Keeping The Spirit of Ramadan Alive

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I wanted to just have a very frank and

a very honest conversation about

what I would call here in Texas would work the post Ramadan blues

the post Ramadan blues maybe some of you don't understand this Subhanallah here we are some of us every single day mashallah were coming to the masjid. Some of us are spent spending 234 hours a day. And these last 10 Nights, maybe half the night or the full night. We have 100 people in here tick off. Right? And there is no question and we feel it already, even though there's four days left of Ramadan, that our iman right now is probably the highest it's been in the last year. Is that not correct? We already feel it now.

And we're already understanding that a week from now we won't be in this state

Subhanallah Allah, the day of read will come. And for the first time after 30 days, the minute of mockery would come and go, you're not even going to recognize it. Remember, I said this, and on the day of your ad, you will see it yourself. When Margaret Medan is called, you will not even realize it until maybe 510 20 minutes later, and shall at least that then you say Oh, Samsung model is good for a Muslim, you're not going to be counting down on that particular day.

What happens after Ramadan is our iman. And our level of worship has a nosedive.

It goes down.

And

we wonder what can we do to maintain a similar level. And this is where I'm going to give some advice to myself and all of you in sha Allah, Allah and we can try to work on this. First and foremost, we have to be realistic, we have to just call a spade a spade. It is not possible to maintain this level post Ramadan. That's what makes this Ramadan. Let's be honest to ourselves, we cannot maintain this pinnacle. I mean, tonight as the 27th we had better be not at 100% at our 200% we had better be doing something we never imagined we could do. Right? So yes, it's good that we're at a pinnacle. And we should recognize that this pinnacle is not going to last. But and here's the

frankness that comes in. Even if we're not going to have that level of iman,

we need to make sure that we maintain a higher level than free Ramadan, as I've said multiple times, that is our realistic goal. What should happen to us post Ramadan, when we come crashing down is that the crush is still an overall success compared to pre Ramadan. It's like the stock market which is now crashing May Allah protect and help all of us. It's like the stock market. Right? If you invested 100 You went up to 200 You're so happy when it crashes to 150 Yes, you feel disappointed, but you're like, you know what Hamdulillah I gained 50% That should be our overall game plan or philosophy for Ramadan. Because we have given our 200% Tonight, inshallah the next year 27 If we're

still here, we're gonna give our new 200% which is going to be more because our capital is more you understand what I'm saying here, right? We have a higher capital going in. So we're going to reach a new Pinnacle next 27 And then he's going to come a little bit more down but we're still going to be at that 1.5 Or one for however many percentage right so my purpose of the talk today What are three practical because you know my talks I like to be like down to earth. I'd like to give some advice that is just something we can do not just theoretical, three practical steps that I want myself in all of you to think about and implement about how we can maintain a higher level posts from Oban.

Then we had preroll law Ramadan, point number one and I began with this point.

Masjid attendance.

Masjid attendance,

do not trivialize the role that the masjid plays in fortifying

and protecting and increasing your iman.

I mean, this month has proven it hasn't it right? This month has proven it. Our coming to the masjid, our coming here this frequently, our interacting with our brethren, our listening to the recitation of the Quran, seeing everybody even if you're lazy, right, like everybody else is doing it, you're going to be motivated, okay? You want to pray this length of taraweeh at home, unless we were doing it here, you wouldn't gain the spirit and the whole Sure, unless we had Michelle or officer Jordan or imams in shoe reciting the way that they do. So these massages are the houses of Allah.

And that means they're supposed to be fortifications of iman. They're supposed to be places and oases of calm in the hustle and bustle around us. The dunya hardens the heart, coming into this masjid, coming into this facility. And being in this ambience, it softens the heart. So this month we've got an extra boost a dosage. This month we were high on Halal high on coming to the masjid. Don't wean yourself off. I don't know how much want to take this metaphor completely. Have some levels still have attachment to the masjid. So whatever your level of attachment was pre Ramadan, I want you to go up 150% increase it, okay. However far or close you are, be able to increase that

frequency and quantity.

So Natalie Aisha and Serato Fajr. In particular, see if you can make those because I know the HUD is almost impossible for almost all of us. Also, it might also be difficult, you know, mostly we're at home but understandable, but low hurt. I mean, Fajr and Isha. And these are the most blessed prayers to pray anyway. Make it your regular routine to come here to listen to the tilava Subhanallah these nights and it's with 3am and our Masjid is packed. We already have people sitting in the hallway and it's a weak day mashallah weeknight why then why? When Ramadan is over, and Asia and you can go home and sleep easily on time is our Masjid only half full or less than half full? Why is the same Rob is

the same Eman we need. We want every Masjid on Earth to be packed in capacity specially for the Salawat were able to do and especially in this land your brothers and sisters were nothing reminds you of Allah throughout your day. Remember this point as well, nothing, you know, the corporate office, you know the quote unquote real world we all occupied in the daytime, especially for us who have no other mechanism of reminding ourselves of Allah subhanho wa Taala really, we have to make an extra effort and point we have to put in the time for the drive. We have to realize what and then massage you that Illa these are the houses of Allah azza wa jal, Allah blessed us by the way,

massage it didn't exist for all of human history. Allah blessed our father Ibrahim with the first Masjid before that point in time, by the way, there was no dedicated house of God. There was no church there was no synagogue there was no mosque right in our beta and will the I did not see little the DB bacchetta Mubaraka. The first Holy Land, the first consecrated area that Allah said this is going to be permanent for worshipping Allah is MCCA and we thank Allah it's ours. hamdulillah it's ours. Mecca is our heritage, even though it's founded by Ibrahim alayhi salam, all legacies claim him but he's rightfully ours. So moko was the first masjid and then Allah subhana wa

Tada allowed for our own in particular, otherwise before our Ummah, other Omers they were not allowed to worship anywhere. Again, I don't wanna go down that tangent. We are the only OMA that Allah that the process some said the whole world has been made a message for me. We can build a messenger anywhere, we can pray anywhere. hamdulillah other faiths have very strict conditions. What not we don't have any of that. So now when Hamdulillah we have Masjid in the furthest of lands, you know, people outside of our countries and Muslim lands. They are shocked when they come to masajid like epic and in this month I've had at least half a dozen a dozen people come from the Middle East

for the first time for bucks not from you know Qatar. They've come here they can't believe what they're seeing. We they said we never thought in America 1500 Every single Mike coming 3000 gonna come in over the Hudson they can't believe this over here And Alhamdulillah the baraka and the peace that comes they sense it

when they come to this land, how about us we need it to mashallah through our day life. So point number one. And by the way, it's not a trivial point coming to the masjid. It's a huge action in and of itself. Our Prophet system talked about the seven people who will be sheltered by Allah, one of them. What would you do? l boo hoo, ma Lacombe.

Masjid a person whose heart is attached to the masjid, one of those seven, his heart is attached to the masjid. And sitting in the masjid is one of the highest actions of worship, just simply sitting waiting for sada doing vicar. It is one of the highest actions of worship. This is our version of Halal meditation, other faith traditions that have their meditations for us. This is our meditation, waiting and sitting for Salah. That's why it's a calf is so blessed because what are you doing? You're sitting in the masjid Otherwise, everything you're doing an attic off you can do outside you can pray you can use Zika you can read Quran you can do vicar you can make dua what makes it tick

off the so special and blessing is because you are literally Hubzu neffs if you're locking yourself you're by yourself in the masjid, so stick to the masjid increase your messenger the attendance have a routine to come and I suggest humbly that it should be a routine don't make it random. My dear brothers My dear sisters, our lives are based upon routines. Our jobs have schedules, they have routines, we our schools have routines and schedules we wake up at a time we go to sleep at a time. So put into your routine regular Masjid attendance, you know best what is feasible, what is realistic. So number one point number one, increase your Masjid attendance sitting in the masjid

waiting for Salah is one of the highest deeds of worship, the angels come and send their Salah on you they send their Salah when you're waiting for the masjid your doors are accepted simply waiting in the masjid in one Hadith the process and called this this is a version of robot of jihad visa be the Allah sitting here no danger to your life, no enemies no swords and you are in revolt in Jihad visa vie de la simply because Allah knows you're only here because you want to pray you have cut off from the dunya you've cut off from your risk you've cut off from your your your corporate life and you are just sitting and one year sitting do zikr think contemplate reassess your life this is our

halaal meditation. So point number one and again the topic today is practical advice about how we can maintain higher ima not the same level Lima. Point number one that's by the way, one of our reasons why our Eman is so high right now we're coming to the masjid regularly. Point number two. Now this is going to be more difficult. One of the reasons why our demand is so high with Hamdulillah. And this month is because of the baraka of the whole of Islam.

Having good companionship.

Yeah. And when you're sitting here and you're surrounded by people who are reading the Quran,

you're not going to be taking your phone out and playing chess or something or whatever it was, what is it Candy Crush? What have you guys I don't know, right? I hope you're not doing this at least Okay? When everybody's reading Quran when everybody's listening to a lecture. Even if you're not that motivated, you get into the spirit. And this is the baraka of a Hawa.

That's why our Prophet system encouraged us to see who are we hanging around? Who are our friends. We all know the Hadith or Raju, Allah, dini. Halevi. The person shall follow the methodology and religion of his close associates, then the Prophet has said, examine who your associates are. Frank question to you. When was the last time you actually examined? Who are my closest associates? When did you go down the list and really think who do I hang around? Who do I enjoy their companionship? Because those people tell you everything you need to know about yourself? The people whom you enjoy being with your company, is literally who you are. So examine who your closest friends who do you

invite? Whose house do you go to? And the fact of the matter? This is brutally honest here? Are they a bad or good influence on you? This is where I'm saying, raise the bar, raise the bar of the people you associate with? Because one of the reasons why your mind is so strong right now is because of the software the companionship we have, because people all around us Alhamdulillah are helping us. So once this collective effort ceases in Ramadan, we need to create our own mini collective efforts. And Alhamdulillah in this month, I have no doubt that every one of you was coming regularly has formed new bonds of friendship with people in this community. Is that not the case? Right? Have us

kill two birds with one stone or maybe it should not diverge? Right metaphor, but you resurrect to what was a good metaphor here are the vivus. Where's our revive? Mashallah, Habibi, Shanna, Habibi, so revive a Hawa

interact with the brothers or the sisters or interact with the sisters that you came to know

and form a genuine muhabba Fila a genuine hola Fila.

This is again, you're getting multiple Ledger's, you're getting better associates, you're going to help one another in the way of Allah subhanho wa taala. And you all know the famous Hadith of the Prophet says that the example of the good companion is like that of the one who sells perfume. Even if you don't buy from him, he'll gift you, even if he doesn't give to you being in his presence, you will smell the good perfume. So find your perfume sellers, and start associating with them. And inshallah that will be one of the ways. So every Ramadan, look at your closest list of friends. And frankly, start distancing those that are negative impact on you, those whose gatherings are nothing

but Reba, nothing but waste of time, nothing but maybe even haram going on. And I especially especially speak frankly, to the youth, the teenagers, Allah, He will live in times when along with Stan, I can't even imagine what I will do, if I were your age, with all that you have Alhamdulillah Hi hamdulillah the I find me,

Allah save me from that generation, I don't know what I would have done, Allah is testing you. But you know, that means Allah has chosen you for what he hasn't chosen before. Because Allah is only going to test you know, you can pass the test. So the fact that you're being tested with so much of the internet and social media and whatnot, and the ease of access of every type of evil, you see, again, you use don't understand, I will go down this tangent, we couldn't do the types of things you can do easily even if we wanted to do them, right. We couldn't even do them if we wanted to. We didn't have that type of access. Allah has given you a huge test and trial, because Allah knows you

can pass that. But one of the biggest causes of failure is not even going to be you, it's going to be whom you associate with, and will like every one of you knows this, no matter how young or old you are, you know this, your friends are going to dictate much of your failure or success. So maybe you cannot control what your friends do. But you can control who your friends are. You can control who you associate with, you can control who your closest peer and associations are. So look at your closest group, and choose wisely and find people that love Islam want. And again, I mean hamdulillah one of my own causes for me being who I am today, Al Hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah. Allah blessed me

with an amazing group when I was at University of Houston, my MSA, right, getting involved with that MSA batch getting involved with that, doing Dawa being Allah knows where I would have gone to what I would have done but those four years of activism, it made me changed the entire course of my life. And here I am now. And I thank every one of those brothers from how Allah they are going with their different ways, but we're still in touch with my point being number point number two. Point number two, choose your friends wisely. You can't choose what your friends do, you can choose your friends. So based on what your friends do, choose your friends based on what their inclinations and and and

likes and dislikes are. choose those that genuinely want to be religious. Even if you're all struggling but Allah azza wa jal knows you're going to help one another. So that's point number two that will help you in this path. Point number three very simple very easy.

One of the reasons why our iman is so high right now is the daily dosage of Quran and zikr

we are immersed in listening to the Quran every single day we are doing our Afghan making dua before break our fast and we're doing more than usual because we're doing more than usual obviously our iman feels at an all time high. Now once again after Ramadan maybe we're not going to read a whole juicer five juice a day or whatever how much we're doing. But my sincere request to myself in all of you.

The Quran needs to be in your daily routine. This is my humble request to myself and all of you don't let a single day go by

without opening up the book of Allah and reading Wallahi even if it's five lines if you're doing nothing, start with five lines no big deal something something is better than nothing.

And I have a simple request you know after Ramadan our iman is still mashallah good. We can last a little while right have a simple request. Put the recitation of the Quran into your routine. The first week after Ramadan edit

Um, that can be consistent. So suppose you go to work, you know, you leave your house, let's say 6:30am, right? Say, you know, from 615 to 630, I'll wake up a little bit earlier, those 10 minutes before I leave, I'm just going to open the book of Allah and whatever how much I can read, I will read. I have a simple ask of you do that for one week, and see how it impacts your psyche and soul. See how you feel for the rest of the day after you've done that? The reason I'm so confident is very simple. The Quran is the breakfast for the soul.

Right now you don't understand you're missing breakfast, because you haven't had that in your routine. Right now you're going to work without any breakfast for the soul. Once you start feeding the soul every single day,

the day you're not able to do that, you're going to feel spiritually empty. You're going to feel I didn't feed my soul the way it's supposed to be fit. So my humble ask of all of you is again very simple, very practical, every single day, whatever time and preferably in the morning because that's when the baraka is our Prophet system said, Allah has blessed my ummah, in the early mornings of the dawn, this is a Hadith, right? Booty karuma TV boo Korea, in the early morning is baraka. That's when there is the most bulk of it. If you're not able to and you have to do that evening after that's also not a problem, but the best time is the morning time, right? And Allah says in the

Quran, Quran Al fidgety in the Quran and fidgety, what is it? Can Emma Shuda reciting the Quran at first your time means at late night and early morning fetch it means any before and after fajr that early time well Quran is featured in the Quran and Federica Anna Masuda, the Quran recited at Phaedra time Dawn, pre Dawn post Dawn could be tahajjud could be actual Fajr could be read after fajr. That is the recitation that the angels themselves are paying attention to. They witness that recitation. So Alhamdulillah this last 10 days we're spending most of the night awake we're doing so much rather than what not my simple request of all of you once Ramadan finishes Yeah, we're not

going to spend the whole night away. Yeah, we don't. Yeah, Andy, let's be real. Even the Prophet SAW sent him the only time over the whole year he spent the whole night awake was the last 10 How do you throw out issue? The only time he spent the whole night? Well, so yes, after Ramadan finishes, we're not going to be spending from Asia to Fajr worshiping Allah, we understand that. But surely, once we've shown Allah that for a whole month, we can fast the whole day for a whole month, we can come for pm two hours for a home last 10 days, we can spend five hours once we showed Allah that surely we can get 15 minutes extra, surely we can increase a little bit. And here's the point.

Small consistent X is how we make it to the finish line with flying colors. Not quick spurts that doesn't work that way. Small, consistent x. That's the goal. Here we be practical, we come down to reality. We're not going to have this level of demand after Ramadan, but we focus we improve in key areas. And every Ramadan we improve in those key areas or maybe other key areas such that Ramadan acts as our cleansing mechanism such that Ramadan is our spiritual gem. Every year we go to that one month routine we come up bigger and better gotta go a little bit down next Ramadan comes we are better than we were the first Ramadan and then we're going to be even higher than we're going to

keep on having that cycle until the goal being our best Ramadan ever should be our final Ramadan. Because I'm out we will have a team Allah will judge us based upon the finality of our lives. Only thing is we don't know when that finality is. So we have to make sure that's where the DUA was the Imam makes I made it today and the Imams make it and it's in the prophetic do as well make our best deeds, the last deeds and make the best time of our life the last time of our life. There's only one way to do that. And that is we strive to get better and better every single month and every single year and that's the goal of Ramadan. Ramadan is the primary boost that should make every year better

than the previous one final point in my time inshallah will then be up. Also thank Allah for what He has blessed us with,

with giving us Ramadan and Laila to other no other OMA has been given a little cuddle. No other OMA Hadith isn't the motto, Mr. Maryk that the Prophet system complained to God and said, How does my own man have a chance against the other owners when the other owners live for so many centuries? Like it's not fair, my ummah doesn't have a chance compared to the other Omus so Gibreel said, Allah has sent me to you to tell you,

Allah has gifted you a perk that can make up for those other channels.

says, You have what no other OMA has, you have one night every single year, that shall give you more than a lifetime, more than 80 plus years of pure worship. Remember, it's not 80 years of living is 80 years of worship one night shall give you all of this. That's basically multiple lifetimes every year you get. So this is how we are balancing the equation. Allah has blessed us with this night. Let us make the most of this night Let us increase our EVA our tahajjud our Quran let us make sincere dua to Allah subhana wa Tada that he allows us to be preying on leaders. The night that God Himself comes down let us be of those of the Pharisees of this month sha Allah Allah and Allah who

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