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Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.
My dear brothers, sisters, elders, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala commanded us and told us
that fasting has been prescribed upon you as it was prescribed for those before you
so that you may become Muttaqun, so that you may become people of Taqwa,
so that you may become people who are conscious of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala in their lives,
so that you may become people for whom the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala is the soul,
not just the most important, but the only thing which is a criterion for every decision in their lives.
Ramadan comes to help us to become Muttaqun and to become eligible for all the promises of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala
which all of them without exception are only for the Muttaqun.
Being Muslim is a boundary condition. You enter the door,
but everything that comes after that is based on the level of Taqwa of that Muslim,
to the degree to which that Muslim is conscious of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala
and to the degree to which that Muslim is willing to spend his life and lead his life
according to the rules and the laws and the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala
as we know from the Sunnah of His Nabi Sallallahu alaihi wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.
That process of becoming a Muttaqi begins with Istighfar and Taubah.
Allah says,
فَاستَغْفِرُوْهِ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ رَبِّي قَرِيبٌ مُّجِيبٌ
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala said,
So seek his forgiveness and turn to him in repentance.
Surely my Rabb is ever near and all responsive to dua.
Seeking forgiveness must be followed by turning away from sin.
We must change the basis of our choices,
keeping the Rida, the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala as the sole criterion for all decisions.
If it pleases Allah, we do it. If it does not please Allah, we don’t do it.
If we don’t know, then we don’t do it until we find out.
Al-Qulana al-Kareem begins with a reminder of our Taqwa.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala reveals Suratul Fatiha,
which reminds us about the glory and majesty of Allah,
our Rabb, our Creator, Sustainer, Maintainer, Protector,
and defines our connection with Him.
It reminds all humankind that we have a Creator who is interested enough to teach us a way of life,
which if we lead it, will result in a society which is based on justice and compassion.
And it reminds us that one day we will all return to Him, Jalla Jalaluhu.
Just as we had no choice coming into this world,
so also we will not have a choice about leaving it and meeting Allah.
Everyone who was born will die,
and everyone who dies will be resurrected before Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.
Whether anyone believes this or not is immaterial, makes no difference. This will happen.
Dhalikal yawmul haq. Allah said that day is the day of truth.
It is the day of truth if you believe it, if it is the day of truth even if you don’t believe it,
because the day will happen.
The difference between believing and not believing is for us.
If we believe it, then we will prepare for it.
If we don’t believe it, then we are going to meet it in a state when we are not prepared for it.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala gave us a choice to make that meeting the best meeting of our existence,
even though that meeting is not a matter of choice for us.
And that’s very important because unlike this life, what happens after that meeting is forever.
That way is called Al-Islam.
Al-Fatiha is the surah of khashiyah, of the awe of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.
It is the surah of shukr, of thankfulness.
It is the surah of tawbah, of returning to Allah.
Al-Fatiha is the surah of guidance to the path of the prophets that lead to Jannah.
The people to whom this will be granted are the Muttakoon,
those whose single criterion of all decisions is, does it please Allah?
Taqwa is the fear of displeasing the one we love the most.
And only for such people did Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala promise guidance.
He said,
dhalikal kitabu la raiba feehi udallil Muttaqeen
This is the book in which there is no doubt and it’s a guide for the people of Taqwa.
To help us to become people of Taqwa, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala prescribed fasting and He sent Ramadan.
Ya yuwal lazeera amanu kutiba alaykumu sriyamu kama kutiba ala allazeera min khablikum la’alakum tattaqun
O believers, fasting is prescribed for you as it was for those before you
so that you may become mindful of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, you might become Muttaqun.
Fasting helps us to inculcate Taqwa by emphasizing the fact that when in this month we could stay away even from the halal,
only because Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala commanded us,
how much more important it is to continue to obey Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala’s commands about His prohibitions throughout our lives.
The reason Muslims fast is because Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala commanded it.
There’s no other reason.
Therefore, everything a Muslim does in his or her life must also be for the same reason,
because Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala commanded it.
We know Allah, we love Allah and we know that to Him is our return.
So we do only that which pleases Him.
This is the basis of our existence as Muslims.
This is the basis of all virtue and leads to Jannah.
Taqwa is critical because it is the right of Allah.
It is the first right of Allah.
It is His right that His creatures recognize Him and obey Him and worship Him.
He declared,
He said, oh you believe, have Taqwa of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala in a way that He deserves
and do not die except in a state of Islam,
except in a state of complete submission to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.
What therefore are the signs of Taqwa?
How do I know if I have it and how strong is it?
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala gave us a gauge to measure our Taqwa,
whether we have it and if we have it then how strong is it?
In Surat al-Anfal, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala said,
See the conditions.
Five conditions.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala said,
The true believers, the Mutakhoon, the Momineen are only those first condition whose hearts spawn,
whose hearts tremble with the glory and the awe and the majesty of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala,
wherever Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala is mentioned before them.
Number two,
and when the ayat of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala are recited before them
or they see the signs of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala in them and around them,
their Iman increases.
Zadathum Iman.
And the result of these two things is that they have Tawakkul on Allah.
Wa ala rabbihim yatawakkaloor.
They have complete and total faith and reliance on Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.
Their hearts are filled with the glory and majesty of Allah
and there is no place in those hearts for anything else.
No place for fear, no place for worry, no place for depression, no place for despair,
no place for anything other than the glory and majesty of Allah.
Three conditions which are internal.
Then Allah will describe two other conditions which are external and visible.
Allatheena yukimun as-salaah.
These are the people who established the salaah.
They don’t just pray when there is some free time, they don’t just pray when it’s convenient,
they established the salaah.
Their entire life is based around the salaah.
The salaah is muqaddam, the salaah is not muakhar.
The salaah is the first and most important thing in their lives.
And everything else revolves around it.
They don’t say, well you know I get only that much time for lunch
and then if I go for salaah I cannot go for lunch.
No.
I have to go for salaah.
If I have to miss between salaah and lunch I will miss lunch.
There is no question of missing salaah.
There is no question of not fasting.
As long as I am physically able to fast I will fast period.
It’s not up for discussion, it’s not a debatable point.
Yukimun as-salaah.
And then Bumimma radhakna humyun fi pun.
And these are the people who spend from what we have given them.
They spend their money, they spend their time, they spend their energy,
they spend their lives, they spend their talents,
they spend their resources in the path of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala
because Allah gave us all of this.
So let’s ask ourselves.
And then Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala promised for them.
Allah said, ulaa ikahumul mu’minun haqqah.
Allah said these are the people who are the true believers.
Imagine if we have these five qualities,
the one who is guaranteeing our belief is Allah Himself.
What bigger guarantee do we want from anybody?
Allah is guaranteeing.
Allah says if you have all this you are a believer.
I am saying it.
ulaa ikahumul mu’minun haqqah.
And then what did Allah promise for them?
lahum darajaytun inda rabbihim
wa maghfiratu warisqun karib.
And Allah said for such people Allah has given them great stations of honor.
With Him, darajaytun inda rabbihim, with Allah.
wa maghfirah and forgiveness.
Khalaas, we have forgiveness, we got everything.
wa maghfirah warisqun karib and Allah will give them the rizq.
Allah will give them all their requirements in this world and the next in a very beautiful way,
in a very honorable way.
They won’t have to work like robots from morning till night and drop dead on the bed in the night in exhaustion.
No.
Allah will give them their provision in an honorable, beautiful way.
So let’s ask ourselves what happens to our hearts when Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is mentioned.
We hear the azaan, does anything happen?
We hear the azaan and people are still talking and doing all kinds of things.
It is haram in the masjid when you are hearing the azaan to do anything including reading Quran.
So how can it be jahiz for you to do anything else?
How can it be jahiz for you to be scrolling on your phone and sending messages and talking to each other?
Right?
If the azaan goes off in a masjid and you are in the masjid,
it is haram for you to leave that masjid and go until you finish the prayer.
The only exception is if you are an imam in some other masjid and you have to go lead salah there,
only that person is permitted.
Otherwise, anyone in the masjid, once the azaan is called,
you cannot leave the masjid until you join the jamaat and finish the salah.
That is how important it is.
What does it do?
Does it do here?
Does anything happen to our hearts?
You are listening to Taraweeh, Alhamdulillah, may Allah bless the Sheikh,
and every time I hear him, he is better, mashaAllah.
What happens to us when we are standing behind him listening to the Quran?
So let us monitor ourselves.
What happens when we read the Quran ourselves?
I always tell people, when before you even start reading,
open the Quran, look at it and say,
this is the word of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.
This is what Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala sent to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
This is my direct connection with my Rabb jalla jalaluhu.
This is the only way I will come close to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala in this life.
Demand yourself, where I am, what am I doing here?
It’s not just reading something, no.
And then you start reading with that awe and majesty of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala in your hearts.
In Taraweeh, are we distracted?
Do we feel tired?
Do you say like this takes too long?
Why should we pray so many ayahs, so many rakats?
What’s going on in the heart?
These are all signs of a disease of the heart.
Don’t normalize them.
You sit in a khatira, you see many people as soon as they finish salah, they pull out the phone.
You’re getting a message from somewhere to say your salah is accepted or what?
What’s on the phone?
Seriously, imagine.
Finish salah, salah wa ala salam, phone.
Ah, okay, done.
Salah accepted, I got a message.
La hawla wala quwata illa gu.
What kind of a life is that?
Where you won’t even have peace for fifteen minutes, for ten minutes.
You take all the time and trouble in this country, in this cold, in the snow and the ice and whatnot
to drive all the way from your home.
You make wudu, you come to the masjid, handu illa, arandu illa, handu illa, may Allah bless you, bless you, bless you.
And then you ruin all that by having a face in the phone.
When the kalam of Allah is going on, tilawat is going on, khatira is going on, reminder is going on,
instead of benefit, you took all the time, trouble, energy, you burnt gas and whatnot
and you came all over here to trash it.
I mean, you won’t look at the phone at all.
Why do you come to the masjid for?
Please, leave the phones in your car.
Or if you bring it, turn it off.
Don’t put it silent.
Turn it off, make it a problem for yourself to turn it back on again.
Don’t make it easy.
Faire it off.
What kind of a life is it if you cannot even have peace in the house of God?
There’s no sukoon even in the house of Allah.
What life is it, ma’am?
I don’t care what kind of car you’re driving or which billion dollar house you’re living in,
you have no peace in your life.
Inna liLlahi wa inna liHraziyuhu.
Put the phone away.
Right?
Don’t touch the phone.
And if that is happening to you, it’s a sign of a disease of the heart.
Don’t normalize it.
Don’t say, oh, you know what, nowadays people have only so much attention span.
That’s garbage, that’s rubbish.
The same people will sit and watch a basketball match for one and a half hours
and their eyes won’t even blink.
Who told you that the youth today and the young people today
do not have long attention spans?
They have very long attention spans.
They have the wrong attention, they have the long attention spans in the wrong places.
Where is the attention span for the Kalam of Allah?
Where is the attention span for the love of Allah?
Where is the attention span for the story of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam?
You have attention, nothing wrong with the attention span.
The place where it’s going.
Don’t normalize that.
It’s a sign of a disease of the heart.
Cure it, work on it.
And it begins with turning off that phone.
Right? Please.
Don’t destroy your own Amal by letting shaitan come into the house of Allah in your pocket.
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