4th July 2013, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Mufti Menk – Welcome Ramadhaan with a Clean Heart
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AI: Transcript ©
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Welcome.
Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.
smilla rahmanir rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen
wa Salatu was Salam O Allah
Nabina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi what
do
we commence as always, by praising Allah subhanho wa Taala sending blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam his entire household, all his companions and May Allah subhanho wa Taala bless every single one of us, my brothers and sisters, may Allah bless humanity at large May he guide us to goodness and may He make us from those who are protected from evil I mean,
brothers and sisters, a beautiful evening Masha Allah as you know, this will be the last session here for the month of Ramadan, we will not be having sessions and therefore it is only apt and accurate that we speak about this beautiful month of Ramadan. It is a month where we all know we need to fast but is that what it is all about? Is that what it is all about? The answer is no. There is much more to it than that. And inshallah this evening, we will go through some of the very important lessons and pointers that we may inshallah derive maximum benefit from this beautiful month of Ramadan. Bearing in mind that on the globe as we speak right now, there are so many people
who are homeless, there are so many people who are going through so many different types of problems, it is our duty to bear them in mind, to pray for them, inshallah, to reach out to them, at least through our prayers. A few days ago, I actually said this and someone told me, You can't do anything to help people that are homeless through prayers, what's the prayer going to do? And I thought to myself Subhanallah Do not underestimate your maker. Do not underestimate Allah subhanho wa Taala never ever for a moment think that it's not enough just to pray if that's what you can do, that's what you should be doing that's the minimum nobody can say they cannot do that. May Allah
Subhana Allah Allah grant us that feeling within our hearts for humanity at large, so that we can be an asset not only to our own families and societies or countries but inshallah the globe at large.
So brothers and sisters, Mashallah powerful.
month, the most powerful month
of the Islamic year, the month of Ramadan in it forgiveness is on sale. Like I said in the previous weeks, I said it a few days ago in the masjid as well. Forgiveness is on sale, meaning Allah is dishing it out and giving it for next to nothing.
And why I worded this way is our minds are very very commercialized today. If I were to tell you, the vehicle you really wanted all your life is at one 10th of the price right now. My Corolla would be sold. Believe me, we purchase it. Why? Because one 10th of the price, that is a bargain. The same would apply to everything else and anything else including, guess what?
The data bundles that you buy from eco net if I were to tell you that these are now $1 for two gig, I think we'd all spend all night
recharging our phones, look at all the smiles on the faces love a cover, we know what we're speaking about. It's very expensive. So if something was on sale, and you desperately wanted it, you would make sure you had it. This is why Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says at last is a person who witnesses the month of Ramadan, which means they've been allowed by Allah to see such a blessed month. They come out of it without forgiveness, how you went to the area where there's forgiveness, and you've come back without anything.
You know, I once went to Egypt a long, long time ago. And when I came back, a friend of mine told me Did you bring the water of the Nile? And I said, No, I didn't. Then they told me well, that means you didn't go to Egypt. I was laughing and I thought they expected me to take a bottle go to the Nile and fill it up. Well, it was just a saying. You went all the way there and you brought back nothing new you went right to the place. Imagine a person goes for Hajj and they go right there and they do everything but Hajj, we enter the month of forgiveness, we do everything but achieved forgiveness.
What a waste. And this is why let's mold ourselves from now how soften your heart you have hated it, fight it, take it out. Hatred comes at a price. The other day I heard a little clip, a beautiful clip that someone sent me on WhatsApp.
And the chef who was speaking he said
a grudge is like a poison that you drink and wait for the next man to die.
Did you hear that? a grudge is like a poison that you drink expecting the next person to die. That means either holding that grudge has greater damage on you than anyone else. It might be your right they may have wronged you they may have this then it is cheaper for you to release it than to hold it believe me and this is blanket.
Because what will happen if you hold something your health goals? You went on the wrong people your marriage might go your relation with your children, my god so many other things you have paid why you could not release one thing that someone did and it was oppression? Yes. But if it was releasable, release it? Take it out, throw it out. Welcome to the month of Ramadan. There you are, you're welcoming the month. If you have not cleansed your heart you haven't set with yourself and being hard on yourself so hard as to search into your own self regarding your qualities. How do I get along with my family or this person or that person? What hatred do I have? Let me take it out
fight myself to remove it so that I can sleep light and I can welcome the month of Ramadan if you're not prepared to make that effort. You will not achieve the spirituality from the month of Ramadan.
This is something important Yes, if someone has usurped your right they owe you the money or they owe you X amount and so on. Yes, by all means you may want to hold that as in You owe me but let it not go beyond that to say I hate and I this and I can't stand No, it's just that amount of cash. Stop it at that perhaps Allah is holding that for you in a way that there is Baraka surrounding everything else you do blessings, and yet Allah is holding that for you. Perhaps if you were to get that back, maybe the other blessings are gone. It could happen. It could be the case, but man sometimes is so spiritually weak, that they don't even think that there is an option or there is a
possibility or probability of that. Sometimes when you are being oppressed, the angels are praying for you. And you have arrived at a new spiritual level. And sometimes because of that oppression of you oppressed as a result, everything comes crashing. So for as long as you were oppressed, you are blessed. The minute you start to depressing all the blessings gone. And sometimes the minute that problem is resolved. Allah is going to test you with another problem. We know we've heard the verses of the Quran we know Allah has placed us on this good
To test us, the tests will continue one after the other, you pass one test, don't think you're now going to sit back, no more tests, you get a bigger test.
I'd rather a test that is manageable than a test that I don't even know. And I'm sure everyone would agree with that. I'd rather go through a test that I can manage, I can cope, I know Alhamdulillah Look, I've been wronged I've been this, I've been that but Mashallah, I'm coping. I've released the hatred from my heart, I'm now leading a very happy life and hamdulillah as best as I can I try, you know, to take things closer and so on. But I'm leading a happy life, my health has improved because my tension, my stress, my whatever other medical illness comes with, it is all not there. Why? Because Alhamdulillah it's manageable, thank Allah, because sometimes he takes that away, he might
test you with something a little bit bigger than who knows how you will cope. May Allah protect us.
This is why we say welcome the month of Ramadan with open arms, the first thing that happens when you open your arms, your hearts should be releasing anything negative, all the dirt needs to go out. So the jealousy, the envy, the hatred, it must come out. Also the love of materialism, you know, when it gets beyond a certain point, then we lose focus, we all become our own people. I am leading a life I'm focused and dedicated until I can buy my s5.
Believe me, I'm so focused on earning and saving, everything rotates around my new phone, my laptop, my this, my accessories, the latest nail polish, whatever it is, if my life is rotating around that I have to improve spiritually. These things are supposed to be by the way things by the way things meaning Alhamdulillah you make use of it and you carry on that's not what your life should be aimed on. Or focused upon. No, we focus upon pleasing the maker and do you know what amazingly pleasing the maker is closely connected to being kind and good to fellow human beings very closely linked? And this is why when Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was asked about the people of Paradise,
what are the qualities that will lead the people of Paradise into paradise? He said two things, the Kabbalah he was gonna hold up the consciousness of Allah and good character and conduct. These are the two things that will take you to paradise, they will drive you to paradise, because to have good character and conduct, believe me requires a great effort, great effort.
Rise above. That's how you prepare for a man.
Ramadan is a month of cleansing of the heart. It is only if you have made an effort to scrub it with the correct detergent that you will be able to achieve what you are meant to be achieving from that month. Ramadan is the month of forgiveness, if you are not prepared to forgive others. Don't expect the almighty to forgive you still, through His mercy he might. But don't expect it. If I don't have an iota of the quality of forgiveness within me. If I do not consider enemies of mine. And think, can I find it within me to forgive them even in the least even if it's a portion of the forgiveness? Say someone's harmed you 50% for example, and you ready to forgive 40% of it? That's a start. That's
some way that's something big 10% you might say, you know what this thing here? I'm not yet ready. Well, a day will come when you realize the readiness for that because all of us require the mercy of Allah.
Allah is more independent of myself and yourselves then we are of the person who's wronged us. I hope you understand what I've just said.
Sometimes we say I don't need this person.
Yes, the statement might be valid temporarily. Allah can create a situation whereby you will need them but when Allah says I don't need you, he does not need you or me It's over. me will never
so you tell me who's in a better position. Allah is in a far better position yet. He forgives. Who are we?
And this is why my brothers and sisters this month of Ramadan whilst we prepare with all our savories and so on Alhamdulillah I'm sure that's already done because I know a few people were ordering freezes the other day Mashallah. I don't know how every Ramadan people ordering fridges and freezers every Ramadan is happening. I wonder what happens. The sisters seem not to be able to explain that love Akbar.
And you know, Mashallah the savories every Ramadan, I always say months of no food, we've got the most food. You ever noticed that month where we're not supposed to be eating and all the top tastiest unhealthiest of food is there. The other day, you know, the men we were sitting and talking about how you know
People come with all these acacias, you know, sort of difficulties in their bellies. What's the reason? The reason is, we break our fast on savories the most unhealthy way, the sooner break your fast on water on dates on the little bit of yogurt, perhaps the life of yogurt, perhaps you know the plain yogurt with a little bit of bread and so on, voila, he you will have no belly problems, nothing at all. Start off with that, let it settle down a little bit, get your mercury done, and so on and have a little bit more, we start off with some juices. And we start off with pies and we started with everything else and then come for taraweeh you know, the main one is making the other
suffer. And the other one is telling the other hang on if you did that, wait, I show you what my wife made for me why it's happening in the massage and asked them if they know about it.
Allah protect us why we've left the sooner the sooner is to eat healthy. The Prophet sallallahu wasallam has taught us beautiful ways of eating someone asked me a lovely question the other day and said you know the sooner of eating dates and having olive oil and having so on and this and this a lot of these things are only in the Middle East. So does it means that it's not so not to eat things that we have in our areas? And the answer is no. It is sometimes it would definitely be a sooner if we ate as healthy, bearing in mind that what is being taught is to be health conscious. We are eating for two reasons for a few reasons. One of them is fulfilling your belly obviously
Alhamdulillah and looking after your body and the other is to achieve energy so that we can worship Allah correctly we can think properly. You know, we don't want to be running behind our health all the time. Otherwise, how are we going to engage in Salah May Allah grant good health to those who are suffering i know i was i actually cancelled all my programs for the last two weeks because of health. And Mashallah, today I'm standing in front of you and I don't even think it seems it feels like this man was hospitalized just a few days ago. May Allah protect us.
So one would not like to lead a life in such a way that every single time because of your bad ways of eating, you are suffering if that's the case, you have a lot to to answer for. You have a lot to improve by the will of Allah you have a lot to learn from the Sunnah of Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, and make use of the fruits of the season you find in Maine Mashallah the oranges start not just for sure to see the bags as these bags are looking a bit more orange, wait until they start eating by the will of Allah if you can, Mashallah. By the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala you know, start enjoying the seasonal fruits that are there, there is also a tsunami of Rasulullah sallallahu Sallam
Allah has kept them in certain areas certain times for certain reasons. And you would know you would be able to feel perhaps nowadays the studies actually show how you will benefit Mashallah, that's great. So getting back to this month of Ramadan, a month where we're not supposed to be eating, but because we've lost focus, we make much more in terms of preparation. We're lucky the cyst is a month before Ramadan, they are worried. How are they so worried because we need to make x dozens of this so much of that so much of this, we need to prepare this prepare that we need. This is what and they've got it set for the 29 and 30 days each packet is there in order to be fried. What is going
on Subhan Allah, if we could organize how are we going to complete the Quran in the month of Ramadan in a similar way, when everything is packaged, everything is ready. I'm going to listen to it on CD in the morning in the afternoon. I'm going to read a little bit and in the evening I'm going to have the meaning of it and then I'll stand and listen in taraweeh Wow, if you've got all that planned good news to you. You are welcoming the month and you will benefit from it.
We welcome the month of no food with food believe me it happens. Let's try to change that and sometimes the men are demanding because they are the ones who say hey, Ramadan Don't you know everybody's having savories where are mine? Where's this and so the women it's just by the way they have to without even thinking Everything is there. nobody's saying don't have good food my brothers and sisters we are lucky we are fortunate. But remember eat healthy for the sake of Allah
eat healthy for the sake of Allah and for your own sake and you will find definitely a lot of benefit you will be very very strengthened in the month where some others become weak and I want to raise a powerful point do you know support in the morning that you're supposed to be having that pre dawn little meal is not a huge dinner where you're supposed to be now having you know
let me name a few things you know, biryani and something of that nature. No, that is just for Baraka purposes. Use of you can have a little bit of cereal perhaps a brown piece of bread or something. Perhaps a little bit of you know, liquid maybe milk or whatever else you that use that suits
And so on. And a day or two, something low GI, it will take you through the day and you close there, the more you eat, the hungrier you become quicker. Remember that that's a rule, because the enzymes released by your system are asking for more food at 10 o'clock already, because it was, it was already a rush of these enzymes trying to digest everything now that everything is broken down by about one o'clock in the day, it's now asking for more, you're hungry. But if you've had some say, a banana, say something else, say for example, a few dates, a bit of water, liquid is very, very important, maybe a piece of brown bread or brand something so on and so on. Believe me, this low
release, you will find slowly through the day come three, four o'clock, and that's when you might feel the first signs of a slight bit of hunger, and that's also tolerable somehow. So this is Baraka. Let's try and re educate ourselves and our children. It has not got to do with how much you can pack away in that short space of time. Not at all.
Believe me, those who eat more, they struggle through the fast Believe me.
Why is everyone so silent just looking at me as though I've said something wrong love. My brothers and sisters while law hates affect eveness By the will of Allah, eat healthy and eat less you will find Mashallah lots of benefit in the month of Ramadan. Now, let's go to the spiritual food moments ago I said, cleanse your heart. So much so that the hadith of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says if a person has abstained from food and drink and desire from dawn to dusk, but through the day, they have not protected their mouths, from vulgar language from false accusation or false witness and lies and so on bad words, they wasted their time staying away from food and drink.
Allah does not need the fact that they stayed away from food and drink.
What does this mean?
It means that in the same way, we should be concerned about what goes into our mouths. If I were to tell you, for example, like I said yesterday in the masjid, that if someone in the first day of Ramadan or second day, it happens sometimes when you try to put something in your mouth because you've forgotten that you've started fasting, it can happen. And someone says, Hey, you fasting? And you say, Oh, sorry. Oh, it went into your mouth and you spat it out, literally because you were fasting. Everyone knows that you can't eat. The same rule applies regarding what comes out of your mouth. You swear in Ramadan, you've reduced the reward of your fast straightaway, it's cut down.
It's like the fuel in your vehicle. You put in a proper unleaded 100% you know, they call it the 95 unleaded Mashallah, and you putting it and next thing you get a blend, sugarcane blend, that's what they call it. And they tell you, you're now getting it. It's just 50% fuel and 50% blend, and you're going to miss your engine.
Would you like that? You wouldn't? Well, what we are doing our little engines that we have spiritual engines, instead of fueling that engine with something that is beautiful, and something that will be beneficial, no backfiring Subhanallah a little bit later on, we actually ended up putting stuff that is totally blended so that the benefit of that fast is no longer and our spiritual well being is not as it should have been. What a waste of a month of Ramadan. So my brothers and sisters become conscious this month. What do you say in Ramadan? Watch out, watch your tongue. keep it moist in the remembrance of Allah Subhana Allah Alhamdulillah Allah Praise to Allah Glory be to Allah you are my
maker Allah I love you. Yeah, Allah keep on keep these words on your tongue moist.
And when someone sways you,
especially the heat of the afternoon.
And you know when tempers begin to play, and you just look at them and you smile, and you carry on?
The Heidi says,
if a person
is to become vulgar with you, in the month of Ramadan in the condition of fasting, you should say, I'm fasting. That's your answer.
I am fasting in a sign. I am fasting. Simple, which means don't retaliate with similar derogatory terms. bad words. No, we don't want that. We want to say words that are good. Imagine someone swearing you yelling at you at the top of their voice when you just look at them.
It will burn them but yours it's your spirituality. You just lifted you know, you can't I mean a brain donkey. What do you do to it? You don't bring it back. We'd all become professional that sounds Pinilla. You don't break
Back at a donkey just look at it. You can enjoy the sound and say this donkey Make some noise when I come about recognizes me at least, to be honest with you, my brothers and sisters, it's about time we learnt how to react and retaliate. Today, on a global level the Muslims have a problem where we have not understood how to respond and react and retaliate to a problem to an issue to sometimes a disaster that occurs people want to react typically swear you swear them back? What did you do? How did you show them you are better? You know, a guy smacks you smacking back. Okay? It might be it might be a right for example, to hold someone responsible for what they've done to you Yes, when
they've usurped your right and so on. But remember something if it is not affecting you beyond a certain point, let it pass. Get used to them. You know what I'm saying this evening, or law, it's very, very important because a lot of us have a crisis where we we feel it's my right to react, so I must react. You don't realize it's your right, but your payment to fulfill the right of yours might be far greater than just let it go by and then you have people saying, but for how long will I let it go by? Okay, fair enough. The day you've got enough cash to take yourself to the doctors and to get treated for so many sicknesses. You can start reacting and retaliating
that's what it is.
And in no ways are we saying that? Oh, it's someone's you saved your right you don't have the right no? Yes, definitely. If it is an issue that is not
say for example, not fit to let go by you know, someone's really you said something of yours. And perhaps you know, we talk of crime against you and so on. You have every right to stand up and to deal with it in the proper way that is legally acceptable.
But here we're talking of grudges, we have families, communities, people who are supposed to be loving each other small things, the little jealousies. Where did he get the money from to do that? Where did she get this? Why is she so pretty? Why do all the hits 10 because of this and silly things that cross the minds of people that are really not supposed to be there? Really we shouldn't be having time for this we are meaning we there is a broader picture. We have so much blessedness Allah gives us good occasions so often look at this month of Ramadan we are welcoming it Mashallah in such a beautiful way saying let me clean my heart before I move on. So that at least in Ramadan,
my heart can absorb as much as possible because the whole object of fasting Allah says Allah COO, COO, so that you can achieve piety you can achieve God consciousness and so on. So now you have the the sponge effect of sucking up all the goodness possible because your heart is ready to accept it but when your heart is already filled with so many other things, what goodness Are you going to take from the month of Ramadan?
So the Hadith says a cm Audrina fasting is a shield, protective shield.
You know when you're holding a shield, it protects you from everything someone wants to attack you It's like an armor. So fasting is an armor
and it will protect the one who is fasting for as long as he does not repeat. That's what the Hadith says.
So the Sahaba of the Allahu asked, and how would he repeat? What is it that he would do?
That would make it rip. We would be foolish if we had, you know enemies trying to pounce at us.
And you have armor and suddenly you release all your armor you repeat you cut it up and the enemies still bouncing Whoa, that would be quite foolish and foolish. So how is it ripped? Through backbiting, slander and vulgarity.
Whilst we are fasting, we busy that biting automatically you rip off or you are ripping your shield your armor.
So now you are prone to the other evil effects of the devil. One might ask I thought the devils are all tied up in the month of Ramadan.
Good question.
Well, there's one of two things.
One of a few things. The Devils that are tied up before Ramadan
It is said that
it's just the senior of the lot that's tied up the little juniors are still operating.
And those are the ones that are more venomous. You know before when you see a little a young man and you look at him and you think hey this guy his father is a problem but Mashallah, he's a nice guy, you know? Now it's the other way around.
Now the fathers are tamed, the sons are getting a bit out of hand. I don't know if you noticed that you cannot expect it anymore.
When you see this youngster is a good guy, sometimes now the world is upside down, things are changing. In fact, can I give you a different example let's not talk about our kids come on Mashallah. They all good inshallah.
Let's talk about the snakes, real snakes. I visited the snake park here some time back. There's an old man. And I always recognize him. And he likes to explain to us about the Gabon Viper. You know, he says, this is a snake it has a setup, it has this it has a Latin I he gives you explanations. And then he shows you you see this big Python says he bites you or if it if this happens within
a few hours, you're gone. And he says, and if the little one bites you, eight minutes you out. But why he says because the poison is fresh.
That's his own explanation will lie. I'm not telling you a lie. You can go and confirm it. He says the little one even if the big one bite you You still got hours to get to the hospital and to carry the little one bites you. You did. That's when I understood Ramadan. I said, Whoa, this shape and the big one is tied up. But these little ones they're venomous man, because one of two things. If they all tied up, then it makes us the devils.
Because we are still up to mischief. We still do so many wrong things in Ramadan, we still get angry, we still swear it's happening. So if they all tied up with the devils, and if you don't want to call ourselves devils, then we've got to blame the little ones and say those little ones. They are more venomous because Ramadan it's hard. Believe me it's a month, where you've got to restrain yourself double when it comes to temper and so on. You've got to watch out I know the men know what I'm talking about. We still haven't had the experiences with the sisters.
But Allah knows best so hon Allah May Allah subhanho wa Taala protect us. And there is another explanation that if all of them are tied, and none of us are devils, then what happens? Then you know what happens? Then we would say he's either operating through Bluetooth or wireless operation, like the Quran says in
our copy, you know whom in haste Zola Tarragona home, the devil sees you he watches you from a position that you cannot see him he's in disguise, like how he affected Adam from outside heaven. He was already kicked out of heaven. But through Bluetooth he affected Adam and calling it bluetooth for us to understand what some wireless device there was was I came in How did it happen? Allah knows through deception. He affected Adam he wasn't there. That's how he affects us in the month of Ramadan. If he's not there. He has warned us prior to Ramadan. So we just unwinding playing the little tip tap you know the tapping if you've got those little Mickey Mouse toys that are wound you
know, and and until the winding is unwound. You will find it keeping on tapping and playing the music. It's according to how much you've wound it. So we are wound for 30 days Exactly. 30 days we keep on tapping, tapping tapping. When Chapin comes out. 30 days later, he sees us a exactly where I wanted you. You are. That's how it works. We cannot deceive ourselves to say no, there's no shaytan in Ramadan. What about the adultery that's being committed in the month? What about the Haram the casinos the gambling the alcohol? What do you think that's from the angels stone federal law? No way there are explanations for it. And I've I've touched on some of these explanations in a beautiful
way this evening. Food for thought.
Now Allah subhanho wa Taala opened our doors so are we ready in sha Allah to accept this month welcoming by cleansing our hearts inshallah by being hard on ourselves, and becoming people who are conscious of what we say so that we don't rapture or rip through this shield that is going to be protecting us from all other evil because once the shield is ruptured, what will happen we are prone to all other types of disaster that will hit us and that's when your mind starts wandering, your eyes start wandering for example, your mouth starts saying things your heart is not in a state of goodness and spiritual, a spiritual level fit for the month of Ramadan and so on. You start going to
places you start talking about people and so on. All that is unnecessary the month of Ramadan is a month of training, really one month of solid training so that we can live the next 11 months in such purity. Like I said yesterday in the masjid, if we can stay away from permissible food like milk and water and bread which there is nothing wrong with if we can stay away from permissible food from dawn to dusk every single day for 30 days for the month of Ramadan then surely we would be finding it much more easier to stay away from that which is totally prohibited outside the month of Ramadan.
Because you appreciate the milk and the bread and everything else as soon as the sun sets. You appreciate it. And that's why after the month of Ramadan, you appreciate all
Goodness, but that's only if you've helped cleanse yourself, you know the fasting on its own and the month of Ramadan. It has this effect on an individual that if he has Eman, he will feel it. If she has Eman, she will feel it. As soon as the moon is sited, we're in a different mode.
I'm sure a lot of us feel it, if not every one of us.
As soon as the moon decided you have the first tarawih you're ready in Ramadan mode yet that same afternoon, you were on another mode all together.
What is that all about? It's all about spirituality. Allah is saying, this is a season it's a blessed season, make the most of it benefit fast correctly. And this brings me to the last Hadith I'm going to say for today.
Perhaps meaning for this part of the session, where the Prophet sallallahu Sallam says
so many people fast, but achieve nothing from their fast besides hunger and thirst.
Come in saw him in late Salah hoomin CME, inland jewel, voila Tosh.
And so many people stand at night and pray but achieved nothing from it besides losing sleep and getting tired.
Come in Come in late Salah home in Korea me in the sorrow tab.
Why?
Why is it because they have not fulfilled it correctly. Like I say tarawih is a gift of Allah. When you fulfill that Salah you must take it easy. You must try and read correctly if you're listening to an Imam, try and listen to every word you're getting a reward for you try and go through the meanings of it before you actually listen to it, it will help you
and we cannot
underestimate
the value
of understanding the Quran. We cannot wait. No matter how much we reiterate, it will lie. It will always be more important than what we can say. Understanding the Quran make an effort. It's it's an insult really to be a Muslim and never to have picked up the meanings of the Quran. The word of Allah your maker, he's going to ask you definitely without a doubt, he will ask you when you die, whether or not you've read his word that's going to come at some stage. It's going to come
and we may Allah protect us all. We might recite how many books and novels and comics and this and that we've read in so many how many movies we've watched the stuff running what what we've done. x y, z, the soaps today we're talking about soaps where sometimes the old generation they would never ever want to miss a minute of a soap.
But aren't you 75 years old?
Okay, okay, okay, okay. What about the importance of the Quran? The Book of Allah have you equated it? To start with? It's an insult to equative. But if that's the starting point, come on it is if you cannot miss this for anything. You know why they call it a soap because it washes What does it wash your brain loves to call it soap. It's a soap. They call it that.
So here we have a last book, the greatest of all detergents, believe me, it will cleanse your heart, not the brain.
And we have it in front of us. Try and read it understand it. Nobody will be able to fool you again about your religion because you know that you've understood it. You understand the word of Allah Subhana Allah to Allah
May Allah open our doors brothers and sisters. I hope this was a little pep talk in preparation for Ramadan that we can inshallah welcome this beautiful month from now let's start improving on our Salah inshallah. When we read Salah, take a little bit more time in sha Allah and try to
concentrate a bit more, read the sutras try to see the meanings of the sutras and inshallah that will be welcoming telawi the food that we're eating already, we can start cutting down slightly from now already. That's also a way of welcoming the month of Ramadan. We need to be serious Some people say okay, Ramadan is coming 30 days of perhaps no very little eating. Let me start eating now as much as I can so that when the month comes, I won't be finding myself losing minerals and vitamins because I'll have replenished everything. Now, that's the wrong attitude. The Prophet sallallahu Sallam used to prepare by eating less in this particular month. He used to fast a lot in this month.
He used to fast a lot in the month of shabang.
So let us also try we fast in Sharla, Mondays Thursdays soon and at the same time. We can
At least cut down a little bit on our food start eating a bit healthy. And remember, you need to use the opportunity of Ramadan to kick out your bad habits. Some people are hooked on to so many different bad habits. Now we are in an age where the bad habits, the number of possibilities has increased. So some people are hooked on to the mobile phone, the mobile phone is not a bad habit or a bad tool. It's the way we use it. That is sometimes a bad habit.
Really the mobile phone, you know, yesterday, I was about to send out a tweet, but I didn't what was the tweet?
The tweet was something to this to say, I'm going to, I'm going to cut out social networking up to the beginning of Ramadan just to see how it feels.
And you know, when you own it, believe me, it requires a lot of jihad to actually do that great effort. Imagine you're on WhatsApp and you say, up to the beginning of Ramadan, not looking at it,
you can do that you use Turkey, I think you know, it would not be so difficult for you to become conscious of Allah. Because that's something if you hooked on it, and you actually are ready to, you know, take it apart for a while to see how things feel. Really, you're a person who's worth knowing with learning from.
You have a bad habit, cut it out, throw it out, and you know, bad habits of today amongst the youngsters, and even sometimes amongst slightly older people, you have the technology that takes people away sometimes through *, sometimes through haram chats and relations, and sometimes through just little wastes of time. You know, believe me, if you were to send a message, I love you to someone,
you better be able to back that up. Do you know what that means?
Who did you send it to? Why did you send it? What does it mean? Who's the person? Do you have the right to tell them that? Can it be misinterpreted? All these questions need to be answered before you just send it, you know, little red heart to someone, it can cause gray damage, believe me, it can cause irreversible damage if it gets into the hands of someone who's not prepared to understand you explanation. So, and I'm telling you this because I know things like this happen. You know, we end up counseling people. And if you look at the root of the problem, it's nothing. It was just something minor. They were just playing. It was just a past time. They weren't even meaning what
they said. And they ended up saying things doing things. And you know what, at the wrong time wrong place it got into the wrong hands, or should I say the right hands? And then everything just went out of control? That's why Let's be careful. It's not worth it. It's definitely not worth it. May Allah protect us.
Some people have got away with it. Well, that's Allah protecting you. So now cut it before you no longer get away with it.
And like I say, in a lot of the cases, it's nothing in a lot of the cases that I may have dealt with it's actually nothing there's no relation there's no no it's just a pass of words and messages and SMS and emails and females that's it.
And males
nowadays with the equality but to make sure you say both.
So the truth of the matter is, if that's the case and it's there's really nothing behind it, why give the opportunity to a spouse of yours or someone really so close to you that you are dedicated to to actually doubt you for nothing for no reason for free. You know it's foolishness so it's this is the month of Ramadan, we you cut out extra stuff, you cut out all that you don't need it inshallah, by the word of Allah subhanho wa Taala we hope really that we can benefit much. And we can begin to understand that this month is not only all about staying away from food and drink, no, it's not only all about that there is a far greater, far greater reasoning behind Ramadan, food and
drink is only to get you into a certain condition of spirituality, whereby you will now be able to work on all the other qualities, improving yourself tremendously in such a beautiful way. So together with that now you increase your flower, your Koran, your Vicar, you make peace with those whom perhaps you may not have made peace with any climaxes towards the end when you get the odd knights and the possibility of Laila to Tada. You know the night of power and decree which is the most powerful night in existence. The whole year it's the most powerful night you could ever have. And it climax is at that point where you are crying to your maker to say Oh Allah, Grant me improve
my situation Forgive me Give me a better year to come the Allah sustenance Allah my children Yala offspring, yeah, Allah, this, my spouse, this and that and so on. We ask Allah Subhana Allah to Allah to bless us and to benefit us and to grant us every form of goodness 45 minutes are up and inshallah we will open the floor for questions or sallallahu wasallam albaraka ala nabina Muhammad