Taqwa at All Costs

You know, about 20 years ago,

I vividly remember that it was extremely common for people when they are asked, Why do you fasted Ramadan? They say something along the lines of empathy, compassion. So we learn how to feel for those less fortunate.

And I guess because it was right after 911 and Islam was the boogeyman, and Muslims were trying to be extra cute or whatever it is. And secular humanism. Of course,

people just latched on to this and kept repeating it without giving it too much thought. But of course, after a while, we realized that, that is of the wisdoms of fasting, but it could never be the primary reason why we fast because the Quran said La Quinta, taco and fasting and so you become conscious of Allah, which includes being empathic with this creation. And also because very clearly, all also those that are strong enough to fast even if they're poor, they have to fast. So it's about just feeling what it's like, why would they be fasting? So little by little, the Muslim stop saying this.

But recently, I've noticed the trend also, that perhaps, because the God of many people nowadays is, is their bodies, they live for their bodies and taking pictures of their bodies and trying to get fit for the appearance really of their bodies, not necessarily their health and making the most out of their lives. It seems to be exceedingly common to hear people say, I can't wait for Ramadan, I'm going to lose X number of pounds of Ramadan.

And that too, if it is our primary goal out of this month, this is extremely unfortunate. That's of the benefits almost all of us can benefit from shedding a few pounds. But the Quran the Quran made it crystal clear. Ramadan is far superior and its function. Its primary objective is to get you past the finish line with taco is to grant you that Taqwa of Allah, that all of him that consistent love of Him that dutifulness to him Subhanahu wa Taala that's what it came for. You know, I leave in every time they brought the hola Juan in a very eloquent way he summarized for the people taco and he said, It is a whole formula Jaleel will ama with 10 zeal or Reba will Khalil or it's their duty

yo mera ale. It is the state that you enter, that causes you to be in veneration of Allah,

to have this referential fear of Allah, and to get you to be more aligned and compliant with the revelation of Allah, and to be more content with the share that was granted to you of this world by Allah. And for you to be ever prepared for the departure for your journey to stand in front of Allah Subhan that's where it's about bringing us there that eclipses and should forever Eclipse everything that tackle that we gain here as Allah azza wa jal even when he was speaking about one of the greatest activate Islam, the journey of the lifetime hedge he was selling us prepare your luggage properly for in the highroad Zadie Taqwa. And then he said but no, the best thing you can prepare

for this journey is the Taqwa of Allah subhanho wa taala.

Because when you arrive at the end of the journey, do you know what the arrival looks like? You know, what does it mean to arrive at Allah? This will help reset our perspective a little bit. You know, there will be 10s of billions of people on the Day of Judgment. Right. But you know, that mean, there are 7 billion people currently on the face of the earth. You know, if we put them together in a tight knit crowd, what that would look like, it would be 100 Miles squared.

Do the math, it's 100 Miles squared. You'd be driving for 100 miles, then 100 Miles then 100 miles than a 400 miles of driving.

For you to be able to just circle this crowd.

And that's just the human beings.

Allah azza wa jal says for a bigger law national runner who was shouting, I swear by your Lord, we will gather them all including the devil's the jinn and the humans. And we're not even going to talk about the animal kingdom.

What that would be like so Melanie Rana whom How will the Johanna Maji Thea, the first continue to say and then we will cause them all to be present. Nobody will be missing from this roll call. We will cause them all to be present against their will around the fire.

on their knees Tara Kula omet in Javea you will see every nation on its knees.

The verses go on to say and I will run through them a bit what they mean Come Illawarra do her and there is not a single one of you then that has to get accepted they have to get up and walk across that fire

on that thin bridge, can Allah Rob Baker headsman McCullough here, this is something that has been absolutely finalised by your Lord. No exceptions no if ands or buts about it.

Then Allah says filmen Neji Lavina taco and then in that survival moment, we will cause to survive, we will save the people of Taqwa.

Now we know the value of dukkha. We will save the people of Taqwa when another valley mean Fe Hadji Thea and we will cause the wrongdoers the other category to remain there in forever. So what's upon picturing perspective of that arrival that you're able to zoom out and realize, yeah, there really is absolutely no other categories. It's either I have gotten this Dakhla Ramadan's a huge opportunity, a burst of once again it or I'm of the volume in

May Allah make us of the first category.

That is why Allah calls it Yom will hestra the day of regret, that's when everyone's lights gets turned on. And Allah says Enter coal and if Sonia has Raja Allah for rato Fijian Billa, will include to laminar serene when souls will be saying left and right. Oh, my regret, oh, my sorrow about how negligent I was with regards to Allah. And I was of those who took this lightly. I mean, a sec, I used to mock it. Some people don't mark it directly. But sometimes moments pass over us where we treat it as if it's not serious.

And so as we are easing ourselves into this month of Ramadan, brothers and sisters, do the math correctly. What is it worth to you to be in category Taqwa?

At all costs, we have to get to this category.

How long is it going to take? Do the math? How long will you live? How long will I live? Let's say 60 years, and that is not guaranteed 15 of those years, you're not required to do anything because you're not legally obligated in the Shediac. Right? So 15 years, God, you got 45 left, you're sleeping eight hours a day, that's a third of your day, that's a third of your life, shave off another third from the 45 years, you're at 30 years.

Then you have work and you have school and you have the times you're sick and the times you're you're celebrating Halal fun bond a little all together, what's left? What's left of that. You have maybe five years left of serious work in exchange for what? For eternity. So how can someone get distracted when that's all it really takes?

You know, a scholar was once approached by a Muslim, and he said some * I had a horrible dream, but I feel like there's a meaning behind it. Because nightmares are to be dismissed generally, to buy it feels like it's telling me something. He said I was being chased through a jungle by a lion. And as I'm running trying to flee the lion, I dive into a well, and I grab on to the rope, the bucket rope.

And I look up the lions at the tip of the well wishing for me to come out and I look down there's a huge snake with its mouth open. And so I can't go up but I can't go down. And then in the middle of all of this two little mice, a black mouse and um, white mouse jump onto the rope and they start nibbling at the rope.

And while they're doing this, for some strange reason, I noticed that there's a beehive on the wall of the well. And it's dripping with honey. And I just keep reaching out and tasting the honey.

What does this mean?

The scholar said this is the foolishness of the human being. He can't outrace death which is chasing him and it will chase him into his grave you will run from death to it beneath us the grave. And that rope of yours is your lifeline and the black and the white mouse or the night and the day eating away at it every single moment eating away at your lifeline. And in the middle of this Some people actually have the preposterous notion of sampling for a moment some honey on the site.

May Allah give us insight. May Allah give us the provision. May Allah make us determined to spend the little bit of our lifeline that is required of us for this Jana.

You know, we had a a scholar recently visited our community, two weeks back and he said something some of us he said

To the young men in the crowd, he said to them, how recent was kindergarten? We can all remember it. Kindergarten was last week. We can all recall it. He said that is life. It will all be over very very very soon. And then everyone's gonna have regrets at a point where regret doesn't matter.

Even the people of Ghana by the way, will regret the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, lay say at the hustle Hello Jannetty Allah che in a lesser Marathi him, let me of Guru la Hatha Allah fie her, the people of paradise on the day of regret. It's called The Day of regret because everybody regrets so even the people of paradise, they will have no regrets on the Day of Judgment, except some time that passed by them that they didn't do more mention of Allah and it didn't act more mindful of Allah in it. Were not more remembering of Allah in it, and then they will enter Jannah and regret their regrets but on that day, everybody will be regretting. May we have the

smallest of regrets on that day of Coca Cola that was stuck for Allah raffia muddy water

Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala manana V. Shadow Allah Illa Illa Allah, the hula Shetty calahorra Shadow Anna Mohammed Abdullah who whenever you who are solo, my brothers and sisters as uncomfortable as this subject could be and as unnerving it it certainly should be. Allah azza wa jal did say or Marathi was the article Lushy My Mercy is more vast is wider than all things.

First Act Tubu Hurley Lavina tekun and I the same verse, And I will afford it to those who have choco may we be of the people of Taqwa. Oh Allah grant our souls it's Taqwa.

And so the people of tech will will will rejoice that they were serious enough about saving their souls were serious enough about learning their Deen were serious enough about guiding their children.

And that's the only message really I wanted to end the hotbar with today, if we are really believers, in the fact that we are standing at the gates of eternity, we take it serious. If this could mean everything without end, we will take it seriously. And I ask you, first of all to spend the rest of your Ramadan with that theme in mind. How can I not just be impacted by my Ramadan but truly improve this Ramadan? How do I make amends? How do I make up for what has passed? How do I end it on the best note yet?

And the second thing I will ask you to do many of you know that in the first year of Ramadan, it is customary for us to put our first dent in our duty towards the community. Our the rapid pace of the growth you've seen it's Subhanallah unplanned and choreographed with some of the new brothers and sisters that we've had so far, you've seen three shahada as I turned on my phone after thorough we yesterday, and there was a fourth shahada over the phone that happens through one of our sisters May Allah bless her leads our outreach committee, and so we have a huge duty and that is part of Taqwa. Just think for yourself right now, before you think for the rest of the month, if Allah has given

you more, he expects more of you. That's part of the definition of Taqwa. And if Allah has not given you as much as others, to still give within your capacity, that's a part of Taqwa. Because on that day of judgment, we will wish that we will be questioned about ourselves alone, we will not be alone, nor will we have to answer for ourselves alone. But all we could do for everything that was needed in that moment. May we be present in this moment, and help one another in sha Allah make us a new unique house of worship, a unique Islamic Center, and we show up on the Day of Judgment saying, God Allah, I did what I could with what you gave me Allah whom I mean