Gaining Full Benefits Of Fasting

Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa sallahu wa salam ala rasulillah olema Arkadin Nabina, Muhammad, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa barik wa sallam, All Praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds and peace and blessings be constantly showered upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad, the master of the first and the last, and upon his family, his companions and all those who call to his way and establish his sooner to the day of judgment as to what follows my beloved brothers and sisters and those in the IOU I begin with the greeting words of the righteous are Salam aleikum, wa rahmatullah even better cat

Alhamdulillah. We thank Allah azza wa jal for the great blessing of fasting in the month of Ramadan.

And we pray that Allah would bless this Omar at this very critical time.

Muslims today, all over the planet, we are about 26% of the earth's population.

We have huge masjids. Our Juma has a crowded everywhere. We have great potential. We have some of the richest people on the face of the planet Earth.

We have great material wealth, or 50% of the mineral wealth of the world lies under our countries.

Allah has blessed us with youth.

In many countries, you'll find that over 60% of the population of Muslims are under 25 years old. So we are a nation of the future.

And this opportunity, this this major opportunity is manifesting itself.

In the Muslim world, it's manifesting itself, but in strange ways. And I want to share that with you in this blessed month of Ramadan. And to try to understand what is happening and where we are going.

Recently reports came from Mecca of huge crowds. The people coming back from Oman said it is though you are in Hutch, like no other time, people are pouring into the sacred sites. That means they have the ability to pour into them, they have the ability to pay as well to stay in Mecca. So there are so many people who have wealth, so many people who have this ability to make the sacred journey. But at the same time, with this

height that we are reaching, in terms of

ability to fly and to travel. There are other Muslims who are trapped in the jaws of death.

The famine in East Africa is described as the worst

in the history of the United Nations. since World War Two, humanity has never seen anything like this. And it seems to be getting worse.

So it's a contradiction. You have this peace and security in this high

lifestyle and gross national product on one hand. And on the other side, you have devastation like in Syria,

like in Afghanistan, like the Rohingya Muslims, like Central African Muslims, like East Africa. So this is like a contradiction that is there.

And people are crying for change, to come out of this condition that we are in. There are those of us who cry for political change. Some believe that we must have a halifa at this point in time.

Or we're going nowhere. There are others who cry for economic change. They say if we have Islamic banks, that's it. Because the economy is the most important thing in life. There are other people who are crying for social change. They are crying for

Islamic clothing,

Islamic social life recreation centers, in some countries that just crying for halau food they want to change they just want to be able to eat what is prescribed by Allah subhanaw taala

but with this Christ going for change a lot told us and so to read verse 11 in the law you hear you know might be comin, what are you VEDA might be and foresee him. Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change that which is in themselves. And so we have to make an internal change. We have to look inside of ourselves. We have to re analyze our actions

We have to re analyze the fast thing that we are doing.

Does the cat that we are paying the press that to us, I mean the dollars that are being made right now with millions of people saying, I mean, we shouldn't have any problems.

Our nation shouldn't be humiliated. Our leaders shouldn't be disgraced, our poor should be fed.

So something is happening. And this month is the time

and we have to recognize that we are dealing with the month of Ramadan. And we look at several bacala verse 185, and those verses surrounding it. We recognize that Allah subhanaw taala first revealed the significance of the month, even before the fasting. And so a lot told us I wouldn't be lying in a shape on the regime. Shaka Ramadan already on Xena fee for an houden lioness were begun enough to admit I'll hold out well for con, that this the month of Ramadan is the month in which co Ed was revealed as a guidance to humanity and clear evidence from the guidance. And from alpha con.

That which separates truth from falsehood. So this was a month of the revelation.

This is a time when the spiritual ears cleared as the prophets of Salaam said Sufi that the shell team that the evil demon demonic jinns are in chains. So the spiritual air is clear.

And this is the time of guidance. This is the time of clear evidence. And if Muslims are fasting

in a proper way, if we get over this hunger that we're involved in, and for many people, especially in the northern countries, it becomes a struggle for food. And they're literally looking at the watch what time is if time What did I buy?

The the meat markets to halau meat owners are joyous. In this month they are you know, selling so much meat and food. It's like is it shuttle car? Or shadow Tom?

Is it the month of fasting or the month of food?

So what is it?

Why would the province so seldom even say robus? Simon Lisa lumen car he ilja?

There are many who fast and get nothing from there fast but hunger?

Why would he say something like this? Why would you focus on the negative thing to bring out the positive. So in other words, it's not just hunger, there's something greater than hunger is a higher level is more benefit. And if we look at the scenario itself, and go back to the revelation, we find in the life of the Prophet Muhammad Salah that Ramadan was revealed the significance of it through the court and coming down.

And the guidance for Allah subhanaw taala. So that is the essence of the month. And Muslims lived like this for many years, that was the essence of Ramadan.

But then later on a lot told us and it comes chronologically, that whoever witnesses it fairly assume that that person should fast. So if you witness the month of guidance, if you witnessed the separation of truth from falsehood that has come to us from Allah subhanaw taala, then fast in that month, hold back to him sec in that time.

This is crucial for us to understand and to recognize what Allah subhanaw taala has given to us in the sacred time, and in the sacred month.

And so, the fasting itself, there's something more to the fast. And as we are going through the book of Allah subhanaw taala and people are reading insalata Tada, we're in many massages, they are reading the whole of the Quran. But the question is, are we reading it just to read? Or are we getting the benefit out of it? This is the crucial question we need to ask. Because again, this is a large body of Muslims, this ideal conditions, on the other side devastation

to ours being made, we need an answer.

Striving is happening. But is it being done properly? Are we getting the full benefit out of the striving?

And so as we were reading through

the code and itself and circle baccata and we came to verse 208 we recognize that Allah azza wa jal it's very important point that like it stopped

in my mind and it was shocking to many people when a lot said I was a Billahi min ash shaytaan the regime. Yeah, are you Hello

Dena armano colo facility cafa while at W hautbois to shaytaan. In the hula Komodo movie, we who believe enter into Islam completely, and do not follow the footsteps of the evil one, for he is to you and open enemies.

So enter completely

into Islam and when the word calf is being used, and this is important for us to reflect on, a lot could have said Jimmy on Amata

but no calf Fuck, which means as the scholars have shown us every aspect of your Islam submit completely. So in other words, you don't just submit

in the daylight hours of Ramadan and do wrong in the evening. Or you don't just submit in Ramadan and then go back to what you're doing and show while

it's complete submission. It's not just submission spiritually. But it's submission everything that we do. That means our economic life, our political life, our social life, every aspect of human life. This is what a lot is commanding us to do.

But what happens after that a lot of shows do not follow the footsteps of the evil one. So he shows us this something on the other side. There's something wrong there's something evil and that is piecemeal Islam, that is only following part of it and not following the essence of this Deen and submitting to Allah subhanaw taala completely.

And this is important for us to understand, especially at this time, when we are in this month. And when we look at this set of verses we also recognize that Allah subhanaw taala tells us here again the month is revealed and then the fasting is revealed. Why is the fasting revealed? And that Allah told us? Yeah, yeah, you have leadin Amano quotevalet camassia kamakoti by Allah Latina, Minh publikum la locum Taku are you who believe fasting has been prescribed on you as it has been prescribed on those who came before you, in order that you would have Taqwa?

the consciousness of Allah,

to fear Allah, to God against what is wrong, right is that consciousness, that's the essence of the fest. It's not a hunger strike. It's not starvation.

And I feel sorry many times, you know, for those Muslims who are like dying in the mud, yes, we're hungry, especially in the northern countries were going through a major test. Because we have near the longest possible fasts in the northern countries go into it. But at the same time, there's something greater than the fast. And we have to come out of that carnal state, that an animal like state and raise up. And we should recognize that when we raise up to a higher level,

we are in a sense in an angelic state, because the angels do not have desires like human beings, you have aluna marone, they do what they are commanded. And so in a sense, when we are living in the world, we are working, studying, walking down the street functioning.

Some people are even playing sports, and we're fasting.

And so by doing all of this, and controlling for Allah subhanaw taala, we are like the angels, right, who have defeated who are above their desires are not worried about this. They are in submission. So we are now in a Jelic state. That's the I opened up now.

That's what we're looking for. That's what the provinces lm is saying. There's something else other than hunger.

And that's what we're looking for the highest stage. The true full benefit of this. When we go back to that verse a lot tells us that the reason why we are fasting is taqwa.

It's the consciousness of Allah. And it's very important to focus on this taqwa. And what is the opposite? Maybe this will open up a door for us.

One of the great scholars of Islam or wafaa padeen, Abu Mohammed Abdullah bin Ahmed ibn Ahmed ibn Kodama el mapa, de si a de mashpee Rahim Allah.

He died 620 years after the higit. He's known as a Shakib and Donna.

And he was a great scholar in the sense that not only did he look at the external affairs, but he tried to, in the most authentic way look in the internal affairs of Muslims as well. And this is crucial now because

We're looking not just externally, not just to do this a lot, not just to do the fasting

not just to wear the clothes, but to gain full benefits in order to get us out of this balar this punishment this calamity that we find ourselves and the Muslim world in at this very critical time.

And so it will Kodama Rahim Allah in His menaggio posse Deen

he looked at this concept of taqwa

very interesting analysis. That taqwa is made up of a health Raja, fear and hope you fear in you fear Allah, and you hope in the mercy of Allah. And these are stimulants

and anything other than that,

which is not stimulating you and stagnating you, it is what it is deception. This is a very interesting concept. Because fear and hope. These are things which should call you to action. When you fear something, you jump back. When you hope for something, you move towards it. So you're involved in an action. It's not as the Marxist Leninist would say that. Religion is the opium of the people. No, this should stimulate our fasting is supposed to wake us up. It's supposed to stimulate us, our prayer is supposed to wake us up.

Right, our halau food our Islamic lifestyle is not supposed to put us to sleep.

And so it's crucial for us

to look at this stimulation and what's the opposite. So the opposite now hurrah.

An interesting definitions for not only is it a deception, but it is a delusion.

So somebody is diluted. It's like they think that they are right. They think that their way is the way they think that they are doing righteousness, but they're really doing evil, they're deluded about themselves. Another definition is illusion,

like the life of this world is an illusion. And the last one about hyouta dunya ilimitado. Overall, life of this world is nothing but a material deception or illusion.

It can also mean stagnation. And this is an important concept that this would or could put us in a state of stagnation. Where we are Muslims, we have this large mass of people. And you have pictures coming in the last year or so of the Kaaba. And you'll see it periodically where it gets so many people in it. It's like it stops the toe off stops. It's like a huge colony of ants. And there's so many ants that they can't move anymore. So many people, the stagnation is in there.

And so this is the horror.

And it's very important for us to try to reflect on this concept, as our scholars have reflected what or can hit people sometimes because of their families, their very lineage, the very roots that they come from. There's cases of people who because they feel they come from a special family, or a special part of the world. They feel they are saved.

And this is really a deception.

One, some might say, Well, I don't have to give such as my mother used to give charity all the time. You're being deceived. Others say no, why should I study? I'm from a family of Allah. You're being deceived. Study is on everybody. The action of giving charity of doing what is right, it's on everybody. Just because your family is too fast. Doesn't mean that you know, you're okay. As long as you got that name that allows going to accept you this is this concept of the chosen people. This is not our way.

And so the person could be deceived and if the family was enough, then what about Abu lahab?

He is the father of the flames he is Hashimi, the uncle of the prophet SAW seldom a noble lineage, but burning in hell.

And so let us not be fooled by our families, or by the fact that we've been practicing Islam for a while, or the people in our family or our country practice Islam. We need to do it ourselves. We need to get the full benefit out of it.

There are others who are deceived by their deeds.

One person may wake up in the morning and do 100 instead of five. ask Allah azza wa jal to forgive him. Maybe he does it in the masjid 27. Maybe he does it in emotional harm times 100,000 do the math. When you see what an amazing

amount of numbers this he's got a lot of hustle net. So he feels because he has the hustle net, the rest of the day he can backbite talk against the mom scandalized women,

lie, insult people with his tongue. He's being deceived.

He thinks that these hassanal is going to help him. He's being deceived.

And this is the role that we're talking about. We have to get deeper, we have to recognize that the Prophet Muhammad SAW Salah

very clearly showed us that in his final sermon, he very clearly showed that

the evil one

has disappeared.

And being followed in the Arabian Peninsula in big things, but he will be followed in small things. So be aware of him. Be aware of him in small madness. You see how important this concept is.

This guru can hit many different people.

There are some who

they have grow with their material things. I even had a case of a person who won the lottery. He gambled and won the lottery and came and said, Brother Abdullah, can I pay a cat?

I'll pay two and a half percent, will it make it halau you can't make it a lot. You can't take a pig, a financier and say Bismillah Allahu Akbar and slaughter it and make it hollow.

It's the pig.

And it's the same way the gambling. But this is a deception that one wants to try to get around things. This is what we have to watch out. This is what we need to change in this very crucial time

in the history of Islam, and Muslims on the face of this planet.

This role can also touch students of knowledge. And this is an important point because many times students of knowledge are people who so called religious people feel that they're above all these statements and all these things. And even Kodama Rahim Oh, he looked at a lot of sofa. He looked at people of Sufism to solve. And he said that there are those people who claim to have zoid they claim to have abstinence, but yet they are highly materialistic.

But yet, they have pride, envy.

They have all these negative qualities, the opposite of abstinence and zakat. But because they have certain names and titles, they feel they're abundant. They're being deceived. This also could apply to students of knowledge. Those who might say we're of the salaf, we are studying aqeedah. But they're studying aqeedah. They know the letter of the word, but they're not implementing it. See, there's a difference in knowing the letter, knowing what it is and doing it. And this is where the water is coming in. So even a person who is studying who claims that they know what is right, they have the eye out they have the idea, but they don't apply it to themselves. They can be fooled as

well.

And so Voodoo is a dangerous thing, even to the point where the person studies mahadasha hoof. They study the ability to pronounce the words of the court and they know how exactly and it comes melodious. And the people say Allah Allah,

but they're not practicing it. And the promises seldom said the time would come when people would read this court and in melodious tones and tongues, but it would not pass their hat

or would not pass the throat. So they read it in a beautiful way. It doesn't get by the throat. In other words, it doesn't go to their heart.

And so Dakota Sula, salaam, salaam it has come to pass. It's a form of deception that people find themselves in.

And so this deception can hit people in many different ways. We need to be aware of it. And Eben Kodama Rahim Allah

in His final watseka, and he wrote a type of final advice.

And I want to read to you a very important statement that he made a translation of the statement. And in this he said, beyond God against that which will invalidate your good deeds, lest your deeds become corrupted and your efforts disappointed and you fail to acquire

The wage of those who act

and beyond God against the sluggishness of idle people

in case you lose this world and in the hereafter. So this is a very important statement that he's saying. He's saying beyond God for certain actions, it could invalidate your deeds. So in other words, the person is fasting in the month of Ramadan.

And they're doing certain things, it burns up the fast.

They go under, they make Hutch they do certain things it burns it up.

So this is a very important point this could be the key to what is happening today to the Muslims who are in such large crowds who have such great wealth but still feeling humiliation on the ground and they've been Kodama Rahim Allah, it's that's an interesting points number one of those deeds and there are many that could invalidate our we are

doing religious deeds to be seen by others showing off with your deen.

So

you do good deeds, you make this a lot. You do the fast, you give the subtle call, but you want your name, you're doing it for a name for a reputation that could invalidate the very action or deed that has just been done. This is a crucial concept that we have to understand. After you have to recognize it could invalidate all of the good deeds, which we are doing as people or as Muslims in this month number two urges or conceit doing things or feeling that what I say and what I do, it is the right way. In other words, some will say it's either my way or the highway, someone sent you the follow my share or your shotgun shaped on only my way.

And so

the urgent and urgent conceit is very dangerous concept. Because when you get conceited in yourself, and you start thinking, well, we are the best people. We are the chosen people, we are the right tonica We are the right math hub, school of thought we are the right Islamic movement. We come from the right country, we speak the right language I speak Arabic or Turkish or or do or Swahili or English or whatever it is conceit, you start attributing to yourself, that which you don't really deserve, that can lead to pride. And pride, as we know is one of the most dangerous qualities in existence. It is the pride that caused the shape time to fall with a yellow pillar. As he told a lot

You created me from fire and you created out of clay. So he was a racist. He was he was arrogant and proud. And he fell down. So this pride is a dangerous thing. So this PR job hasn't been Kodama has shown it can lead to the pride. Watch out for that pride. Especially when it reaches that level where you stop

thinking that you're better than everybody else. Another interesting point that he made and as though he's talking to us directly today, contempt for other Muslims, hatred for other Muslims, you feel negative about other Muslims. Yes, there may be things they're doing wrong. And you give naseeha and, and you want it to change, but it's that corrosive rust, that evil acid of the hot hatred for another Muslim and especially a person who is claiming to be Muslim.

They have the Shahada, they, they they they're doing their prayers, they're fasting, they may have something wrong with the way that they practice Islam. And we want to help them as well as they should help us. But it's the hatred is the negative ill feeling in the heart. This is what we don't want.

It could invalidate our deeds.

And that is what we're looking for today. Another important point that is made is opposition to the Sunnah.

And this is crucial because the presence of them is our guide. He is the one who was showing us if you really want to know all of our actions and the things that we are doing. There's one tradition where the Prophet Solomon is saying su yulara Sula, so Solomon actory by unikl anass agenda for Kala Tukwila wa hostal hoolock the province of saloon was asked what is the main reason why people will enter Paradise and he said the consciousness of Allah and good character

was Susheela an actor my unicolor NASA na for kollel femoral farge. And then he was asked what is the main reason why people will enter the fire and he said the mouth and the private bots Look at this. So entering paradise. Is that a big cap? Is it a long

Be it.

Right. Is it heavy, heavy niqab.

Right? Is it having a certain group that we're in? No, it's Tukwila

is the consciousness of Allah it's, it's that relationship and, and good character. It was the character is what came out of us not what we said, is what came out of us what we actually did. These are the main reasons why people will enter Paradise.

And what is the main reason why people add to Hellfire, the mouse, and the private bots.

This is really serious when we look at ourselves, because the fasting could only be just this physical struggle against the hunger against the thirst,

the physical struggle in this life, but it doesn't reach the mouth. The fasting needs to be the fast of the tongue as well. So we fast against telling lies. Of course, the worst lies on the private moments on some on Allah and His Prophet. You shouldn't be lying, we shouldn't be distorting things. Right? That's the real fast. And then also our backbiting, talking about people negative behind their backs. scandalizing people, false witness,

insulting people with our tongue, any of these negative qualities, the mouth needs to be fasting as well. And that's not just putting food and drink inside of our mouth.

The eyes need to be fasting. So we need to fast from watching negative things. Even sometimes people use their eyes in a negative way to hurt other people, especially other Muslims.

So the eyes need to be fasting as well. The ears don't listen to negative things.

Right see these are the action. So what is the main reason why people are in hell, mouth,

mouth, private pots.

Right? You see these two things, control them,

control them in this life to gain the benefit of the next life and the protection from the fact.

And so

this advice is a crucial advice. And a great scholar Rahim Allah did not leave us alone, he gave us some points of advice. And that is number one.

taqwa with vigilance. So in other words, we're not just having the consciousness of Allah in Ramadan,

and show while we act different. We're not just having the consciousness of Allah on Judah.

And then outside the mosque we different.

We need to have it consciously, continuously, consistently. vigilant.

Number two, take responsibility for your actions, and recognize that our actions have consequences. And this is important for leadership, whether it's the leadership of our families, the leadership of our communities, the leadership of our nations, those who are giving that responsibility of leadership recognize this consequences for what we're seeing and what we're doing.

It's not going to be forgotten.

And it could actually invalidate our good deeds. We could actually good do good at one point, and then destroy it.

Number three,

excellent actions.

surround ourselves with excellent actions.

Giving sadaqa saying nice things.

Calling to the good forbidding evil, feed the poor, use the fast. In other words, don't just sit there and count down and roll around and you'll be in this physical thing. Okay, yes, we feel tired but use the fast use the consciousness help somebody out.

Volunteer.

This will change the negative evil narrative being put out in the world because of the actions of a distorted few people.

Stop doing the righteous deeds of the Muslim world is is doing righteous deeds all over the world.

If our rich people are giving to the poor, really paying a cat, really giving sadaqa the poor of the world would look to the Muslims and say, This is our sick These are our saviors.

It can happen

if we have that consciousness

and if we surrounded ourselves with these righteous actions,

also humble supplication that when we turn to Allah azza wa jal

We need to do it in the sense that we are nothing

and look at this body look at what this fast is doing to us. If you miss your fast here in the northern countries and the time for between making Tata we are and so Horace so short up here, you can miss it very easily if a person just closes their eyes, they can wake up and is no sohar and it's happened to a number of people. That means you got to be fasting 2122 hours. That's a serious fast especially when the weather gets warm.

What happens to your body? It starts breaking down you feel really weak. One day so how strong really are we?

So when we're praying to Allah subhanaw taala It is not like you make a certain why you demand of Allah certain things. That when you make this do I You must get an answer. That's not the way that we're supposed to be making.

We're supposed to be turned into a loss about Allah, humble supplication

really asking Allah have mercy on us, forgive us.

Lift the balla off the Muslim world lift this calamity.

We have to recognize our poor we are in front of Allah subhanaw taala.

And we need to fill our our lives with this intimate conversation that make this to an intimate conversation with Allah subhanaw taala

be sincere that was not the amount of two hours you can read 52 hours from a two hour book.

But one sincere two hour would be more than all of those things you read like a parrot, so sincere due to a loss of power that we needed right now. So our deeds would not be invalidated. The Lord forgive us for the wrong that we have done.

And also

it's the hotter and we should ask Allah to help us to make the right choice as surround yourself with his stuff are constantly asking lots of what am I doing the right thing in my actions. This is a very crucial time for Muslims. We need to get full benefit out of our deeds. We have to recognize the Prophet Mohammed Salim Sallam did not speak from himself. He was very clear. And one tradition he said men Lamia de colza. Well, I will be here for Lisa lilla hajah and the other Tama Sharapova, whoever does not give up false witness and acting upon it.

That Allah has no need for him to give up his food or his drink. So what does that mean? It means that it's not just the physical fast, is something higher, we want full benefit out of our deeds. We want full benefit out of us a lot. That there is for sure. And there's a lot that we are really turning to Allah submitting to Allah bowing down to the Creator of the heavens and earth and recognizing this bow and the supplication that we are doing.

This is crucial for us at this dangerous point in time in our history,

that our fast need to be a meaningful fast that this month of Ramadan, that when we're reading the code and read it to get meaning, read it to get guidance, we read it with touch read, we reflect on the meaning and then implement. So it's recitation, reflection, implementation.

So practice go all the way with the actions in this blessed month of Ramadan. It's crucial for us. And we need to understand how important this is, at this very vital time in our lives. And this crucial time

in the life of the oma.

When we are surrounded by our enemies, when famine is striking us.

We are suffering loss. But at the same time there are those who have security and peace. There are those who have wealth. It's a test on both sides.

It's a test with goodness, a test with evil, but we're definitely under a test. And we need that full benefit from our fasting from our actions, from all the things that we are doing.

So we pray that Allah subhanaw taala would accept us in this month of Ramadan that Allah would accept our actions and deeds and would help it to be a real source of benefit in this life and in the Hereafter. And we pray that Allah subhanaw taala would have mercy upon the children of the home of Mohammed Salah, protect them and have mercy upon our younger generation so they can be strong enough to take this message. We pray that a lot we protect the dignity and the honor of the women of the home of Mohammed Salah

Mila

guide the men strengthen the men strengthen this woman at this time, give us unity, clear our hearts have any contempt and evil and bad thoughts, except our prayers and really help our deeds to be meaningful.

I leave you with these thoughts. I asked I asked Allah subhanaw taala to have mercy on me and you are Salaam wa Alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh