Tariq Ramadan – Ramadan Chronicles #07 Selfishness

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.