Four Pillars of Ramadan 1

smilla al hamdu Lillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah while early he was beheaded mine, Salaam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh My dear brothers and sisters and welcome to Episode 104 concerning the Ramadan course. Now in this particular episode inshallah tada we will discuss and talk about the essence and the importance of fasting itself. Now, there are a number of different perspectives we can deal with this topic, there are ways of mentioning how the football heart how the jurisprudence scholars would deal with the matter, they would bring evidences from the Koran and then the Sunnah. And then the consensus, the agreement of the scholars and statements of the

companions, and the scholars after that to establish the ruling concerning fasting. But in this particular topic, we're not only going to delve into that, in a very light way, but also speak about other aspects of fasting, so that we get an understanding of the importance of Ramadan and fasting and how that should impact us as Muslims.

Many occasion we find ourselves studying these matters and it becomes very much a theoretical knowledge, it becomes something which we are studying, just for the sake of learning, and not understanding how we can implement these issues in our lives, that we want to become true servants and slaves of Allah subhanaw taala not just individuals who learn pieces of information, and then pass that on to others. No doubt Allah subhanaw taala tells us about the obligation of fasting in the only place that we find fasting mentioned in the Quran. Subhana Allah in only one place in the entire Quran, do we find the obligation of fasting mentioned which is in chapter number two in salt

or Bukhara? The very famous verse where Allah subhanaw taala says yeah, you have lithium metal. Oh, you who have believed quotevalet Kumasi mo kemah katiba Alan Levine Cava de la la quinta takuan. Now, even though this particular verse is very, very short, its meaning is very, very profound. And it links us so panela not only to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, but it links us to previous nations. It links us to previous Muslims, who also used to fast sapan Allah. So Allah subhanaw taala begins by addressing us as the believers that fasting has been prescribed has been made an obligation upon you, as it was made an obligation upon previous nations. So for example, Musashi Salim, an ISA la

Salatu, salam, all of these great and beautiful prophets who came before these nations who came before, a lot of Baraka to Allah, obligated upon them fasting, so there's not something new

at the end of the verse, Allah so panel dialysis, and this is the secret. This is the key to understanding the fasting, that I like him that akun that we fast not for the sake of losing weight. We fast not for the sake of keeping our money and not spending as much money. But to have Taqwa and taqwa can, of course, be translated in a number of different ways.

There isn't one word in the English language that actually translates equally to the word taqwa. Rather, we need a number of words like God consciousness, that there is a fee of a loss of penalty and that there is an awareness and we're moving all these words together. it somewhere brings us close to what Allah subhanaw taala wants from us in gaining taqwa of Allah subhanho wa Taala.

There are many places in the Quran about Allah subhanaw taala commands us to have Taqwa of Allah subhana wa Tada. So if a person questions and asks, How do I gain taqwa of Allah subhanaw taala as mentioned the answer in another verse, that if you fast and you fast correctly, then inshallah to Allah this will be a path for you having taqwa God consciousness, of fear and awareness of Allah so panel to Allah, that before you make a statement before you say anything before you make a step, before you interact with anybody, you have an awareness and you think about is Allah subhanaw taala pleased with me, is this a rewardable act? Is this an act that may take me away from Allah subhanaw

taala or bring me close to Allah subhanaw taala This is the kind of feeling this is what taqwa should and how it should impact a servant of Allah Subhana Allah to Allah. Another important aspect of all fasting is understanding the fifth is understanding what is permissible for me, and what is not permissible for me as a fasting person. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said in the sound Hadith, that a person who does not avoid and stay away from foul speech cursing and swearing, than Allah subhanaw taala has no need for that person to stay away from their food and their drink. So when we fast is not just an exercise of staying away from food and drink, but it is an exercise

of training.

Training ourselves of how to speak properly, and how to behave properly, that fasting is also fasting of the tongue, fasting of the eyes and fasting of the ears, fasting of the hands, your entire essence, your whole body is fasting. And is not just for you to, at the time of support just before Salatin forget that you eat as much as you can. And then you sleep for the whole day. And then you wake up just before Salatin and then you say to yourself, I have fasted. Can we say that this person who has fasted in this manner is like the individual who woke up intentionally before the federal came, had to hold remembering that the Prophet sallallahu Sallam said to Soho that you

should have sold for enough we have olika that there is indeed in suhoor, that there was a blessing. This person who intentionally takes this position, prays federal, and then goes about their business in the day, remembering Allah soprano to either remembering brothers and sisters that fasting isn't just staying away from food and drink, but it is an exercise Ramadan is a madrasa. It is a school for us to go through for us to remind ourselves what is our relationship with a loss of power to either How close are we to Allah, Allah Allah. In the month of Ramadan, there are the five pillars, the first one, La Ilaha, Illallah, Muhammad Rasul Allah, then there is the establishment of the

Salah, in so many different forms, not the only the obligations, but the introduction of Torah we and keyamo lead. There is a care as a cattle fitter, which is of course slightly different from soccer, but as a reminder for us to give soccer, which is paid right at the end of Ramadan. And then there is the implementation of the fourth pillar, which is a cm which is fasting itself. And fifthly Hajj, how does Hajj fit into Ramadan? We know that the Prophet sallallaahu Selim told us that whoever performs in Amara in Ramadan, the ideal hedger that is equal in reward to performing hajj.

So the month of Ramadan is a reminder for us all of all five pillars in Al Islam.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was the most generous of people, the kindness of people, that when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would fast in the month of Ramadan, this would impact him, in that he would become more generous, and he would share more. And this is something that the companions or the Allahu Allah and home that they would notice, in any of the issues which became difficult for them to understand. They would go to the Prophet sallallahu ala who it was sending him, especially when it has something to do with their own a bird, something to do with their worship. So for example, in matters of purification, they would after the messenger sallallahu

alayhi wa sallam is this Hillel for me? Am I allowed to make mobile with seawater for example, on one occasion under the Prophet Allah seldom gave them permission to do that. So the companions are not allowed to and whom they would not hold back. They would not be fearful of asking the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam about matters of their religion. And this is something that similarly we shouldn't be shy of. Something we should avoid. If there are matters that are involved in our worship of Allah subhana wa Tada. We do as Allah jello Allah tells us first victory in contumely, Allah moon, that you go to the people of knowledge, if you do not to know. So, whether it is

regarding your purification, what is regarding your Salah was the care of fasting or Hajj or any matter of your embed, that you go to the people of knowledge and you ask, and if you have an opportunity to learn a subject, from its roots from the foundations, that you want to educate yourself, then this is what is required of you. We are not people, a lot of panatela does not require us to be people are always depending on other people, that we remain at a certain level of knowledge, and that we are required to then go to the people of knowledge like this, but rather Allah subhanaw taala wants us to learn, wants us to educate ourselves. The practice of the Prophet

sallallahu alayhi wa sallam similarly would educate the companions and the companions would then take that knowledge. And when they've understood it, they will then pass it on to their families and the generations who came after them. This is one of the biggest goals of of knowledge is not only just to bring in that knowledge, but is to become part of you that it changes you. And fasting is one of the greatest acts of a birder, which can have that impact on you but even relate to it remembering that there are many acts of a bad many acts of worship, which there was a specific reward for that. So praying a Salah to Gemma is better than praying alone 25 or 27 times depending

on the different narrations that I mentioned concerning that, so the reward is specifically mentioned. However, we know that Abu radi Allahu Akbar, the great companions said that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that allegedly what Allah said in the sacred

Howdy, howdy john could see the all the deeds of them are for him except fasting. And Allah subhanaw taala will give a special reward for fasting, something that we don't know we cannot quantify the reward for fasting. This is what sets aside fasting. And this what sets one of the reasons that sets the month of Ramadan out of all the other months that we are doing a particular act of a burden that you don't know the reward that you're going to get. And this is a Subhanallah one way that Alexander Allah wants us to rely and trust on him even more, not necessarily that you're doing the maths, okay, and you're doing the accountability that if I do this action, for example, for every letter of

the Quran, I get 10 Hassan and you're doing the maths. You kind of know the reward in Charlotte Allah that you will get, if you're, of course sincere. But fasting is something that you're blindfolded in that you do the act of a burger and the reward is completely unknown to you. This is the beauty of fasting. Of course we do know that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa alayhi wa sallam said that whoever fasts a day, fee severely low in the path of Allah Subhana Allah, but Allah who was one in Nerys, they're in a hurry for that over fasts a day for the sake of velocity panel to Allah, that Allah Allah Allah will distance that person's face away from the Hellfire for 70 years.

This is no doubt as euro nauseam a great reward. Now imagine a person who is fulfilling one of the pillars of Islam. One who is fasting, not just understanding that I stay away from food and drink, but understands the essence of fasting. Now I look back on that every part of the day that they are going through. They remember that the purpose of fasting is for me to attain taqwa, not for me to lose weight or to save money. The purpose of me fasting is to get close to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, and that fasting has a special reward. The only a larger lower Allah knows that reward that the Prophet sallallahu Sallam informed us all that there is a gate of Jenna Jenna has many gates

many entrances. But there is one gate Bible raian which is one of the names of the gates of gender, that only those who truly fasted correctly and for the sake of philosophy panel to hell, that they will enter through remembering these virtues and blessings and graces from Allah subhanaw taala that when you fast, these are the motivations for you remembering, it is not a physical exercise. The physical exercise is secondary to the spiritual exercise that you are going through. It is an opportunity for you to look at yourself and your relationship with the last panel to Adam. The years can fly by from one to the next. So panela we remember last time on doesn't seem that long ago, it

doesn't seem that much. A few months Even so, panel, here we are, again, what I'm Yvonne is at the doorstep, our lives are passing us by, he has an opportunity, a lot of other places in front of us. Maybe we will make that for ourselves by by our last panel tell His mercy. He obligates this fasting upon us for one year, one month a year for us to remind ourselves where we are with regards to our Lord, how we are worshiping Him, how sincere we are to him, how much of a sacrifice I'm willing to make and how attached I am to the dunya

when Ramadan comes it's not about filling your trolleys.

It is not about how much you can hoard or you can stock order these things are secondary, because Allah subhanaw taala will provide just as Allah subhanaw taala provided for you, when you could eat and drink when you like you will provide it for for 11 months. Now it is assumed that you will eat even less. So why do you think that you need even more food and drink during this particular time? Maybe it is that you have misunderstood the secret to the key to fasting and it is not just to prepare yourself and to save your body but to nourish your soul. If you nourish your soul in turn inshallah to Allah, you will nourish your body. And this is as important if not more important, to

nourish your soul with the remembrance of Allah subhanaw taala submission for the sake of Allah subhanaw taala everything that comes after that is secondary. So my dear brothers and sisters understanding this particular section of our a badger, this relationship that we have with Allah subhanaw taala is of the utmost importance, knowing what is halal and what is haram. What will break my fast, what will not break my fast. The fact that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam sent to us in a sound Hadith that whoever mistakenly unintentionally forget fully eats or drink something while they are fasting. This does not break your fast rather than a loss of power to Allah provided

for that person. how important that is for us to know the rulings when we are fasting. If a person is unaware of these issues, then the person is possibly questioning

themselves is my fast valid. I said a bad word, or I did a particular action. Do I need to repeat my fast those sisters who are pregnant? What are the rulings concerning? Do I have to fast? If I'm breastfeeding My child, am I required to fast? Or do I just pay for a day? Or do I need to make up the days later one, these are very important issues for us to understand as Muslims, because they represent the fundamentals of our faith. It is a shame that many of us do not see the importance of these issues. And maybe just rely on when the season for fasting comes, that I'll just make a phone call. I read a book, I listened to a lecture just to educate myself concerning that. But rather, as

we mentioned, that I'm Yvonne is that school that you will go through for a month that inshallah to Allah will have an impact on you for the next 11 months, until Ramadan comes around again, brothers and sisters, the importance of understanding this particular pillar of Islam, this blessed month of Ramadan, is of the utmost importance. It is as the Prophet sallallaahu Selim informed us that Islam is built upon five Islam, our religion built upon five foundations, and one of them is seen as fasting the month of Ramadan. We asked a lot of panatela to give us the element nerfed to give us beneficial knowledge and to distance us away from hell effort to distance ourselves from differences

of opinion which do not affect us and which may cause harm to us, to distance us away from knowledges which do not cause us any benefit at all, which may lead us into haram alarm. I mean, you shall have to Allah until we have our next lesson. Bartok Aloha, was Salam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh