Mufti Menk – Ramadan 2023 – Reviving the Spirit #23

			Leyland to call the
		

			fish.
		

			A salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was
Salam ala Rasulillah Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi remain my brothers and sisters sustaining
spiritual growth and continuing throughout the rest of the post Ramadan is something that the entire
month of Ramadan has been set for. So one of the main purposes of Ramadan if you look at the Quran,
Allah says we have prescribed and made compulsory for you the fasting, just like we have to those
before you quit the ballet colloseum comma katiba and Aladdin I mean publikum and he says La La come
upon, in order that you achieve taqwa, God consciousness or piety or the fear of Allah or the
		

			consciousness of Allah, all of that is included in the term taqwa, I need to jump on to a new level
of relationship with my maker. That is the reason why Ramadan is set. There is a specific time
period, we know it's one lunar month, either 29 or 30 days. And similarly, the Knights have been
given greater value than the day even though the fasting happens through the day. That's something
unique. You will look at the most powerful days of the year you have the Day of Arafah you look at
the most powerful nights of the year, that night, Laila to cuddle. So there we go. The most powerful
day is not in Ramadan, but the most powerful night is in Ramadan. The way Allah has planned and
		

			designed this beautiful month is such that we would definitely be softened. It is timespan enough
for us to be able to change our ways and habits. And then just as we begin to feel the effects
wearing off Allah gives us another season and another season until we get another Ramadan in 11
months 11 months after this Ramadan will be another another. Now between the tour Marvine what
should we be doing? We must make sure we don't go back on our achievements. Obviously there is no
fasting outside of Ramadan, the way it is in Ramadan. But try and keep up a little bit of the Sunnah
fasting, Monday and Thursday, it's very beneficial. Try and fast the 13th 14th and 15th of the lunar
		

			month, not only will it give you the reward of having fasted because each facet is multiplied by 10.
So if you fast the 13th 14th and 15th It's equivalent to having fasted the entire month. And if you
do that every month, it's equivalent to you having fasted the whole year. Because Ramadan, you are
going too fast. The beauty of the 1314 15 fast and the voluntary monday and thursday fast every week
is that you can have multiple intentions for that. It can serve as my Karla in case I've missed a
fast because I was on a journey, Mr. Foster Ramadan because I was on a journey or because I was
unwell or for the women while they're on their menstrual cycle and so on. If I've missed a fast I
		

			can have a multiple intention for the Sunnah fasts of the Mondays and Thursdays and for the first of
the 13th 14th and 15th of the lunar month. So that is amazing. Let's try in this way. Like I said,
not only will we be able to get the reward of fasting and the Sunnah and the multiplication by 10.
But do you know something amazing will happen. Many of us do not follow the Hijri calendar. Yet.
That's our calendar. One of the most blessed things that will happen to you and I is when you get
used to fasting 1314 15 For you to know what days those are, you're going to need to know whether
the moon was cited every single month or you're going to need to know whether the month has
		

			commenced in the place you live in your area. According to the scholars of your surroundings.
Whether the month has commenced or not, you're going to need to know that every single month. That
alone is an act of worship that many many Muslims do not realize and don't even look towards besides
for Ramadan and Eid.
		

			To keep track of this lunar month is a sunnah it's an amazing reward. It's so beautiful. At least
you get to know this is the month. It started. This is where we are. This is monday and thursday
doesn't require that but the 13th 14th 15th definitely does.
		

			And that is something unique. So in one way that continued fasting that is sunnah would actually
benefit you is that you would go beyond just the fasting and get into another sunnah. Something else
I'd like to raise, to continue and to sustain this after Ramadan, let's become people who are not
greedy when it comes to material items. We should not be people who just want everything we see just
because we can afford it.
		

			That's not a quality of a true believer. Islam teaches us you see something, you want it you need
it, you're going to make use of it. Bismillah you can take it by it. You might want to get a better
price, you might want to haggle a little bit, which is a sunnah or you might want to help a poor
person maybe and give them a good deal. I know of times when there was someone who saw something for
$10, and often the person 12. And when we asked, Why did you do that, they said, I looked at the
plight and the condition of this poor person. And even though they're making a profit at $10, the
fact that I'm buying something from them, I want to give them $2 more, perhaps for their family or
		

			whatever else it may be. That's an amazing quality. If you feel the person you are purchasing from
might make better use of the money and you want to give them more than what they're asking for. That
is something many Muslims do not realize you will get a great reward for SubhanAllah. Amazed,
amazing. So we shouldn't be wasteful or extravagant. Learn to help others outside of Ramadan, learn
not to be greedy. As I said, Don't be materialistic, not everything you see, should you have even if
you can afford it, the problem is many of us cannot afford these things. And still we want them.
That's not fair. That's not at all fair. In fact, a believer shouldn't even look towards what Allah
		

			has not kept within his or her means. If there is something that's not within your means, you know,
for you, okay, he's Subhan Allah, what that means is ignore it, leave it, you might want to if it's
a material thing, you may appreciate it, a motor vehicle, a house, some accessories, some, maybe a
kitchen or whatever else it may be that you are wowed by, you should just say mashallah Tabarrok
Allah, or if it belongs to someone, Allahumma barik Lahab. And you know what we move on, that's it.
But in my heart and mind, I'm happy. I'm happy, at what level Allah has kept me upon, I'm happy. And
I'm okay, I still have so much more. That's why the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him teaches us,
		

			he says, look at those who have less than you materially, in order for you to appreciate what you
have, the minute you're going to look at those who have more than you materially, you will not
appreciate what you have. Secondly, look at those who are doing more than you in terms of spiritual
and religious acts, because it will make you want to do more and better. Don't look at those who are
doing less than you because then what you're doing, you're going to want to cut down and you're
going to think I'm holy, and I'm pious. And that's from shape. And so my brothers and sisters,
that's another benefit from this beautiful month of Ramadan. Let me take you to something else. The
		

			food that we've consumed through this month from Amman, we should become people who are more
conscious of what we eat. And as we grow older, we can we can make sure the quantity is less and the
quality is better. So, when you're eating, trying to eat that which is pure and clean as a believer,
try and look at that which is healthy for you better for you study, look into it, there is a great
reward to look into nutritious food and to partake there from
		

			the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him has spoken about superfoods in the sense that the dates and
water which they had And subhanAllah various other types of food, amazing how he taught us just by
doing it himself. So if you were to look into that which is beneficial, that which is most
appropriate, most healthy, that quantity should be slightly less and the quality as time passes
should improve. As if you cannot afford it. Your your your ability becomes limited, but thank Allah
for what you have and he will give you increase. He will grant you increase as we grow older. And as
we progress beyond Ramadan, we should be people who learn to eat less. The hadith tells us the
		

			Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him says if you really would like to consume food, make sure that you
have a third of solids, a third of liquids and a third of air which means your belly is not full
		

			I'd rather you've eaten a third, you've had a third equivalent of liquids or water, and the third,
you've left it empty. Many of us when we eat, we eat until we're full, full meaning that's it, I've
got no capacity, nothing remaining. I've had a five course meal, whatever else it might have been
the Sunnah the teaching of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. And if you do this, with the
intention of a sunnah, you're gonna get a massive reward just for eating. Third, third, third, may
Allah Almighty grant disease and when you see someone consuming a little bit more, their third might
be slightly bigger than yours. May Allah subhanho wa taala, grant us ease.
		

			So my brothers and sisters, that's food, then we progress with the Quran that we read in the month
of Ramadan, and we read it a little bit more. I'm sure we did. And I'm sure we are doing it outside
of Ramadan. We must continue with that even if it means a verse a day. There are so many
applications that you can use today on your phone that can track for you so many things. You have
artificial intelligence applications, like the tell tale app, for example. Or you have the Quran Lee
app, which counts for you your rewards and can have your whole family with you. It counts for you
the rewards based on what the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said regarding 10 rewards per
		

			letter. And it lets you know, it's encouraging. I clocked so many so many so many day SubhanAllah.
So there are so many such apps, some that I may not even know of that you can benefit from, what's
the point of having a device that has all the apps of social media, and apps that would help me with
my exercise and so on, but I don't have apps that will bring me closer to Allah. And if I do, I
don't use them. Let's make a change that sustain this beautiful, beautiful growth. And let's
continue post Ramadan with a lovely connection with Allah Almighty. Hence, we would have achieved
the taqwa that the entire month of Ramadan is meant to have brought for us. May Allah bless you all
		

			Akula Kohli ha That was Santa Maria alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh la isla to call the
		

			fish