Mohammad Elshinawy – How to Keep Going After Ramadan

			aleikum wa rahmatullah. So how do I keep it going after Ramadan? Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa salatu
salam ala Rasulillah Allah Allah, he also have huge mine. This is a question, of course that many
people think about a lot. They see that there is a better version of themselves beginning to
surface, as this month is coming to a conclusion. Can I actually retain it? Or am I going to fall
apart like most people, am I ever going to regress like I do, after most Ramadan's.
		

			And so here are a few tips to help you steamroll ahead into the year after the month of Ramadan is
over. I ask Allah to reward you for every intention you have made for this Ramadan and to multiply
your reward for every action you've performed in this Ramadan. That is pleasing to Him. Allahumma
Amin. So number one, steadfastness is by realizing that you can't keep it going on your own. That
is, you know, even the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he was a guide for humanity.
But that doesn't mean he could actually get humanity's hearts to adopt guidance in Nicoletta demon,
but you don't guide those whom you love. Allah told him, Allah subhanho wa Taala also said about him
		

			about the prophets of Allah who Allah He was a lump in Nicoletta de la Surat, the Mr. Clean Surat
Allah, you certainly guide or Mohammed to the path, the straight path, the path of Allah. In other
words, you know, you can take a horse to water but can't make him drink that sort of concept. You
guide you direct you identify, you inspire you motivate people, so the path, but that path belongs
to Allah set up the law, he is the only one that owns it. And he is the only one that can guide
someone to actually embrace it, align with it and embark on it. That is very helpful, because many
times you're just carrying too heavy of a burden. And one of the reasons why you cannot be
		

			consistent after Ramadan is that you're assuming it's completely up to you to be consistent after
Ramadan. And when you say en cada Abu do a year kind of stay in, it's you we devote ourselves to
Allah. And it's in you that we seek help with you that we seek a source of reliance and strength.
That means you don't even seek it within yourself. So if you're seeking it from yourself, you're
selling yourself short.
		

			You know, words of affirmation are extremely helpful psychologically, but they are not so if you
limit them to affirming your power. No, that's a lie. That modern culture has taught us that you are
the master of your destiny, so long as you would put in enough effort, not true. Allah is the master
of of our destiny if we rely upon him properly, and alongside that put it our max effort, the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself, his most frequent dua supplication was yarmulke liberal
Kulu with a bit kalbi, Allah de Nick, learn this dua as you're heading out of Ramadan, alternative
of the hearts, keep my heart firm upon your religion, upon being committed to this religion of
		

			yours. And they asked him as NSN homeselling model the Allahu Anhu imaginary and they narrow it,
they asked him why this dua in particular, you make more than anything else. And he said, The hearts
all exist between suit fingers of a Roman the two fingers of the Most Merciful. For you, Mr. Calvin
Arada annual FEMA who Akarma Who were you McKelvin are the New Zealand who has ever any heart that
he wishes to make up right to keep steadfast The topic of this reminder. He keeps steadfast when
Allah wants it done. It's done. It's that simple. And any heart he wishes to divert, meaning send
away meaning and perfect justice. Of course, Allah gave us self control, but he may cause our
		

			opportunities to expire, he may show us our weakness time and time again, any heart he seeks to send
away essentially, it is that simple. So that's the first part. To know that Allah is your stronghold
and keeping it together and consistent after Ramadan. The second part of this, you can't be
steadfast can also be understood to tell you that Allah Himself will not allow you to see yourself
as invincible, you will stumble after Ramadan, and that is fine. And that's very healthy for us to
say because if you assume that you're going to be as good outside of Ramadan, as you were in
Ramadan, then that's a faulty expectation and expectation that will frustrate you and it will get
		

			you to give up altogether. You know, because a Muslim does not have an offseason. Our purpose
revolves that
		

			Around devotion and servitude to Allah. But Ramadan is intended as a high season, you are supposed
to be, you know, a little bit more, you know, salient streamlining because like shaitan is locked
away there's a social element so much right? The universe itself has transformed for your
transformation. And, you know also to this point the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself was
better than himself in Ramadan, wasn't he? You know, when when, if not best are the Allahu Anhu I
said, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was the most generous of people ever since I had built
it. And the most generous he ever was, was in Ramadan when Gibreel would come to him and review with
		

			him the Quran.
		

			So no one ever out did our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in any category of good. He was the
epitome of human excellence in every regard, whichever way you cut it, he comes out number one, but
he outdid himself in Ramadan, which means what? He wasn't outside of Ramadan, the way he was in
Ramadan. That's the point I'm getting at here. You know, similarly, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam said, Who ever fasts, Ramadan, and then follows it up with six days of fasting in the
following month in shall when they get their award of fasting the entire year, because 34 Six is 36
times 10, good deeds 10 times the reward for every good deed is 360. You know, it adds up, but look
		

			at it from a different angle.
		

			He just told us, if you're going to reduce, distill, reduce entirely right? Over fast Ramadan, all
of it. And then fast show well, no fast, at least six days of Shaohua. So that concept of being
reasonable. Having lowered expectations, being practical, can save your Ramadan, save your most
important gains in Ramadan. Don't expect because if you expect to be just as good in Ramadan, and
outside of Ramadan, then you see that it's impossible because you just weren't being practical
yourself, forget it and you throw the baby out with the bathwater, as they say, you just abort the
mission of piety altogether. You know, so that's the second tip number one you can't on your own
		

			rely on Allah. Number two, you can't turn the whole year into Ramadan because then Ramadan wouldn't
be special.
		

			The third element here is you know, you can't
		

			become sinless. So like the point before, it was about not performing as many good deeds be
practical, but make sure you're still performing some some good, right some good habits you've
developed in Ramadan. The third one is your sins. You will not become infallible after Ramadan where
you never commit another sin. But the idea is to no longer surrender to sin no longer return to
where you were not in Ramadan. But before Ramadan. You know, some people they build this you know
fortress of Taqwa in Ramadan. And then they notice after the month Chitwan comes by saccade from
every angle, he slips through one of the cracks of fly a little fly basically devilish fly slips
		

			through the cracks. Instead of you know, like blocking out the crack and closing that making sure
no, no more flies come in. Instead, you tear down your fortress to get the fly out or like you tear
down the fortress out of frustration. Don't do that. If one since lips in, let it stop at one sin.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that is stuffy more than to hustle. Be steadfast and
you will not fully be able to. This is not for us to take our sins lightly. But for us to not lose
hope when we sin.
		

			That is a very important concept and very important idea towards steadfastness. Even in the Quran,
this concept is mirrored again and echoed and reinforced. Allah azza wa jal says first stepping Ely
be steadfast in your journey towards him, was still fearful and seek his forgiveness. Because you're
gonna have to recognize imperfections are part of the human experience. They can actually make us
you know, in hindsight, ultimately better people. The fact that we fall into sin that is not about
you know, you thinking sins are okay the Prophet alayhi salatu salam said people's Doom lays in the
fact that they traveled trivialized sin. But at the same time, he told us if you didn't sin, Allah
		

			who would do away with you and bring about a new people who do sin and seek his forgiveness, so he
forgives them, right? You see, the danger in sin really is not the sin itself, because then we would
all be danger in danger and there will be no hope for any of us. But it is in surrendering to the
sins and allowing them to start a slippery slope into greater sense and so on and so forth.
		

			And you know, that is actually one of the punishments of sin, that it makes the next sin easier.
That's the real problem. It makes
		

			You feel like Oh, I'm finished, I'm pathetic, I might as well just given to more that conflict
inside you that sentiment that, you know, loss of self confidence in a sense or self regard. That is
part of the punishment of sin that we have to endure in the proper way so that we don't
		

			fall powerless to our sins to a life of sin, allow that to be our permanent condition. You see,
because just because a punishment of a sin is another sin like it doesn't mean it has to be that
way. Because the Prophet alayhi salatu salam also said,
		

			what had to be I say at Al has an atom Hua and follow up a bad deed with a good deed. So it's
possible to reverse the process, right? Follow up the bad deed with a good deed, it will erase it.
		

			And so those three advices are huge. Number one, put your lions and Allah above all else. Number
two, have practical expectations about your devotion outside of Ramadan, so that you don't throw it
all out because you couldn't keep up with it all. And number three, when you sin, it's not over
unless you got shaytaan to trick you into thinking yes, it is over. You know, you commit to this one
stays at all. So I'm back to my horrible self. When you were in, it was actually being deceived into
thinking you're back into your horrible self, that you actually walked with your own two feet back
to that older version of yourself that you had a firm determination to walk away from at the
		

			beginning of Ramadan. The last thing I will say is that when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
said Be steadfast and you will not be able to he didn't leave us there. He said, Well, I love more
than a hydra Matic masala and know that the most superior of your deeds is the Salah, the prayer and
that is an insight to the bedrock, the infrastructure of your faith. Your salah, consistent five
times a day, no negotiations when you dip into sin we should not be talking about these things. And
if it's the sense of missing salah, it should be once in a blue moon and you you bounce back from
it. You know with a fervent Salah is everything. It is the unmoved the central column of the
		

			religion. It is what holds up the rest of your faith. It is the ultimate you know determinant of you
know where you're at in terms of your relationship with Allah subhanaw taala it's your dial tone,
there's no more dial tone, to you know, to let you know that there is still some sort of life
there's still like a bond or connection between you and Allah. It is everything. It is what
validates your Islam it is the foundation of your faith. So your Salah be an extremist when it comes
to making sure your Salah is done on time within the timeframes. And then add to it the
meaningfulness of your prayer. Understand the meanings of what yours. Invest in your prayer, learn
		

			the meaning of some sorrows, attend some courses, read some books continue to add to your prayer. It
is an endless climb and endless pursuit. And the best of this world is found in actualizing that the
reality of the prayer the tranquility of the prayer, the connection of the prayer Salah is Silla,
connect, don't disconnect yourself.
		

			And then after Salah and wicked eye close, Allah azza wa jal said about salah, we'll use this ayah
as the segue.
		

			establish the prayer meaning do what's right. In the solid hand fascia it will move your Salah is
what prevents you from all the other evils and in decencies and then Allah says whatever vicar
Allahu Akbar, and the remembrance of God is greater. What does that mean? That means a lot of
things, but I'll share with you two that are so beautiful. One of them is that you are remembering
God when you pray. And so God Allah is telling you, my remembrance of you is greater than your
remembrance of me. It is the most beautiful thing for you to establish this holiday that will
protect you from evil and and decency and all of that because you're remembering God on the dime on
		

			his terms on his appointment, not your terms. You're truly His servant. That's the proof the Salah,
but the fact that he's remembering you, you know, imagine someone mentioning you with a shout out in
like a very, you know, high end platform front page of a newspaper on some big channel, some athlete
or celebrity, they mentioned you and they praise you, you'd be like ecstatic. Allah is mentioning
you to the highest company among sinless angels. It doesn't get better than that. And so Allah has
mentioned of you remembrance of you is greater than your remembrance of him in the sauna. That's the
first meaning. The second meaning is Allah Vikram Allahu Akbar. Allah's remembrance is greater
		

			meaning Allah's remembrance, you remembering Allah is greater than anything else, in deterring you
from evil and indecency. That
		

			Previous clause or passage in that area, and so with the point of Salah to establish the Salah, the
most superior part of that is Leveque Rula ethical Allah Akbar, remembering Allah becoming mindful
of Allah to the Salah is everything. And also be mindful of Allah outside of the Salah. The
mindfulness of Allah is the greatest thing you can admit into your life. It's what Salah is all
about, but also we are called to it throughout our days and nights. So remember Allah by saying
Subhan Allah hamdulillah La Ilaha illa Allah Allahu Akbar Estelle Pharaoh La, La La La La Quwata
illa biLlah. All of this Likud use it in your go when you're calm and you're in your elevators and
		

			staircases and red lights and use it because that will retain so much of the mindfulness
consciousness of Allah, which is what you were feeling in Ramadan and we were calling it taco. They
go hand in hand that they could have Allah the telco of Allah, may Allah make us of the people of
Vic and the people of Taqwa and those whose hearts do not leak and bleed all of it after the month
of Ramadan is over. Keep a steadfast enable us to journey to him in a beautiful way, year after
year, and grant us the most dignified and noble and pleasant and glorious, standing in front of him
on the last day Allahumma Amin Zack Aloha Ilan Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah.