poverty all year round, if we are not going to defy him now than when Allah perpetually promises us spend and I will spend on you now is the time to be different and to sacrifice in a way that's different. So he

may have an outcome that is special and different. May Allah azza wa jal accept us and not replace us. Use us for His sake and not dismiss us and make that's purely for his pleasure. May Allah azza wa jal guide us and guide with us and cure us and cure others at our hands. May Allah protect

For us and our loved ones and the innocent in every part of the world, in on every land and under every sky Allahumma Amin wa sallahu wa salam ala Cana b&m. $100 early he was like the big money