Taimiyyah Zubair – Reviving The Spirit For Ramadan (Part 1)
AI: Summary ©
The importance of fasting during the year is discussed, including the benefits of redoing things learned and visiting with friends. The speakers emphasize the importance of taking advantage of "we" aspects of the experience, including being present for a month, planning ahead, and being present for a month. The speakers also emphasize the importance of fasting for personal health and achieving productivity goals, including staying healthy.
AI: Summary ©
Do you want to slowly or a lot of serial Karima my birth father, would we let him in a ship on the virgin Bismillahirrahmanirrahim rubbish struggling sorry, were silly Emery Wilander appdata melissani of Coco Lee urban as a dinner. Can I ask you a question? Why are you here today? To learn about Ramadan? Don't you know about Ramadan already? What are we supposed to do in Ramadan? We know we're supposed to fast we know when we're supposed to get up what we're supposed to do with that time, what we are supposed to do during the fast when we are supposed to break our fast What do we do in the night? Don't you know about a little further? Do you know about the reward of fasting?
Yes. Alhamdulillah. Then what's the purpose of coming here? Why bother coming and relearning the same things that we already know that we've been learning since childhood? Why?
Because Ramadan is coming after an entire year. And what happens in a year is that the things we know, we forget, the things that we were very passionate about our passion gradually dies down. things that weren't on our mind the whole time, after a whole year, what happens? We tend to ignore them. So we are here today, not because we want to necessarily learn about Ramadan and fasting, but to revive the spirit of Ramadan revived the spirit of fasting, so that as we enter Ramadan, we don't enter Ramadan, just like another month, but we enter it consciously. We enter it with excitement, we are happy about this month, so that we can make the most of it. Because this is a very unique
opportunity that we get only once a year. If anybody wants to do Ramallah, can they go anytime during the year, of course, but if a person wants to fast in the month of Ramadan can be fast, and he time, no, it's only in the month of Ramadan. So this is a very unique opportunity that we get only once a year. And this is why it's necessary that before we enter it, we are conscious about it, we are excited about it, we are passionate about it, so that we can really reap its benefits, so that it can have an effect on our lives, it can actually change us. And also if you think about it, you could sit on your own in your own house, and perhaps listen to a lecture or watch a video or
read an article 100 a lot these days, you get so many articles almost every day about Ramadan. Could you not do that at home? Yes, you could. Then why come here? Because when people sit in a gathering, and remember Allah, then you know what happens? Then who comes? angels come? And then what do they do? They go and report to Allah that this is what your servants are doing. And Allah asks them, so what do they want, and they tell him that they want your paradise, they want your pleasure. And then Allah says that I am pleased with them, that I will give them Jenna. So we see that sitting together and remembering Allah is a means of having a lot remember you in the company of the angels? And what
better time to remember Allah in a gathering than Ramadan? Because in the month of Ramadan, what do we need the special help of a law, that they'll feel of a law that we are able to do good, and that the good we do is also accepted. So this is the reason why we are here today. And this is the reason why we're going to talk about Ramadan so that we can be excited so that we can look forward to this answer that Allah will give us a trophy, because of our eagerness to do good deeds in sha Allah. But I'm alone. As I mentioned, how many times is coming a year? Just once? So you can say that Ramadan is a visitor, just like a very beloved friend of yours. Can they live with you in your house the
whole year round? They can't. Your parents, if you're married, you're living with your own family, your parents perhaps live in another city in another country? How often can they come to your house, not all the time. They come only sometimes. So when somebody comes to you yearly, once a year, they are a visitor, they are a guest. And the more benefit they bring to you, the more joy they bring to you, the more company they keep with you. The more you love them, the more you look forward to their visit, that just imagine there is a friend of yours, a relative of yours, whoever it may be, and you love them. Can you imagine somebody whom you really love, they don't live with you. They perhaps
live in another country. Think about them. Somebody whom you really really love. You really want to see them. You want to sit with them. You want to hear them, you want to talk to them and you want to see what gifts they have brought to you and you want to see how
They're going to spend their time with you. Aren't you going to be excited about it? Yes, you will be. But Ramadan is a visitor is a friend who, when it comes, it doesn't come empty handed. It comes to you with many gifts. As we see that in the month of Ramadan, we have many opportunities to do good deeds, and in the month of Ramadan is Laila tokens, that is better than 1000 months. So Ramadan when it visits you, when it comes to you, it doesn't come empty handed, it brings to you a whole lot of gifts. Imagine a visitor a friend who comes over to your house, and they don't waste your time. Rather, they give you many ideas, they give you a lot of feedback. And because of that, you become
so productive, you become so efficient in your work, your work doesn't stop, it only excels. This is what Ramadan does. When normal dawn comes, it makes us more productive. It makes us more efficient. It makes us more focused, it makes us more disciplined. Imagine a visitor who when they come, they give all of their time and all of their attention to you. They say I am here for you do whatever you want. keep company with me, I'm not busy, I have freed myself for you. What would you do? Ignore them. And not at all, you would never do that. Especially if you know that they're there only for 30 days only for a month, then you will take advantage of every single day. How that you will plan out
every single day. Today, we're going to go here tomorrow, we're going to go there day after tomorrow, we're going to go here next week, we're going to do this, the week after that, we're going to do that because you want to make that a very, very good experience for yourself and also for them. When a guest comes when a visitor comes, then what happens, they take priority, everything else stops, and all of your attention is focused on them. Everything else is different. There could be many, many urgent things you want to do. But what do you say, doesn't matter. I'll do it when they're gone. Because I don't want to do all this work when they're in my house. Your phone calls
can be deferred. your emails also can be deferred. Many times it happens that a guest is over, you don't get a chance to even check your email. By the time they leave. You open up your email, you have 100 emails, you have 50 emails, you have 25 emails, and you know that they're there, but you don't bother to read them. Why? Because you have to give all of your attention and your time to your guest. Everything else becomes secondary, and your guest becomes your main focus. And we see that sometimes it happens that a guest comes over and you give all of yourself to them. But you can't wait until they leave. You love them. But you feel that since they have come everything is upside
down and you just want to relax and take it easy. So you'd like them however you want that now they should perhaps leave that the month of Ramadan is amazing. As it stays with you. It only gets better. Fasting becomes easier. reciting the Quran becomes more joyful. As you come closer to your target of perhaps completing the entire recitation of the Quran that becomes more exciting and towards the end, the last 10 nights and especially later, and then looking forward to your eat. As Ramadan stays with you, the entire experience becomes more and more joyful. And this is why we see that the people of the past when Ramadan came they wept. And when Ramadan ended again, they wept.
Why did they weep? Why did they cry when Ramadan came out of happiness, out of excitement out of joy? If you meet a friend, someone who was very beloved to you, your mother, your sister, your cousin after a whole year? Yes, you're hugging them, but you're also crying at the same time. And when they're leaving, you cannot hold back your tears. They're there for some time, and that sometime that they're with you, you want to make the most of it. And my dear sisters, this is a reality of the month of Ramadan. It is a visitor in a Hadees we learned that the Prophet sallallahu Sallam said but the acoem Ramadan Shah, Ron MOBA Khan, certainly Ramadan has come unto you, it has
come upon you and it is a month that is blasted it is mobile rock. Do you know what the word Mubarak means? Mubarak is that which is full of blessings, full of blessings full of benefit. That is a source of great benefit for you. And we see the same about Ramadan. It is a source of great benefit for all of us. There are so many things that we don't do otherwise but when Ramadan comes then we start doing them. So many things that we find very hard to do, but when Ramadan comes it becomes a habit.
Shout out on wallbottle Khan, a blessed month. The Prophet sallallahu Sallam said that indeed the month of Ramadan has come upon you, it is a month of blessings in which Allah has obligated fasting on you. In this month, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hellfire are closed. What does it mean? That this is the time to do good, because the gates of Paradise are open. Only when a person is forgiven when he has done something good? Will he be able to enter Jannah so this is the time to do good, and the gates of Hellfire are closed, meeting all those ways that lead you to hellfire. Number one being shared lawn that's locked up. So the opportunity to sin is reduced, the
opportunity to good is increased is multiplied, and the devils are chained. And in it is a night that is better than 1000 months. And the one who is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived. The one who does not make the most of this month, then who is he? He is deprived? Many times it happens that our guest comes over and we waste our time. How? By not making the most of it by not doing the things that we could do. We're so indecisive, should we go to Niagara Falls? Should we go to Wonderland? Should we stay at home? Or should we go to so and so's house? Should we go to the mall? Or should we go to the park the whole time goes and just debating and thinking. And the next thing
you know, it's the day when your guest has to leave
the month of Ramadan is also a yamma mardu that a few days, just a few days. And we have to make the most of this time. Because if we don't, then at the end, what's going to happen? At the end, we will only have regrets left.
We will only have sorrow, we will only have guilt in our hearts, we will wish we had done better. But we did not do. If a guest comes to you. They're taking time out of their routine. They're coming to you and you waste their time. You don't spend time with them. You don't give importance to them, then what does it mean? You have not honored your guest. If you go to somebody's house, and they say to you in the morning, okay, I'll see you in the evening, I'm going to work. And they come back in the evening. And they say, Are you hungry? And they say okay, let's just go out for dinner. And they take you to a place where the food is not good, that you're very disappointed. What will you think
maybe I should go? Maybe they don't want me. If you don't give time to your guest. If you don't plan the visit of Your Beloved visitor, then what does it mean? You don't really love them, you don't really honor them, you wasted your time, your chances and you also wasted their chances. All of us claimed that we love Ramadan. But if we love Ramadan, we have to make the most of it. And for that what is required is a little bit of planning, and inshallah Today we will go over a few things that will help us plan this Ramadan so that we don't waste our time we don't miss we don't lose this great opportunity. The month of Ramadan is a very enriching experience. It's an experience that
improves you that makes you better. It's a time that brings the best out of you. Throughout the year, we can wake up early for
right when the time of fudger begins. But how many times do we actually do that? throughout the year? We can stand up in the night and pray. But how many times do we do that? throughout the year we can recite the Quran every single day, we can open up a door our book and read the most new doors make the offer ourselves for our families. We can fast we can give charity, we can help others. But really do we do it throughout the year? No, we don't. Because what happens is that the good habits that we have developed, they fade away throughout the year. And the bad habits that we were far away from, we get very used to them, we start developing them. Ramadan is an experience that forces us to
make ourselves better that compels us to perform at our very best to do what we don't do otherwise, that we are perhaps afraid of doing otherwise. How many times is it that we have fasted in the summer before voluntarily? Hardly ever. But now we see that Ramadan isn't the heat of the summer when the days are very long. Are we not going too fast? And we said no. I'm not going to fast? No, we have to. So we see that Ramadan forces us to get better. It improves us and it improves us in many many ways. And the most
basic way in which Ramadan improves us is that the experience of Ramadan brings about the core in us. It improves it strengthens our taqwa. This is why I'm most apparent it says in Surah Baqarah. That Yeah, you have Latina Amano, or you will have believed quotevalet como siyam. Fast fasting has been prescribed upon you. Fasting has been made obligatory upon you, you don't have any choice with regards to fasting, you have to do it katiba. And it's not just that it's mandatory on you. But it was also made mandatory on you come at cootie Berlin, levina man comedy calm, just as it was made mandatory on the people who came before you. Meaning every nation that came, every messenger that
brought a Sharia of the commands that the messenger brought, of them was what the command to fast so that you may develop taqwa. And this taqwa is very, very important. question is what is the core? The core, as you know, you're familiar with very well, that it is to take a shield to protect yourself. Just like a person, he protects himself when there's some danger coming towards him, when there's something harmful attacking him. When a person is vulnerable, then what does he do? He takes a shield, and he protects himself. Daca is to protect yourself from the punishment of Allah, to protect yourself from the anger of Allah, to protect yourself from the consequences of your sins.
How does a person do that saving yourself from the punishment of Allah? You see, there are two things. One is that a person is proactive, he avoids the harm from before. he avoids causing damage. And the other is that when the damage has been caused, then he fixes it. dukla forces us to be proactive, be careful from before. Don't do anything that will bring about the anger of Allah. Don't do anything that will cause you loss that will bring to you the punishment that will bring you negative effects, negative consequences in your life. How is this done? How is the court practiced by two things? First of all, that you do what Allah wants you to do, what Allah likes you to do,
because if a person does not obey Allah, then what is he bringing about the punishment of Allah. And secondly, it is done by staying away from what Allah has forbidden. This is taqwa. Allah tells us that he has prescribed fasting on us so that we develop taqwa. So that we develop the habit of doing good, so that we develop the habit of staying away from sins. Because only when we do good, we stay away from sins and we save isn't this necessary throughout our lives, that every single day we do what Allah likes, we stay away from what Allah does not like, isn't that necessary? It's incumbent, it's essential. Because if we don't do that, then we are in utter loss, then who can protect us? A
hotel doesn't the calendar if you were to abandon you, then who could protect you? If Allah punishes someone, then there is no escape for him. There is no getting away for that person. So it's necessary that we bring ourselves in the protection of Allah. And how is that done? By developing the code by doing good by staying away from faults from wrong?
And this habit, this consciousness, this alertness, this has developed how, through the experience of the month of Ramadan? How is it that we develop this that we develop taqwa in the month of Ramadan? If you think about it, in the month of Ramadan, what do we do? Primarily? What do we do? We are fasting. Correct. And fasting means that you don't eat, you don't drink. You don't fulfill your desires, whether they are the desires of your stomach, or your tongue or your sexual barks. You don't fulfill your desires, even in the halal way, even in the permissible way you control yourself. That's what you're doing in fasting, basically. And when a person is fasting, then he is not just
required to stay hungry, stay thirsty, but he's also supposed to guard his tongue. Because if a person only keeps himself hungry, keeps himself thirsty, is he fulfilling the objective of fasting? Not really. The Prophet sallallahu Sallam said roba saw him and lays on a woman's leave me inlander while
so many of those who fast they don't get anything out of their fast except for hunger and thirst, that's all they get out of there fast. Why? Because they did not fulfill the objective of fasting.
We see that fasting it requires
To be hungry, and it requires us to be thirsty, it requires us to control ourselves. And that brings many, many benefits to us. First of all, it develops the core how that it happens to you, you're perhaps studying at your desk, and you have a packet of, let's say, cookies at the edge of your desk at the corner of your desk. Generally, when you would go and study over there, you would take a cookie, and you would eat it. Or as you're sitting, you would take a glass of water and you would sip on it. As you're working in the kitchen, you see a chocolate bar that your brother brought, you really like it. So you're gonna take a piece and you're gonna have it, you see two bite brownies,
you have one, then you have another one. And then you have another one, even though you're not hungry. But when you are fasting, then what happens? You're about to eat it. No, I can't you put it down. You're about to sip on it. No icon, you put it down. You want to go into the kitchen, open the refrigerator, see what's happening in there, see what's food in there. But what do you do, you don't open it, you close it.
So Ramadan, when you're fasting, you are forced to become more alert, you are forced to become more conscious, you are forced to become more careful. You know, it is said that when a person develops a habit, then his mind doesn't work as much anymore when he's doing that action. Like for example, if you have a habit of driving from your house to your workplace every day in the morning, many times it will happen that you leave in the morning on the weekend, and you're not supposed to go to your workplace. You're supposed to go let's get your sister's out to the grocery store. And all of a sudden you realize you're on the highway to your workplace. Doesn't it happen? Why? Because you're
so used to doing that, that your mind does not even think.
Now it happens that we are so used to saying some things we are so used to not reciting the Quran, we're so used to leaving out our Sunnah we're so used to not even focusing our Salah that what happens, we are worshipping Allah, but our mind is elsewhere. Our heart is elsewhere, we are distracted. We are praying the Salah, we don't even know whether it's the first record the second record, we have no idea because we're so used to doing it, our mind is not actively functioning at that time. So basically, you have to break those habits, you have to become more conscious about what you're doing. And Ramadan fasting, this is what it does. It breaks your habits. You have the
habit of eating, you have the habit of drinking, you have the habit of staying up late at night, just talking, you have the habit of coming back from work from school and watching television, you have the habit of sleeping in the morning. But what's going to happen when Ramadan comes, you're going to be forced to wake up, you're going to be forced to not watch television instead, eat quickly so that you can go create or you're going to be forced to be more productive, be more careful about how you use your time. So fasting, it's not just about hunger and thirst. It makes you conscious, it makes you alert. It wakes up your mind. And not just that. But we see that fasting, it
also develops the court in another way. How that when you're hungry when you're thirsty, and the food is right in front of you, but you cannot eat it. Then what does that remind you of? Perhaps people who are ill who are sick, and because of their illness because of their sickness, they cannot eat that food. And this brings about feelings of gratitude in your heart. It brings about patience in you. Likewise, when you're hungry when you're thirsty, you remember those people who cannot eat who cannot drink because they cannot find food and drink.
When you are limited in your time of eating and drinking. You only have between if thought answer who to eat. You can eat all day long. That reminds you of people who are in a similar situation, not just because you're fasting. But for whatever reason they can't eat whenever they want. They're only given their meals at certain times. Whatever reason it may be. So fasting makes you conscious. It makes you have Taqwa that you become careful but what things you're complaining about? over what things are you showing impatience? over what things are you being ungrateful. You realize how petty your problems are, how insignificant your problems are. So it makes you have Taqwa. It makes you
fear a lot more. Just the other day, I was really upset about something was really bothering me. And I just wanted to do something to just fix it. I didn't know what to do. It was really bothering me a lot. You know, sometimes there's a problem. It's at the back of your mind and sometimes get in front of your eyes. And no matter what you do, you can't get away from it. It makes you upset. It makes you angry. It makes you say things that you shouldn't be saying. So I was in that state. This went into my backyard.
I was sitting there and I started reading. And I came across an article that was about Kashmir. And when I read that, that how people are suffering there from so many, many years, I was like, What am I problems? there? Nothing. What am I getting so worked up about this is nothing. When you look at other people, when you do things that will remind you of other people who are less fortunate than you, then you will have fear of Allah. Believe me, I got so afraid at that time, I started doing this too far. And I said, Yeah, Allah forgive me. Yeah, Allah forgive me for being so impatient for being so ungrateful.
So when you're fasting, you're hungry, you're thirsty, you feel desperate, you feel that you need something, and you remember other people. You remember the day of judgment. I'm thirsty. Now, people will be very thirsty on the Day of Judgment, I will be thirsty on the Day of Judgment. And then people on the Day of Judgment, some of them will be given water to drink by who, by the prophets or the lowering of
hunger and thirst, they have a great impact on you. They develop the power in you. Likewise, we see that when you're fasting, you have to have surgery, you have to wake up early in the morning, eat at a time that you wouldn't otherwise eat. If thought when you desperately hungry, when you can't wait to eat still, you're delaying, delaying, delaying until the sun sets and then you eat, what does that bring about in you? Patience, and gratitude, patience and gratitude. And that is a part of the quad. Likewise, we see that when you're fasting, in the month of Ramadan, you worship Allah subhanaw taala more, you're with other believers more generally what happens? You go in the morning to work
to school, you come back home, you stay with your family, you go to bed, Okay, the next day starts again, same routine. Friday, perhaps you'll go to the mosque, we can perhaps you go to an Islamic Institute, but in the month of Ramadan, every single day, were you going to the masjid every Friday or every Saturday, perhaps? Where are you going to eat with the rest of the Muslims. So you are worshiping Allah and you're bonding with the community is also getting stronger. So Ramadan, fasting, it brings you closer to Allah, and it also brings you closer to the people. It develops good friendship, good relationships. And then we see that fasting in the month of Ramadan, you
become more productive, you become more busy, busy in what checking your email, cleaning your kitchen. No, you're busy in what righteous deeds, good deeds. So when you're busy and productive, it's an opportunity for self reflection, it's an opportunity for improvement. So fasting is a very, very enriching experience. It has a great effect on our lives in every way. All acts of worship that Allah subhanaw taala has obligated on us. They don't just bring religious benefits to us. They also bring worldly benefits to us. And we see that fasting has many benefits that it brings to us. And this is my last panel, Darla says Lauren Lacan that akun so that you may adopt taco.
There was a video that I watched this yesterday. I don't know if you've heard about it. If you haven't, I would like you to go and watch it and read more about this. It's by productive Ramadan. Google it. They have lots of good videos, lots of good things that you can read, you can watch you can benefit from throughout the month of Ramadan. So they were mentioning that Ramadan, it is a school of productivity, it teaches us to be more productive. Many times, especially these days since Ramadan is in the summer, the thought of Ramadan. It scares us. We think about Ramadan, we're like, No, no, we'll see when it comes. We'll see when next week comes. Don't scare me from now. I don't
want to think about it. Yeah, I know the fast are going to be very long. I don't want to think about it. I'll see when it comes. We immediately shut down at the thought of Ramadan because we are afraid. We are afraid that how are we going to go to school? How are we going to look after our kids? How are we going to cook? How are we going to stay hungry and thirsty all day? And how are we going to pray at night? If Russia is going to be at 1045? What is that all we're going to end and what are we going to sleep. This is the fear that we have. But it's the exact opposite. Ramadan will make you more productive, it will make you more efficient. Why? Because of three reasons. A Ramadan
brings Baraka as in the Hadees we learn that this is Sharon Moroccan it is a blessed month. There is the Baraka that Allah subhanaw taala will place in your time in your food in your drink, that with little food with little water, you will be able to survive the whole day with little sleep you will be able to survive the whole day and with limited
food in your stomach with a hungry stomach, you will be able to do good. Many times it happens that you have a full stomach, you ate your breakfast, you ate your lunch, you had a snack, you slept really well at night. But tell me, do you have a very productive day? Not necessarily. Just because you slept well, just because you ate well does not mean that you will do everything that you want to accomplish in that day, it's quite possible you accomplish nothing. But in the month of Ramadan, let's say you don't get your schoolwork done, at least you will sleep after thoroughly. At least you will sleep after an entire day of fasting. So will you not have something at the end? Yes. So
Ramadan brings Baraka. Secondly, it teaches us discipline, how that we know that we should be waking up early, we should be sleeping early, we should be eating at a particular time. But what happens honestly throughout the year, there are times when we sleep in there are times when we're just sitting in front of the television for an hour or two we just waste that time we kill that time. We know that we should be eating at let's say two o'clock but we end up eating at 330. So the whole day is messed up the whole night is messed up. But we see that in the month of Ramadan. The time for everything is fixed. You cannot move it here there. When it comes to praying Russia at home
Otherwise, you will pray very late. But when it comes to Ramadan, 1045 at the dock, you have to be in the masjid. You can't waste your night. So you have to eat. You can't have breakfast at seven o'clock and finish it at 830. No, you have to eat within a limited amount of time. If you have to eat within a limited amount of time. Many times we delay sleeping. We're just watching television, we're just talking and we're like yeah, I will sleep. But in Ramadan what happens sleep now because this is the only time you have to sleep. It forces you to become disciplined. Ramadan, it also teaches us focus that we're so focused on our goals that no matter what else is happening, we ignore
it. Even if you know that you got a pass, let's say for Wonderland for the summer. And you know that it's time to go this is the only time you'll be able to go because the summertime in winter will be closed. But do you go because you're fasting you don't be like Yeah, I know. But after Ramadan, you want to go to Niagara Falls? Do you want to go to Safari or whatever. But what do you say afterwards? Right now I have this to do I have to put that away. I have to read the Quran. I am fasting. It makes you focused and these lessons these tools of productivity we need throughout the year. But if you think about it, what is it that makes us lazy in the month of Ramadan