Getting The Most Out Of Ramadan

It is not

hidden from any of you that we are approaching the month of Ramadan.

a month of greatness, a month of generosity,

a month of action, a month of closeness, a month of potential. There is so much to be achieved in Ramadan, that it becomes very important for a Muslim to consider his and her position before and after Ramadan.

That's why the Hadith the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,

and the expression in Arabic, which may be not very well translated, but

he said the rahima amfori in adrar, karamo Bon, welcome yo for

me is like, may a person rub his nose or his face be robbed in the ground side of humiliation

that he comes and reaches to Ramadan. And then he does not attain

the monk fear or the forgiveness from Allah. So even at the very basic level, he's not even managed to attain that.

So What a loser he is.

Because I'm online has so many elements in it that allow a person to achieve so much that if you don't achieve then yes, you deserve to put your nose in the ground out of shame.

From avant is an opportunity for us to change for the better. Because every Muslim

should always be looking at how do I become a better person?

How do I improve? How do I step up?

Because we're all going to Allah subhana wa Tada.

And we are going back to him and he shall

display to us our record, as in the Hadith.

Yep, and Adam

Inanna here ahmadu como se ha Lakhan.

Oh, son of Adam.

It is your actions. It is but your actions that I am collating for you. I'm gathering I'm recording it for you.

Furman wager, the higher on failure Hamidullah. Whoever finds good then he should praise Allah. The Almighty woman wotja Taveras, Alec fellay, alumina, Elana FFsA, whoever finds other than this, he should not blame except himself.

Because he didn't take use of the opportunities. Do you realize that he had to change an increase in his

good deeds, reduces bad deeds, increase in all the aspects that are going to get him

to achieve the most out of this life

and the loss of Hanoi to Allah wants you to increase your demand

because in increasing your Eman that will give you that impetus to increase your good deeds. Eman and more Eman means more good deeds, more actions. It's almost like a stone a Rolling Stone. The more you man the more momentum and the more momentum more and more good deeds.

And Ramadan is the opportunity to increase Eman because you can

get closer to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah to

make firm and to establish your relationship with Allah Subhana Allah because it's a it's a time for good Jesus that Allah subhanho wa Taala said,

well, Martha kawabe la dee dee Shay in a horrible la master to LA that my slave will not come closer and draw closer to me with anything more beloved to me than that which I've made obligatory on him. Rama one is an obligatory fast as well as other obligatory acts

wama zylab de La Bete Noire, Phil had tell him

my slave continues to draw closer to me with the extra deeds until or to the extent that I love him.

So again, rammohan has the opportunity for extra deeds

Secondly, Allah subhanho wa Taala wants from you to increase your taqwa

your piety,

your God consciousness, your awareness of Allah subhanaw taala.

And when you are aware of Allah and you know Allah, you will fear Allah

and when you feel Allah you will abstain from all that Allah has prohibited you from doing

and that's why I lost fat that I said that one of the purposes of siyam Yeah, you are levina Armand will quotevalet como siyam come out could he Bala Levine amicably come la Lacan. tahune

are you believe fasting has been made obligatory on you, has been written on you, as it was written on those before you in order you may attain that goal.

And so by fulfilling the commandments of Allah,

you are displaying that you are aware of him and you are conscious and you fear Allah subhanho wa Taala.

And so it changes your outlook on how you deal with things. That abstention from food and drink and desire should be accompanied with an awareness that you're doing it for Allah subhanho wa Taala and because you only feel Allah

and that's the nature of fasting.

Because fasting is a secret act.

Nobody can tell whether you're fasting or not.

Unless they are with you, all the time, literally, you know, never go out of their sight that they're watching you and watching your mouth, that you don't put anything in but usually that's not the case.

You could always go and hide somewhere and sneak something in. And that's why Allah subhanho wa Taala made fasting, such a great act of a vida that is, in many ways superior to other acts. In the Hadith, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said

kulu Anna leibny Adam, la

ally, aloha senatobia, actually, I'm sorry.

He said I mean, I tell them, all the actions of the son of Adam of the human is for him.

Each deed is multiplied by 10. And maybe up to 700 levels or multiples.

Your Kula hota Allah Illa sound vain, Emilie, Allah, the Almighty says except fasting, for it is for me.

Allah Subhana Allah is specified fasting to be for him.

And Allah explains in this Hadith, yet the

robber who was sure what?

He leaves his food, his drink his desires, for my sake,

some of the dilemma of tafsir shorthand explanation, they said, Why did Allah specify fasting?

Except that he is only for him? Some people said that well, fasting, because like we said, I just mentioned is a secret act, your nobody can see you doing. And so there is no element of

arrogance and showing off. Unless you go around showing off, isn't it? I mean, now when somebody prays, they can pray, you are seeing them pray, you see them to hide, you see them, hear them reciting Quran you see them, maybe giving charity, etc. But fasting is an extension. So it's the other way around. So unless somebody actually goes around telling people, like unfortunately some people do.

And we ask a lot of protection from this

is to have a friend who

on one occasion, he came and visited me and you happen to be a Thursday.

So out of hospitality, I offered him some refreshments in a tea coffee. So he said, No, no, no, today's today's Thursday.

So in a very,

you know, various also.

Human a hidden way is like to be settled. So I say, Well, today's Thursday, and you should know that Thursdays I'm fasting. It's like,

why are you asking me and even though he was maybe trying to he didn't probably word in the right way. But you can see that there is a potential for losing that reward by making somebody

seem to think that I am so great or so pious that, you know, every Thursday I'm fasting. So, you know, why would you even dare to offer something to, to eat or drink on this day.

So, there is a risk of losing the reward in that regards, but that's only if you announced it.

Some of the other orlimar said, What is unique about fasting, which is no unique about any other Eva

is that it is the only a bad

that has been directed to Allah subhanho wa Taala all other forms of Nevada

and acts of goodness and righteousness have been in one way or another directed to other than Allah potentially.

So for example, Salah there are people who prostrate to idols, or maybe to other people

or,

or even to, you know,

to animals perhaps or to trees or whatever. So there is the act, people have done that.

Charity people will give on behalf you know, how many people today sacrifice on behalf of somebody. Not that they get the reward because that's okay if you give up here for Barney and you say I intend you're doing it for Allah you intend to reward to God something that's different, when somebody actually sacrifices to come closer to somebody else. Maybe somebody who is deceased or somebody you know, if I sacrifice for this person, I will get something in return. And so people have done that. Even the toe off people we deal with off as we

go to undo the the rites of Hajj or Umrah.

There are people who do throw off people do the walk around graves, or around other monuments or whatever. So you see that all these API that people have, potentially or have directed into other in law, but nobody has direct this fast thing to other than Allah.

Because there is nothing to gain from this. You know, usually when you're doing it for somebody else, you're trying to come closer to them, you might want to get something when you prostrate, or you bow down to

King or a ruler or whatever, you're trying to get something from them. But why would you say look, I'm not going to eat and drink for your sake. It doesn't make sense. So that's why it's the only a battle is directed to Allah. And that's why Allah said Illa song,

fame, no holy one hcb.

Fasting is such a great a Banda, that with fasting,

there comes the power of self control,

self restraint, your ability to control yourself. And in this ability to control yourself there is power.

Because that means you can control

how you react when you eat when you drink.

The biggest thing that will lead people to the fire is their inability to control their desires

to let their desires lead them

for item Annie Taka Ilaha, Allah says, Have you seen the one who has

erected his desire as his God?

He has made his desire his God. So whatever is desired it takes to him he follows that's what God is. A God at the end of the day tells you what to do. What's halal or haram? How you should live your life. So if your desire tells you to go this way, this way,

and you follow it, it becomes your God. And if you don't control yourself from the desire, you will end up

leading yourself into the Hellfire

as a loss of Hannah with Allah said

for a

while I thought I'd hire Ted dunia final rahima here and mattawa as for the one who transgresses and gives preference to the life of the dunya then his abode will be the Jain the hellfire. While I'm MacArthur Maka mahkamah Robbie wanna Hanif Sani Hawa for indulging that

as for the one who fears a day or

Standing in front of his Lord, and prohibits or prevents his neffs from the desire, then his place of abode will be agenda. So you see agenda, the key to agenda is to fear a lot and to put a barrier from your house from your neffs. Don't let yourself follow the desires and fasting gives you that power to do that, to control

the ability to control your desire.

So that not whatever you want,

you give and have and take.

And there's a bigger message here in the spirit of Rome, Milan, there's not just about leaving food and drink during daytime.

You have to have the power to control yourself during the nighttime as well.

And I'm saying here that you fast during the night, but I'm saying even when you are fasting during the day,

your end goal should not just be the I'm come mothership, I'm just gonna eat everything, basically, you know, wherever I can stuff inside my eyes gonna go in there, wherever I've been dreaming about throughout the day. I'm gonna, I'm gonna have it and, and so that defeats the purpose.

It's narrated that once

Omar hopped up, he was he fancied some fish.

He felt that he would like some fish and he just mentioned it in passing. So his family having heard this and they wanted to you know, they wanted to treat him one of his servants went on a journey because you know, Medina is not near the coast. There's no rivers in Medina is no sea. So took they went, he went to the sea.

A few days travel. Then he had to get him some fish. Basically, they bought it back. They cooked it for him and then they presented it to him. He said What's this? He said this some fish for you. We heard you say the other day that you fancied some fish and we bought you some fish. So he said he went and looked at the animal that had been taken you know the they had he had taken an animal and ride it to the so he looked at the animal and showed the animal as dusty was tired. He said you tired this animal for few days?

Just for my desire.

By Allah I'm not gonna even eat this fish. You know, you it's, it seems like you have missed the whole point in that he was Yeah, he was quite upset that an animal had been pulled through so much just to give him something that he had fast.

And so the people of the past they controlled their desires. And not everyone not whenever they saw something they gave and that's something that we have to learn as well.

Is that when you next time you feel fat you fancy like something to eat?

Yeah, hold back, say No, not today. I'm not going to have that pizza or the kebab or the Summer Sale or whatever.

The Korean and so on. Hold back and when you break your fast don't make it a feast.

Yeah, make your breaking or fast in line with the whole spirit of the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu Allah.

And in this, like I said, there is there is power. And that's why Allah subhanho wa Taala tested the children of Israel with this ability. We all know in Surah Al Baqarah.

That when Allah subhanho wa Taala chose for the children of Israel after they asked for a king,

Allah gave them a king by lords

and by Lords led them into battle.

But before they were to go into battle, he he tested them. Allah borrowed said to them, Allah is testing you.

This ability to control yourself, your desires. What was the test? in Allah hemiptera convenor Allah is testing you with a river.

Whoever drinks from that river

will not stay with us in the army.

But whoever can hold back and not drink from the river, then he will remain in the army.

He's allowed just one scoop of water, that's all.

And so that test to control yourself and their ability

was what determined, if you like it

separated the wheat from the chaff, separated those who are weak, and those who are strong. The ability to control the desire were the people who were strong. And they were the people even though they were small in number. They went on to defeat the army of Goliath.

Which you all know, the famous incident and where the Dalai Lama was in the army. He was a soldier, he killed Goliath. And so that was the power and so in fasting, and the ability to control your desire and to control yourself.

That comes the power.

And that's why in the Hadith, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Father, Can y'all saw me I had the con, la office, while is hub, when it is the day the fasting day of any one of you, he should not be abusive. He should not cause commotion, shouting on control again,

vain shot demo had a party, if somebody tries to fight with him, or tries to cause a problem with him to argue to, to,

to provoke him, then he should say, in the sign in the sign, I'm fasting, I'm fasting.

And even the commentators they said, he said, the the process I'm instructed to say twice, once to yourself, to remind yourself, I'm fasting. And the other time to the other guy to say, I'm fasting, so leave me alone. And it's, it's about control again. And I'm Muslim, and again, this is not just something you do in Ramadan, Ramadan is the training ground for you to maintain that behavior. So the outside Ramadan, also you maintain that behavior, not somebody who's easily easily provoked. You know, somebody just sends you

a provocation and you are provoked.

You're just emotionally reacting. Rather you shouldn't be rationally reacting.

You know, you should be assessing things and responding to them accordingly, according to what is the correct response, not just because somebody has angered you, or somebody has caused you and that's the way of the prophets Allah, Allah

and the way of the people of the past. So Ramadan teaches us this and teaches us the ability to be the kind of person

so how are we going to benefit from our loved one?

I will shall give you a few

pointers in the second hold, one of whom was tough for a lot of you welcome first of all seek Allah's forgiveness for he is the one who forgives all sins

Alhamdulillah

Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah

while he was happy new woman

by the law the hula

hoop Alia you Halloween. La Ha. was Tom born of some academic lava? La hyena la hubby Ron de matar Maroon Malone are your belief in Allah and let every person look what they have presented to the morrow, for tomorrow. And fear Allah

is a lot is informed of what you do.

The most important focus of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam the Sahaba they're really a matter

of past and present is

the importance of sincerity, floss.

And that is a key.

But to have a floss and sincerity, you have to first have an intention.

So learning to have an intention

in your day to day lives, or more so in Ramadan, as you are approaching

is important to get the most out of Ramadan. intention is almost like your

announcement of how you're going to behave. It's like putting in front of yourself your motto, your slogan,

this is my intention. This is why I want to do

and Rama avant shouldn't be an idiot.

From this, you should have an intention

of what you want to get out of Ramadan, and what you want to do in Ramadan.

And that has to start now, it can't be just something that you leave to the last moment think about what Ramadan means or should mean to you and start intending

what you will achieve in Ramallah.

And once you start having the intention, then you can start to fine tune it to make it sincere to Allah subhanaw taala.

Because having an intention is one thing, but making the intention sincere is another thing. Because you have to try to make your actions for Allah.

One of the righteous people of the past several at this story, he said that

one of the summaries that the righteous people and the intellectuals have attained in understanding if last in the definition, like this is the this is the cream, if you like, of the definitions of a class is that all your

all your actions

or your moments of stillness, and movement,

where they are still or movements, you're going to get not going to be anything else, right, you're either moving or you're still

in terms of pride in in private or in public. So all your actions, whether stillness, or movement, in private or in public are all for Allah. Not for the neffs.

Not for the dunya not for any material gain.

That's the summary. And that's how basic is. That's how you can try and make that sincerity is to think that everything that I do has to be for Allah, if you starting to do it for somebody else, you're starting to do it for material gain. You're doing it even for your nerves. And that's where it becomes very tricky. Even then you're losing a class, how do you do something for your nerves, to make yourself proud and happy.

And you look down on others. Such a great person you feel doing a bad, you might be doing very by the privately, you're praying in the night, but you are praying in the night.

But that prayer in the night instead of giving you the humility and making you closer to Allah, if it makes you feel that you are better than others, you know, wow, I'm such a great guy. I'm praying a night and

nobody's seeing me and you feel enlightened and you start looking at feeling so content with yourself. There's a danger there as well.

So

if loss is not easy, when it comes to prayer, Ramadan is a great training ground for this.

So that's number one. Number two, which follows on from this is to

have a plan.

Plan your number one

and plan what you want to achieve in Ramadan. How many times are you going to read the Quran?

How

many times or how many prayers you're going to pray in the masjid Gemma

taraweeh twice

as the car wise, charity wise,

seeking knowledge wise, you know, lots of things avenues that you can look into.

You know, and today if you go online and you search for Ramadan checklist you will find many people have already done your checklist they've already done half the job for you all you have to just print it off, could allow yourself to have but you have to have also your own plan.

And if you do that, then that allows you to focus and hopefully in sha Allah is and I'm aligned enters you know what you want to achieve, and you can be ahead of ahead of the game by knowing that, okay, I want to be doing this, I want to be doing that. And you can be questioning yourself. You know, everyday there's nothing wrong with this. Nothing wrong with putting a checklist and saying well, the checklist says For example sonetel federal salata Baja, the asker of the morning, that's kind of the evening,

saying later, hey, the law, though, will actually cut out 100 times saying Subhana Allah behind the 100 times reading up on the wall, I had 10 times reading wonders of Quran, you know, all these things, it helps you It focuses you.

So try to do that as well.

And inshallah you will get a lot out of Ramadan

by reading Quran by giving charity by doing the escar you will be the latter Allah seek and change for the better in Sean