Mufti Menk – The Month of Habit Building – Ramadan – in Dubai
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The importance of habit building in Islam is emphasized, including the need to practice daily prayer and avoid giving up. The importance of reading the Quran and setting goals for the month is also emphasized. The importance of following the Quran and not pushing oneself too far for health reasons is emphasized, as well as not rushing to avoid social media. Small talk and good things can be shared.
AI: Summary ©
Salam Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Smilla Rahmanir Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi wa sallahu wa salam ala Mallanna via by the WHO ARE Allah Ali he was like the edge mine, my brothers and sisters. Every year we hear the same verses of the Quran regarding Ramadan being recited. And in those verses Allah Almighty tells us law Alaikum
Do you know what that means?
It means in order to achieve taqwa and what is taqwa Taqwa is piety or the closeness to Allah or the consciousness of Allah, or the connection with Allah in a way that you stay away from that which displeases Him, and you do that which he has ordained.
What's the whole purpose of this? The whole purpose of it is, when you close your eyes and you pass away, you will go to the right place. May Allah Almighty grant us genital for DOS.
If you look at Allah Almighty, when he prescribes fasting, he is doing something to us, fasting is prescribed by Allah, but it does not benefit Allah, it benefits us. In fact, it has a lot of health benefits. So many that medicine only discovery is only discovering them as time is passing. So Subhanallah if you look, Allah says, Yeah, are you levena katiba Allah eco mausoleum or Karma katiba Allah Lemina new Pagani Allah
O you who believe fasting has been prescribed upon you in the way it was prescribed upon those before you in order that you achieve Taqwa? The correct connection with Allah subhanho wa taala. Now,
what has Allah prepared for those who have Taqwa?
Are you following what I'm asking? What has Allah prepared for those who have Taqwa?
In another place in the Quran? Allah Almighty says
we're in the that Lindenwood terpene. He has prepared something for the people who have Taqwa. What was he talking about?
What was he talking about?
He is talking about Jana tune Fado knows was it
will feel odd to
be
out and go has some work to do that. Dirty. Allah says Make haste in seeking forgiveness. Don't delay seeking the forgiveness of Allah because you don't know how long you're going to live. You don't know how long you will live on earth and when you're going to go back to Allah so don't delay seeking the forgiveness of Allah. One of the traps of Shavonne is to make you think I'm young, I'm okay. I will seek the forgiveness of Allah when I'm a little bit older I can change my brothers and sisters we should learn to develop ourselves from a young age. It is a bonus to develop yourself at a young age. The prophets of Allah Allah Salam speaks about people who will be shaded by Allah
subhanho wa Taala on the day of judgment, and he says, A person who grew up in the obedience of Allah, when they were young and they were growing, they chose not to go to the avenues of displeasure, but they chose a good path. They will achieve a special shade on the Day of Judgment. So Allah says, Make haste towards seeking forgiveness.
We're sorry Illa among Vera team mirabito Make haste towards seeking forgiveness for the forgiveness from your Lord. What Jana? What Jana and make haste towards paradise. Don't delay in your preparation for the eternal life because you don't know how long you're going to remain on this particular
Earth.
So Allah says, that Lynwood Turkey in it has been prepared for those who have Taqwa. And if you go to Ramadan, Allah says, We are telling you to fast so that you can achieve Toccoa Do you see the connection? On one hand, Allah says we've prepared paradise for those who are Taqwa then Allah says if you want taqwa, you need to fast in Ramadan. Subhana Allah BL Allah Subhanallah it's amazing. So what is this connection? It is big.
Because Ramadan is a habit building month, it is a habit building month, you and I always want to get up early to go to work, right? We want to go to work and work hard. How many of us want to get up early for Salah can fragile.
It's not easy. It is not easy. You have to build the habit and get used to it. In order to build a habit. You have to push yourself. You have to become conscious of time, become conscious of things that are happening around you. You need to know what's going on and what you want and what you have to achieve. Without that you're not going to go far. So to build a habit Allah says a year
dude.
Ramadan is only a fixed number of days. Allah says Wally to Camille.
Allah wants you to complete the exact time. What is the time one lunar month? One lunar month if you discipline yourself and you push yourself, Allah will help you to build your habits in sha Allah in a good way. So you push yourself to get up early. Many people
mashallah the fast, because it's Ramadan. I am fasting. I've seen some social experiments that people have done in some Western countries, they see a Muslim, and they say, Are you a Muslim says yes. Okay. Are you fasting? Yes, I'm fasting. Okay. Would you have a bite from my apple? No, I won't. I give you $500 No, I won't. I'll give you a million dollars. No, I won't. And the person when you look at them, they might not look like a chef. They look like ordinary public. Even if you give me 10 million or 100 million. I'm not going to take a bite of the apple because I'm a Muslim, and I'm fasting Subhanallah Where did the power come from? Wallahi. It's a connection with Ramadan.
And it's a connection with Allah. Congratulations. May Allah make us more conscious of it. We don't put anything in our mouths. Even little children want to fast. So Allah is helping you to develop your habit. Learn to control, learn to control everything. What do you need to control in Nahariya Ramadan, in the daylight hours of Ramadan, you need to control your food, your drink, you need to control your intimacy with your halons spouse. If you are married, you are not allowed to be intimate during the daylight hours of Ramadan. Why? Why? Again, habit building discipline Taqwa connection with Allah. If Allah says do I do if Allah says do not do I do not do It's okay. That's
it. I'm happy. Because I know deep down Allah wants to polish me and shine me and make me the best human being the best person here, the best person in the hereafter or at least I won't regret because I will earn the Mercy of Allah and the mercy of Allah will take me to Jana to fair dose. Let me give you one quick example.
When a person stays away from food and drink and permissible intimacy, meaning from their spouse as well during the daylight hours of Ramadan, do you know that if the person is not going to be conscious of what they're saying, they could be wasting the whole reward because then your habit building is not complete? So you are fasting Mashallah. You have stayed away from food and drink and Hamdulillah. The hadith says there are so many people who fast lace I mean, so many Juru Alaba they achieved nothing from their fast besides hunger and thirst. Do you know why? Because they don't care.
You didn't pray? Prayer is another pillar of Islam. You are fulfilling one and not fulfilling another one. How can that happen? Similarly, if you swear, and you abuse and you deceive, and you lie, and you cheat, and you say bad words with your mouth, you are diminishing the reward of your fast because you won't be able to achieve Taqwa. That whole purpose is being defeated. Allah says you know what? The reward that you are supposed to get is diminished.
And that's why we stood in salatu tarawih tonight.
But if you are not going to be conscious of the other rules and regulations that Allah has placed upon you, it's a sacred man. Learn to control yourself.
If you're not going to learn to control yourself regarding other things, what did you achieve by standing in taraweeh
besides getting tired and losing sleep, so the Hadith
Moses some people in their standing they achieved nothing.
My brothers and sisters in Ramadan many people say okay, the month is coming I'm going to stop all my bad habits when Ramadan is finished I will pick up again. Right? Many people they have their girlfriend is not vanilla, some haram relation over Billa and hamdulillah when Ramadan comes the same stuff that Allah, Allah La hawla wala Quwata illa This is Ramadan I'm not going to do but when the moon of IDI sin Come on, did you not build your habit?
Allah gave you opportunity to control yourself to reflect with Allah to ponder over the Quran to connect with a lot of you need to say Alhamdulillah My life has changed. Now I am no longer going to go into my bad ways when I want something. Do it halal. Do it in a beautiful way. You don't need to go back to your bad just because Ramadan is over. I give you another example. If Allah gives you the chance to go for Hajj, what does Hajj do for you? Hajj, it actually makes you as pure as the day you were born. When you go for Hajj Raja aka yo me well.
The person comes back as pure as the day they were born in terms of sin, there is no sin. Your good deeds don't get wiped out. If you go for Hajj, your good deeds are not wiped out your bad deeds are wiped out. So in that sense you are as the day you were born. But imagine you go for what you stopped everything for two three weeks, four weeks, however long you went and you tell yourself when hedges over, I can go back to my bad ways.
Is that fair? Is that a real harsh? It's not fair. They say that they accepted how does the hardware something changed in your life? Someone know me and accepted Ramadan? Is that which something changed. Today we are all excited to be here in the masjid Masha Allah. May Allah bless the Religious Affairs and the government of this beautiful country. May Allah Almighty grant a strength and the ability to make use of the beautiful facilities. We are here with lots of excitement. What are you going to take away?
Is something going to change in you? Or are you here only for the excitement?
If you are here only for the excitement you have lost. But if you are here to learn something, at least go back with one good habit at least go back making a promise Oh Allah, I want to change this I want to be stronger with my five daily prayers. You know the five pillars of Islam are the most important things that we need to fulfill. The month of Ramadan brings together a lot of them. The month of Ramadan brings together a lot of them. Obviously Hajj is a pillar of Islam. You cannot do Hajj in Ramadan. Hajj has to be in the ledger. Allah has chosen the time besides Hajj, the Zakat, it can happen in Ramadan. The Salah will happen every day your fasting happens and your shahada is
always there. You renew your faith with Allah every time. So Ramadan is a very, very sacred month becomes strong, stronger with the other pillars of Islam. And Allah will bless you, Allah will give you joy. A brother sent me a message and told me Do you know what I've been making dua to Allah and asking him but still I cannot find the job. I cannot pay my debts. It's so difficult. What is happening? I'm trying so hard. Listen, Allah wants you to continue to try Allah knows when he will give you because sometimes, once he gives you what happens we do the same thing we did for Ramadan.
Now that I got I forget, I forget.
I forget that I used to call out to Allah. Allah has a verse in the Quran that says man, when he is in need, he calls out to Allah crying once the need is gone. It says though, he never ever called out to Allah, he keeps on doing things as though Allah is not in the equation.
May Allah strengthen us so my brothers and sisters, I'm not going to take up too much of your time this evening. But what I want to tell you is Ramadan is a gift of Allah. It is an opportunity to build your habits. They say habit building people join courses to build habits. People go and train to build habits. Sometimes
we will build a habit because of our boss at work. We he tells you get at this time, you need to do this and you need to do that and you need to do whatever else. We're doing it because he's paying us. He's paying us at the end of the month, right? So we get up very early.
For the boss, what about for Allah? What about for Allah? Are we not going to get up early?
I had a young boy. He told me I did so who I did you know, what is the Sunnah meal? Light sooner meal pre fasting. So I sent my son, you did suffer very nice. What time did you wake up? He said four o'clock where we were four o'clock. I said, Oh, that's good. Did you do Salatin? Fudger after that? He says no, I went to sleep.
I said, Okay, you got up for one pillar of Islam, but you shot down the other pillar of Islam, which was right with it. How did you get that was a young boy. It's okay. He's still very young. It was not yet compulsory on him. The problem is when adults do that, they stay awake all night sitting. They go to the cafes, and they're sitting and what they say chilling, I'm just chilling, you know? And we're just having tea and whatever else, and you spend the night mashallah, so someone says, You know what, in Ramadan, I didn't sleep at night, I was awake all night in drama. What were you doing?
He was no Kuranda there was no any beneficial thing happening there.
So you stay awake all night and just before Salatin Fudger you go to sleep, what did you gain? Stay away. If you have stayed awake, you rather stay awake for Fudger do the photo and then sleep, but I'm very tired. That is from shaitan.
That is wrong shape and it's a form that is negative. May Allah Almighty strengthen us habit building, keep talking about it, talk about it to your family members, talk about it to your colleagues, talk about it to everyone we want to build habits Ramadan, I want to get into the habit of doing what I want to dress appropriately. I want to get into the habit of reading Quran. That brings me to another very interesting point. Is this not the month of the Quran, shahada, Rama Ivana Levy, the levy
month of Ramadan, the month of revelation of the Quran.
Surely you should be reading the Quran every day, build your habit, set a time, whether it is just before Iftar just after or a little bit later or early morning or before Fajr you need to read some Quran, connect with him build your habit, if you don't push yourself, you are not going to be able to achieve, push yourself and do it one day, two days, three days continue for 30 whole days and in sha Allah, it will become easier for you because you train yourself What did you do? You built your habit. You built your habit through training. So if you are not going to push yourself, it's not going to be easy. Moments ago I asked the young boy are you memorizing the Quran? He said yes. I
said, How many have you memorized? He said to Jews. I said, Son, don't give up. Keep going. Keep going. Because it is not easy. If you don't push yourself you will not achieve anything.
The silly thing is we push ourselves for worldly items. But we don't push ourselves for that which connects us with Allah.
In a few moments,
a few years, a few days, a few weeks, you and I are going to return to Allah. People will forget that we existed.
Look how many of those who passed away do you remember you don't even remember a lot of them? Very few. Were they they are now wishing and hoping that they could have come back so that they can do good deeds, and then go back again. So we are awake. When you go you're alone.
If you visited the graveyard, it's creepy. Who's there? One of your loved ones, more than one of your loved ones. Where have they gone? They have returned to Allah. The lesson is I need to understand I'm going to also return to Allah subhanho wa Taala if I am going to return to Allah subhanho wa Taala surely put something do something your Salah and so on that verse I read sorry Oh ALLAH monk ferati Mera become wa Jana. Make haste towards the forgiveness of your Lord. Ask Allah's forgiveness. You are a human. Sometimes you might end up committing a sin because you're a human being quickly turned to Allah Oh ALLAH forgive me, strengthen me make me strong. or Allah helped me
that I don't do this again. Ask Allah and Allah will open your doors.
But if you don't want to ask ALLAH and you are not bothered because you are young, you are strong, you are energetic. May Allah Almighty forgive us. We cannot allow that to happen to
us at this moment, Allah Almighty tells us to fast from the age of puberty.
From the age of puberty, Allah Almighty tells us to fast.
If he wanted, he could have said you know what? Wait until you grow old when you think you're going to die, you can start fast.
In fact, when you're old Allah Almighty says if you cannot fast, no problem, you don't have to fast, you see that? It's the other way around. When you are old and you cannot manage too fast because of sickness, or if you have a travel or something, Allah says no problem. You can do it another day. It's okay.
When you are young, there is no excuse. Allah wants to polish you. Allah wants to develop you and make you grow. So I need this evening from this beautiful Masjid. I want everyone to make a promise. The promises.
We connect with the Quran. Is that a good promise?
Alhamdulillah I'm so happy to hear that. Connect with the Quran the man needs you and I we are members of the Ummah we are one beautiful family. All those who are here, connect with the Quran even if it means one verse two verses if you are traveling sometimes in the motor vehicle or somewhere, put on the Quran and read along with it. Read along with it. Before you know it, you will be able to read many many verses of the Quran. Look, I don't wish to talk about songs and so on. Besides a quick example. Many people they turn on the songs and what happens before they know it. They are singing songs. Who taught you the song I just heard it. You cannot have heard it once. You
must have read it again. And again and again. And now you know all these songs. Okay, let's put that on one side. What did you do for Allah?
What did you do for Allah? Did you hear the verses of the Quran again and again and again. Wallah. If you did, you would know it off by heart. And you are able to read when the imam is reading you say wow, I know these verses, how do you know them? Because I heard them since I was young. It's repetition repeating again and again. What you do, you can choose quarter juice or even one page, one page a day and put it on replay. If you are traveling for an hour, usually it happens people travel for an hour, one whole hour you are listening to that page again and again and again and again. Next day another page. This is called being concerned to develop a beautiful habit. When you
connect with the Quran. Everything else becomes easy because you become the ummah of the Quran. But if you don't want to connect with the word of Allah, all the instructions are in that word of Allah Subhana Allah to Allah. When you follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, where did you get that from? You got it from the Quran. The Quran told you to follow the Sunnah. That's why you are following the Sunnah. If you don't know the Quran, how will you follow the Sunnah? How will you recognize Allah, so let's give Allah Almighty sha Allah, let's give him his the status that he actually is upon. He is the Creator, the Nourisher that cherish the sustainer, the one in control
of your existence and mine, and the one in control of entire creation.
At least we put our head on the ground for him five times a day by the will of Allah. So that is another promise. The first one was connecting with the Quran we promised it right?
The second one connecting with our five daily prayers, we promise.
Allah, may Allah make it easy for us. The youngsters in sha Allah five salah, get up for Fudger you will succeed, you will succeed. If challenges come in your life. When you have Allah with you. You recognize the challenge as a gift, you are still a happy person. It's okay. Because you have Allah with you. You lost the job. Alhamdulillah you got another one Alhamdulillah someone else Something happened? Someone smashed into your motor vehicle Alhamdulillah
May Allah Almighty grant us ease while hamdulillah
because something was could have happened.
There was a brother who told me you you said to say Alhamdulillah for everything, you know, I have a speeding fine, which is so big. How can I say Alhamdulillah?
I said Who told you to speed in the first place?
Who told you to speed in the first place and I gave him an example. I said you see? You are so worried about paying the penalty of speeding. So you are slow after today, right? What about paying the penalty of overstepping the boundaries of Allah? What about that
overstep that we are not worried.
When the payment comes, Allah says, while I'm
the nominee, fill out Ilija me
on the day of judgment, the one who has wronged and he's an oppressor and he did. He was sinful. He would wish that he had the whole world in whatever it he had, whatever it holds, to give as a ransom to give us a payment so that he can come out. Allah says it won't be accepted from him. It won't be. You're worried about a fine one fine. It's okay. At least next time you can come down and slow down a little bit. May Allah Almighty make it easy. So my brothers and sisters here we have a wonderful month of Ramadan ahead of us. Still we are relatively in the first portion of Ramadan.
We are still on a high of energy, keep it going. You see, it's amazing. If you think of the gift of Allah,
Laila to
is said to be most likely in which part of Ramadan beginning or end
imagine if it was in the beginning. What would happen everyone would just have Nayla to cut that and after that, you are free colors you are gone, you are gone and there is nothing happening and now prepare for ending of Ramadan. Allah's gift in favor the divine knowledge of Allah he kept Laila to turn towards the end, most likely and he didn't give us the time. He told us look, try maybe this date maybe this Imagine if he told us that it is only on the 27th Palace. If Allah told that to us, no one would come to the masjid. 27 full 26 Empty 28 Empty. Imagine because Allah through His mercy, he didn't want us to know he wants us to say you know you start Ramadan, enjoy the fasting, build
the climax you come the last 10 nights are the most powerful nights you do more PR Malaysian you can do more acts of worship and more and more and more and we are going to give you Laila to Qatar and we are going to forgive your sins and then you come out of Ramadan Al Hamdulillah hamdulillah
that's the favor of Allah
the young boys
there are many of them here this evening and I'm happy to see you guys mashallah very good to see you. May Allah bless you all Mashallah. Many of them are into football agree.
So, the most exciting part of the matches the beginning of the end
some are saying the beginning.
Okay, okay. Okay. So basically, if there is no goal that is scored, no goal that is scored. And
there is 80 minutes already done. 10 minutes remaining. Now you are on edge. What's happening, you're screaming, shouting for your team. To score a goal. This one scored a goal. Imagine us goalie scored and everyone is actually so happy. And then the referee says it was offside. How do you feel?
How do you feel Subhanallah so that's why in Ramadan, sometimes we are scoring one or two goals but we are offside meaning you are swearing cheating, lying, deceiving, committing other sins the prophets Allah Allah Allah Selim says, Be careful. Watch what you say. It's very important. Man La Mirada OCONUS zoo he will be he will Jehovah foundation in law, he had just one fee and yet the ALMA who was Yarrabah whoever is not going to watch what comes out of their mouths. They utter falsehood they bear false witness, they utter bad words and so on. Then they should know that Allah does not need the fact that you are staying away from your food and drink. That means you are staying away
from food and drink. Who do you think is going to benefit from it? It's you.
But if you don't want to holistically,
fast in the correct way, you've wasted your time reward. What reward did you get? So towards the end of Ramadan? take it more seriously. In sha Allah, may Allah Almighty grant us ease and goodness and open our doors. I want to tell you another habit.
Another habit that will be built in this beautiful month of Ramadan is to frequent the masjid to go to the masjid. In Dubai alone, there are approximately 3000 Masjid. Do you know that
many people are just looking at me Are you sure? Go and check. Google it. How many Masjid 3000 Checky. Maybe I'm I don't know the exact figure, but I checked it once and there was 2000 something. I'm presuming Inshallah, there probably is more now.
How many mustards Have you
Built into
image in 2000 3000 mustards in one city, how fortunate Are you?
Are we not going to use the month of Ramadan to build the habit to go to the masjid? Come on? We came to this Masjid the house of Allah. The sound is amazing. The aircon is amazing, everything is beautiful. Everything is superb. There are people who put it up you are using it and you will get Jana and they will get Jana. The problem is some of us are sleeping at home Subhanallah sleeping at home. So Ramadan is the month of the masjid as well. Maybe you didn't ever hear that before. Ramadan is the month of the masjid go to the masjid.
One might argue that well my whole life is supposed to be for the Masjid. It's true. But if you are not used to it Ramadan is supposed to make you build your habit. May Allah Almighty grant us is.
Can I give you one more habit to build?
Okay, at home we have parents or family members to develop your relationship with your parents and your siblings or your children or your family members is a very great act of worship a very great act of worship. When you go home say something good to your mother no matter how old you are. If she is far away, phone her now and again just to ask her how are you doing? Mashallah, sometimes she might be a little bit upset she might shout at you. Depending if you're a little kids here as we can see. They might say things learn to help learn to give a hand the prophets of Allah Allah Salam gaybraham What I am telling you today is from the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu
sallam, your parents, you owe them so much Allah chose them for you. If Ramadan is not going to make you build a beautiful relation with your parents, no matter who they are and where they are, then surely we have wasted the month of Ramadan.
So that is another habit we need to develop. What did I say earlier? If you don't push yourself, you won't achieve man.
Whoever works hard and pushes themselves they will achieve results if you don't, there is no achievement of anything. So in sha Allah we push ourselves to do this.
You want one more habitable
mashallah, Mashallah. Let me tell you something.
No, no Ramadan is not a month to develop the habit of taking photos. No.
Ramadan is not the month to develop the habit to taking photos not at all. May Allah bless you all but Ramadan is a month where you see respecting other people, respecting other people is definitely a sign of closeness to Allah.
Why? Because Allah made them you are in the city of Dubai. There are more than 200 nationalities in the city. There is an opportunity for you to interact, to meet to greet to find out to offer respect and courtesy to everyone more than anyone else. So are you going to be courteous and kind to the people when you come to mashallah there was a brother just as we got up for Salah to taraweeh there was a brother standing here saying share tell the people to make space for me because I there was no space and they're not making please if you see the brother
but I kept quiet but I wanted to send him Brother Why did you come late? Right? Everyone came very early. How can I push them away?
You came by us
May Allah Almighty bless you. You came from
or four o'clock okay.
So next time I will come from whatever shall
May Allah bless you all. So sometimes we think that we are entitled to something and people are doing wrong to us without realizing my brother, I love you so much. But the truth be told, you came late. That's why you don't have a space.
May Allah Almighty make it easy. So this is why I say if you don't push yourself you won't achieve push yourself and inshallah everything will happen. We were talking of respecting people learn to respect others, the people who work for you, they work with you, the others who are around you see them on the street, please go easy on them. You're a Muslim. You believe in Allah. You believe in the Day of Account, it's up. It's up means account. Talk to the people with respect. offer them a good word saying nice things. Don't say bad words. Don't look at some nationality or some race and think they are not good. I am good. Don't do that.
that is not Islam. In Islam we are all equal. In Islam we are all equal to talk to people and offer them good respect and Allah Almighty will bless you may Allah make our fasting easy. May Allah make our standing in Salah easy May Allah subhanahu wa taala bless all of us and grant us ease and goodness and may Allah Almighty truly, truly grant us Jana with Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam