Moving Forward after Ramadan: Self Improvement…
This talk was delivered at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center.
Moving Forward after Ramadan: Self Improvement…
This talk was delivered at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center.
You don't want to study you want to stop when I wrote the Villa misura fusina I was at a marina Maria de la la la la la
la la, la la la la la la la la sharika lah Sharona Muhammad Abdul or pseudo yeah you alladhina amanu taco la Ducati volatile una 11 to Muslim moon. Yeah un NASA Takara Bakula de la Kakuma. nafsa wahida Allah common Hello Java salmon humare Jalan kathira one Isa, taco la la de de or ham in a la can la Riva?
Yeah you alladhina amanu taco la kulu colon sadita use la Kumar Manoj Kumar lacandon obaku la hora pseudo focus faza nazima lm arriba de la Sol cannon kurama la hora Katara el * * Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Mashallah muramasa to her Hakuna Matata tiempo de la calidad en la la la, la la la la la, La MaMa battery by de la MADI brothers and sisters. First and foremost, I would like to say to all of you it Mubarak, Allah subhanho wa Taala accept your fasting. Let me know I'll accept your dm and I'll accept your good deeds of Ramadan era Brahmin Allah make the deeds and Ramadan all together heavy for you and your skills. And with that you'll be entered in general for
those that Allah was the prophets of Allah subhanaw taala him now that Ramadan is over, and he the candlelight is also over. Now what? What's next for me? What's next for you? What do you want to do? Are you gonna go backwards? Are you gonna go and move forward? This is about moving forward after the month of Ramadan. You see as human beings is just like in technology, you don't go backward on technology should always go forward, you should always move forward, which means you always look for updates and upgrades. Every single year, when a new software comes out, what do you do? Do you go and you install something that has old version of it? Or you're going to install something that a
new version of it? Now my question for myself and for all of you. What kind of version of yourself Would you like to install after the month of Ramadan?
Are you going to be installing 2.0 yourself? Or you're going to go back and just install 1.01 more time? What is it that you're going to be doing after the month of Ramadan? self improvement is very essential and very important. In this group or shout louder. I wanna I want to share with you this concept, the concept of moving forward after the month of Ramadan, and the concept of self improvement and development and updating yourself every single day, not just every single year. But at least we keep it in our minds. after Ramadan. It's time to update an upgrade. Not the opposite. Why is that? Because in Islam, it's all about moving forward, not about going backward. You see when
the Prophet sallallahu Sallam he was he was
presented by in an incident that we all probably have learned when we were young, when jabril came to him in the form of a human being. And then he sat in front of him. He had his hands and he said I'm on the sides of the Prophet sallallahu wasallam Melissa asked him questions. Allah Bernie, Islam told me about Islam. Tell me about a man. Tell him about a son. He was asking him one question after the other. And the process the lesson was given the answers Islam was on so Eman was on so and so was on so so basically he was answering about Islam, Eman and son. And if you understand the meaning of this hadith is actually the process of development. That's a life journey. Your life is all about
moving from being Muslim, to being movement to being Muslim.
Again,
it's all about being Muslim, big movement, and being Muslim, Muslim. This is when you practice the regular acts of faith and movement. When you have that in your heart and you improve and more you become more spiritual. So you're Muslim, you're religious. When you're Mormon, you're spiritual. And then there is now higher than just being spiritual. There's my son, is you being perfect in your good deeds? That's the highest level of Islam. before Ramadan, we were Muslim in
we were religious. During the month of Ramadan, we added more we became more meaning. Because why would anyone even fast starve themselves you know, all these hours for 30 to 49 days back to back? Why would anyone wants to stay up all night doing all these things? It has to be with a man that they believe there's a reward for what they're doing. And now that Ramadan is over, what is left for us is to go back to Islam or moving forward to the sun.
That's my question. I always asked myself out of the month of Ramadan, am I gonna go back again to Islam, which means just being religious and do the basics or should I move from being 100
doing more in Ramadan to doing perfect after Ramadan to the same level and we all know that the whole creation was good for us and as Allah subhanho wa Taala says the Baraka lady via the moon wahoo Allah coalition Kadir, Allah the helical moto and hyah, Talia Beluga au come Assalam Allah, Allah subhanho wa Taala at the beginning of Surah tabarrok He says, He will he created life and death, Al moto will hire for what they are looking to try you to test you. Or you can ask Allah who will be most perfect in their deeds. Ramadan as all, this is the time we upgrade, we update, we move forward, we don't go backward. And we sell Allah serum even he taught some of the Sahaba this
principles like if he knew someone was good, he would ask them to do something better and even more in the story of have sort of the law of the land or the wife of the Prophet sallallahu wasallam the daughter of Roma, she came to the Prophet Salah Salem with a dream her brother so Abdullah bin Ahmad was a young guy, he was so shy to ask the Prophet xlsm directly but of course he has connection. So he went through his sister. And he asked, he says, could you please ask the Prophet says about my dream. So hafsa approached the processor last summer husband and she told him about her brother, so he gave her the interpretation. But then he added something extra to it. He said, you know, talking
to his wife right now about her brother. He says NEMA Rajan Abdullah akumina life
like Abdullah What a wonderful guy. I wish he would wake up just to do family. But what he's missing is the wake up for 200 that's what he's missing. So half so she went to Abdullah she told the professor Sam said so and so about you and Abdullah since then was never seen at night sleeping the whole night. Everything and I would probably wake up at least to do to rica now that's what you call upgrade. That's what you got update right now. He moving forward isn't moving backward since then, he never stopped doing that or the law of the land. And what was the result of being so undoing so he became one of the most popular so hobbies are following the example of the Prophet sallallahu
wasallam he didn't stop on this one. He knew he understood Okay, the progresses want me to do more and do best. So he was always following the Prophet Salah Salem to try to do everything the problem would do. He was even to the extent some, some people they say was he was so much into the sooner they became very literalist, even with the the practices of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Alright. But the point made overheated, Abdullah never stopped developing, never stopped improving, never stopped moving forward. And that's what we need to do is to have rhodiola even as the hammer they understood that, and they looked for it. So in the story of the poor people, even those who
didn't have much, they don't have much, what could they do? So they went to the Prophet sallallahu Sallam and they said, Yasser Allah, Allah, the story below Jude jasola, the rich people, they're getting all the reward.
They pray, we pray, they fast we fast button they give, we don't have anything to give. Are they getting all the reward? So the professor certainly told them, You know, I know something that if you practice, you will get similar reward to what they're doing.
Wow. Even if you don't have money, and you do something that doesn't have to cost you anything, you still get the same reward like giving charity. And so how about this? What is it the Euro Sorolla? He says, the lasala that you do.
And he said to say, such as sort of the spirit and this car and so on, so he gave them a certain degree of it. And this hub, which is specifically the one that you do after regular solid, the five daily prayers, so they start doing this and they were very excited with hamdulillah. Now, with in the next level, guess what happened next. The same for people they come back to the prophets, Allah Solomon said, Yasser Allah, our brothers, the wealthy people, they heard about it, and now they're doing it.
Like, you see, they heard about this, and now they're doing this to Oregon to do now. And that's when the prophets Allah, Sam says Delica photo la Utica. This is the photo of Allah, the blessing of Allah subhanho wa Taala. He gives it to whomever he was.
The point from this head once again, is that these two have, they're always looking for opportunities for improvement. I was looking for that. How many times the professor lesson was asked jasola Emily often, which of the good deeds is the best? What's the point of asking this question just to record that and just make a post on it on Twitter or social media as much as the good deeds? Okay, are you doing it?
Are you part of this? Are you practicing this? That's the whole point. That's the hammer they would ask for the best good deeds so they can achieve and they think of the worst deeds so they can stay away from. It's about self development. It's about moving forward in their lives. It's always about moving forward in Islam, and emancipation, even the ladies of the Sahaba, the female sahabas they had that concern to others.
In a traditional society, where people expect women to be confined to her house, taking care of the husband and family and so on, so they thought they will, they're getting less reward because the men are doing all that stuff of going with the Prophet sallallahu sallam, Misato Juma and all these things. So they went to the Prophet complaining Yasser Allah, the men are taking all the reward what is left for us?
So she was asked you said your Salah, they go with you for Hajj they go Do you know for for Reba for Tata jihad, disability law is fast, they pray Gemma, and we don't do these things, we don't have time for these things. So how are we going to match with them in terms of rewards, the Prophet sallallahu Sallam he was so so excited about the question that he had been brought to the attention of the people around him. He said to the men, have you ever heard the lady who was more eloquent in presenting her case like this lady? And they said, No, no, sir. That's that's, that's very smart. That's very intelligent, really. It's amazing, basically. So the prophet SAW said, We told her so
you tell the ladies who sent you that you're taking care of their household is equivalent to all the rewards we're looking for. Like basically, if you're already busy, you don't even have much time left for you to do individually. vada allows rewarding you with your intentions, even if you don't have time for it. Just being busy taking care of what you do to take care of, it's more rewarding for you. But again, it was all about self development and improvement, they were looking for opportunities to move to the next level, not going backward on their good deeds. So my dear brothers and sisters, now that Ramadan is over, and aid is over as well. And many, many people now slowly and
gradually, slowly, gradually going back again to what they considered normal schedule.
Why do you call it even normal schedule? or regular schedule? Why?
Why can't you start a new norm?
Why can't you create a new norm, the new norm is a new thing that you develop, that you do, and it becomes something better. And again, it's self improvement. And slowly and gradually, even if you make some changes, positive change in your life, every year after Ramadan. 10 years from now, you will be shallow to Allah way ahead of where you are today.
But if every single year, after the end of the month of Ramadan, we just let go.
Because we know it is what it is I'm gonna have to go back again to my normal lifestyle and schedule and descender. What happened to the time when you were able to come for solitary Russia or wake up before failure to eat a meal or do this or do that? What about you know what you were taking break during time during your lunch hour and you go and you pray, Satoshi Masato Dora the message, what happened to all these opportunities, it was easy for you then. So what really changed? What changed is the way we think the way we believe in ourselves that we can't keep up with that. So therefore, just let it go. We go back again, to our regular schedule a normal schedule. Basically what we're
doing, we are submitting, and we are going backwards, instead of actually upgrade we downgrade.
Don't do that to yourself. And here are a few tips in sha Allah, Allah, how you can continue improving vanilla xojo. The first thing
the first advice I want to give to you is what Allah subhanho wa Taala reviewed first the most, what's the most important thing he said?
Read this miracle, Allah read in the name of your Lord who created
reading is a is a is a lost skill in our time, unfortunately. And by the way, when I say read, I don't mean reading your comments and your social media and your WhatsApp groups and all that doesn't count. No, I'm not talking about this. I'm not talking about you reading the titles and the head, the headlines of things and just keep forwarding to other people without even clicking on the link to read versus what's in that article. Now I'm talking about serious reading, reading with a purpose that you read in order to learn something new, not just for entertainment, read food, learn to learn something new, that's what counts. And there is so much you could read Subhanallah even if you go on
read on the internet, there's so much you could read there. But it has to be with a purpose has to be with a with a certain schedule with a certain you know, intent, and they're not just reading for the sake of just you know, say that I read something. Obviously, reading books, unfortunately has now if reading was a lost skill or look about reading books to pantalon not so many people reading books anymore.
Because it's too long. It's too boring. It's too static. It's not dynamic anymore. Watching a 32nd video about the same concept is better than sitting there for two hours reading three, four chapters from a book. But you know what, if you really want to have developments of development, you have to induce some hardship. And reading is one of those skills Allah subhanho wa Taala says ikura Bismillah Allahu Allah read in the name of your Lord. Okay.
Created Allah subhanho wa Taala says Paul hellyer esta Willa Dena Allah moon Allah in Allah Allah moon knowledge is power, are they equal? He says upon wattana those who know and those who know not, obviously the answer is no. So knowledge is power, the more you know, the better you will have inshallah, the way you deal with with your life on your things, and even to show how potent knowledge in Islam when the Prophet sallallahu wasallam he, he dealt with with the prisoners of wars, after better the Battle of better there were 70 Plus, he ransom them out sallallahu wasallam and part of the ransom that he suggested for them, that if any one of you who told them if anyone
who is as an educated person, if anyone can teach 10 children from the Medina community, if anyone can teach children, children, how to read and write your free
act, teach the teaching children would set them free. This is how important knowledge is or demand. Now, what are we going to be reading this summer? Go ahead, go and read, read whatever you want. Obviously, I would like to recommend for you to put the Quran at the top of your list. And Hadith also comes right after that read from the other side of him read from Bukhari for Muslim books of Hadith. And there is whatever you want after that, as long as something that's beneficial for you in dunya and the alpha Oh my God allow us to say, I hate to see an intelligent strong man sitting idle do nothing.
Like he said nothing laughs You surely
like I hate to see a young guy who's strong, who's intelligent can have so much time on his hand. And he's doing absolutely nothing to benefit his dunya or even after, like fine you don't want to do something for the axon could do something good for your dunya something that would would earn you would earn you position would earn you money with some that will improve you will help you shala become better Muslim hopefully. But do something that is beneficial. And you have to learn and you have to read in order to get to that level and shallow who are Donna? Another thing I was suggesting this summer which is something people in Ramadan, many, many people in Ramadan, were coming asking
this question 100 Allah, which is beautiful. And even after Ramadan, people came to me and they asked me chef, you know, how can we learn or improve in our Arabic language.
So that's my suggestion for you learn a new language, whether it's Arabic, Spanish, whatever that is, I'm assuming that you already know English, right? So basically learn a new language because to paler learning a new language, it really it's really important. It's it helps your brain you know, developing and it's a new challenge that will open your horizon for many, many things. In addition to that, if you learn the Arabic language, you have no idea that treasure box that will open for you.
That treasure box when you opened up and you start realizing you know the words when you open a book on Sierra Hades, whatever that is, you read and just like wow, I can get 15% 20% out of this paragraph that's better than zero slowly and gradually becomes even better and better and shallow terracotta Allah. You see rasulillah history lesson understood that and let me show you an example how learning a language can take you good and dunia natural.
The example of a given fabric for the long run. They have been tablet was a young so have you as a young child, a tween or teenager when the Prophet Salah Salem moved into Medina and the Prophet Salah Salem now suddenly being a statement, he needed to come to correspond and
communicate with the nations around the world, the people of different cultures, mainly, of course the Assyrians or in Syria and other places. So the Prophet sallallahu sallam, he knew that they spoke different languages. So he went and he asked them for tell me I need someone who can help me understand the language to communicate with these people. So they brought him said, they are also located in Tibet, he was some they say 11 some they say 13 so the Prophet salla Salah, he saw bright kid, he goes, I want you to go and learn a city Ania for me, like go and learn the Aramaic. So he went and he came a few weeks he came to the professor said yes, yes, Hola. I mastered it. I learned
it. Obviously, they had the Jewish community there and they could learn from them these different languages. And also he asked him to learn the the Hebrew language which he did. So how he became like the trusted scribe for the Prophet sallallahu wasallam communicates with the probe, of course, you send the resident the vibe of the Prophet sallallahu wasallam. And that seems a little unfair, but on the other hand, became comfortable. Why an official scribe for the revelation. Because of that status. When the professor son passed away, he was in his early 20s.
He immediately formed a committee to compile the Quran and one must have in one volume, and he collected some of the brightest people within the community to take care of that huge task on the oma because who was the head of that committee. They live in Sabbath.
They live in Tibet was the first the man who led the committee
To compile the most half in one volume, if the Prophet trusted him that much overkill solidity says Who else it must visit. Fast forward. another decade later, a little bit more, it was man's time. And there was a dispute over the calligraphy understand the rising of the most half, how to write it down. So the law when he comes back, he calls another committee. Nowadays, he was already actually in his 30s. And he was just basically called to become the head of that committee again. The standardized must have that we read today, but also the effort of Pedro de la hauteur Anwar De Luca just a task a simple task such as learning another language made big difference in the life of this
young man are they allowed to learn and they they will tablet was one of the greatest Sahaba and the greatest aroma of the oma. So try it, try it out in the summer. If we want to learn the Arabic language. I'm not asking you to learn how to say good morning and good evening. I'm asking you to learn how to read it at least read the Quran. And then start learning few words to understand what you're reading and hopefully surely you get to the point where when you listen to the core and read it, you will be it will be enough for you to enjoy the meanings of the word of Allah Subhana Allah is talking to you through the Quran.
That's what it means when you understand directly. Allah subhana wa Taala will be communicating to you through the Quran. Who doesn't want to have that communication or Gemma that's a private line, private communication from Allah subhanho wa Taala to you. Another thing I would like to recommend for ourselves in Charlottetown, this month of Ramadan exercise.
I know it's a simple task, we think Al Hamdulillah well, even the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam exercise he even used to compete with the Sahaba you know wrestling and I used to run with them and I used to even make competitions and contests sala de la who was Ramallah, in Medina. in Medina, there is a method in Medina what I used to be in Medina to certain Medina University. There was a method there they called measure the suburb that like saying the rest TrackMaster why is that because that must be where they had the racetrack where they used to race the camels on their horses. When the prophet SAW some use to tell the people whoever wins first it gets such and such.
He was actively engaged in the community and exercise a lot the last because he knew what does it mean to be healthy. And even when the Prophet sallallahu Sallam took the Sahaba for her debut, after the day before the ombre there was there were rumors among the people of Mecca that humble Medina Allah ketam and hackaton. That the Hama means the allergies of Medina because Medina was an agrarian society was was moist. Mecca was a dry land. So when the Sahaba moved from Mecca to Medina, they got sick.
So they thought that that's it, they're dead, they're weak, they can't, you know, stand a chance against them. So the Prophet sallallahu wasallam when he heard these rumors he asked us to have as, as they're doing their tawaf around the Kaaba during Ramadan. He said, show your right shoulders, and that's why when you do camera, you actually reveal your right shoulder. It says, show your lies, right shoulders, reveal your shoulders. And then he says, when you go around the Kaaba, do a hubbub. Al Shabaab is more like like a military jogging.
So when they jump, basically or bounce around around the can, which means they're just running and jogging around the cabin, not just walking. He said Rahim Allah and Allah who minocqua Allah have mercy and somebody who shows them might and strength. So they did the first, the first circles around the Kaaba, with that sense of power to show the people of Mexico who are sitting at the mountains looking at them, and then they would say, a lot of him are behind numbers. You know what, they're just fine.
Like, wow, they're just fine. Like, we thought they would be weak, but no, they were not. The point here is that it's even sooner that you exercise. Don't tell them to visit with us do it at home,
anywhere and doesn't have to be ours. to at least have in your mind. As a believer. I need to stay healthy. So I can do my duties to Allah subhana wa tada first and foremost, and then for my family, and then for my community. Our alma mater law used to hike the mountain of kasun in Syria up and down regularly.
Regularly Roma, they do that rhodiola Ramadan so it's time for us to upgrade to the next level but in the light of Allah tala Allah maxima those who listen to the speech and follow the VISTA which are a banana mean, a cola cola was tough for me to come
through in order for Ryan
Alhamdulillah horrible and amin sallallahu wasallam Baraka Nabina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa seldom at the Sleeman kathira mama bad about Allah Madiba justice
There is much more we could do to improve the shallow data and this summer and move to the next level and moving forward after the month of Ramadan. So last thing I want to share with you quickly inshallah sigil. First of all, seek Matura. Don't be on your own. Don't do it on your own. Ask those who have a handler improve them their lives, ask them what were the secrets? How did you do that? How could you still maintain coming to the masjid regularly, even though I have the same schedule like yours? How do you have time to go to the gym, for example, to exercise and so on? Ask those who do better in dunya and Acura and that's part of your religious duties. There are lots of hands on
what do they say to us what also we'll have people to also busaba that they enjoy and good among themselves. And they're asking each other to be patient, we need to do that. So make sure that you do so that we will just do that you ask others to help you out with this shallow data. And when you do so the last point is Sharla don't listen to the Musab butene and will have built in don't listen to the negative comments and negative people. You know some people regardless how much you try, they always pull you down.
Like Yeah, been there done that. Don't worry about it.
Don't listen to these people have been Ambassador the law of the land when he was young. He said I used to go on and learn from other bingeable and other seniors to hobbies. He has an unsupportive friend that Ansari friend told him Hey, you have no boss who you think yourself. You think people they can come after you to learn from you. Just like couldn't
have been our boss, he says so I cut ties with him. Like that's it. I stopped listening to him. And he continued. Years later, even our boss became the second tier of the aroma of the oma. And this young Ansari. One day was walking by the Holocaust of an Ibis in the masjid. And it was this karate kid was smarter than me.
So it's basically they listen to him and that's what he ended up. And hello, remember even what about Masha, Masha, Allah, Allah told us the same story said this happened with him as well. When he says one day she's a Shangri La right now is one of the aroma of the harem in Medina, and he was the hot tip of Koba in Medina as well. He said after he gave a horrible and Cova people that come to Him, they shake hands with him, they want to kiss his head and they said that and so and then he said, a guy comes to him, and he tried to kiss his head, the chef keep pushing him eventually, after he did he asked him he told him Do you remember me? So the chef was looking at this man the same age
and just like I don't know, just like a map seen tons of people in the past years. Because Well, I'm full on he gave him as a name says we used to be friends and classmates sitting next to each other during middle school.
So in middle school, there was classmates, but some holla chef, Chef Shanthi he went and he continued to take in the path of seeking knowledge and proven and upgrading and that path and his friend he just went to the path of you know, the dunya not saying that he was committed to building haram but he just went and continuing the same path without any seeking an improvement in his Eman is Dean. He says, look what happened. We even though we were classmates, but how the Dean of Alaska pan out and the knowledge got him to the level that even his classmate would kiss his head
improvement moving forward after Ramadan. This is your duty inshallah de Vaca wattana. When you finish the shallow on this foot I want you to before you do anything, think about it. What is your next step in order to move forward after the month of Ramadan? Allah Molina, Montana, when finally Montana in the country lallemand Hakeem Allahumma to fusina taqwa was Atlanta hi romanza and w harmala. by the law in the law more likely to saloon Allah Nabi alladhina amanu sallu alayhi wa sallam with us Lima Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala nabina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa de la Mancha Rashida Vivica amaravati Nana Wali one sir Sahaba one woman, Gambia Salah, Yama
Dean, welcome Salah.