Zaid Shakir – The Fast of the Heart #02
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The importance of fasting during Islam's essential period is emphasized, including the need to refrain from speaking truthfully and the importance of speech, including presentance during fasting. The speaker also discusses the concept of protecting one's spiritual and heart during busy times, including reciting the Quran and avoiding wasting time. The importance of avoiding distractions from the internet and television during fasting is emphasized, as it is a means of achieving spiritual elevation and energy during the day. Additionally, the segment discusses the benefits of lowering one's focus on work-related activities to avoid distractions from reality and the potential for reward in a future episode about a woman named Zaytuna College.
AI: Summary ©
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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 Tasneem and Kathira This is memes they check here discussing the secrets of the fast based on your meme because Eddie's here Luma Diem, Rahim Allah may Allah Tala have mercy on our great great scholar, intellectual, spiritual and legal leader is he excelled in all of those areas of endeavor. And Hamdulillah. During the first part, we talked about the importance of patience. We talked about the importance and the significance and implications of the fasting being related to Allah subhanho wa taala. As so Mooli in NUS Lossiemouth
in the holy fasting is mine, we talked about the implications of that. We talked about the fasting of the ordinary folks on wood or moon. And basically just refraining from those things which would legally break the fast. This episode, we wish to talk about the fasting of those who are striving to elevate themselves spiritually, those who realize that there's more to to our religion, than just undertaking the basics to fulfill our legal obligation. And that regard, that's very important. And as we mentioned in the first episode of this series, that's the foundation that's absolutely essential, so adhering to the legal requisites of any action, and undertaking them with enthusiasm
and vigor, that that's the foundation and without that foundation, subsequent subsequent growth, spiritually subsequent maturation spiritual maturation, it has no foundation, so it will not happen. So we don't want to be mean or belittle the legal obligations in any way, shape or form. But as we grow and as we mature, and as we develop as Muslims, we began to, to, to aspire for something higher, we aspire for something higher, and that aspiration and by embodies what Imam Ghazali is talking about when he talks about the fast of the those who are striving to elevate them themselves spiritually to distinguish themselves, and that regard and hence a whole source. So those who are
distinguished some of the call source that fascinate My dear brothers and sisters is to refrain the tongue, the eyes, the ears, and all of the limbs, from those things, which involve sin, to referring all of our limbs, all of our appendages, from sinful behavior, because legally if we tell a lie legally or fast as accepted, but if we're striving to distinguish ourselves spiritually, we will consider that sin to be something that will break our fast that would violate the fast not legally, but spiritually. So my dear brothers and sisters, we want to focus on this aspect of fasting. First with the tongue. The tongue is the greatest source of sin. If we look at the the ruler, nations the
earth, that, that and another section of Imam Ghazali is,
the largest section is, involves rather the ruler nations of the tongue. And those were nations are 20 and number here, numerous 20 of them,
amongst them lying. As we go through our day of fasting, my dear brothers and sisters, we should remain we should refrain from telling a lie. Even the normal little white lies that we might tell to maintain domestic harmony or for whatever reason, even those we should have, we should refrain from those
My dear brothers and sisters, because we're trying to take advantage of a very special time to do something very special and beneficial for our souls. So lying is something that we should refrain from during Ramadan, backbiting, carrying tells between people, exaggerated speech, extra flowery speech, all of these things we should refrain from and Ramadan, as we mentioned in the last episode, and getting back to the basics, one of the very basic foundational aspects of our spiritual growth is silence. Assault. So we refraining ourselves from speech. And And Ramadan is really training us in this regard to attain one to one of the
aspects of our religion that's often not discussed. And that is, there's a ruling for speech. So there's a ruling for speech, there's a ruling for everything we do at some level, the ruling for speech is silence. In other words, as an Ask No Fill Color Fill Kalama salt. So the foundational principle of speech is salt.
Well, I encourage you, and have the loss in the muscle. And we only go away from this foundation this origin of speech for some interest, or benefit.
So if our speech is beneficial, we speech we speak rather, if it's idle chatter was called a thorough thorough, just I really chatting and chit chatting. We refrain from it. Our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam reminds us in this regard, man can you mean who belay? Well yo mill accurate failure ko La Jolla run all your smart, whoever believes in Almighty God and Allah subhanho wa taala. And the last day, let him or her or her speak well or remain silent. And so either we speak well we speak when there's a Muslim or
we speak when there's a benefit to be advanced or we remain silence. So Ramadan is encouraging us and encouraging us to remain silent. And that then encouragement comes one from understanding that our focus is the remembrance of Allah in the Quran. And sour tongue should be preoccupied with the remembrance of Allah and the Quran during Ramadan shall Ramadan and lay the wounds Rafi hilker en the month of Ramadan, during which the Quran has been revealed. And so our spare time as opposed to
idle league gossiping, as opposed to ideally chit chatting as opposed to involving ourselves in these chat rooms online jumping from one to the other to give our two cents or our two Durham's or two rupees, we should be involving ourselves with the vicar of Allah. We should be remembrance of Almighty God we should be involving ourselves with the Quran. This is the month of the Quran. i Dear brothers and sisters and the Quran fasting is a shield. A Somboon Joona fasting is a shield that Ward's off from us sin and indecency
reciting the Quran and and remembering Allah abundantly during Ramadan is a shield for our tongue which guards are toned against lewdness and indecency. For reciting the Quran we can't lie of reciting the Quran we cannot insult if we reciting the Quran we can't argue and dispute if we're reciting the Quran we cannot be engaged and backbiting of reciting the Quran we can't be engaged and excessive speech of where we're reciting the Quran. We can't be involved in any of the ruminations of the tongue. So just as fasting overall, is a shield or protection. The Quran and the remembrance of Allah jars more specifically during Ramadan is a shield and a source of protection for our
tongue. And in protecting our tongue. We protect our souls, and we protect our hearts. And this is an aspect of Ramadan that we should be very, extremely mindful of Imam Ibrahima nahi. The great early scholar he mentioned Pelican men
Hello Kubla Khan pitha Lathi Hassan for Dolan Calam for Dulo tan or for Dolan manner, the people who are ruined before you will ruin because of three characteristics, excessive talking, excessive eating and excessive sleeping. Ramadan cuts down on all three. And all three of you are involved in memed. Allah has led discusses all three and some of the horseshoes and the fasting of those who are striving to elevate themselves spiritually. He focuses on the tongue and we mentioned some aspects of that discussion. But he also focuses on excess of eating during the times when it's when we break our fast, we should not break our fast with lavish banquets, we should not break our fast with an
effort to compensate for all the food we miss during the day, we should have moderate simple meals. Why? Because the number one, someone has to be fair prepare those of those lavish banquets and a lot of instances, it's our wives, even if our wives themselves might be working. Because of various circumstances, they're expected to come home and cook these meals of their home all day to prepare these lavish if tours for us and our buddies, and they're not reading the Quran as a result. They're not engaging in the Dhikr of Allah. As a result, they're not contemplating and reflecting during this time that's conducive to deep contemplation and reflection. Because they're cooking and
preparing these lavish meals. We should keep it simple for our sake. And for the sake of those who might be preparing all of all of these meals for us. Also for the sake of spiritual elevation mentioned in this section the fast of those who are endeavoring who are endeavoring to elevate themselves spiritually the the lessening of our intake of food during the nighttime. This frees us up to four taraweeh is difficult to pray with energy and vigor when our stomachs are about to explode. It's difficult to follow focus on the Quran being recited by the Imam during taraweeh. When our tongue stomachs on the verge of explosion, it also frees us up from running back and forth to
relieve ourselves our lesson and take a full means that we there's a lesson passing of waste. And so that frees us up and that gives us more time for the Quran that gives us more time for for standing in prayer it also gives us more energy and vigor. So we should try to lessen and take a food we should try to adhere to the prophetic sooner and that regarding focusing just some dates some water something simple some simple food and then we resume our worship because the the the fast of Ramadan involves two fundamental realities the reality of fasting during the daytime and the reality of standing in prayer and worshiping Allah Tala during the nights. This is embodied by two Hadith which
have just one word of difference between them. His saying so Allah, Allah will send them the Prophet saying peace and blessings of Almighty God Allah subhanho wa Taala be upon him. Men, men sauna, Ramadan Imen what he said and all of your Allahumma Takada moment Thembi Manu stands for prayer for one rather one who fasts during the day of Ramadan, their prior sins have been forgiven, and most scholars say this involves the lesser sense. One word of difference men Karna Ramadan, II Men and wacky saben goofier Allahu Mata cada Mammon Thembi. And whoever stands for worship during the nights of Ramadan, with sincere faith anticipating a reward, their prior sins have been forgiven. These
twin duties are the duties of Ramadan during the summer months here in the Northern Hemisphere, the duty of fasting is more arduous, because the days are long in their heart, and in many instances humid. So fasting is very arduous during the winter months, and we're still in the winter months and just coming out of the winter months. So we're going to have fairly long nights, then the Pm is the duty that's more arduous, because the nights are long and there's a long a lot of time for worship, but there's also time to take ample rest and we're challenged in the summer. The fasting is
In the summer in ways in this regard that we're not challenged in the winter months, we're reminded by our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, as she turned over IB or movement, that the winter is the springtime of the believer,
Tala Tala Yama who for Sama, his days are long. So I'd rather hasura the Heroku. For Sama, his days are short. And so it's easy to fast them. During these early spring days of this Ramadan here in the North in North America is going to be very easy to fast, the days will still be relatively short and there'll be relatively cool if not many of them will be outright cold. We know the fickleness of our weather these days.
What Tala Laila who thought Assam felt comma, and the nights are long, so they spend those nights worshiping Allah, men comma Ramadan, men, Sama Ramadan. And so we have an opportunity to do that. And we should take advantage of that opportunity. The eyes, unfortunately, our eyes are exposed to all sorts of
things that involve sin
that formerly people aren't exposed to. That's because early generations they had television. And generations before that they had no television. So we're talking the 1930s, where television was in widespread, people listen to the radio, they listen to FDR, we have nothing to fear but fear itself on the radio, they didn't have television. And so their eyes weren't challenged with anything other than what they might have encountered in their daily lives and back and forth. Television exponentially, expanded what their eyes might be challenged with, and now the internet exponentially expands what television might have exposed our eyes to. So we have to lower our gaze. And this is an
aspect of the facet of the whole source that Imam Ghazali focuses on, lowering the gaze from those things that involve sin. So we shouldn't be looking at those things on the internet, shut it down.
Unless it's work related and work related, just focusing on whatever website is relevant for work, shutting it down. We mentioned shutting down and our participation in the chat rooms pick up the, the the core end because how easy is it to slip into backbiting? When your fingers are doing the talking, the Prophet saw a line of send a mention at least a collar mood, I had to I had to Lisa Nene, that the the pen the tongue the pen rather is one of two tongues. So there's the tongue of us of our mouth, our physical actual tongue that we might send with and then there's the pen which is another type of tongue and by extension, the keyboard and how much send we engage with via the
keyboard. These chat rooms and and junk piling on when someone's slanders a person we don't even know. We don't even know we don't know if what they're saying is true or false, but they say it with enough pizzazz that it captures our interest and we reflect them the power lawn and we share and we pass on and we comment shut it down brothers and sisters turn off the television. What is the benefit of watching television? Oh, I'm watching the the tarawih and Haramain as if you had the movies you eating popcorn listening to a meme su days natinal N for rocketed. Then you would Imam yaka Rodman Sora to Minnesota T moreon. Edge mela Tila wetter and we chopping on foot with the edge
of for us pick your own Qur'an up, go to your own Masjid. Pray behind your email, pick your Quran up. Ramadan is not entertainment. It's an opportunity for spiritual elevation. And when we do as Imam Ghazali advises us when we reframe and protect and guard our limbs, our vision, our hearing, don't listen to the filth you might normally listen to.
Was in misogynistic lyrics, lyrics promoting fornication, lyrics mentioning the consumption of alcohol, *, drugs and rock and roll. Turn that off my brothers and sisters let you use this into the Quran. Let you
eyes look at the script of the most half. Let your tongue be involved in remembrance of God. As one of our early Muslim mentioned tests be Hatton Wahida tune for Ramadan.
Can myth care as the test beatin famous, you were saying Subhana Allah, one time and one time in Ramadan is like saying Subhana Allah 1000 times at any other at any other time. So Subhana Allah, let that be what your tongue is preoccupied with, and handled Isla de la ilaha Illallah Allahu Akbar La hawla wala Quwata illa biLlah that this fill your tongue can imitate any coffee for Tanya and then the sand the Taylor Tanny filmyzila and Habiba Tahani Illa ramen Subhana Allah who would be handy he Subhan Allah Subhana Allah, Allah Lim, there are two expressions, they're very light on the tongue. They're very heavy in the scale in terms of their reward. They're very beloved, to the most
merciful, glorified are thou O Allah Subhana Allah will be handy here and with your praises, Subhana Allah Allah them glorified, thou law, the most mighty, let that be on your tongue let the court and be on your tongue when the reward of don't say anything laminate meme is a single letter and E flat
is a single letter and is an individual letter. Lamb is an individual letter meme is an individual letter will hasenauer to actually I'm 30 and each letter you recite in the Quran will be multiplied 10 times over. It's a voluntary act, but the voluntary act and Ramadan will have the reward of an obligatory act it will be 70 times and as mentioned earlier, it can be 700 times to every single letter. So think of your reciting one just 130 of the Quran every day, how many letters are you recite? Think of you're reviewing what you've memorized during Ramadan.
Over and over and over to reinforce your memory. How many letters will we recite how much reward will you gather for yourself? How much reward and blacking the Haram from your ears and keeping your heart receptive? How much reward so we have an amazing opportunity and we should all fast the fast of the the moon someone or Moon by refraining from anything that will legally break our fast we should all fast the sum the sum of the whole schools, the fast of those who are trying to elevate themselves spiritually. And the next final episode inshallah we'll talk about something Imam because that he mentioned some will call sources so called salsa, local source, the fast of the spiritually
elect those who have gone through that process of growth, and now they're in a stage of spiritual maturation. That's what we're going to talk about next time. This is Imam Zaid Shakir on behalf of zaytuna College Assalamu alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh