Tariq Ramadan – Ramadan Chronicles #07 Selfishness
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The speaker discusses the importance of avoiding selfish behavior and the need to resist it in order to achieve spiritual transformation. They explain that this is essential in Islam and that praying, practicing, and giving are essential elements for achieving this transformation. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of understanding the spiritual path and teaching in order to resist selfish behavior.
AI: Summary ©
Peace be with you.
We have been talking about all these g
heads and all these resistances
that we know are essential. And we spoke
about the ego, and we spoke also about
forgetfulness, and we spoke about
a slantation, a ria.
There is one notion which is important, which
is the consequence of being close to our
own ego and jailed in the ego
is selfishness.
Selfishness and and you have the word the
self, which is how we are going to
deal with what we have
in
as a consequence of the way we are
dealing with who we are. There is a
connection here between the way I deal with
who I am and the way I deal
with what I have. In fact, on the
other way around,
I can see it's visible to the way
I'm dealing with what I
have, which
is in fact
revealing who I am. And when it comes
to our relationship to God, everything in Islam
has to do with
giving
and being and straggling against our own,
selfishness.
The point here is what we have at
the beginning of the Quran in Surat Al
Baqarah,
which is relating,
believing,
practicing, and giving.
And we have it, in fact, in the
Quran. That there is the invisible
visible dimension of the practice
is the way they are praying, and they
give from what they,
we provided them with, which is everything.
I mean, Marazakhnakhom, it's not only the money.
It's not only, what you have. It's it
it could be all the qualities,
all the the the the the the things
that are defining you, your time, your,
the way that your heart, heart, your mind,
the way you listen to the people, but
also what you have. This is the very
understanding,
of Islam at the beginning, this connection
between praying,
practicing,
and giving to the people and the starting
of the revelations. The very the very beginning
has to do with
the poor, serving the poor.
You have to serve and and to give
this their dignity to the poor people, which
is exactly
opposite of this selfishness.
To be with god is to understand that
you have to liberate yourself from your ego
and to give, to give, and to give
more.
So this is
so essential in Islam that we have the
the second practical
pillar that we have in Islam is a
zakat, and a zakat is the the the
right of the poor on what you have,
understanding that the way you are dealing with
what you have is purifying
what you your havings but also purifying your
being. So there is a connection
here in this purification
process,
and this is the way you have to
resist
selfishness.
And you have it in the
Quran.
Those who are protected from their own selfishness,
those are the successful
for people. This is the very understanding of
the spiritual path, the spiritual teaching of Islam
that we need to achieve in our life,
resisting
our ego, resisting our selfishness
in order to free ourself, to liberate
ourself, and with god to be and to
give,
to be and to serve,
to be and to give and to serve.
This is our way.
This is our freedom.
Don't forget to tell the people you love
that you love them.