Tariq Ramadan – Ramadan Chronicles #08 Depravity and angelism

Well, I've been talking about all these resistances

that we have to experience during Ramadan and

during our life. And there is one dimension

that we have to come back to it

because it's central in our understanding of, what

it means to be a Muslim, what it

means to, for example,

to fast as we are fasting now. It's

the middle path, and we keep on repeating

and we made you a nation of the

middle path. The middle path is important, and

we have temptations that are describing

our being as the way we can be

attracted by the worst and the be the

way we can be, we can yearn for

the better. And this is where we have

to find this balance, this stability between the

two extremes

that are both in a way negative.

So this is a struggle. This is where

we have in Surat Al Rahman,

You should not lose the balance between being

a human being, knowing what it means to

be a human being, and to look at

who you are. And this is why we

have in the Quran

the way he created

our being, the human being, and we have

within this being, this attraction,

towards

what is,

perversion.

And at the same times, we are attracted

by what is the best in our way

of dealing with our ethics, our values. So

this is where,

as Muslims, we need to find a middle

path, and we need not to try to,

behave and to let ourselves,

behave

as,

beast and be this * that we can

find in our life. This should be avoided.

This should be prevented. This is why we

have to protect ourselves. And we have it

in the Quran.

They are like animals, and they are, they

are like beasts, and they are even worse

than them because they are following not only

their instincts, which is what the the the

the animals are doing, but more importantly, what

they are doing is that they are

humanity

and, nature in a way which has no

respect,

no consideration,

no understanding. On the other side, we should

remember

not to to

to behave or to think that we are

angels because we are not. We are committing

sins. We are not perfect, and this is

also a way of protecting ourselves from being

arrogant. Even if we are believing in god

and we say, I am a believer,

I'm a Muslim. Yes. But be careful in

the Quran what you ask.

Don't,

put our heart astray.

Keep us on the right path knowing that

we are fragile, we are vulnerable, and we

need to have his support in order to

remain on the right path. So no arrogance

and no perception that we are the worst,

human beings. We are in between, and we

have to keep the balance.

Resisting

the extremes is something which is part of

our spiritual journey, and this is the most

important resistance. One of the most difficult one,

but the essential one.

Remember and not never forget to tell the

people you love that you love them,

and I will,

meet you again for another chronicle.