Mufti Menk – Ramadan 2023 – Reviving the Spirit #01

			Laila to Costa Rica.
		

			El facia Assalamu alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh Welcome to this beautiful, amazing month of
Ramadan a month filled with forgiveness, mercy, tranquility, beauty, kindness, generosity and so
much more. It is indeed a blessing of Allah subhanho wa Taala Bismillah R Rahman Rahim Al hamdu
lillah wa salatu salam ala Rasulillah. While early he was rbh, my my brothers, my sisters, in the
past year, we've seen a lot of turbulence, turmoil and loss. People have gone through hardship,
difficulty, calamity, sickness, loss of life and so much more. We take a look at the earthquake that
just happened. So many lost their lives. Many have lost their properties. Many have lost their loved
		

			ones, people have lost limbs and they're injured 1000s are actually injured. People have lost so
much their lives have been turned upside down. You look at the floods earlier, people lost their
lives also in a similar fashion. Their lives were turned upside down in a flash in a moment, they
got up and Subhanallah it was never going to be the same again. Similarly, over the last few years,
we've seen people losing what they were accustomed to what we were used to was taken away from us in
many cases, some have been restored to what they were by Allah subhanaw taala. But in the case of
many people are still looking for jobs. They're still short of income. People are struggling in
		

			their relationships where they've probably been through or going through divorce. They've been
threatened, maybe they have access or no access to their children at times. They have problems with
their siblings, their parents, people have issues with their communities, and the list is endless.
In fact, it is increasing as time passes, so much of hardship and turmoil. But Allah Almighty grants
us opportunities to reconnect with him, to rekindle that flame, to relive the hope and to continue
in it by the will of Allah subhanho wa taala. You know, when we came onto this earth, what did we
have, we had nothing, our parents gave us a little bit and we grew up being filled, being filled
		

			with whatever our parents filled us with. What this means is the Quran, the Hadith, explained to us
how man was created.
		

			And at the same time, the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him says that everyone is born upon Phaedra
Phaedra meaning they are born upon the nature upon the clean nature of humankind, a brain that is
completely ready to receive whatever comes to it. So over time, you will find that parents and those
around a child fill the brain and the system of the child in a way that it begins to consider
normal, whatever it is taught or accustomed to. And this is the reason why different parts of the
world considered different things normal, sometimes we would consider something normal that is
absolutely abnormal and unacceptable in the eyes of others, and vice versa. So this is why it is so
		

			important to ensure that we continue going back to Revelation. And imagine Allah Almighty gives us a
month of Ramadan in the midst of all the turmoil in order for us to reconnect with Revelation and
cleanse the system once again to retune and reset our brains, our minds and everything else in a way
that is in conformity to what Allah has ordained. Wow. That's the why this is the month of goodness
blessings, generosity and so much of reward. We feel the goodness of the month because Allah calls
it the month of the Quran.
		

			Revelation Allah wants you to check what it says and to re align your mind and everything else to
what the Quran has said. It has in it the solutions for every problem that you're facing. So if you
think you have found solutions that are outside of what Allah has ordained, trust me long term or
short term, you will definitely realize that that was not a solution. In fact, it would create
bigger and more problems as time passes. Neither do you achieve contentment, nor do you achieve
success. And those are the two things everyone's looking for. I'm looking for success.
		

			I'm looking for contentment. What does Allah give me the month of Ramadan? And he says, this is the
month of success. You want success you want peace. You know Salam, like Allah says in surah two
other when he speaks about the Night of Decree towards the end of Ramadan and he speaks about the
peace that is within that night, the tranquility and if you are to adopt the changes that you are
supposed to have made, that peace will continue even outside the month of Ramadan. So, welcome to
this beautiful month of peace, the month of goodness and tranquility. This is Allah Almighty. What
is he telling us? He is telling us here is a gift the best of the months, the month in which I've
		

			revealed the Quran, listen to the rest Shahara Melbourne and the Z laughing he'll know who
		

			you are by Tim Meenal muda one follow up on it tells us the month of Ramadan in which the Quran was
revealed the month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed as a guidance for people who the
leanness and the signs
		

			and the signs that Allah Almighty has given us the criterion the ability to distinguish between
right and wrong. You see, sometimes you grow up in a society and a community that considers
something that is permissible, taboo, or something that is taboo permissible, because you have never
seen others because you have never mixed with others because you haven't learned and you are not yet
educated about everything. You probably would imagine that what they're doing is wrong yet it is not
wrong, or vice versa.
		

			Your yardstick should be revelation, Allah says that is the yardstick. Forget about society's
communities and whatever else is around you. When it comes to
		

			aligning yourself with what is right and wrong. It's always revelation. Those are the believers. And
this is why Allah gives you a month wherein he wants it to be the month of the Quran. Primarily, he
says you fast indeed. When we say Ramadan, we say a month of fasting, we forget sometimes it's the
month of the Quran, learn its meanings. Go through it, check it, understand it, adopt its meanings,
try to make sure you adjust your life to fit the Quran. Not that you adjust the Quran to let it fit
into your life. Important message and this is why so many things may keep changing as the world
begins to or the world continues to modernize. Being modern and being able to make use of modern
		

			technology and so on is a good thing on condition that it does not go beyond the limits of the
Almighty look at technology we have so much within our hands but at the same time. How do we use it?
How do we make use of it? You could be using that in a destructive way and Allah says Hang on,
whatever you have and whatever changes you'd like to make in order to facilitate your your your
beautiful life. There is no harm on condition that you don't forego what the Almighty has ordained
you don't miss your prayers. You don't forget your level of morality, your values. You don't forget
your character and conduct you don't forget the duties you have unto your maker. What is halal and
		

			haram permissible and impermissible, what is pure and impure according to faith and religion. And
you need to understand that doesn't change right up to the end of time. as modern as man becomes
still, that peace that tranquility will only be achieved by adjusting yourself to what Allah has
instructed and ordained. So this is a beautiful month of Ramadan, we need to rekindle this flame of
the relationship between us and Allah subhanho wa Taala and keep it going. At the same time. The
whole essence of Ramadan is to achieve Taqwa and piety which means the correct connection with Allah
Almighty. If you have that connection you have achieved Allah says Allah, Allah calm. The own, in
		

			order that you achieve taqwa and Taqwa is to create a barrier between you and the wrath of the
Almighty in such a way that you obey His commands and you stay away from his prohibitions to the
best of your ability. So, when Allah says it is the month of the Quran, he expects you to learn it,
to look into it, to recite it, to listen to it, to ensure that you're trying to adopt it and to help
teach it to others propagated. That is the month of the Quran. My brothers, my sisters, we have an
amazing month ahead of us like I said, In it we shall ponder and reflect over whatever we've been
through. The idea is to become better people here is Allah. He has made us He sent us on to the
		

			earth. Yes, we have a time on earth. He gave us
		

			It's time to ponder and reflect and he gives it to us often through the year. One of them is through
the month of Ramadan. He wants us to soften. He wants us to practice self restraint. Discipline is
required, what else is required? We need to be conscious of time because there is a time for the
beginning of the faster time for the end of the fast a time for all the prayers in the middle. There
is so much that we need to become conscious of regarding time, Allah wants you to know time to time
you need to do what you have to discipline yourself. Don't just eat anything and everything. Don't
just do whatever you wish and desire because that's not the way you will achieve contentment, those
		

			who've lost themselves in a way that they do what ever comes to their minds without thinking whether
it is pleasing or not to the Almighty, whether it is right or wrong, whether it is moral or immoral,
they don't even bother. In the long term, they will not be able to achieve true contentment they
will be fed up of themselves. Allah tells you, you discipline yourself and watch what we do for you,
we will grant you the best of this world in the next and that is the reason why Allah has rules and
regulations not to make life difficult for you know, it might seem like Allah has made the so hard.
He knows long term, this is what is going to be of benefit to you. In this world, you will have
		

			contentment you may struggle a few days but through your struggles, you have contentment, you might
have lost things like I said earlier, lots of loss, that you will have contentment and as much as it
may be tough with Allah, things will be made easy. You will be able to see a little bit of the
broader picture and you will be able to come through in a beautiful way thanking Allah for
everything that He has given. So it's make the most of this beautiful month of Ramadan. Day one goes
by with us making a dua O Allah make this month easy for us make it a beautiful success. Make it a
means of our entry into Jana a means of our forgiveness. And we pray that Allah grant us all the
		

			best, according to Kali have a son Allahu wa salam ala Nabina Muhammad Laila to call the
		

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