Yasmin Mogahed – The Darkest Hour And The Coming Of The Dawn

			Assalamu alaikum This is espionage ahead and you're listening to serenity streaming live on one
legacy radio.
		

			Today I'm going to talk about the darkest hour and the coming of the dawn. Now, according to the
well stated proverb, the darkest hour is just before the dawn.
		

			Now, although this is astronomically incorrect, the darkest point is much earlier, the truth of this
proverb is actually metaphoric and in no way less real. See, we so often find that the darkest times
in our lives are followed by the most precious often it's at the moment when everything looks
broken, that something least expected comes and lifts us up and carries us through it. Now if you
think about, for example, the story of Prophet a you didn't he lose everything one by one, before it
was all given back and more. Yes, for profit a tube The night was real. And for many of us, it seems
like it lasts forever. But Allah does not allow an endless night. In his mercy, he gives us the sun.
		

			Yet there's times when we feel like those hardships, they don't end and maybe some of us have even
fallen, fallen, you know so much to such a spiritual low that we feel disconnected from Allah
subhanho wa Taala, disconnected from our Creator. And maybe from you know, for some of us, it's so
dark that we might not even notice that we've become disconnected from Allah subhanho data. But like
the sun that rises at the end of the night, our dawn has come in his infinite mercy, Allah subhanaw
taala has sent the light of Ramadan to erase the night, he sent the month of the Quran so that he
can elevate us and bring us from our isolation to his nearness. And he's given us this blessed month
		

			to fill our emptiness and cure our loneliness and end our souls poverty. He sent us the dawn, so
that we can find after darkness light.
		

			Allah subhanaw taala says that it is he who sends blessings on you, as he as he does his angels, so
that he might bring you from the depths of darkness into light, and he is full of mercy to the
believers. And this is chapter 33, verse 43. And this mercy extends to all who seek it. That's the
beauty of Allah's mercy. The beauty of Allah's mercy is he has a rocky mantle Rahim which means, you
know that his mercy, it is Allah subhanaw taala says that his mercy, he says
		

			rahmati was actually Shay, which means that my mercy expands and encompasses every single thing.
Even the most hardened sinner is told to never ever lose hope in Allah has infinite mercy, and to
lose hope and Allah's infinite mercy is to limit Allah's mercy. If I think that my sins are too
great to be forgiven, then what I'm saying really is that my sins are greater than Allah's mercy.
And Allah subhanaw taala also says in the Quran, say, oh my servants who have transgressed against
their own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah for Allah forgives all sins, for he is oft
forgiving, Most Merciful. It's upon Allah and this is sometimes the hardest thing to do. See, it's
		

			very easy to believe in Allah's mercy when we're doing well, right when we're when we're when we you
know, we're at the top of our game in our Deen and we're, you know, we're not we feel like we're
doing okay, you know, we're praying and we're, we're basically pleased with ourselves, we're pleased
with our deeds. It's really easy to you know, to look and believe in Allah's mercy but it's a lot
harder to believe and and have hope and Allah's mercy when we're not doing so well. When we're when
we're when we're maybe at the bottom of our, of our, you know, our paths are at you know, we're not
doing so well in our in our Deen is kind of, you know, it's struggling and we feel like, you know,
		

			we've lost that connection with Allah subhanaw taala it's at those times when it's hardest to
really, really believe and have hope in the mercy of Allah. But it's at those times when we need it
the most. It's at those times when we need to never ever forget that Allah subhanaw taala has mercy
is so much greater than any of our sins and all of our sins combined. And Allah is the owner of
mercy and there is no time when the mercy of Allah subhanaw taala is showered more on us than during
the blessed month of Ramadan. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has said about Ramadan, it's
beginning
		

			His mercy, its middle is forgiveness, and its ending is liberation from the Hellfire, every moment
of Ramadan is a chance to come back to Allah subhanaw taala whatever we are now going through in our
life, even if it's, you know, it's a direct consequence of our actions, if we're humiliated or we
feel low, it's our own sins which have lowered us. And it is only by Allah subhanaw taala that we
can ever hope to be elevated. If we are consistently unable, for example, to wake up for fetchit or
finding find it increasingly difficult to stay away from home, we have to examine this relationship
with Allah subhanaw taala. And most of all, we should never be deceived. And we should never allow
		

			ourselves to think that anything in this world succeeds or fails, or is given or is taken, or is
done or is undone without Allah subhanaw taala it's only by our connection with him that we rise or
fall in life, and in our relationship with our world. It's only through our relationship with Him
that that any other relationship is defined.
		

			But see, here's the thing. Unlike humanity, our Creator doesn't hold any grudges. So imagine now
receiving a clean slate. Imagine having everything that you ever regret doing erased completely.
Ramadan is that chance. The prophets of the lady have seldom said that whoever fasts during Ramadan
out of sincere faith and hoping to attain a less reward than all of his past sins will be forgiven.
		

			So now given this unparalleled opportunity, the question is how can we best take advantage of it?
inshallah, when we return after the break, we'll talk about some ways, some practical, you know,
some practical steps of how we can really take advantage of this blessing gift of Allah subhana wa
Tada.
		

			Assalamu Aleikum you're listening to serenity and this is yes, mean Mujahid. We're talking today
about the coming of Ramadan and how how to really take advantage best advantage of this gift of
Allah subhanaw taala and that's exactly how we should see Ramadan is is a gift. Allah subhanaw taala
sends us Ramadan as a way to elevate us and to bring us back to him. Because during Ramadan we're
told that everything you know everything that we do for Allah subhanaw taala is multiplied during
Ramadan. And so it's his way less penalty and it's it's it's a time when Allah subhanaw taala
showers His mercy on his creation, even more or less, Allah His mercy is infinite and in during
		

			Ramadan, it's showered on us even more. And it's an opportunity for us, as we spoke about before the
break, to actually have a completely clean slate. The prophets I send them told us that whoever fast
Ramadan was sincere, you know, sincere faith and and really hoping to get that reward from Allah
Spano Tata, that they can have all of their sins forgiven. And I mean, imagine that imagine having
it be, you know, to come out of Ramadan clean and completely pure. And Subhan Allah, Allah subhanaw
taala had ended, he does something else for us in order to make it more, you know, easier for us to
to seek Him and to reach him. And to elevate us is that he chains, the shell team during Ramadan. So
		

			the devils are chained in Ramadan. And so Allah subhanaw taala it's it's like, you know, those those
whispers of the shaitan that often, you know, get us, you know, on the wrong track or get us off the
right track if we're on it. That is suppressed Allah subhanaw taala change that and so he's giving
us a greater opportunity to seek His mercy. But one of the things that we have to keep in mind is
that in order to really take advantage of Ramadan, there's a couple things that that I think we
should remember and keep in mind, and one of them is realizing and keeping in mind why it is that
we're fasting. A lot of times we fast just as a ritual. It's it's something that we do because we're
		

			you know, we're supposed to do it or because everyone else does it or it's some sort of tradition.
And it's important that we understand the true meaning of fasting and the deeper you know, the
deeper purpose that ultimately
		

			Die that tells us about fasting in the Quran. You know, one of the things that we hear a lot, I've
heard a lot. And I used to also believe as well is that the, you know, when people would ask, why do
you fast? And the answer a lot of times that we give, that you hear a lot is we fast in order to
feel what the poor people feel. And while that's a very beautiful consequence of fasting,
		

			I wouldn't say that that's the purpose of fasting because Allah subhanaw taala tells us the purpose
of fasting in sorbitol, Bukhara when he says what's translated as fasting is prescribed for you, as
it was prescribed for those before you that you may attain taqwa. So, in order to really understand
that wisdom and the beauty of fasting we need to understand the Aqua taqwa is usually translated as
fear of God. But it's more than just fear of God. It's It's It's It's God consciousness, it's really
realizing that Allah subhanaw taala is watching us and then trying to protect ourselves from his
anger. And really at the core of taqwa is love because when you really love somebody, that's when
		

			you're going to be afraid of making them angry, that's when you're going to be afraid of not having
that love returned to you. And it isn't like when when I really love someone, you know, my fear of
upsetting that person. It's a fear, it's a real fear, right? I'm worried I'm scared, I'm anxious
about that person being upset with me, but what is really motivating that fear, it may have nothing
to do with the fact that that person is going to punish me, you know, I don't think that person is
going to beat me up or, or put me in jail or, you know, hurt me in some way. If I if I upset them,
but it's just, it's the fact that because I love them, I don't want them to be angry with me and I
		

			want them to love me in return. And and this is, you know, magnified with Allah subhanaw taala, that
if we really love Allah subhanaw taala we will have that as a direct consequence, that fear of
displeasing him and talk what is that fear it's, it's protecting ourselves from his anger and from
his punishment, but also it's it's, it's, it's, you know, again, a lot of that is driven by love.
And it should be it should be driven by love and even if it is not, even if it's simply I am afraid
of his punishment Still, this is you know, this is taqwa the fact that I am, you know, I am
conscious of Allah subhana wa Tada. And I am afraid of displeasing him, and I'm afraid of his anger.
		

			And so Allah subhanaw taala is telling us that he prescribes fasting, as it was prescribed to those
before us, which means that for one, that this is not a new prescription. This is not something new,
but rather the people who came before us were also commanded to fast and that really goes to show
how important this this practice is how important this a bad that this act of worship really is. And
the question then is why what is it that fasting does for the person's soul and the person's
relationship with Allah subhanaw taala. And the ayah goes on to say what it does, it says that La La
Quinta de Hoon, that you may attain or reach taqwa, this, this this state of having consciousness
		

			and fear of Allah subhanaw taala. And, you know, you you ask, you know, the natural question would
be how, what's the connection between staying away from food and drink and fear of Allah? subhanaw
taala? Well, if you think about it, what is it that keeps you from breaking your fast now assume
that nobody is watching? And you're all alone? What is it that keeps you from sneaking in? You know,
some food or water? Really? What is it? If no one else is watching? What is it that's keeping us
from breaking our fast? And the answer is that we know that Allah is watching. And so what's that?
What is that doing? It's breeding that concept and that awareness that Allah subhanaw taala is
		

			watching me, and I am building the ability to control my actions. In this case, controlling myself
from sneaking in a drink or some food, I'm building my ability to control my action out of what out
of fear of Allah Spano data because I know that Allah is watching me and if I do eat something or
drink something, he will be displeased. And that will be you know, that will be a sin in that case.
And so we actually in Ramadan, what we're doing and when we fast, what we're doing is we're
restraining the the lower part of the self, because it's the lower part of the self that wants to
eat and drink, right. And so what we do when we fast is we control the lower part of the self, in
		

			order to elevate the higher part of the self. So we control the body in order to elevate and feed
the soul. So you know by by starving in a sense, the neffs by starving the lower part of the self,
we're actually elevating and feeding the soul
		

			In the higher part of the self, and it's, it's creating in us a sense of strength. Because if you
can control yourself from something which is a natural need a bodily need, which is to eat and
drink, if you can control yourself and control that, you know, that urge, then it then you can
control yourself from sin outside of Ramadan. And so that it's almost like the same concept of, you
know, if you want to build a muscle, what you do is you lift heavy weights, right? You You have to
do some struggle in order to build that muscle. And that muscle really, if you think about it, it's
taqwa. And so when I restrain I restrained myself from food and drink in Ramadan, I'm building that
		

			muscle of the ability to restrain my neffs for the sake of Allah subhanaw taala. So, so from the
beginning, we have to really go into Ramadan understanding why it is that we're fasting and
remembering Allah subhanaw taala. Another aspect of fasting, which goes back to the issue of taqwa
is that every time that I feel hungry, I remember Allah subhanaw taala. Because, you know, I might
go through the rest of my day, a normal day and not remember a lot once. But when I'm hungry, and I
think to myself, I'm hungry, I want to eat something. And then I think, Well, why is it that I can't
eat? Well, the reason I can't eat is because of Allah subhanaw taala I'm doing this for Allah. So
		

			it's a constant reminder. And every time I feel hungry, and every time I feel thirsty, I'm
remembering Allah subhanaw taala and then what am I doing after that? I have a choice, I can either
give into my hunger at that point and eat something or I can restrain my hunger at that point for
the sake of Allah subhanaw taala and gain and gain something spiritually gained that that that
nearness to Allah again that that you know, higher level of taqwa. And that's through my sacrifice.
It's through the fact that I yes, I feel hungry, but for the sake of Allah, I'm going to resist that
hunger, and I'm not going to eat. And so you know what, that's again, I think at the very you know,
		

			from the very beginning, we need to understand why it is that we fast. And, and the other thing that
that I think is very important in order to benefit from Ramadan is that we should not make Ramadan,
just about hunger and thirst, the prophets I send them, he warns us of this when he says in
ahaadeeth, whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his
leaving his food and drink. The point here is that fasting is not just about being hungry and
thirsty, fasting has a deeper meaning it has a deeper purpose. And that is to restrain us and to
make us you know, better in character, right? Because if we can restrain ourselves from food and
		

			drink, it helps us to restrain ourselves. Also, from the huddle, though if we're, you know, not
eating and drinking, and yet we're acting, you know, in ways that are displeasing to Allah, then
then we're really contradicting the whole, you know, the whole endeavor, right? Because the whole
reason that we're not eating and drinking is for the sake of Allah, we're sacrificing something,
which is actually normally halen, right food and drink is Hillel. But we're sacrificing something
which is normally Halloween, for the sake of Allah subhanaw taala. So it wouldn't make sense for us
then to indulge in things which are haram all the time, which are normally How long? So again, it's
		

			something to think about inshallah, what I want, you know, listeners to do is to, you know, join in
the discussion on the chat box, give me your thoughts, and what are some things that you would
advise, or what's some advice that you give, of how to really benefit from Ramadan and, you know, we
can share our own experiences and our own advice. One other, you know, I think advice and something
to keep in mind regarding how to really benefit from Ramadan would be that not to get caught up in,
you know, the, sort of
		

			the traditions of Ramadan, and it's, it's beautiful, to invite people and to get together and to eat
together. And this is, you know, this is one of the beautiful aspects of Ramadan. But just to keep
in mind, you know, that the focus is not what we're eating for thought. And the focus is not
supposed to be you know, having these very fancy of thoughts which we have to spend the entire day
in the kitchen cooking, because again, I feel that, you know, that that, that misses the point that
you know, the point of Ramadan is, is really, in a sense to detach ourselves from this need for food
and drink in order to attach ourselves more fully and focus more fully on Allah subhanaw taala. So
		

			if we're using that time, to, you know, just cook in the kitchen all day, you know, then I you know,
we're not not necessarily benefiting fully from that from that restraining of the nuts.
		

			You know, lastly, we
		

			We need to inshallah really make a plan and Allah subhanaw taala you know, Allah, the prophets I
send them says that an MLM will be net that everything is by intention and that everybody will have
what they intend. And so inshallah, if we can go into Ramadan and making a sincere intention, you
know, really to have this be a purification and have it be a time for us to go back to Allah
subhanaw taala and to you know, refocus our lives and refocus our our, our efforts on Allah subhanaw
taala that that inshallah we will get what we intend so but we have to be very conscious when we do
things so going you know, let us you know, shall make the intention now. And in the days coming up
		

			to Ramadan, make the sincere intention of what it is that we want from Ramadan that we want this
really to change us not to just be about, you know, being hungry and thirsty but rather that this is
something that's going to you know, transform our lives and to really really, you know, totally
reorient us on Allah subhanaw taala and to bring us back and inshallah we'll talk more about this
you know, as Ramadan you know, goes you know, as we go through Ramadan and after, we have to also
remember that Ramadan is intended to give us fuel and to refocus us, but, but it needs to continue
after Ramadan. And so we have to make a plan of real lasting changes not you know, not just we do
		

			things and we're, you know, we're on high during Ramadan, and then after Ramadan is over, we go back
to our normal ways and that that will have meant that nothing really changed. Ramadan needs to be a
time of change, inshallah, in a time of, you know, getting nearer to Allah subhanaw taala and that
should really be a lasting change. inshallah, we'll take a quick break, and when we return, we'll
continue with some advice of how to really take advantage of Ramadan.
		

			Salam aleikum, you're listening to serenity and this is yes, men, which we're talking today about
Ramadan, and about the gift of Ramadan, and how inshallah we plan on each and every one of us making
the intention of really benefiting from Ramadan and what we intend to get out of Ramadan. Because
the prophets I send them tells us that everyone gets what they intend from something and so
inshallah we can make the intention of what what it is that we what it is that we're doing, what why
it is that we fast, what it is that we hope to accomplish, and what we hope to get out of Ramadan.
And inshallah, you know, this is a whole other topic. But the idea, a lot of people, you know, ask
		

			about and think about is, you know, the shell teen, we know that the that the Shaitan, the devils
are chained in Ramadan. And so the question naturally is, well, why do we continue to sin during
Ramadan, and act exactly the same way? In a lot of cases, if the shayateen are chained? And I and I
think that the, you know, one of the answers to that question is that, yes, shaitan is an enemy to
us. He's the external enemy, but we have another enemy, which can be more dangerous possibly than
shaitan. And that's the internal enemy of the neffs. And then EFS is not chained in Ramadan, the
neffs is my own self, it's my own self, who calls me towards, you know, what is displeasing to Allah
		

			subhanaw taala. It's the lower self. And so that self is not chained in Ramadan, but rather, that
self is what I'm working on, restraining in Ramadan. And one of the, you know, one of the strongest
ways to restrain the neffs is through fasting, and SubhanAllah. This is inside Ramadan, and outside
of Ramadan, because what I'm doing when I'm fasting is I'm telling my neffs my lower self, No, I'm
saying no to myself, because my self says I'm hungry, right, my next my lower self is I'm hungry,
and I'm and I'm thirsty. And so by fasting, what I'm doing is I'm saying I'm in charge, not you,
right, I'm in charge of my lower desires, which include, you know, the desire for food or drink or
		

			or whatever, I'm actually in charge, and I will, you know, it's, it's a very important, it's a very
important statement to make to the neffs that, you know, the neffs is not in charge, I am in charge
of my knifes. And so this is part of the, you know, the purpose of fasting is to show the neffs
who's in charge. So inshallah, you know, this is something to keep in mind and, and we'll be having,
you know, a longer discussion on that. Actually coming up, inshallah I can give more details next
week. There'll be a podcast halaqa, which we'll be having a webinar on Thursday, the 21st and shala.
We'll be talking specifically about that topic of controlling and restraining the neffs in
		

			preparation
		

			For Ramadan and the connection between the two, but I want to leave you, inshallah, with this image
in mind, I want you inshallah, to imagine for a second that it's raining, in fact that it's pouring.
It's pouring rain. But imagine that what is falling from the sky is not rain. I mean, it's not
water. Imagine that what's falling from the sky is dollar bills. In fact, imagine that it's $100
bills. So imagine you're sitting in your house, and all of a sudden, it starts raining outside, and
it's not raining water, it's raining $100 bills or make it some of them our $1,000 is does that
exist? If it existed? Okay, if it exists, I don't actually know if it does. Imagine that there, you
		

			know that there are 1000s. So you're sitting in your house, and here it is raining outside? Now the
question is, what would you do? Now?
		

			I'm guessing that you'd probably go outside and try to catch as much of it as you can. And in fact,
your entire neighborhood would be outside trying to catch as much as you can. And in fact, people
would be falling all over themselves trying to catch as much money as they can. And they would, in
fact, stand outside all night to try to gather as much money as they could. But we would do all of
this for money. Because money to us is precious, right? But imagine for a moment that it wasn't
raining something that had you know, a some price to it. Imagine that it was raining something
priceless, not $100 bills, not 1000s, not trillions, but the mercy of Allah subhanaw taala and this
		

			is a currency that no human currency can ever ever measure. And the prophets I send them tells us
this that in Ramadan, he says in the Hadith, Ramadan has come to you. It is a month of blessing in
which Allah covers you with blessings and he sends down mercy decreases sins and answers prayers. in
it. Allah looks at your competition in good deeds and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah
goodness from yourself. For the unfortunate one is the one who is deprived in this month of the
mercy of Allah subhanho wa Taala of pulling Polly Heather was stopped for la de la come in una
Rahim. subhanak Hello the hammock Nish Edwin la Illa illa Anta nostoc theorical in a tubular lake
		

			was Salam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh