Nahela Morales – 2 Fasting in Ramadan

Bismillah Al Rahman Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa sallahu

wa salam O Allah Asha for more saline say the Mohammed Salah

Allah whatever Salam, wa salam alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

in the Name of Allah, most Gracious, Most Compassionate, All

Praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds peace and blessings of

Allah be upon His final messenger Muhammad, and may the peace or the

blessings on the mercy of God Almighty Allah be upon each one of

you, listening to these few words, today, we're going to talk about

fasting in Ramadan, we made another video

getting ready for Ramadan. And that video was intended especially

for for new Muslims. For people who hadn't fasted before or maybe

for Muslims who forgotten a little bit about how to fast well this

this video these few minutes we're going to speak about fasting in

Ramadan. So it's intended for new Muslims. It's intended for Muslims

who have been faithful Muslims all their lives. It's intended for

those Muslims who may be slid a little bit and need to come back

to Allah so it's intended for all Muslims. And indeed for people who

are not Muslim as well. They might learn a little about our wonderful

faith, our way of life our deen Islam.

So fasting in Ramadan is it's one of the five pillars of Islam. One

of the so it's pretty important pillars pillars hold up a

building, without the pillars the building will fall down. And in

Islam we have five five things that Allah Almighty has given us

especially to hold up our faith our deen our way of life. We

declare shahada we declare that there's no one worthy of worship,

no created thing, no being worthy of worship of Allah alone, and

that Muhammad peace be upon him. This is messenger at Shahada. We

pray five times a day. We give zakat, we give a portion of our

leftover wealth to the poor. We fast in Ramadan, and we go on

pilgrimage once in our lifetimes if we're able to, to perform the

hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. So today we're talking about fasting

in Ramadan. Why do we first we first and this is very, very

important and maybe sometimes as Muslims, we forget why we're doing

it. We fast because Allah tells us too fast. That's it. There's no

other reason. Allah Almighty tells us in the Quran, fasting is

prescribed to you, as it was prescribed to those before you

that he may learn Taqwa.

Now, in the other video, I just gave a word or two will remind

ourselves about this word Taqwa an Arabic word. It can be translated

as maybe piety, or maybe fear of the Lord. But what do those really

mean? I understand it best Taqwa as being, being humble in God's

presence. By fasting in Ramadan. It helps us to put our lives in

proper perspective. When we pray, you know, when we pray as Muslims,

our forests touch the ground. And we say to Allah Almighty, I am

nothing without you. Without you, I can do nothing. And all of

those, you know, images, we project ourselves in life of how

important we are and we want to be the important and be in charge of

other people. When we pray. Our lives are put into context where

nothing really without Allah Even we couldn't even breathe, unless

he breathed the life into us each day. So we're nothing without him.

So taqwa, fear of the Lord, piety is what we learn by fasting and

Ramadan. That's what Allah tells us. We don't do it to to lose

weight. We don't do it to please other people. We don't do it to

please the other people in the mosque. Oh, he's fasting. Isn't he

a good Muslim? That's not why we do it. We fast to please Allah.

And as well, some people will tell you how wonderful Ramadan is going

to be. Now indeed, Ramadan is wonderful. And I will tell you how

wonderful it is. But just in case, you're not feeling all that

wonderful when you're fasting. You know, maybe you have that terrible

habit of smoking, which you shouldn't have anyway. But say you

smoke and you've given up smoking for Ramadan, and you feel pretty

awful. Well, no, where does it tell us in the Quran that when we

fast we'll see rainbows and a little rabbits jumping around and

butterflies. It doesn't say that. It doesn't say we'll feel

wonderful. It's simply

tells us fast fasting is prescribed and by fasting in sha

Allah we learn to put our lives into context so just a few a few

rules of Ramadan Yoda if you're new to Ramadan or if you don't

know anything about Ramadan when when do Muslims fast? Well it's in

it's in the month of Ramadan obviously one of the one of the

months of the of the Muslim year but when during the month do they

fast they fast from when they are done sounds for salad or fudge for

the for the morning prayer. I love it. As soon as that sounds in the

morning the fastest begun

and it ends with the call to prayer for the for the sunset

preface Allah Maghreb Allah who at the fastest finished. So we fast

from one call to prayer for sort of a fudge to the other call to

prayer, Salah ha Margaret, you know, some new to Islam, they make

a mistake, they look outside, is it dark, because it's still dark.

It's got nothing to do with that. It's to do with the time of Salah

for fudge. That's when we score fast. He begins when the prayer

begins. So if we eat after the prayer has has been called, we're

breaking the fast. So let's be very clear. And if we eat a few

seconds before the prayer is called, for Maghreb, we are

breaking the fast so we fast. From fudge to Margaret, that's when we

first

how do we first what do we do? Well, we don't eat, and we don't

drink. But there are many other things we don't do. We don't

smoke. We don't take things into our bodies. We don't smoke. We

don't in Islam, sexual activities between a man and his wife. So

* enjoy the hours of fasting is not allowed. Is *

wrong? No, it's not. Food isn't wrong, drink isn't wrong. But

Allah tells us to fast from these things. During the hours of

fasting. We'll say why in a moment, as well as as the things

we don't take in. Also fasting, we fast from we try to fast from bad

thoughts from from backbiting. You know, speaking ill of people using

bad language. You see, Ramadan is a whole package. It's not just

about missing your lunch, or not having a cup of tea. It's about

becoming a better person, a better Muslim. That's why we do it. At

each day in Ramadan, you should be asking yourself, Am I a better

person today because of my fasting. Now, to be honest, my

dear brothers and sisters, you know, if you fasted all day, and

it can be tough, sometimes you'll have a terrible headache and you

will feel well, but at the end of the first when we break the fast,

you know how good it can feel.

I fasted today for Allah sake, and you feel good, doing good, makes

you good. And it makes you feel good as well. Just as doing bad

things, if the truth be told, makes us feel bad. So Ramadan, it

teaches us Taqwa fear of the Lord piety, and it makes us better

people. So we know when we fast we know what we do too fast. who

fasts Well, Muslims fast.

Able bodied Muslims fast now, Islam I say this all the time,

Islam is eminently sensible. It's a very sensible way of life. A

sensible Deen, it all makes sense. So there are some people who are

exempt from fasting. Who were the the chronically ill, they don't

have to fast the very old people, if it will, if it would make them

out. They don't have to fast. A woman who is expecting a baby

who's pregnant, she doesn't have to fast let tiny little children

they don't have to fast it makes sense. It makes sense why why

would these people that is Ramadan isn't a punishment. And Allah

Almighty doesn't want us who doesn't want to make us ill? By by

fasting, but if these people can't fast, you know, they can do other

things to help them to gain all the benefits of Ramadan as other

Muslims are gaining. They can pray more they can recite the Quran

more and so on. So those people are exempt What if What if you you

break the fast by mistake you know for example with with all the best

will in the world your intention is in the morning is to fast but

halfway through the day so you've never fasted before halfway

through the day you mistakenly you pick up a sweet and put it in your

mouth, and then you go

Oh, what have I done? Does that invalidate my fast? No, it

doesn't. No, it doesn't, you are still fasting, and it doesn't

break your fast. If it's all to do with intention, if you did it on

purpose, if you say, Oh, I think I'll have a sweet it won't make

much difference, that breaks the fast. And you have to make up for

that day of fasting after Ramadan. But if you break the fast

accidentally, there is no penalty attached to it. Islam is very

sensible. It's very sensible. If you deliberately break the fast,

there's a penalty afterwards. If you break the first by mistake,

there is no penalty. If you're unable to fast because you're sick

or you're too old or you're weak. You're You're exempted from

fasting. So there are a few other rules. What then what's the

importance of this? This is the important thing. Ramadan is it's

such a beautiful month. You know, I said in the other video about

getting ready for Ramadan, as one who accepted Islam later in life.

You know, I could honestly put my hand on my heart and say that

Islam for me, it's like Christmas and New Year and birthdays and

Thanksgiving, all rolled into one. It truly is the most beautiful of

months better than 1000 months. It tells us in the Quran, why? Why is

it better than 1000 months, because we become better people

and we become closer to Allah Almighty. That's what Ramadan is

about is becoming closer to our Creator. It's not about keeping

rules and regulations. It's about coming closer to our Creator, to

become better people to become better Muslims. Ramadan is the

month of the Quran.

The noble Quran the Holy Quran was first revealed to our beloved

Prophet Mohammed lessor that was salam during the month of Ramadan.

And during Ramadan we try as best we can to recite as much of the

Quran as we can. We even attend in the mosque, if we're able to it's,

it's strongly recommended that we try. We attend celestial Tarot in

the evening where they think the Quran is recited and during the

course of Ramadan, the whole of the Quran will be recited. So

we're encouraged to do that. Ramadan is the month of prayer.

It's a month when we when we set aside time, it's a month when we

try. You know, we try to get up in the middle of the night,

when all is dark, and quiet. And all the busyness of life has gone

is that we get up quietly, no need to see us. And we prostrate

ourselves before Allah and we listen to him.

We know we know that Allah is waiting and listening for those

who will come to him in the night and ask things of him. So Islam

tells us that Ramadan is a month of prayer, Quran and prayer, and

it's a month of fasting. Fasting, not a punishment, not a dieting,

but a fasting for Allah sake. We do it for Allah sake. Why? So that

we become better people so that we are spiritually renewed. It's

like, if you've heard of spring cleaning, you know, after the dark

months of winter, many housewives, they sweep out the house and they

shake away the cobwebs and clean the carpets and get the house

nicer cleaner as the seasons are changing. It's becoming more

cheerful outside. Many housewives clean the house. Well Ramadan

whenever it falls during the year. Ramadan is a tie. It's like a

spring cleaning of our hearts and our lives. We're dusting away all

of the rubbish, all of the cobwebs that are clean to our hearts

during the past year we're brushing them away we're saying to

Allah it Ramadan, I am sorry, Oh Allah, for all those mistakes I

made for all the things I deliberately did wrong. And it's a

time to come closer to him.

Just a word you know that though about fasting.

It's very important to remember in Cairo you notice this when the

advanced sounds for Salah for Margaret, at the Citadel in Cairo

a cannon sounds as soon as the Adela salad the cannon goes off to

let the people around know that the fasting has ended? I do it's a

nice idea. And I tell people in Cairo you know, there are many

people today whose fast won't end with the sound of a cannon being

fired. There are many people in our world during Ramadan who will

starve to death because they have nothing to eat or drink or the

cannon won't signal the start of feasting and celebrating and

breaking our food together and sharing Iftar breaking the fast

break fast because they will die. So Ramadan

Allah's well it teaches us to thank to thank Allah Almighty for

all the blessings we have, you know, we can't number the

blessings we have. We thank Allah for our for our, our hearing and

our sight, our speech, our sense of smell, you know the fact that

we can walk and move around and experience this this world and

everything in it. We thank Allah for that. We thank Allah for our

families, and for our friends, for for opportunities he gives us it's

a time for sitting down and thanking Allah for all of those

beautiful things that we've taken for granted. One thing we take for

granted water you know when we remember in Ramadan how important

water is because we're going without it. But you know, it helps

us remember that during the year we can just turn on the tap,

whenever we want to drink. What a wonderful gift water is. It is

life giving and refreshing and cleansing. I would just oh it's

one of those things I'll have a drink of water.

So in sha Allah Ramadan will be a time where we will become better

people, better muslims for Allah sake, fasting is prescribed to

you, as it was prescribed to those before you that you may learn tak

whether you may learn piety, fear of the Lord, or become better

people in sha Allah Assalamu alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh