An informative and uplifting, Ramadan-specific, question and answer session with Imam Zaid Shakir.
Zaid Shakir – Ramadan Q&A
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala seed and more city say it in our Mohammed while early he was me he was send them to steam and kathira al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen Ramadan Mubarak Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. And so we'll open up the lines for any questions or comments that our brothers and sisters might have out there with jack ma Kiran, Allah bless you all Ramadan Mubarak coolamon want to be here, alpha higher work here.
So, while he comes to Nam Rahmatullah So, one of the online viewers asked, I know that hardships are tests from God and our facts of life, but what vicars do as men recitations Do we have from God and His messengers will allow them to help prevent calamitous hardships or succeed through tests. Alhamdulillah we had the great opportunity last year to expound on and I think you can find it in these atonal college archives on the saying of the Prophet sallallahu wasallam in the cabin and Henry will happen when I when I when I became an adze, well, QSL went Ruby care. Mina Gibney wallbottle when Urdu became invalidated, de mercado rigid. So Allah I seek and I switch to the
plural for the last two, give me but it's all first person. I seek refuge with you from grief and anxiety. And so calamities and those things, they're things that stress us. And so the calamities are going to come not being overwhelmed by them, is what we pray for. A woman an adze will castle and from incompetence, and laziness or slough. And so we have the capability to deal with the trials that Allah tala sends our way, and allow will send us trials. And this is another aspect of Ramadan, we start the month and it's hard, we're not used to going all day these long days. 18 hours, with no food
19 hours, and depending on how far north you are. And so the headaches and the cramps, and the nausea and the bouts of dizziness, those those are, those are many calamities. And so we seek help from Allah not being overwhelmed by those may give us strength and give us the capability and not to become so accustomed to our normal physical routine, that it leads to laziness and sloth, which To summarize, one meaning is the inability to challenge ourselves physically. So a slovenly person lays in bed half the day, why? The inability to challenge himself or herself to get up out of the bed and to get moving despite either the the comfort they're enjoying, or just the physical difficulty of
getting up. So we seek refuge with that woman and it will castle one minute Geneva boho and from cowardice, and from miserliness. And, again, a lot of times we fail to
face the trials and tribulations that were confronted, because we were afraid we'll fail. And because we're afraid we'll fail. We don't make the effort. So we can't fear failure, because we have to understand for a true believer, there is no failure. There's Nia, and there's action. And then the outcome, which might be perceived as success or failure, that's a laws department. That's not our department. Our department is the intention and the act. And so we make a good intention, and we act as positively as we can, with as much strength and as determined and determination as we can muster in the face of trials and tribulations, then we've succeeded, there is no failure. If the
outcome isn't favorable, that's something a lot decreed. And that's beyond our scope of endeavor. So if we have a good pure Nia muslin, Nia citco Nia, and we have sincere action since
then we've we've succeed,
woman develops it, then we'll carry on from being overwhelmed.
being overpowered, overwhelmed by debt are overpowered by humans. And so that's a prayer we can make that helps us not to necessary
To surely ward off calamities, but to deal with them in the very best of ways, and then we ask Allah subhana wa Taala for his protection and in Ramadan.
The greatest protection is the protection from hellfire. Because we one of the things we pray also on E wallet on mostly betternet the de Nina will attach on musi that unathi de Nina don't make our tribulations in our religious life. In other words, I'll take it in my worldly life is not desirable and we don't pray for tribulations. You know, I'm tough. mm zaytsev we should take it I'm ready to take it bring it on y'all law No.
Letterman. No. The call I do was on the law Thea in the process. The context of physically physical confrontation is don't long to meet any enemy asked a law for safety, security well being all of those meanings encompassed in the term, Aafia ask a law for well being. And so we want well being. But if we are challenged, we want to have the strength and the patience and the forbearance and the confidence and the good that our laws decreed for us through this tribulation, to be able to deal with it. So ask Allah for his protection, and Allahumma in the can 10, last 10 days of Ramadan, the when I showed rhodiola Anna as the Prophet sallallahu Sallam was, she should say, he mentioned
during this period Allahumma inika, a full one to Hezbollah for file for under your law, you're the one who he faces sins, you love to efface in his face my sins, pardon my sins. And so ask Allah to pardon our sins because we could be spared every physical calamity never had to deal with an earthquake that flattened the house never had to deal with a hurricane tore the roof off the house, everything got flooded and damaged inside, never had to deal with a car accident, never had to deal with any, and some people are like that. But what is the value of all of that? If we meet a law with a mountain of since
that's the real calamity. And so May Allah protect us from that MLR protect us from those physical calamities. But if Allah does choose to test us with them, May Allah give us the strength and the patience and the forbearance to deal with them in the very best of ways as as our profits on the line was seldom when the great calamity at
all this calamity of these people, denying me and turning me away and stoning me and beating me with their sandals and spitting on me and turning the Emperor sills and the the children of the city to torture me and torment me into this way of all of those calamities
are not a sign of your displeasure with me, I could care less for that bad, I could care less. And so, Mel, spare us the real calamity, and may give us prophetic prophet like fortitude to deal with those trials and tribulations that sell us and our worldly life.
That's a long answer to a short question. Apologize to the asker for not being precise, I mean, concise.
So the next question that we have is, it seems that the physical fast in Ramadan can affect individuals differently, with some finding the fast, enjoyable and easy and others while others may find it. burdensome and difficult? Does our individual experience of the fast in the month of Ramadan reflect our inward state or signify our personal journey throughout Ramadan? Not at all?
And you're absolutely right, this particular brother or sister who asked this question, that the fast does affect us all differently, and for some is very difficult. But if you find it difficult yourself or someone you know the person asking, be hardened by the fact that the Messenger of Allah or one of the principles of our religion based on many Hadith and various meanings in Quran, eduroam Cotterill Masha, that the reward for an act is commensurate to the degree of difficulty is just like the Olympics, and someone does a simple dive jumps off the board and
with perfect form hits the water perfect, not even a splash it goes right through the water like a knife, they get a five because the degree of difficulty was zero. Someone jumps up and does a backflip and then twist around into a front flip and then goes into a pike and then hits the water and they make a little splash, they get a 10 because the degree of difficulty was so great. And so this is a general principle in life. And so the reward that we get for an act is commensurate to the degree of difficulty. So those who fast and is very, very difficult for them and it's a great struggle for them their reward is greater than those who are fasting and find it easy. Both have a
great reward. And it's, it's beyond numerical extent. But the degree of difficulty is something that's factored into our our rewards. The one who recites the Qur'an and stumbles and stutters and struggles, has two rewards, who are the one who decides fluently has a single reward, the one who recites fluently is rewarded for their beautiful, fluent recitation, the one who struggles and recites is rewarded, rewarded for their recitation and they're rewarded for their struggle. And so this is something that we should understand is reflected through all of our actions in the persons who struggle and it's really difficult, be hardened by that.
Brother was seem asks a song alaikum Can you please ask him say to advise the following? What was the prophetic practice during the last days in particular, if any to the first 20 days, the last 10 days of Ramadan? Is there anything specific we should do to prepare for the blessing night of whether or not the prophetic practice was at the cath during the last 10 days of Ramadan, the Prophet sallallahu Sallam during the last part of Ramadan would isolate himself in the masjid for intensive worship and intensive devotion and exclusive
deep personal
communion was the last time and so if we have an opportunity, we should we most of us have vacation time don't spend all your vacation going to Yosemite beautiful place I've been there overwhelming awesome, especially this year with all the rain and snow, the waterfalls booming off the chart, but spend some of that vacation, save some of that vacation and make attic half isolate yourself in the masjid for intensive worship
of Allah subhana wa Tada. And also, as you mentioned, try to organize your time so that if you don't make at the caf, you can block off large amounts of times to recite the core end. And so during the last 10 days, or if we were just pretty much at our normal clip or a little bit more we should try to really engage with flicker and during the last part of Ramadan and to make up for what we might have missed earlier in the month to try to keep our tongues moist with the our rod and a car and the remembrance of Allah subhanho wa Taala one of the things in Ramadan that's a source of forgiveness that go to law he feel Ramadan more foreign law, the one will remember the law abundantly and
Ramadan will be forgiven. One of the early generations I had to select the sila Rahim Allah tala Paul, test b hattan wahida twinfield ramadaan. Can elfi test be Hatton female, see where that saying supanova glorified arc Tao or LA one time in Ramadan is like saying that 1000 times outside of Ramadan. And so during those last nights the last 10 nights we go and tensive Vicar quarter and standing in prayer, listening to the recitation of the Quran. Those are the things we should be doing during that time. And to prepare for them. The best preparation is arranging our schedules are and Ramadan. One of the things we can mention is Ramadan is a challenge to the modern man and woman
because modernity wants everything scheduled out and compartmentalized. And this is one of the motivations for people relying on calculations to start in the month and I'm not knocking those folks nor their position. I'm just saying and I don't think any of them who take this position will deny it. One of the reasons is so we can
Have Ramadan conformed to our modern schedule? We're embarrassed going to the kids school
needs to take off next Wednesday and Thursday for their holiday. What day? Is it Wednesday or Thursday? You don't know when your holiday is. And so if we calculate out on Mondays Wednesday off is already calculated off. Now, when we see that question, we don't know when it's there's no scientifically accurate method to determine exactly when and where that question is going to be seen. We have a window.
But within that window, we can say where and we can say exactly when. And so Ramadan is a challenge to the rigidity timewise of modernity. And so we should, we should concede, and just try to schedule things so that our schedule conforms with Ramadan, as opposed to trying to make Ramadan conform to our schedules. So we during those last 10 days, I took some vacation days, I took an extra three hour lunch break, and worked it out. So three hours, I'm reading the quarter end during those days, I'm not eating anyway. And then I worked it out so I could stay later, I could come in an extra day or something. And so I have this big window every day during these last 10 days, I'm engaging the
core end. And so try to work it out, try to schedule things so that we're prepared. And so when this great opportunity comes for all of these blessings, and all of this edger and the web we've prepared for now I think that's the greatest preparation we can make. And then just engaging from our heart and learning a few things. Aloma in Macau flew into LA for HANA. decision making is the forest stock for stock flow with passion and feeling from our heart reading our code. So those are the things that we do during this time.
Yes, Mina asks, what are some things people that cannot fast due to pregnancy, etc. What can they do to feel the spirit of Ramadan
number one,
break the fast with people. So you're not fasting but when you have to eat and nourish and nurture do those things privately and publicly? Be with the people in the fast and break the fast sharing the iftaar meals which naturally occurs, but and to experience that joy? Also to read the Quran during its pregnancy and not
not fast in giving up fast for reasons that will prevent the recitation read your quarter and engage in our rod and simple Subhana Allah Alhamdulillah learn Hello Allah Allahu Akbar istockphoto la sala watan the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Allahumma salli ala Sayyidina Muhammad Ali he was on he was headland make a lot of Salawat read as much core end when you can read in an English if a sister might be prevented from reading it Rena in Arabic rather get an all English version and read that following enrich yourselves with the meanings of the Quran. Listen to the recitation of the Quran abundantly when during the times you're unable to fast is the month of court and as we
mentioned earlier, so listen to the core end, as opposed to putting and not not to be negative as opposed to putting your Snoop Dogg tapes in when you're riding around town. Not assuming you're listening. Anyone who's listening to this is listening to snoop dogg tapes. I don't even know if Snoop Dogg has any tapes these days. But as opposed to this and in the sheet,
this into the quarter end it's the month of the quarter end. And so just as opposed to listening to your net sheet and your tunnel bed, Rylan and listen to the quarter end it's the month of the quarter end. When Ramadan came the aroma mat and magmatic Shafi mo hanifa Imam Ahmed they will put all the Hadith aside teaching Hadith put the fifth aside and they give themselves to the Quran and they recite the Quran is the month of the Quran and the Quran in terms of what we can do every letter Ashura has an ad ordinarily letter called Alif Lam Meem. hard for lacking elefun hard for lemon hard for me mon heartful has an ashram Dahlia and is an individual letter lamb is an
Individual letter meme is an individual letter and each will be multiplied 10 times in this reward that's outside of ramadan ramadan that reward is multiplied exponentially. So how much edgier is in one page of the Quran how much as yours in a juice of the quarter end? How much edger is in and and a third of fourth of the quarter end. So this is an opportunity allows given us for tremendous blessings and Baraka and so those are some of the things we should be doing.
Greg asks, this is Greg's first Ramadan, and he's in an area where there aren't many Muslims. So he's surrounded by everything that he's told to eliminate or that we're told to eliminate during this month. How does he or how do we shut these things out without secluding ourselves from everything?
Yeah, Greg, right.
Yeah, Greg salaam aleikum and salaam aleikum, Yasmin song from West scene. Those are only names are caught.
Greg, listen, you're surrounded by those things when you outside of your home.
When you're in your home,
close the doors, turn off the television turn off the computer pick up the Quran. If you can read in an Arabic reading in English when I was a new convert, I didn't know Arabic like you convert and you automatically learn Arabic you take the Arabic pill
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim hamdu Akiva halochem be here Masha Allah vertical of eco not didn't happen like that. And so the first two or three or four years of being a Muslim, I did my cotterman English, the use of volley translation, the 30th are marked off in English. And so Greg, you surround yourself with a core and surround yourself with the remembrance of Allah. There's no one, just pray to the best of your ability. If you're still learning the prayers, you go through the messy movements of the prayer to say Lal * Allah fill the prayer with the vicar of Allah until you learn the things that said the various positions so that you might be surrounded by an
environment that has very few Muslims. So you construct your own little Islamic environment, where Greg has his own mini Islamic atmosphere, if you will, and that's inside your house, your family's not Muslim, I and you still living at home inside the privacy of your room, and turn off the distractions turn off the television, turn off the the anti social media, don't don't read the newspaper you got always wasn't new, someone got killed, someone got shot. You know, there's the Trump and the Russians. You know, comi is what is not nice. It'll be there after Ramadan, believe me, you're not gonna miss anything. Turn all of that out, off, especially during the last few days.
Focus on your core and focus on the remembrance of Allah, focus on your spiritual development. And you'll find that you don't you don't need what you think you might need to sustain yourself. And may Allah give you tofik. And that's not necessarily easy. But it's on the other hand, it's not necessarily difficult, and a lot of it is attitude. And so I encourage you, Greg, just or anyone else in that feeling isolated in that sense, get on the Nike plan and just do it. Sometimes we we overpromise things, and we set ups we make it so imposing that it seems overwhelming. But when we just say you know what, I'm just doing this.
And then all of a sudden it starts to shrink and it becomes manageable because our attitude overwhelmed it. So if is I I don't know if I can do this. This is really overwhelming. This is a daunting task. The our frame of mind the task is what it is.
And it might be really challenging, but we're not helping ourselves. But I was so big, it's overwhelming is daunting. It was like I'm doing this, it is what it is. But now I'm doing this straight up. I'm doing it I don't care. Nothing's gonna stop me is still big and scary. But now, it has to contend with us because I'm bringing something bigger. And that's a big positive attitude to the task in sha Allah
omarama asks, What can we
Do to gain taqwa and Ramadan.
Rama,
Rama,
Rama also, if your cornea is named for a child on Rama
Ramadan is all about taco. And so
the fasting itself is a source of taqwa. So make a sincere intention
that your fast is accepted and that your fast is purely for a law that's a means to gain taqwa. Yeah you holiday in Amman quotevalet camassia hemma kuchibhotla Medina mill publikum Allah Allah calm Tatupu. So all you believers fasting has been prescribed for you as it was ordained for you as it was ordained for those who preceded you in order that you will get more toccoa and so the fasting itself the Quran is a source of taqwa barely Kalki tab This is the scripture the quarter end neuropathy, no doubt concerning who Devlin Matata and guidance for the people of taqwa. And so is the Quran itself is a source of increasing taqwa so fast and keep fasting and complete the appointed
number of days and engage your core n. And remember Allah subhanho wa Taala because the remembrance of Allah Allah be decree law, he taught me and Luca lube does not the remembrance of Allah bring tranquility to the heart. And so that stillness in the heart makes the heart more receptive to taqwa and the taqwa, the home of tacos, the heart of taqwa. hoonah. The talk was here with Sheila Savita, Latham, Murat and he pointed to his breath, but meaning to his heart, three times. And so all of those things that strengthen our heart, open a heart and make it more amenable to taqwa. Going through the fast itself as a means to increase in taqwa engaging the core and as a means to increase
in taqwa. And all of these things are mutually reinforcing the code the fast reinforces the receptivity of the heart. The receptivity of the heart enhances the power of the core and the power of the core and deepens the fast the deepening the fast opens the heart more open the heart more, brings more core and into the heart because that's where it started. Conan cannot do well the gibreel Nunez Allahu Allah. Alby cabbie isn't Allah. Allah sent the heart the Quran to the heart of the prophets of the cellar. So Ramadan is about opening the heart so that the heart is more receptive to taqwa. And the receptivity to taqwa, opens it up for the Quran open up for the grant
makes it more minimal and agreeable for taqwa. And so the cycle just goes into this huge snowball of taqwa
waiting for you on Rama, and you're at the bottom of the hill waiting to be bowled over by that big taqwa snowball.
So we have time for one more question after all right?
Random asks, those who make up fasts after Ramadan due to illness or natural cycles, do they miss out on the spiritual flight? Absolutely not. Because you're you're still in Ramadan. And so you're still
wrong. Ramadan is more generous than any of us. Look at this great, great generosity of Ramadan the forgiveness that it gives to us the liberation from the Hellfire that it gives us and of course, this is an expression of this is an expression of a laws of generosity. Who's given us this gift? So I'm speaking metaphorically in a sense Ramadan sojourner on laws. Kareem
Olam Anika
carrying indika our phone to bluff and Kareem tibble param. LA's generous in love generosity and one. He's given us this great gift of Ramadan, but we're personifying Ramadan, we're bringing it to life and comparing it to us. So we're, we're, when we're remembering Allah, we're giving gifts of generosity to those around us. And
what does the law say about those who sin in the company of those who are being generous with their decoe Coleman, Lashkar jelly sukham there are people those sitting in the company are never sad. And so just by sitting in the company of Ramadan, you will never be sad and so you're in Ramadan. And so one aspect of
of Ramadan you can engage in the fast but doesn't prevent you from book or an even listening to it that doesn't prevent you from the remembrance of Allah doesn't prevent you from preparing something for fasting people to break their fast with which now you get the joy of their breaking their fast because you prepared something for them to enjoy that great blessing and to have that farha the saw me far Hatton far how to end the fit three he will for Hatton en de la carrera be the joy they experience when they break their fast and the joy they experience when they meet their Lord. And so you're helping them to
have that joy and so you share in that joy. So just being in Ramadan and being around people who are fasting, and thanking Allah for the blessings, our Prophet sallallahu wasallam and we'll conclude with this Hadith, he said Salalah and it was a tie Ms. Shakir at our mo Shakira,
be female unzila to set aside masabi the one who is eating and thanking Allah, for the blessing of food is in the same rank as one who is fasting and patiently and during the rigors of the fast at times Shakir the one who's eating and thinking a lot so as you eat thank Allah for those blessings for the blessing of food
and thank Allah for the gift of being able to help share that food with the fasting people so they can break their fast and enjoy and you're in the rank of the one patiently fasting and enduring its rigors What a beautiful beautiful this is them brothers and sisters. This is beautiful. This is powerful. That's why converted.
Not seven, I need some of that in my life. And so you know, share that beauty. Don't let the news is so bad. You be the news. That's the old same old stuff. You shouldn't even call it the news called the old same old stuff. Same old stuff SOS. We'll leave it at stuff. We'll use another term sometimes associated with SOS
you'll be the news that's the old same old stuff. You'll be the new stuff you'll be the person show the people the joy of being a Muslim. Muslim you ever see a happy Muslim? That's one of those tropes right there all said new I'm new I've been around the Muslims I've been around
Iran some happy Muslims
happy
Yeah, you know why cuz they're in love and all shook up. Yeah, in love with Allah we live in amorous shed to her belly, let those who believe are more intense in their love for Allah. And they shook up and they are happy. And you show people you'd be be a Muslim was all shook up. Because you are in love with Allah, you'd be a Muslim, the show people, kindness and a gentle word. Now look right past whatever you're wearing or dress in what your name is. What's your name? Mohammed. Ahmed, Mohammed.
Mohammed, Well, listen, let me help you with those groceries. You know, you seem to be struggling a little bit and you're having a good day. No one asked me that in 20 years. Okay, more hammer here. You take the bag and keep talking. You'll be that person.
You'll be the person to take the time to smile at the baby. You'll be the person that holds the door. Shift chivalry isn't dead. People still appreciate that.
You'll be the person that lets the people see through your character.
That Islam isn't what they heard on the television, or what they read about in the newspaper. You'll be the one that bring them beyond the headlines,
which are what is our fantasy? You'll be the one you'll be the one who your beauty and through your connection with the law and through your spirituality, your appreciation of the blessings that allows be bestowed upon you, who shows them the reality of Islam, and that the reality is nothing like that caricature that's been created for people to be distracted by you be that person. And if you can't be that person and Ramadan.
When are you going to be that person? So let's go out there. Let's have a positive impact on the world. Let's Let's continue to internalize
lies the deeper meanings of the fast so that the fast becomes an integral part of our very being. And that the joy
of breaking the fast and the joy of having the strength the fast and the joy of having food to eat if we can't fast that we are joyous people called me fondly lei or Pura Murthy he fabbi daddy Kapha Leah for who who are Hiram Maroon, say, in the grace of Allah and in His mercy and this let them rejoice should be rejoice, we should be joyous people. It is better than anything they earn better koloff equal malaita carbon minko
Mela Bless you all sorry for taking so much time. And hopefully we get to do this again. And in the meantime, go out there. Enjoy this last phase of Ramadan. let it fill you with the love and the light of Islam and let it draw you closer to the source of that love and the source of that light Almighty God Allah subhanho wa Taala Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh ramadan ramadan Mubarak Kula amin wakulla, Yeoman wakulla love that in when to be here, As salam o Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh