The Fast of the Heart #01

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Bismillah Al Rahman Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala CD mursaleen Sayidina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam to Sleeman Kathira Assalamu alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. This is Imams a shaker, coming to you on behalf of zaytuna College, your Muslim College, a college that I'm honored to be associated with my talks, my three talks will be will concern the issue of the secrets of fasting based on the Luma Dean, the Revival of the Religious Sciences or the science of religion by the great scholar, Imam alloga Zed. So during these three episodes, we will touch on Bismillah Huhtala. Imam Ghazali is mentioning have someone removed

the fasting of ordinary folks, some a whole source the fasting of those who are trying to distinguish themselves by getting in touch with their humanity by growing and maturing spiritually and the fast of the spiritually mature and select some parcels still whole source the fast of the spiritual mature and select so we'll start the first episode by focusing on something Imam Ghazali starts the section with and that is the importance of patience and the attribution of the fast to Allah subhanaw taala Assam only when HDB fasting the reward rev of the fast is mine, I will reward the servant with it. And hamdulillah it serves us well to start with Mount Ghazali starts he starts

discussing the relationship between patients and fasting. He mentions the Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam where he says as so mootness for supper, the pay of fasting rather, is half of our patients. The relationship between fasting and patience is quite obvious. Fasting unlike our other acts of worship isn't over in five minutes as the prayer might be or 10 minutes. If one is praying even at a very calm, moderate pace, the prayer can be over 510 minutes that badger two units of prayer 510 minutes, it's a done. It's not like the Hajj, the Hajj, a few days it's over. And during those days, certain actions are associated directly with the Hajj, such as going out to rfl

or stoning the gem Murat or other acts or the tawaf, which may in the hustle and bustle of things take a few hours, but in a few hours, it's over and a few days, it's over. Fasting, on the other hand, is that cat charity, in the old days, people would go gather up the requisite number of heads of livestock, and they've paid their their cat or go into their, their storage and pull out the requisite amount of gold or silver. They've paid there's a cat and modern times you write the check, go online, send our say cat to the designated organization, and it's over in a few minutes, fasting on the other hand, and doors for over the course of an entire month or 29 or 30 days. It also

involves the entirety of the day from the crack of dawn, as we all know, and to the Istat the affirmation of the setting of the sun. So we're not here to talk about the legal aspects of the fast but some of the underlying secrets starting with patients. So fasting is half of all patients because fasting embodies patients. There are three basic manifestations of patients patients and dealing with the difficulty that comes and obeying Allah subhanaw taala. So a sub rule ALLAH Ta patients that comes in dealing with the difficulty in obeying Allah subhanho wa Taala such as fast and will obey the command to fast it might result in headaches, and my result and and stomach ache.

cramps, especially during the early part of the month, it might involve fatigue at the end of the day, but we do patiently deal with those difficulties that come and obeying our Lord. And then there's patients and and dealing with the difficulties that come and avoiding things that are Pavitt prohibited. So a sub rule and mousing so pay patients and dealing with the difficulty that comes in and avoiding rather, things that involve sin. So for example, some people might be tempted to sell alcohol in their stores. And unfortunately, we see some Muslims doing exactly that. And but others refrain. And refraining from that forbidden action, involving themselves in alcohol. In this case,

in the sell of alcohol, their income is less because their income is less, they suffer some difficulties they can send their children to the school they might want to send their children to, they can't live in the neighborhood that they wish to live in. I live in therefore, their neighborhood their residing might be less safe, and that involves some difficulties and some challenges. But they deal with that. And they did they patiently deal with that rather, because they're seeking their pleasure of their Lord and they understand the the temporal fleeting nature of this world that that difficulty won't endure forever. And then there's patients a Sabra and and

moosari that patients that come patients and dealing with the pain and difficulty that comes and dealing with calamities. So we're in the midst midst of a calamity, the corona COVID-19 calamity. This calamity involves a lot of loss and involves death, and involves people not getting being able to work. It involves landlords not having the tenants paying their rent, and as a result, they have to struggle and suffer suffer, to scrape up their mortgage payments from other means possibly themselves taking another job, and that involves fatigue and difficulty. So calamity brings difficulty. And the believer patiently endures that difficulty. As we mentioned, fasting also brings

us difficulty, but to briefly retreat, the difficulty in dealing with forbidden things during the daytime and fasting. Things that are ordinarily lawful are forbidden, which makes them all the more difficult to avoid. Because normally, we can drink milk, we can drink fresh juice, we can eat succulent dates, during the daytime, we can drink cool water during the daytime. And during the fast the days of fasting, we avoid those things. And as we mentioned, that might bring difficulty for us, we have to go to work and we get up early. And we can't rest after staying up night during the night to pray and read the Quran. And so we're dealing with fatigue at the end of the day that might be

multiplied

for us because now we've not only started the day tired, because we were all part of the night praying taraweeh and that kept us up late. And then we read some Quran. And now at the end of the day, the fatigue that comes from not bringing water not bringing, bringing food into our bodies starts to kick in. And so that fatigue is complicated. But we deal with that difficulty for the sake of our Lord and seeking the pleasure of our Lord. And then we mentioned the difficulty in dealing with calamities, and that difficulty usually involves pain. And as we mentioned concerning patients and obeying Allah and patients and avoiding forbidden things. There are pains that might be

associated with fasting Ramadan, physical pain of headaches, and cramps and fatigue. But we patiently deal with that for the sake of our Lord. So this is where Imam Ghazali starts his discussion of the secrets of Ramadan, then he proceeds to mention that fasting is attributed the reward of fasting is attributed to Allah subhanho wa Taala to Almighty God, and this is something that we should really focus on, because of all of our actions. And this relates to patients will make the connection momentarily, but of all of our actions. Fasting, the reward of fasting is attributed to to Almighty God and there are many secrets associated with that. So the prophets Allah

Allah, Allah will send them he mentioned coulomb the coulomb dibny admin now, and Hasina to Ashley M farrier in a sub Aimia death in the Addison Kathira theory wire last year for N Hu li y n Zb. So you mentioned that

fasting, rather all of the actions undertaken by the child of Adam, or for himself or herself, collaboratively, Adam allow.

And those actions that are for the child of Adam there are multiplied 10 times over 700 times over. And another version of the hadith of not this hadith, but a version of a hadith rather a prophetic saying that mentions the reward of our x, x actions in the adoption kits era so many times over and above 700 times 7000 times for a single deed, good deed 70,000 times 700,000 times for a single good deed, and this momentarily, take a brief break and just remind all of ourselves, myself included, if every action we do we do can potentially be multiplied 70,000 times 700,000 times, and every misdeed we do is counted as one against us. Think how hard someone has the work Dear brothers and sisters to

go to hell.

How low our quality level BiLlah there is no strength nor power. CEP except with our Mighty God think how generous Allah subhanho wa Taala think how generous Almighty God is, in any case, illustrate

accept fast and fair and the holy one hzb. So fasting is exempted from those ds that are multiplied 70 times or 10 times rather or 700 times or whatever. There's fasting as exempted for N Hu li N hzb.

What that exemption, what are the implications here we'll come back to our brief discussion of patience. And Imam Ghazali talks about this a lot. It reminds us in the Quran. In America for sabio Runa eduroam will hide he said that the patient ones will be given their reward with no numerical limits. And that fasting embodies patients. As we mentioned, it's appropriate that the reward for fasting will have no numerical limits. And no matter what for Sabi Runa eduroam Bill Haley, he said

the patients patient ones will be given the reward with no numerical limits. And as fasting is an embodiment of patients. It's appropriate that it has no numerical limits, and that it's attributed to Almighty God. It's appropriate that it has no numerical limits because there are no limits to the power of God. There are no limits that can confine or restrain or define God. There are no limits to the grace and the mercy of God. And therefore an action that's attributed to God to Allah subhanho wa Taala appropriately has no limits in terms of its reward. This is the greatness of fasting, this idea of fasting being exempted from our deeds. As mentioned in another context, coulomb, coulomb the

AMA Lahu katha,

Illa song a psalm, Lima and hzb. Another version mentions that every action undertaken by the child of Adam is a source of expiation or atonement for their deeds, except fasting.

So, in who Assam only fasting is mine, we remind it by Allah teilen Hadith could see, fasting is mine. And I will reward the child of Adam for that. This version of the Hadith the great scholar of Mecca, Sophia and in Arena Rahima hula Maya, May, Allah Tyler almighty God have mercy on him. He mentioned according to this version of the Hadith, the exemption is based from the deeds that are a cathartic and atonement for sin. So on the Day of Judgment, when people are gathered, those people we have wronged, they will take from our good deeds and take from our good deeds.

And some people, unfortunately, and we pray that no one is in this category. banane evidently there will be some people who did so much wrong, that their good deeds will be exhausted and nothing will be left. Everything the reward from the Quran recitation will be gone, the reward from their prayer will be gone. The reward for the charity that they did, will be will be gone. The reward for their pilgrimage will be will

Be gone, everything will be gone. At that point, there is nothing left except to reward of their fast because the fasting was not the reward of their fasting was not theirs. It was for a loss subhanho wa Taala Illa Salam Assam only when HCB fasting is mine, I will reward the child of Adam with it. And so Sufian been Oriana writing mobile law, the great scholar of Mecca, he mentions, at that point, when everything is gone, there's no more reward, Allah Tala will return the reward of this of the fast to the servant. And on the basis of the reward of the fast of alone, the servant will enter paradise. If this doesn't encourage us, my dear brothers and sisters to number one,

reflect deeply on the deep spiritual meanings of the fast that something's attributed to our Lord. And that that cannot be touched by any human being because it's not ours. And that might be the thing that tips the scale of our deeds in favor of paradise on the day of judgment, because no one can take from that in order to be real, to be atoned or expiated for the wrong we might have done to them. La ilaha illa Allah there is no God except Allah Our Lord is merciful brothers and sisters and as we know Ramadan is a month of mercy shall Ramadan or well who Rama. Now all set to Mulk. Farah clear who ethical Mina nor the month month of Ramadan, the beginning of the month embodies mercy and

what to be more merciful than the reward of our fast being held back. And then given to us on the Day of Judgment, and tipping our skill in the favor of good are set to whom ofera. The middle days are forgiveness and body forgiveness. We're here to Add Component knowledge. And the final portion is liberation from the hellfire. And as him the Roger Bill handily mentions all of it in reality as mercy but during the first part of the month mercy predominates. And all of it is forgiveness. Through in the middle days of the month forgiveness predominates. And all of it, as affirmed by many prophetic narrations involves liberation from the hellfire. And but during the last part,

culminating with the final day of the month, the final night of the month, more people disproportionately more liberated from the fire of Hill than during the earlier parts of the month. Imam Ghazali then proceeds to mention that there are three types of fast the fast of ordinary folks, there's the fast, folks who are striving to elevate them self spiritually. And there are the feathers, the fasting of the spiritual elected those who have gone through a process of spiritual purification and elevation. And so they're fast is at an entirely different level. So he mentions the facet of ordinary folks in the facet of ordinary folks is refraining from their their their

restraining rather, from food and drink during the daytime, those things and a sexual relations, refraining from those things that would break the fast legally. And so that's the facet of ordinary folks. And that is something all of us should strive to involve ourselves with. Because in any anything we might, might do their degrees, we might start a job we read about those people start in the stock room, and they end up in the boardroom sitting at the head of the table. So they've progressed and spiritually, we progress. But if we don't have that foundation, if we don't have that foundation in terms of doing the basics, and doing those basic things, with dedication, with

sincerity, and with with with deep faith, that what we're doing is something pleasing to our Lord. As believers, our spiritual foundation will be very weak and the chance of our success in terms of our spiritual growth and maturation will be severely compromised. As the great sage of nelta. Allah mentioned men, Ashura can't be diarrhoea to who Ashura caught, the higher to the one who's beginning as illuminated, the end will be illuminated. So the one at the beginning of their path, their spiritual path, who's whose path is illuminated, and the Lord

emanation at the beginning is doing the basic things, undertaking our devotional actions and trying to be good and our devotional actions and doing them with excellence and adhering to all of the Sunon associated with them, then they're ending will be illuminated with spiritual insights and elevation, and understanding the deeper realities of creation and the deeper realities of what it means to spiritually be human. Because that is the quality that distinguishes us our spiritual and intellectual illumination. Those make us human, we share these carnal functions. With animals animals eat and drink and sleep and and copulate. As humans we eat and drink and sleep and copulate,

we share that with animals. Animals are wounded, they bleed, we're wounded, we bleed we share that with the animals, animals eat and they passed waste we eat and we passed waste. So those animal carnal physical functions aren't what make us unique. What makes us unique are the spiritual qualities, the soul. And so that illuminating end is spiritual enlightenment, but it's built on the foundation of sincere and dedicated worship at the beginning. So this is why it's so important for us to really take the basics of the fast the legal aspects of the fast, seriously for a profound provide the foundation to elevate to the subsequent levels, which we will talk about in the second

and third part of this lecture. So very quick, quickly, my dear brothers and sisters, our spirit distinguishes us we share many carnal functions with animals, animals eat, drink, they copulate, they sleep, we eat, drink, sleep, copulate, animals eat and consume and drink and they pass waste, we eat, drink, consume things, and we pass waste animals, when they're injured, they bleed when we're injured, we bleed we, we share those physical, physical qualities with the animals. So that's not what distinguishes us as a unique and special creature. It's our intellect, it's our spiritual nature and fasting undertaken, properly, enhances and strengthens that spiritual nature. It sharpens

our intellect. So this is why it's very important for us to refrain from those things that will break the fast eating drinking sexual relations during the daytime and Ramadan, and the details of those things who will most of us are familiar with, and it's not our test to go into them here. It's our test to look at the secrets of fasting. So in the next episode, we'll look at and concentrate and focus on the fast of those who are striving to elevate them self spiritually. What Imam Ghazali refers to as some of the some of the coursehorse the fasting of those striving to distinguish themselves spiritually. This is Imam Zaid Shakir concluding the first lecture we look forward to the

second, hopefully, you can all join us for that. SNM why they come to Llahi or Bearcat