Yaser Birjas – Do Not Stop Fasting
AI: Summary ©
The importance of fasting after Easter is discussed, including the transformation of one's life and the opportunity to gain rewards such as reward. The speaker emphasizes the importance of fasting for Allah's agenda and encourages individuals to continue doing so. The benefits of fasting include a " shield against bad behavior" and the ability to remember important dates. The speaker also suggests ways to help others, such as sharing pain and remembering important dates, and encourages people to make it a culture.
AI: Summary ©
My dear brothers and sisters,
after Ramadan is over, please do not stop
fasting.
Do not stop fasting.
Because we have our brothers, our sister and
Gaza, they haven't stopped.
And until this day, they're going through this
genocide
and deprivation of basic necessities of human needs.
Food and drink, it's still scarce and rare
to them. Alhamdulillah, we have so many blessings
that we're enjoying today right now after Ramadan
is over, but let us not
forget about the lessons that we learned from
the month of Ramadan.
Brothers and sisters,
I had a conversation with a few people
in the past couple of days in regards
to fasting after the month of Ramadan, when
they heard about, you know, talking about fasting
Shawwal.
So some people they said, you know, alhamdulillah,
Ramadan is enough for me,
like not even 6 Shawwal.
And other people they say, well, do I
have to? I said, it's not a matter
of you have to.
They say, what did you learn from Ramadan
then?
For many people, it seems that when Ramadan
is over, it's a relief. And it is,
there's no doubt about it.
Because you're carrying right now the burden of
fasting every single day,
stopping your cell from understanding, your cell from
following what it desires, food and drinks and
other pleasures.
But then when Ramadan is over, it's your
leaf, there's no doubt about it. But what
else comes with that? See, Allah
says about
in the context of speaking the ad about
Ramadan,
Allah wills and intends for you
ease, not hardship.
And that is in what? Even when he
prescribed fasting for you,
even as he asked you to fast the
month of Ramadan,
he still
his
enactment of this obligation
is bringing some ease for you.
Maybe you don't see it in the moment
as you fast,
but overall, the concept of Ramadan itself and
the fasting and the social life that comes
with it, and the whole transformation,
all of this brings so many kairats, so
many blessings comes with the fasting of the
month of Ramadan. Brothers and sisters,
those who fast Ramadan and then they stop,
may Allah
reward them. They've done their obligation.
But those who would like to do more,
I have good news for you.
There are great rewards that you can learn,
inshaAllah,
and you can gain from fasting after the
month of Ramadan. Beginning with the 6 days
of Shawwal,
as the prophet
says in the hadith,
He says
whoever fasts the month of Ramadan
and follows that fast with 6 days of
Shawwal.
6 days of Shawwal.
It will count as if you fasted your
entire year.
The word dahar could be for the year,
and if you do that every single year,
that would be what? For your lifetime.
If you do it every year, as if
you've been fasting your lifetime.
We need these opportunities, Ajamal.
We need these opportunities. Subhanallah, I heard a
comment from some of the reverts who embraced
Islam this year, and it was their 1st
Ramadan ever.
When Ramadan was over and they were talking
about their experience of Ramadan, somebody in the
comment section told them about, hey, don't forget
the fast 6 of Shawwal and the Farduz
said, what is that?
And when they were told, they were so
excited that there is even more.
Because for them, like, wow, you get their
word for the whole year? Who wouldn't want
that?
Because of how they're new in faith.
And for them there was an excitement, there
was an experience, but for many of us
who are born in the faith,
just go by it because of tradition has
become unfortunately.
So my dear brothers and sisters, don't stop
fasting
even after Ramadan is over.
See, a man once came to the prophet
your bedwain, come from the desert.
As Sahaba, radiAllahu alaihi wasallam, even when they
heard him speaking to the prophet, sallallahu alaihi
wasallam, they couldn't tell from the accent. They
had no clue what this man is saying
to the prophet He was a heavy accent,
not used to it in the desert people.
And then finally when they heard the prophet
given the answers, that's when they realized, oh,
he's asking about Islam.
And one of the questions he was asking
about, what
are my obligations?
He said, 5 times a day. He goes,
do I need to do anything more? He
goes, no, unless you want to add on
your
own. Okay. What else? He goes, fast amount
of Ramadan.
Anything else? He said, no, unless you want
to add on your own.
You give zakat this much money until if
you want to add on your own. And
the man kept asking and telling the prophet
these are the obligations.
He goes,
he goes, you have my word.
I would never take away from this, but
I'm not going to add anything more.
Like I'll do the bare minimum. That's what
required from me, I will do that. As
the man was leaving the prophet He
He's like I swear if he did that
he's successful.
Brothers and sisters, that is the bare minimum,
but that's not what you need to strive
for.
That's the bad one level.
Someone who's looking for higher level agenda, they're
going to have to work more than this,
and they have to be better than that.
And that's where comes the reward for fasting,
my dear brothers and sisters, the prophet says.
And I'll share with you some of these
rewards
hopefully become an incentive for us to continue
with the fast after the month of Ramadan
is over.
In the translation, the prophet said prior to
this, he goes,
every good deed that you do, every good
deed that the son of Adam does, they
will get 10 times the reward up to
700,
like multiplied up to 700. He goes except
for fasting,
it's exclusively for me, and the reward for
it will be with me.
Now, ulema, they're wondering, what does that even
mean?
Can't we do everything for the sake of
Allah? And when I fast, I do it
for the sake of Allah. When I pray,
I do it for the sake of Allah.
When I give zakah and charity, I'm doing
this for the sake of Allah. So what
does it mean that Ramadan is or fasting
is exclusively for me? So the ulema, they
said, look,
one of them, it's because it was one
of the most the most private and the
most subtle act of irwaida.
When you pray, people could see you. They
could hear you, so it becomes public. When
you give, the news might spread.
But when you fast, the whole day will
will go by. Even your family will know
that you are fasting,
because it's the most private thing. That's one
thing to look at it. The second thing
they say, on the Day of Judgment,
Ibraujib
is
quoting Sufir ibn Aynay Uyayna
as saying that, look, on the day of
judgment when people now they have to start
paying back each other with their hasanat,
if you wronged somebody, may Allah protect us
from this mumuja rabbilamin.
They're gonna take from your hasanat if you
slander someone, you backbite someone, you lied about
somebody,
all these things. There is not gonna be
money
exchanged on that day. It will be taken
from your hasanat, from your merits.
So they will take from your hasanat,
and may Allah protect us. And when the
person's hasanat are all gone, they start taking
from their sayy'at and throwing that individual.
So he's saying over here, based on this
hadith,
the hasanat that you will be used to
exchange with others,
everything else besides the fasting.
The reward for fasting will not be touched.
It will stay
because that was done exclusively for Allah
and Allah will compensate the other people
for what they actually had to go through.
Now, my dear brothers and sisters, that day,
and Allah must stand, we all come, alhamdulillah,
hopefully with mounds of hasanat.
But how many of
us might claim that I came with no
liabilities?
Alhamdulillah, I haven't wronged anybody. I haven't said
anything bad about someone. I haven't done this
bad thing. How many can claim that?
We all need to be compensated for our
khair, alhamdulillah,
and forgiven for our sins. But be careful.
If you've done something to somebody in this
dunya, he's gonna come back at you.
Be careful. Watch what you say and what
you do with these people.
The second thing the prophet mentioned about fasting,
The one who fasts has two moments of
joy and happiness. The day
the moment when you break your fast, that
is now a joy for this dunya. That
fire, alhamdulillah, I'm thirsty, now I'm quenching my
tayr with this beautiful drink.
I'm eating this sweet, alhamdulillah, I'm eating this
meal, and I'm satisfied. I'm so joyful for
that. And joy, of course, obviously, because I
made it until the end of the day.
And as the day is getting longer and
longer right now, you can imagine now how
harder it gets to fast in the summer.
We're still doing it.
And the second, he says,
that moment when you meet your Lord
with a list
of days
and years probably of fasting.
Brothers and sisters,
if you know that the one who is
providing that
reward is the most generous
what do you expect from him?
Then he says
When every soul shall see for itself what
they had sent forth from this dunya.
You're going to see it.
Are you going to see their word for
it? And And if it's coming again for
the most generous, what do you expect from
him
Another thing the prophet mentioned,
the smell that comes up from the mouth
of the fasting person.
It's more sweeter to Allah
than the than the scent of the musk.
Now what does that mean? We know exactly
what this is happening because you're hungry, your
stomach is empty, so that's why the smell
actually comes out.
But why the prophet, salallahu alaihi wa sallam,
why Allah, azzawajal, considered this smell, which is
considered
a bad smell for humans,
why would Allah say that's more beautiful to
me than the than the musk?
It's because you're doing this, and you're now
enduring the hardships and the difficulties and the
thirst and the hunger all for the sake
of Allah
So you're going through unpleasant
events
to please
Allah Allah will be pleased with you for
these matters.
This is just like when you go to
Hajj.
The prophet mentioned on the day of Arafah,
one of the most blessed days of the
entire year.
When he said, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, describing the
people who came for Arafat, to the angels,
he goes, what my people need from me?
What are they asking
me? They came disheveled,
dusty,
sweaty.
You can imagine right now, not a pleasant
condition to be in.
But that makes us feel probably bad and
guilty in that moment. Allah relieves
us from that feeling by saying, I love
that from you.
I love it from you. So when you
endure the hardship
of the Ibadah that would result in unpleasant
events, it's okay. Allah
will be pleased with you because of that.
Brothers and sisters,
there's a special gate in Jannah called Arayan.
Very special gate. The prophet says
There's one special gate in Jannah called Arayan
where people quench their thirst.
He said, this is exclusively
given to those who fast regularly.
Not just Ramadan,
regularly.
They fast regularly. And he said
once those people
go in, the door will be closed after
them.
What does that mean, Jema'? It means they
will be recognized.
These individuals for
each and every one of them will have
that very special unique title.
And after they all get in, it's going
to be closed. People of Jannah those of
Jannah will be still open,
but this one is exclusive. So that's an
exclusive club,
an exclusive group of people. Won't you want
to be one of those very unique, special
people of Allah
I want to do that.
So I'm going to increase my fasting throughout
the whole year.
Brothers and sisters,
the prophet says about the reward for fasting
1 single day. He said
If you ever fast one single day for
the sake of Allah
Allah will put a distance between you and
the fire about 70 years travel,
which means far away from jahannam for one
single day. Imagine when you do that on
a regular basis,
how far you put yourself away from that
punishment.
Brothers and sisters,
prophet said
fasting is a shield,
which indeed it is. Because when you're fasting,
you remind yourself what you're doing is right
or wrong. I'm not supposed to be doing
that. You feel guilty if you're doing something
bad because you realize, look, I'm fasting, I'm
not supposed to watch these things or do
these things and so on. It's a protection.
It's a shield,
supposed to prevent you from doing something that
you know is wrong. And if you start
doing it, it's a reminder for you to
reflect and stay away from it and stop
it.
So if you know that you have bad
habits
that require from you to stop them and
stay away from them, fasting would help
you. It would. But don't let the shaitan
deceive you and fool you by saying, look,
you really gonna fast, you do all these
things during the night and tomorrow you're gonna
be fasting? Say,
Yes, I will.
I'm not going to deprive
myself from the mercy of Allah
before it's not my fault.
It's a golden opportunity my dear brothers and
sisters. As Salmujuna,
fasting indeed has all these beautiful benefits from
the akhah and the dunya. One more thing,
which I want to add to it, is
from a from a worldly, worldly benefit. Brothers
and sisters,
nowadays, one of those fancy things people, they
promote, you know, for health and diet and
so on, The intermittent fasting,
in which they ask people to fast, you
know, regularly.
And even the article that I read about
this, they suggested to fast Mondays Thursdays.
The only thing left from that article is
to say Raul Bukhari.
Like seriously, they wrote everything that we know
from our deen and from our sunnah to
be from our deen.
And then they found out about it just
recently that it's something very beautiful.
And alhamdulillah, we don't need your research to
tell us that this is actually something good.
We have Rasulullah, and salaam, is the best
example,
and I want to do it.
So don't stop fasting, my dear brothers and
sisters, for all those beautiful rewards that you
get, and on top of that, because I
want to keep this as a constant reminder,
as long as my brothers and sisters in
Gaza are going through what they're going through,
I want to feel with them.
I don't want to stop feeling with their
pain, I don't want to stop remembering what
they're going through. And not just our brother,
Sultan Gaza, what's happening in Sudan right now,
for brothers in China, the oil community,
what happens in Yemen and Syria. And there
are many,
many people out there, they don't have the
privilege of having a meal after a long
day.
At least we can just share that pain
so we can always remind ourselves to be
there for our brothers and sisters around the
world.
My dear brothers and sisters, if you ask
what day should I fast? Here's a few
things I can suggest for you. There are
sometimes there are specific occasions happen
annually,
such as fasting 6 days of Shawwal, you
still have about,
20 days left for you to do that.
And for the ladies, if they want to
fast, make up the days of Ramadan
versus, you know, fast the 6 days of
Shawwal, you can still do the 6 days
of Shawwal and then fast the Ramadan days
afterwards. That's what Aisha
used to do.
Regarding other days, you have Arafas coming up
soon, InshaAllah, and Ashura after that. There are
special occasions. Don't misinterpret to the fast these
days. But it happens also once a year.
Then you have what you have on a
monthly basis, the 3 blessed days the prophet,
the
white night,
when the moon is full, 13, 14, 15
of every month, make sure to do that.
We talk about the lower calendar over here.
And if you want something on a weekly
basis, hamdulillah, you have Mondays and Thursdays. The
prophet used to do that on a regular
basis.
If you want to have more than this,
then the best fast the prophet suggested for
us was
every other day.
But take it easy on yourself though.
Making sure that you do the right thing,
that the most consistent for you is the
best way to do it, Insha'Allah.
Last thing over here. If someone, let's say,
woke up in the morning and it's already
actually 10 AM, he did not eat anything
from Fajr time, and now, just, you know
what, it's 10 AM, can I fast this
day as an optional day of Saman nafil?
The answer is yes.
You can do that, you don't have to
have the intention from before. That's for the
nafir, not for the fars.
For the fars, you need to have the
intention from before. But for Nafil, the prophet
used to go to the house
and he asked if there's anything to eat.
They would say, you Rasool Allah, we have
nothing today. He was okay, don't worry about
it, I'm fasting.
And he would fast
to get the reward for that day, so
you can do it. You can do it
my dear brothers and sisters, make it a
culture. Because it will help us as a
community, feel with one another. And that's the
least we could do to another inshaAllah
to be there for each other inshaAllah.