Reactivate Your Purpose This Ramadan

As a resident scholar in Brooklyn, New York and he is a fellow and contributor to European Institute, disciple of airship Hamza cinelli

Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah. A drain we begin the name of Allah Hall praise and glory be to Allah means finest listening to me if one person from calmness Allah Mohan, he is alone.

And his family and his companions and all those who tried his path may Allah grant us and deal with life upon his path, and a death upon his religion and allow us to be reunited with him as we rise from our graves in the hereafter allow us to drink from his hand at that delta, allow us to be shaded by their award of what we've memorized what we've implemented. What we've recited for an

MI allows those that allow us to be among those who wait for the doors of gender to open behind our prophets, Allah Maha to hear silence, and those who stroll into those gardens. And somehow know as the prophet SAW, Selim said, exactly which palaces belong to them. Allah allow us to recognize our good deeds, and then Allah allow us to misplace and no longer have to face the consequences of our evil deeds.

So the the topic that was asked of me, by the way, I'm not a graduate of Medina, I attended for a short period, I'm actually a graduate of Michigan University's University of North America, and I'm currently an instructor there, viola is grace.

And I say that so many of you in Charlotte can make use of the downtime to lock down and virtually rise or rise in actuality, in your knowledge of these sacred sciences, through these many online platforms,

through these virtual options that Allah has blessed our generation with.

Okay, I was asked to talk about reactivating our purpose in Ramadan. You know, this is a topic that can never be addressed enough, especially in our times when the discussion on purpose is almost non existent. You know, like, if you were to ask any Muslim, what is the purpose of life, they'll give you the proper answer that they know that she wants to hear.

My purpose of life in life is to please a lot my purpose in life is to get to Jenna, my purpose in life

is as Allah said, in the Koran, many of them can even cite the verse and have not created the human to the jinn except to worship me. But but that to reality

has so many things working against it, it's like a light bowl that is crisp, that is, you know, so radiant with so many layers of dust continue to smother it.

By just our society, being socialized, being socially conditioned, nothing is about the senate agenda points. It's all about like credit card points. That's what all the advertisements are about. That's what all the discussion is about. Nothing is about why I'm here the purpose of life. Because in you know, the the western experience, the past few centuries, they've kind of grown very distrusting of religion. And the only religion they were familiar with, they they lost hope in and so they don't believe anything can give them the questions to the big the big issues, the existential issues, that the thing the elements of their existence, the definition, the meaning of

existence, the question of purpose, basically. And so they shifted gears, their mindset went from, from God pleasing God, and you know, living up to your purpose, because they couldn't identify where God was clearly wasn't in this religion, this is their experience. And clearly not this book is worthy of telling me with my purposes, so they shifted from God and purpose to focusing on just themselves they had, that's what they had their hands on, that's all they could really engage with was their physical reality.

And so they went from focusing on God focusing on themselves, they went from focusing on their purpose, the purpose of their lives, to focusing on the quality of life. And so we're so busy with the quality of our current life, that dunya life, that we're not really focused anymore at all. Because we are a product of our environment, on the purpose of life. And that's really unfortunate, because this is a side point, or maybe we'll have time to come back to it. The, you know, the purpose of your life is far more important than the quality of your life. Because the people that have the most options, money wise, materialistically speaking, they are still the people that

struggle the most emotionally and psychologically.

Whereas the people that may not be as well off in terms of just the material luxuries, but they have a sense of purpose in their life. Statistically speaking, they have better emotional experiences, better life satisfaction, better mental well being, all of that, why because Allah created us like that, you know, when Allah tells you, I'm not enough to generate insight, really, I would do and I didn't create the humans or the jinn except to worship me. Don't see that as just some plain directive. It's not just instructions. Allah is telling you about your nature. I created you with a purpose. I'm a you're a purposeful creature. And then he tells you a very specific purpose, which is

to serve him. But the point is, you are purposeful, and so you need that.

More than you need, the comfort and the luxuries, the comfort and the luxuries without a sense of purpose is going to make you feel like your life is not worth living. Your life may be better off just taking. And so going from there

to now what actually is the purpose so we can remove some of that dust. So we can allow the light bulb of what we're sure about to radiate into more aspects of our life. There's a big difference between like knowing factually what my purpose is, and actually experiencing a purposeful, lifetime. Huge difference. That's why so pantalon has said mostly it comes to mind. Now he used to say something very profound. He says, If you ask people

about death, you'll get two different answers. If you ask their their mouth, they will give you one answer. But if you ask their actions, they'll give you another answer. He said, literally, this is these are his words. He said, I've never seen people more certain about something the way they're certain about death, like everybody agrees we're going to die even atheists, right? We agree.

Even those that are hopeful that somehow you're going to reverse the aging process one day, with some advancements in science or technology, we all agree as the vote, we're all gonna die. He says, but if you he says people don't agree on anything, they're not certain about anything the way they're certain about death. He said, but the way they behave, they behave in a way that seems to express that death is so uncertain, so doubtful. You see, there's a big difference between someone living the experience of really recognizing its radiant than their life, why I was sent to this earth. How unpredictable unpredictable life is why we're here. Because there's a big difference

between why we're here, and what we do while we're here. Like, what is the primary purpose of us being here, and what we're allowed to do secondarily, while we're here, like if my parents send the kid to a college campus, you know, dorming away from them. And they're sending him for a very specific purpose, which is to get a college education.

And they're sacrificing a lot for that. Is he allowed to read magazines while he's there on campus? Probably? Is he allowed to have lunch and dinner and sleep? Yeah, of course he is. But what if he spends his time eating, drinking and magazine and doesn't go to college? No, that's not why you're here. That can never happen at the expense of the purpose. You know, likewise, when Allah tells you, you weren't created for anything, but to serve me, that means that is your purpose. If you don't do this, your life was an utter waste. That's like you know, a car for example, can I use Can I purchase a car use it to store extra clothing in there when my closet fills up? Yeah, you can do

that. But that would be an utter waste of the car because the car was paid for something far more valuable significant than that to spend $40,000 on a closet on wheels. This is just ridiculous. Likewise, no matter what we've done of college education, of becoming geniuses, becoming billionaires becoming scholars, even in the religion, but we haven't served Allah primarily in our life than our life was a waste. And we will realize that these accolades are in fact nothing to be proud of that we will find out that they were a reason for our humiliation May Allah forbid, did not bus with Hannah horadada say

that even Ibrahim alayhis salam said well at Zinio, mobifone don't humiliate me all along the day that you pull people out of their graves, yo Malayan Pharaoh Madden Allah by noon, the day that all the riches all the fortunes and all biggest size family, all the descendants will not benefit in any way eliminates Allah we have been studying except someone who comes to Allah with a sound heart.

And so serving Allah getting a sound heart, recognizing him soprano horchata This is the purpose of it all. Ramadan comes year in and year out as this priceless treasure to allow us to restore that realization in practice. In practice, that is the power of Ramadan. You know,

there's so many traders that have moved on, but my time is short. How does one help us do that? So our most primary needs as we see them, right food and drink that is put on hold for a second, relatively speaking. Some people they think we fast for a whole month. I don't know if you've ever had a colleague that thought you fasted for a whole month they do? said no, no, no.

We don't fast for a whole month we fast during the daytime in the month. They say Oh, man, I thought you guys are crazy. I've gotten that a lot. And I've heard people have had similar experiences. But they're like, but some of them will still be like but still though.

Why do you do that to yourself? Why do you starve yourself? We say no, actually, we're not starving ourselves. In fact, if someone's sick or unable they don't have to fast they can make

Get up on shorter days or just pay like an atonement video for it.

So human being can go to three weeks without food, by the way stuff I tell them they say no, no still you guys cannot be like this Ramadan think why would you put yourself through that?

And so they see it as just like self self

with self harm. That's the term that they see it as just pure self harm with no benefit whatsoever we say no, no, we do get a little bit hungry. But that's the whole point there is a treasure in that moment when I deprived myself for a little bit, so many treasures. I can't list the benefits of them up on here in this short talk. But one of the greatest benefits is restoring our sense of purpose.

Restoring who is number one, it's a kind of God, you know, we may not even realize it. But the most important aspect of Ramadan is the fast it is that that's why it's the only obligatory aspect of Ramadan, like not only technically is not mandatory, right. But the most important part of Ramadan is the fasting. Because there's a treasure there are a lot obligates the most important things, the things we need most on our journey to arrive at him safely. And so one of the treasures of Ramadan is Allah come to the home for you to become more conscious of Allah, which is your purpose.

The more you become conscious of him, the better you serve Him, the better you serve Him, the more conscious you become just as virtuous cycle. But something like fasting does it in an amazing way. Because you may not realize it but there are so many like split seconds in the first few days of Ramadan, especially

that

you say I'm gonna eat lunch. Oh, wait, I'm fasting. It probably happens faster than you can notice. But that does something it kind of like recalibrates you reprograms you so your sense of purpose like Oh, yes, I'm the servant. He's the king. Allah said so so panda who was the Allah, if you just reflect on it, there's a really a treasure there restoring a law, the sensuality of Allah, the primacy of Allah and His pleasure over our pleasure in our life. We do that in practice, we reprogram ourselves to do that. Ramadan is great with that.

And so even currently thinking about sahul, and sodas harder to explain because of the difference of opinion on how early before, you need to stop eating. But let's just do a thought if thought is an easier example. Because if thought, according to all the scholars essentially needs to happen on a dime, like you should never delay if thought there should be no buffer between an event. And your thought once you're certain that event time has arrived. You're supposed to break your fast.

But think about that, that glass of water that date

it is perfectly halen

and then you're fasting, so it's absolutely wrong. And then one minute later, that same cup of water, that same exact date becomes hella elegant, like what's the difference? Same cup of water, there's a big difference. The big difference is a law permitted now Allah didn't permit then I am the servant, he is the master. So kinda horchata. That is what we were created to realize more and more, the more we do that, we have fulfilled our purpose, which is what to please Allah and to be in his company forever in general. And as we said in the beginning of the lecture, because I'm wrapping up now, it's an all or none. It's not like I'm going to sacrifice in this world, so that I can get

gender No, we already saw that without this sense of purpose. Without panela mechanisms like fasting, all of the teachings of Islam reality, we're just focused on fasting, because Ramadan is on the horizon. These all allow us to live a purposeful life here so that we enjoy it.

Right so that we feel fulfilled, our life is meaningful, but ultimately, so that our enjoyments never get interrupted. Like imagine that imagine people that didn't have the sense of purpose present in their life, actually lives good lives. I already told you in the beginning of the lecture, they don't, they don't because it is agonizing to not have purpose to not have meaning to not have direction, to not have definitive guidance. Let's imagine they did. What is the point of enjoying yourself for a few moments on your way to destruction, like Who would ever do that a year or 100 years in exchange for infinity? That's what a waste that's nothing insignificant, only an

insane person who would accept that exchange. But with our Dean, you get both you get here and there. It's an all or none. And the last thing I want to say also so our purposes serve Allah to get to spend time with Him forever and eternity and his company to see his face his pleasure, some kind of hook to Allah.

And secondarily because it is Allah's greatest gift for us, besides getting to see him besides his company, which is Jenna. Ramadan is great with that as well. I'll share with you one Hadith that reminds us that we should reflect on that concept.

Throughout Ramadan, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said they saw me from Patagonia for Oklahoma.

The fasting person has two moments of joy that he gets to enjoy. He says either start off fairly happy

Today we're either left to Allah Allah para bajo very happy zone that the fasting person has two joys that he gets to enjoy. When he breaks his fast. He enjoys having broken his fast. The scholars say that could happen every night. That's another tip and it can also happen meaning after you fasted the whole month, your joy is that you're celebrating he then you've accomplished the month that was guided you to fast it to the end of it. But the point is, there's a joy to fasting here.

And then he says when you meet Allah, you get to enjoy not the breaking of the fast, but you get to enjoy the fast itself. You're so happy that you had fasted. And so notice the connection in this hadith between our fasting in this world and our ultimate destination and our purpose and our objective there. And that some of the scholars said, be that person who

understands that I'm all done for what it is and turns their life into Ramadan so that they're here after maybe because it is a microcosm of your Islam. That is why it's one of the pillars of Islam that Islam is built on psychologically and everyone was Allah loves and a lot of kind of being a Mohammed Adios.