Prepare for Ramadan

Mufti Menk

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Mufti Menk Discusses how to prepare for the month of Ramadan at the Light Upon Light 2015 conference. Download the lecture below.

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Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.

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smilla rahmanir rahim In the name of Allah subhanho wa Taala Most Gracious, Most Merciful Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah Mohammed while he was happy Jemaine, we praise Allah subhanho wa Taala we send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his entire household We ask Allah Subhana Allah to Allah to bless them all to bless all his companions and to bless every single one of us and our offspring to come up to the end May Allah Subhana Allah Allah bless us all and grant us ease and goodness. I mean,

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my brothers and sisters, we all know that we are in the month of Shaban at the moment correct? We all know that there are a few more days left before we start fighting about the moon correct?

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Did I say something wrong?

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Allah Subhana Allah Allah forgive this oma, Allah forgive us all. We all know that Ramadan is about to begin it normally begins with instead of moon sighting moon fighting, have you heard that?

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And this is why as an oma we need to understand Allah subhanho wa Taala has kept something unique for us. It's a gift of the month of Ramadan do not spoil it by fighting over things wherein there is a difference in jurisprudence. So where you will never be able to bring all the people on to one opinion, you'd rather say you know what, if you believe this is valid and correct Alhamdulillah if I believe this is valid and correct and hamdulillah we are still brothers and sisters in the deen you start today? I start tomorrow Subhana Allah, may Allah subhanho wa Taala help us but ideally, we should be trying to get ourselves onto one platform for the moon. But if you were to take a look at

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the time of the Sahaba of the Allahu anhu regarding certain matters, such as the one that glares us in the face, the incident of Bunnell, karela and the solitude also where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam told his companions now you suddenly had to como la sala in Luffy when he says none of you should read salatu wa so accepting money for Allah. So they immediately rushed towards monopolize the time of salado NASA was about to expire. Some of them said we'd rather read it now. Others said no, let's read it in Bernie parrilla. So some Stockton read it and others waiting to read it later on. But the benefit was that later on when they asked for Hamas alone, I didn't even

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send them he confirmed that both of them The intention was to follow the instruction of the Prophet one of them understood that for that day, Salah was connected to a time and not a place and that was one formula and the others understood that what was meant was only make haste but it was not an instruction to delay Salah which is supposed to be during a specific timeframe. And from this we learned that sometimes there will be differences of opinion and we can do very little about it however, I want to talk about preparation of the month of Ramadan or for the month of Ramadan I know that a lot of us Mashallah we buy an extra freezer in the homes

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because it's the month where we're not supposed to be eating so we just freeze the food Allah forgive us while I eat has become the case so much so you know at the moment and this is something I laughed at when I heard it. At the moment in South Africa we're going through a very cold spell suddenly it's very cold spell. So there was a joke doing its rounds on social media saying the reason why there's a cold spell is all the Muslim sisters are opening their freezers admiring this Averys. Mashallah, so it's dropped the temperature. Obviously that was just a joke, but it's a fact that we have so much of food The biggest thing we prepare when it comes to the month of Ramadan is

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food. We have savories we have pies we have some muscles we have so many other things and May Allah subhanho wa Taala forgive us we forget that whilst it's okay to prepare when it comes to the food, we need to make sure we've prepared ourselves spiritually physically, mentally, emotionally for this beautiful month, which is the month of the year. Chateau Rama born and od.

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D

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it is the month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed. Allah subhanho wa Taala says it is indeed the criterion this Quran the value of it is being mentioned in this being made mention of in this beautiful verse, where Allah subhanho wa Taala says the term shadow Ramadan, no other month of the year is mentioned with this particular term, Shahab and then the month straight after Ramadan is the only one and similarly we find Allah subhanho wa Taala speaks about the prescription

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fasting and the term use this quotevalet come you know it's been prescribed for you. And I like to always think of a prescription you know when you say I got a prescription, what are you talking about?

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Medicine, medicine, this is medicine well it it is spiritual medicine, it is religious medicine, it is medicine for the soul for the heart, it actually improves your body as well. So it is medicine. I recall reading some tweets early morning today. And I just landed from Lagos Mashallah. And I was reading a few tweets, a lot of them wouldn't have believed that I was going to be here Mashallah, May Allah forgive us.

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But at the same time, what is definitely true is I read a tweet that said, I'm so happy Ramadan is on the corner, I'm looking forward to losing weight.

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But is that preparation for Ramadan, so we eat ourselves the entire month of the entire year. And when it comes to Ramadan with me to lose weight, if you are fasting in order to lose weight, you have lost the urge and the reward of the fast The intention is wrong. And we believe in normal Amma Lubin miyachi we're in normal equilibrium and our every action is judged by the underlying intention. And for every person that reward is according to what they have intended. Or the recompense is exactly per the intention. We ask Allah subhanho wa Taala to make it easy for us to have the correct intention even though you will be having 1819 hours of fasting I tell you what,

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come to Africa.

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Masha Allah,

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Allah subhanho wa Taala reward you I was once asked Do we get a bigger reward if we fast longer hours? I'd like to think so. Well, it is much more difficult. The determination in sha Allah, Allah, you get the reward of the fasting in sha Allah because the reward of the fasting is in the Hadith, the Prophet sallallaahu salam says mon sama, Ravana imana and YT seven

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MB, whoever fasts the month of Ramadan with conviction, believe in Allah and convinced that they're going to be rewarded by Allah looking forward to the reward from Allah subhanho wa Taala. They will definitely have all their previous sins wiped out, may Allah subhanho wa Taala wipe them out for us. But when you have longer fasts, and when you know that it's quite difficult by the will of Allah the two things that will happen, guess what? Two things will happen. The first is

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three decades down the line, you're going to have fast which will be absolutely short. So there will be recompense for that.

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Are you ready to wait that much time. But the second thing is because of the length of it and because of the determination because of the fact that you still kept the fast and because of the fact that Subhanallah It was so difficult and I still did it for the sake of Allah, I will indeed achieve a greater reward by the will of Allah you know, so mu Li z, that's the ideal could see the Prophet sallallahu Sallam is telling us that Allah subhanho wa Taala says, I am the one who recompenses the reward of the fast because it is for me, it's done for me. SubhanAllah my worshiper stays away from food and drink and permissible desires, and so on for for my sake, I will reward him

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only Allah knows May Allah subhanho wa Taala reward so how do I prepare for the month of Ramadan besides the food and so on and so forth?

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The truth is, I need to start softening the heart of mine right now right here because we in the month of Shabbat and this is why you have the fastest Shabbat and the prophets are seldom used to fast quite a bit you know, and we are told not to fast when it comes to the last days and so on because of certain reasons. Some people used to say oh, I don't know if the moon is cited is it cited not cited, let's just fast this day it's called yo check the day of the doubt you're not allowed to faster that day. You have to be certain Ramadan has started and then you fast. You don't just save maybe let's just benefit of the doubt we fast in case in case Ramadan doesn't start off in

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case it starts and it starts we know it has commenced. May Allah subhanho wa Taala make it easy. If you're not going to soften your heart How will you see the last Ramadan that you're ever going to witness in your life?

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It might just be this coming Ramadan. You might never see another one ever. Is it possible? Yes it's possible. So start softening your heart towards what towards Allah to start with. Soften your heart towards Allah The month of the Quran. We heard a moments ago the verse I read certain Bukhara we are speaking about shouto Ramadan being the month that was revealed.

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And Allah subhanho wa Taala confirms later to come.

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In

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lucado Layla Toluca

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Dinah's

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What a beautiful soul. We are allies confirming to us that the boron is revealed on this Night of Decree The Night of Decree where it is being decreed what is going to happen for the next entire year. And Allah subhanho wa Taala says that night, do you know what is this Night of Decree? It is a night that is better than 1000 months, that's 83 or 84 years, one night better than so much in terms of decades longer than the lifespan, perhaps of the bulk of us.

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One night.

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In order to benefit from the night, I need to start getting up for the head dude from now once in a while, at least once twice a week. Shouldn't we be fasting every Monday and Thursday, my brothers and sisters, I've seen a clip

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of someone who was a non Muslim. And he said

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that according to medicine, and according to his studies, the healthiest thing you could do as a human being is to fast two days a week. And he says the two days that he chooses Monday and Thursday when he says it Everyone says oh wow, let's start fasting. But when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did it, and it's a Sunnah and you get a reward, then we don't do it.

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I call on you. My brothers and sisters. Honestly, try it out once in a while. You know that God is a Salah that is so powerful and beautiful. If you were to get up for school every Monday and Thursday, perhaps you can read a little bit of the hedges perhaps you can be awake at that time of the night when Allah subhanho wa Taala descends to the lowest heaven and the questions are being asked Halloween evening to ballet helmy Mousavi Allah

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is there anyone seeking forgiveness that I can forgive them? Allah is asking, Is there anyone repenting that I can accept the repentance? Allah is asking, Is there anyone who has any need whatsoever that I can fulfill that need? And what are we doing? We're busy sleeping?

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Can't you get up a few times? Or do you wait for a big problem to happen in your life before you get up? For Salah for foreign for prayer for supplication? Many of us are guilty of not turning to Allah during days of ease, and then we expect a lot to rush to us during difficult times. Whereas the Hadith tells us the opposite. It says de la ilaha

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illa Allah is

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close to Allah. know Allah become acquainted with a lot during your easy days. And Allah will rush to you during your difficult days, Allah will know you meaning he's going to come to your help during difficult days but with us, sadly, we wait for difficult days guess what that too is the mercy of Allah when you're going through big problems and huge issues and major matters in your life. And that brings you to this agenda. It brings you to the masala so to speak, it brings you to your Salah it makes you cry, it makes you lift your hands in prayer you need to know that that was a gift of Allah He loves me He's brought me closer to him through my problem and my difficulty This is

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what it is. But sometimes

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we have the opportunity to get up for Salatu tahajjud or too fast but we still don't do it Can I give you an example

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when the sports that we follow

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the sport that we follow or more than one that we follow

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when there happens to be an important match whether it is cricket or football or anything else

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we will stay awake we will watch we want to see we want to make sure these people are playing I don't know someone played last night if I'm not mistaken

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and I honestly don't know who do you believe me?

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Besides someone telling me on twitter please please I've got a very very important to add that you need to make for me Can you guess what it was like the guy was dying I thought you know maybe someone passed away he's got the you know just cancer or something that like grand cure to all those who are sick and give me but he says may draw my team wins Come on.

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Allah forgive us. I wonder what that brother must be doing on Laila.

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How shallow can we become so Pamela we cry for the ball and Leila together But brother your entire life your offspring and everything you need in them, your spouse and whatnot everything else is besides the point because I want to see one guy who cuts his hair like a monkey hold the football meaning all the big, you know what's it called? A cup Mashallah. I don't know why the

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Call it cups. It's no longer a cup. It's just the middle of something. May Allah subhanho wa Taala Forgive us, this is the reality, we have downgraded ourselves right to this level. And then we want to say Marshall, I'm happy to be you know, I'm a good Muslim hamdulillah you know, I caught up with that you may do this to me, you know, when I've heard people say this, May Allah forgive us, really. So the reason I raised this is to show you how petty we've become, we should believe in a slightly more serious life. I'm not saying that you should divorce yourself from sport or divorce yourself from a little bit of halaal recreation and so on. No, enjoy, but within the limits of Allah.

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Allah forgive me, I went skydiving.

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And I think it made headlines and that's why I everywhere I go check, how was this guy that I see brother, relax, but I learned one thing that people have come to understand that that which is halal and permissible in terms of recreation, go for it, go for it. So panela Why not? May Allah subhanho wa Taala forgive us and this is why you notice a lot of the duality among the scholars. Now what they're doing is they're participating in some of the games and some of the recreations and you know, you have a little retreat and everything have been in order to, to live, to show people not as in showing off, but to show people that this is a proper example that is permissible. I tell you why

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people are picking on Islam and saying Islam is a dry faith where the It's so boring, you just got to pray, pray and pray all day. I said that a little bit earlier. And I'm repeating it now. That is so far from being true. Because today we are here, what are we doing? Well, we are learning. We are trying to be motivated, but at the same time, we hope that we're enjoying, you know that the afternoon here, Mashallah, by the word of Allah subhanho wa Taala. That is Islam. I remember my father used to tell us when we were much younger, to do certain things, and we used to enjoy it. And later on when I grew up, he told me how to speak to my own children. He says, when you speak to

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them, and you want to give them the most important instruction ever do it like you're playing a game with them. It doesn't have to be, hey, this is the commandment. And that's it. You do this otherwise,

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children off today would say I'm not going to do it. What are you going to do about it? That's the answer. I promise you. That's the answer you get today that you can go to hell.

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Allah subhanho wa Taala make him say that you can go to agenda. I mean, I mean,

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don't you agree the Times have changed, the message has not changed. But the way you convey the message is definitely

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we take it from the Mohammed from the tsunami, definitely. But he has taught us that you've got to use wisdom intact, you may use different methods, he used different methods and Subhanallah we are taught to use the most effective method so maybe the method might change but the core of the message will always remain the same.

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So my brothers and sisters in sha Allah, let's try and plan to fulfill our

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voluntary fasts OF THE WEEK IN Sharla. Monday, Thursday, Monday, Thursday every Monday and Thursday and guess what? As a result if you do lose weight is just a bonus. It was not the underlying intention. So after Ramadan you last week you got to see at hamdulillah but you don't say all I'm going too fast so that I can lose weight. No, you fast for the sake of Allah because he tells you and this is why my brothers and sisters I want to tell you one very important factor today. Did you know that when you're opening the fast some people call it breaking the fast but let's call it opening the fast Okay, at the end of the day, that particular moment, what do you put in your mouth

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you need to put the things or the food that is as healthy as ever at that particular juncture? I tell you why. Because we A lot of us are guilty of having savories and fries Do you agree? And that's the most unhealthy thing you could ever have tried and substituted this year. Or am I too late? Was it already ordered and packed away

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try and substituted this year with a little bit with some dates some water a bit of plain yogurt with some brown bread perhaps made some something healthy so panela and see how you feel

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you know they say go green go green not only the ecosystem and not only the environment but even with your food Mashallah go green inshallah. And you see what happens. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us in every way all i mean is eat healthy. Let's not think that now that the fast is open or now that we are breaking the fast at the end of the day, we need to do for the for the whole day. 19 hours. So, you know, we put it into our mouths one after the other everything's gone down and we get up for Salatu Tara

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Allah forgive us.

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reality, we suffer in the houses of Allah subhanho wa Taala because of people who've been munching like,

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like they've never seen food before. Is that a man is that the blessed month is it a month of, you know, just staying hungry and then suddenly eating as much as you can in the little slop that you have, and then disturbing everybody in the little salad that you're going to be reading. And after that, stop eating once again, is that what Amazon is? Well, it's a blessed month. It's a month of discipline, discipline yourself. And this is why the Hadith speaks of Baraka in Soho, you know, the cell that we have the Baraka in, it is more important than the quantity, the less you eat in the hole, the more energetic you are through the day, the less hungry you will be through the day. If

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you eat so much, the enzymes are digesting the food and I can picture it, you know, so Allah, just biting out at the food and trying to break it down and so on. And by the time it's you know, eight o'clock, nine o'clock in the morning, 10 o'clock.

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The enzymes are crying for more or it now becomes acidic. Now your belly starts rumbling and you can hear the sounds of your belly. Now Allah Subhana Allah Allah forgive us, May Allah forgive us. It's a month of discipline. Let's go and revisit the month of Ramadan. What's it all about? It's a month of discipline, it's a month of the poor and it's a month to get close to the Quran the problem with us we have several issues and this is why we're here to remind one another and believe me, the remainder is for myself to begin with, and then for everyone else. I am guilty of not reading enough or on through the year. I am guilty of it.

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How many of us here are guilty of it as well?

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Mashallah Zakouma for being honest.

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I'm honest as well. We can do better, I can do better. I will do better by the help of Allah and not just say me to have for me I want to do better. That's a lame excuse. Make do out for me. I've already started doing better I want to maintain and even build on that that's a problem too.

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You know, sister wants to get into Egypt.

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Alone, you won't cover your head with the hands you know.

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That's not your job. Do it together with an effort my sister and effort a little bit of an effort so we will make drop by all means but you will make an effort as well ask Allah Oh Allah, I started I've made my intention. I am determined or Allah helped me to be steadfast to be strong to and so on. The same applies to Salah I've come across people who admit that you know, I only need for Salah day but maybe do I need five one day? And for the last three years, we've been making the same job. Is that fair? You need to move forward. Come on, man. You don't know when you meet with Allah. Yes, if you were only reading one salah and you started reading to a day, you've improved 100% but you

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haven't gone to 100% of the Salah.

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We pat you on the back for the improvement. And we say Mashallah, great. But that doesn't mean the two Salah day for the Muslims know, the five a day. So from two, you need to get to three to four to five. And this is explained beautifully when it comes to business, if any one of us are in business, or even if you're getting a salary and you're working. And when your salary is sitting at so many pounds for the last so many years. What do you want? You want to increment? Don't you? You want it to get better? When you have a business and you have one department store for example, one shop or supermarket, whatever you want to call it. And it's doing well. What do you think of opening another

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branch? Right? Because you want to make a bit more money you want to do better? Why do we think of it when it comes to preparing for the dunya but we don't think of it when it comes to preparing for the ACA, I need to do better what do I need to do better

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I need to make an effort to attend the Druze in the massage it in the month of Ramadan for me to be able to achieve that I must start now. You know I come from Zimbabwe where Subhanallah the farming is quite a big thing. You know the land is so so fertile. That if you if you drop seeds, you know if you were to spit out a date seed you will probably have a plantation day in no time.

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Really Alhamdulillah so so fertile by the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala but

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in order for us to be able to cultivate properly and in order for us to be able to plant on a larger scale, we need to clear the land we need to prepare before the rainy season.

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Because when the rains come and then you start preparing too late. The rains will only soften up and this is why did you know and I'm talking about my my place my country. The first rains you have shower in October, mid October you have a shower, what does he do? It softens the land. After that for all month it doesn't rain, you can actually check the date a lot of the times this date it will probably rain by them a day this way that then you have November mid November and the rain starts a little bit more and then you come to December and it is going on so carnamah look at how Allah gives us an opportunity prior to the proper range.

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season where the showers come once soften the land for us to go and flatten it for us to you know make the markings to plant the seeds and so on before the rains come this is why I say the month of Ramadan is quite similar. You want to sow the seeds you need to start now sowing the seeds so that you can enjoy the plantation during the month and guess what the day of eat you have the fruit to enjoy

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and let's not be people who worship Allah solely in the month of Ramadan as soon as Amazon goes hey, job is gone Salah is gone the nightclubs are back the casinos effect the adult is back. Everything's back and we say we're waiting with an extra man. Is that what Islam is? But people are doing this my brothers and sisters it's not fair. Who are we playing a game with with Allah, the One who made me the one who made you the one whom if I were to close my eyes now Subhan Allah right now, if I were to close my eyes, I would be in his mercy completely. And the only thing I would take with me is the good deeds I've done. It's called Let's help one another. Let's call out to one another to do good.

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Let's ask Allah to help us but let's be serious about the dua in the supplication

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so my brothers and sisters

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one beautiful way of preparing is your five Salah do not miss a single one from now. From now make an intention to say listen, come what may I'm reading my Salah Come with me. You know someone asked me what if I'm sitting on the couch so what if you're sitting on a couch and the bus driver doesn't want to stop? So what you start leaning away you are on that seat? You have no excuse. You have no excuse the Hadid says suddenly even for England,

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even for England, Ella jump read standing solid that's the idea. That's the proper way if you cannot then you read sitting it does not only refer to medical illness or sickness, although that is definitely there. But if you cannot for some reason stand when you sit and read

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I remember a question somebody asked me saying you know in my office they don't allow me to read Salah but I could sit on my chair and read it I said so then they do allow you to reach Allah

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or they might not be allowing you to do it in an ideal way because the ideal way is definitely standing. But if you really cannot you don't you do not have an excuse to leave your Salah come What made Did you know that on the Day of Judgment The first thing that you're going to be asked about is your five daily prayers. If that is in order, inshallah you have good news for the rest of it, it will all be made easy as for the hadith of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and if that is not in order, be careful May Allah Subhana Allah Allah make a steadfast so don't leave your Salah really come what may fulfill what do you do don't be embarrassed to to be identified as a Muslim.

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May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us to fulfill our salah and to make him make us better people.

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So if you want to start preparing for Ramadan, start with your five Salah because in Ramadan you have

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you have extra salah and you want to read you come you want to be in love with Allah when you're in love with Allah you want to chat with him much longer

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eventually sure we know when you're in love with someone

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you care for them

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and you're chatting with them say on your mobile device because we all have them

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Time flies doesn't it? It flies before you know you haven't even slept it's already two o'clock

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we will sleep not realizing Salatu Federalists just now right now according to some people it's already started you know that in UK I know there's a disaster when the Salah starting

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Allah forgive us

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So the truth is, if you are regular upon your face Allah you will enjoy your tera away you know what Tara is raha? It's supposed to be confident it's supposed to be something easing, relaxing, soothing, but a lot of us tarawih what happens to us we are tense we want to finish we look at the clock, I recall Allah He without a job. A man who was reading salata, tarawih next to me once we were behind the Imam a beautiful place and this guy's looking at his watch. Once he looked at it a second time. Third time he did this

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you'd rather have not insulted Allah close that salon go do what you have to then come back Allah forgive us. How can we how can we do this? Such people are not prepared for the month of Ramadan prepare Now relax, take it easy, you have a bad habit quintic Now many of us inshallah as soon as Ramadan starts and quit smoking. Wait for Milan you might not see it. Say Oh Allah I quit now because Ramadan is around the bend. By the time it comes. I want to be a pure person. So if you die in the process, you've already made such noble intentions. The reward for having abstained would be

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Written next to your name already.

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What beauty? May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us Oh my brothers and sisters Let's become regular with Salah is that our deal? We start the deal inshallah. inshallah hamdulillah you know we have a problem when you say inshallah and that means for things like these you find them very low. And I always say the minute you say Allah bless us with wealth.

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Everyone wants money. They say Allah bless us with the best of spouses and what happens. I mean loudly, especially the married guys, I don't know what they're up to.

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So Pamela, so my brothers and sisters, let's learn to say a mean for the decent to house as well because they are decent. May Allah make a steadfast upon our Salah?

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Mashallah really make us steadfastness Allah.

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So, that's one way of preparing for Ramadan. Another way of preparing for this beautiful month of Ramadan, my brothers and sisters, this is a very, very serious point.

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None of us have an excuse. We all have mobile devices, right? All of us. In fact, I want to ask you, who does not have a mobile device put up your hand? Mashallah want to see see me later on? I'll give you one.

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You have Oh, sorry. I was just joking. By the way.

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You have a Quran in your device, you have the Quran with the translation with the recited to read it and you can copy Do you agree? It's far better than what it was some time back. You have so many tutorials, you have the Quran app, you have some beautiful applications that are free of charge, you click a button, you press it and you can hear Subhana Allah as a reader of your choice. read the verse of your choice and the translation of your choice being recited and read out to you at any time of the day or night. Do you agree? And still we find ourselves not knowing the meaning of the poem.

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We can do better. That's the best way of saying it because I'm not one to say guys, you're doomed. Guys are doomed. You don't know the best of luck. Fire of Jana bnh already know my brothers and sisters know.

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The maximum we will tell you is you can do better. You can do better. We cannot I so can I I can do much better than what I am.

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This is a powerful point to see. Allah has made it so easy. Allah knows how lazy we've become. Allah knows how lazy we've become. So what he's done for us as a gift is he's blessed us with technology. But what do we use it for?

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I don't even want to say I heard someone say Justin, you said, Allah forgive us for like, I don't know if I had right. And I don't know if you are thinking of the same Justin I was. That's not what it's all about. That's not preparation for a man. That's not what Allah wants from us. What Allah wants from us is to use technology you will form will bear witness for you or against you on the Day of Judgment. The Quran is in it for an object to look at. The prophet SAW Selim says clearly, the Quran will come forth on the day of judgment and bear witness for you or against you. We can easily tell which way the Quran is going to bear witness for us, or which way it's going to bear witness

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for or against. Allah forgive us. Try, try. That's the word try.

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We get excited when we go to the perfume shop. And we see that word and one of the perfumes right? Because we know that means I can spray as much as I want.

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But that's the word when it comes to your dean, try your best. Give it your best shot, every day promise Allah that at some point of the day, I cut out for five minutes dedicated to the word of Allah. I will read the verse I will read its meaning I will hear its recitation, I will repeat the recitation and I will repeat the meaning of it. And then I will think about it for a few minutes. I will close it and I will continue with the rest of my day. Is that very difficult to do? Not at all.

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The question is, do we promise a lot that we're going to do that?

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I only heard one yes. I told you moments ago that when we say things people find it a little bit they're reluctant to say yes. When we promise a law that we are going to read the Quran better than we have been so far.

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Look, I'm the reason I'm making you say yes is that yes is going to be witness

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for you or against you. So try keep trying by the will of Allah. ask Allah forgiveness. So if we start our link with the plan now to the intention we have today and here, don't wait for going out and say okay, now make an intention. Yama. I'm going to read this plan. I'm going to read your book before I sleep every night every morning as soon as I wake up five minutes Is that too much time

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rather than, you know, press the snooze button and snooze for five minutes. You rather press another button

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And read Quran for those five minutes. May Allah make it easy for us all. So when you develop the link with Allah guess or when you're developing a link with the Quran, guess who you are developing the link with Allah subhanho wa Taala because it's his word, and that will open all your doors. The Quran is the

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manual of life living and not only living but it will take you into the era in a beautiful way, it will lead you to the sooner of Allah alayhi wa sallam, it will make you a person it will improve you as an individual, but you need to take the time to do it. Make an effort be dedicated. If you have to catch a train every morning at seven trust me five to seven, you're at the station agreed? Alliance effect.

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Why can't we get up five minutes earlier and just eat for an how many minutes or we say five and then we can improve in 10 and 15 and 20 then we can start memorizing and then inshallah our link will improve and we find we'll get the answers to a lot of our questions regarding our own lives. Allah subhanho wa Taala will love us in return.

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And we will be from amongst those who start putting into practice what we've learned.

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We start putting into practice so this is the month of the Quran and this is why I say like I started off by saying let's try out these voluntary fasts by the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala 13th 14th and 15th of every month, Mashallah sunon they known as a human being the white days, you know, when you have the full moon basically.

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And then we have the Quran beautiful, and then we have the sacrifice of the month of Ramadan, the discipline, you know what Allah subhanho wa Taala says, yeah

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coochie

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coochie

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coo,

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coo coo who believe fasting has been prescribed upon you just like it was prescribed upon those before you in order that you may achieve God consciousness in order that you may become conscious of your makeup, some translated as in order that you may achieve the fear of Allah. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us achieve all of that.

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So I cannot just wait for the month of Ramadan and then say Oh, when I fast I'll achieve taqwa. So let me wait until I first start by promising Allah now that Oh Allah, I've quit my sin. Oh ALLAH forgive me. I admit my wrongdoings, I regret them. I seek forgiveness and I promise you I will not do them again. Those are the conditions of Toba of the sins that you commit between yourselves and Allah subhanho wa Taala the minute those conditions are met, trust me, you've been forgiven.

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You've been forgiven. But we do not wait for the month of Ramadan for us to seek forgiveness because we may never see that month and another thing if you want to achieve spirituality from the month of Ramadan and closeness to Allah and taqwa it should start here and now before the month of Ramadan you don't have to wait and say okay we wait for the month no a lot of people make two are only in Ramadan you find them crying in Ramadan and doing so many acts of worship in Ramadan they are charitable in Ramadan Allah if there is a need now give now Allah will give you a reward as though you gave in the month of Ramadan because people intended you know they there is a generation that

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states good deeds that are done in the month of Ramadan they are rewarded in a more multiplied way okay. So people say let me hold on to this let me hold on and let me not do the good deed right now. I will wait for the month of Ramadan and then do it but the people are dying they need your help people who are in desperate need you know we heard about the heart hospitals where they there is free treatment for those who are struggling with this condition in the poorer countries you don't say okay wait for more than five people have died by them. Now let's not make it be the case. May Allah forgive us. You can give now and say I wanted to give you the Ramadan but you know there is a

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dire need to reward you enamel Amano bindi yet we know that this is a powerful narration your deeds will be rewarded according to the underlying intentions. My brothers and sisters This is the beauty of Islam. It is so practical, it is so beautiful. It allows us to live a balanced lifestyle in a way that we enjoy the dunya within the limits and we achieve enjoyment of the art Hara everlasting unlimited. So Panama unlimited

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May Allah subhanho wa Taala bless us with gentlemen. When you ask Allah for gentlemen don't only ask him for gender in the month of Ramadan, I start asking him now start preparing start planning and can I tell you if your movement towards Allah

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is a millimeter at a time an inch at a time, but it is towards Allah and not away from Allah you are achieving.

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But if your movement is away from Allah, you have lost now we're all human beings we will falter we all do things we're not proud of sometimes we all make mistakes we all sin, none of us can say I'm not sinful at all.

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But the beauty is Allah subhanho wa Taala extends his hand every day to forgive those who committed sin by night and he extends his hand every night to forgive those who committed sin by day.

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Where are we? How many times do we seek the forgiveness of Allah? Don't wait for a blessing moment only. People say I have sinned a lot. I'm going for him right shala

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is that the attitude? You send a lot so you wait for him? You send a lot of regret now ask Allah forgiveness Now you may never make it for home run Who knows?

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Don't wait. Yes When you go for a llama you repent inshallah. Yes, we're not saying no, you when you go for a llama It is a very blessed moment you ask Allah forgiveness. you renew your vows with Allah meaning you go back and you say Oh ALLAH forgive me, I'm starting afresh Here we are, that is there. But you don't wait for that moment. In order to seek forgiveness you start now and then inshallah you find that by the time the month of Ramadan comes, you will be a person who's already prepared for it, like the example I gave, of those who have to prepare the land in order to sow the seeds before they are able to to benefit from the produce of that particular land. Now Allah subhanho wa

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Taala help you all know Allah subhanho wa Taala grant you all goodness, really, it's been an honor to have been here today as a guest here, and to meet my brothers and sisters in Islam.

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And one of the most, one of the biggest highlights for me is to meet the other scholars that are here as well. It's something that I really get a lot of enjoyment from a lot of courage from, and we feel people doing good work, you know, from the heart, we ask Allah subhana wa attallah to help them all and to help you all my brothers and sisters, I want you to end I want to end by asking you a question, or by reminding you of something important and that is every one of you. It's your duty to serve Diem to serve Allah and to serve humanity. Humanity meaning you serving humanity for the sake of Allah.

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You serving humanity for the sake of Allah, like we say playfulness, and holiness, the best of people are those who are most beneficial to the rest of the people. I want to ask you, how have you reached out to the rest of humanity? How have you reached out to the rest of the Muslim men or to the non Muslims? How have you reached out to the rest of the creatures of Allah, ask yourself, a lot of us reach out in a negative way. If you take a look at social media, you'll find many of us waste a lot of time wasting time is one thing, but we drop one degree lower. And that is we become vulgar, we say bad words, we engage in immorality online, we do things that are not befitting a Muslim

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Subhanallah death can overtake you at any time. And that is the only reality. Imagine if you had to leave here and now and your Twitter feed or your Facebook feed is there glaring the world, at its face or in its face, and everything on it is bad, immoral? swear words, everything else that's not a Muslim.

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We follow good examples laid by people we do not follow bad examples by people. We lay good examples for people we do not lay bad examples for others to follow. So the whole world can be using social media in a in an immoral way that should never ever make us follow the bad example. But we should continue and persevere and we should continue on a path of goodness and kindness and continue using that same platform to promote goodness kindness, you are allowed to have a bit of fun now and again, you are allowed to enjoy the dunya within limits. Allah subhanho wa Taala says it clearly.

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What a daddy theme

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dounia

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in nama

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boo CD,

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Allah is explained to us and sort of causes the story of cone where he speaks about how our own

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was told.

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To seek Allah subhanho wa Taala through whatever Allah has given you and has given you your health, your wealth and everything else. Get closer to Allah through what Allah has given you. Get closer

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To Allah And do not forget your portion of this worldly life. That verse is so beautiful because it reminds us You are allowed to enjoy, but within limits. Latin Santa ceiba come in and dunya Don't forget your portion of the dunya you get married you have children, you enjoy life, you can go on holiday you can do like you will still beat Salah you will still eat halon you will still dress appropriately you will still go to the masjid and so on. And hamdulillah Allah make it easy for us it's not prohibited No, but this is the point. The verses continue to say. Do not engage in corruption on Earth. Allah does not like those who are corrupt those who cause chaos. May Allah

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Subhana Allah Allah bless you all may he make us understand the striking of the balance between the Union and the afra between the deen and the dunya Allah subhanho wa Taala opened our doors 45 minutes 52 seconds of Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah