Episodes

  • Let the Quran enter the heart

    Let the Quran enter the heart
    Apr 22 2025
    Auto-generated transcript:So the thing that strikes my mind is what is the result of that? What change does the Quran bring in ourselves, in our actions? And I want to tell you two stories. One story is with regard to the Quran changing somebody's life and the other one is the result of that. The first story is narrated by none other than Imam Al-Awzaie, Rahmatul Ali. Imam Al-Awzaie was one of the great Imams of the Sharia and he was the Imam of the Zahiri Masab and he is ranked on the same level as Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi' and so on. Allah swt spread some things and doesn't spread some things so the Zahiri Masab is not a big Masab but Imam Al-Awzaie is very hugely respected, he is fatawar in the books of fiqh and he is very very well known and very respected Imam. So he says that they were going for Umrah and so in a caravan and those were the days when there were people, bandits used to loot these caravans because people went for Umrah and so on. Usually they would go for Umrah just before Ramadan and then they would stay on and so on until Dhul Hijjah. So they would do Hajj and then they would, after Dhul Hijjah they would come back. So they had all sorts of provisions and stuff with them so it was good loot for the people who were the highway robbers. So Imam Al-Azai says that we were in this caravan and we got raided by this bandit group and of course there was chaos absolutely, some people were getting wounded and beaten up and some people, maybe somebody got killed or what not. Imam Al-Azai says that in the middle of all this I suddenly found myself the head of that gang of thugs, gang of robbers. He said he was standing in front of me, he had a naked sword in his hand and he said to me, who are you? Imam Al-Azai said, I am so and so. He said what do you do? Imam Al-Azai says I teach children Quran, I teach children how to read Quran. He does not say I am an Imam of fiqh and I am this and that. He said I teach children to recite Quran. So this Robert Chief says, okay so recite some Quran for me. Decide some Quran for me. I am talking about the effect of the Quran on the heart. Who is this guy? He is the head of bandits, you are not talking about some great sheikh of Tasiyyat-ul-Nafs. The worst of the worst, he is a man looting people and killing people and so on. Al-Azai, may Allah have mercy on him, recites only one ayah. He says, that's it. One little ayah from Surah Dhu Zariyat, and in the heavens is your rizq, your sustenance and whatever you wanted and want and need is in the heavens. Al-Azai said the man started shivering. His sword dropped from his hand, fell from his head. And he says, this is the Quran? Al-Azai says yes. He says this is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah said this. He said yes. He said then why am I doing this? Then why are we doing this work? If our rizq is in the heavens, why are we robbing people? Allah said, I did not say anything. He said the man picked up his sword and put it in the scabbard. He called his people and said, they all came. He said Allah says that our sustenance is with him. In the heavens. So, I am making taba now. This work we are doing is haram. We should not be doing this. He said we knew this. Now this is proof. And I am leaving this work. You decide what you want to do for yourselves. His followers said we are your followers. Whatever you do, we do. You are our sheikh. You are our chief. So, if you leave this work, we leave this work. So, Alaudah and Haath-ul-Aal says they returned everybody their things and so on. They apologized to people who were hurt. They gave some money and whatnot. They left. The effect of the Quran on her made it. Then Alaudah and Haath-ul-Aal said well then we hamdillah we thanked Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and so on and we continued. And we reached Makkah. We went to Omra. All this happened. He says that one day after Salat-ul-Fajr I am making taba for the Kaaba and I hear somebody weeping with such a broken way. Not just crying.
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  • Taqwa produces Tranquility

    Taqwa produces Tranquility
    Apr 21 2025
    Auto-generated transcript:Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. Mighty respected brothers, sisters, elders, I remind myself and you that 1459 years ago a window opened in the heavens and God spoke to man. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent his first revelation to his beloved messenger, Muhammad Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam, through his messenger Jibril alaihi salam. This was the spoken word. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala spoke to Jibril alaihi salam in a way befitting his majesty and grace and Jibril alaihi salam spoke to Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam. This was not the first time that this had happened but this was to be the last. That initiative of re-establishing the direct connection between the creator and his creatures, between Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and humans, between Allah and you and I, this is Islam. Islam is for all human beings irrespective of ethnicity, color, race or origin. Those who accept this connection and benefit from it are called Muslims. The first word revealed was Iqra, read. Iqra bismi rabbikal ladhi khalaq, read in the name of your rabbu created everything. Now the word read has many meanings. It can mean to read as in read a book. It means, it could also mean to recite something which is written. It also means to read the signs around you. Sometimes there are expressions on the face of your beloved which tell you without a single word being spoken, what is in their heart and that you are headed for the dog house. Sometimes gestures, tone of voice, movements, demeanor tell those who can read them far more and far more truthfully the real story. And that is why they say the body does not lie. Body language may support words or may contradict the word being spoken. The command read that was given to our beloved prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam was to encourage him and all those who were there and who were to hear that command from him to read the signs of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala the creator in his creation and to marvel at his power, his mercy and his wisdom and accept him as the only one worthy of worship. It's not just a matter of reading the signs and say oh fantastic creation. So what? So what? If that seeing the sight, if that marveling at the creation of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not make me fall in sajdah before Allah and say If that does not happen then it's a waste of life, it's a waste of that experience. When we see the last signs of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, we love him and we obey him. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said in surat Fusilat which means we will show them our signs. See the tone of command and challenge in this. Allah says we will show them our signs in the universe and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this, meaning the Quran, is the truth. Is it not enough that your rub is a witness over all things? Think about this, imagine if blood didn't clot, hemophiliacs don't need to imagine it. Imagine if your hair had nerves, you would need to go under general anesthesia to get a haircut. Likewise for nails, you cut a nail more deeply and you know what that means. Imagine veins without venous non-return valves. The moment you stood up, your blood would go down your feet and would never come up to the heart. That happens for people who have circulation problems, that's why they faint, that's why they fall. The brain makes you drop so that the blood can come back to the brain. Imagine if rain and snow did not descend in single drops and flakes and instead if it came down in one mass, one solid mass. I did the sums for Hadley. Hadley received 50 centimeters, 50 inches of precipitation, meaning rain and snow in the last year. That multiplied by the weight of water over one acre and multiplied by the acreage of Hadley amounts to sixty million tons. If sixty million tons of mass falls from the average cloud height of 15,000 feet
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  • What is Unity

    What is Unity
    Apr 20 2025
    Auto-generated transcript:As-salamu alaykum. My dear respected brothers, sisters, elders, what is unity? I know all of us talk about it. I can probably say that almost every Muslim, if not every Muslim, if you ask him today anywhere in the world, what is the number one problem of this Ummah, he will say lack of unity. Right? Everyone. Lack of unity. We should be united. What is unity? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala described what is unity. In the Ayatul Karima which I just recited from Surah Al-Ali Muran, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala defined what is unity. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told us how to get this unity, how to become united. Allah said, Allah said, Allah said, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told firmly to the rope of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala together and do not be divided, do not become divided. Allah did not say, Allah did not say do not disagree on any matter, you can have difference of opinion. Allah did not say this is haram. Allah said, Allah said, On the basis of the difference of opinion, don't say my brother is no longer my brother. I will hate you, I will not pray behind you, I will form my own masjid, I will form my own group. No, I can disagree with you. No problem. Any matter. But you are still my brother. I will still stand by you. If you are attacked, I will still defend you even at the cost of my life. I do not agree with you. But I will not allow you to go down as long as I am standing. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala defined. The definition of unity is, No divisions. Find for me one ayah, find for me one hadith, where the definition of unity was to have Eid-ul-Fitr on the same day. Find me one. I will take this ammama of mine and put it at your feet. You can play football with it. Find me one thing, that the whole Muslim community in the entire world must have Eid on one day, and if they don't have that, there is no unity. Truly, we are the architects of our own demise. We are the architects of our own problems. We give ourselves an impossible definition, and then we fight and we destroy what Allah told us to keep together. We destroy the things that are not in our control. Then we fight and we destroy what Allah told us to keep together. We are forming divisions on the basis of our nafs. We must have Eid on the same day, and because we cannot have Eid on the same day, just read some geography for God's sake. Then I found divisions. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala prohibited. La ta farraku. Brothers and sisters, remind myself and you that we are Muslim. What is a Muslim? A Muslim is somebody who submits without question to the Amr of Allah, to the Hukam and the command of Allah, in the way of Muhammad Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. This is the definition of a Muslim. Who is a Muslim? This person. A Muslim is not somebody who was born in Pakistan or India or Saudi Arabia or Syria or somewhere. A Muslim is not somebody who does that and the other ethnicity, nationality, name. No. A Muslim is the one who submits to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's command without question. Not blindly, without question because he knows who Allah is. He has a ta'alluq with Allah. Al alamatul muslima al azima. Al alamatul azima alaka bayna Allah wa bayna abdullaha. This is the great sign. Alaka bayni wa bayna rabbi. Bayna ka wa bayna rabbu ka. The sign of a Muslim is the connection between him and his Rabb. That is what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said in the ayah which also here in the Qutba. It is said today also. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanu taqullaha wa qulu qawlan sadeeda. All you who believe have taqwa of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and speak the truth. And what will happen if you do that? Yuslih lakum a'malakum wa yaghfir lakum dhulubakum. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will bless your deeds, will correct your deeds, will beautify your deeds, will raise the darjaat and the honor of those deeds and He will forgive your sins. Yaghfir lakum dhulubakum. And then a conditional statement. Wa main yut'i Allah wa rasoolahu faqad faza fawza nadima....
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  • Allahﷻ Al Hadi

    Allahﷻ Al Hadi
    Apr 20 2025
    Auto-generated transcript:SubhanAllah, may Allah bless him. He said this wonderful thing about Allah SWT being Al-Hadi and this is absolutely true. And so I will want to tell you three stories of how Allah SWT gives Hidayah. Allah gives Hidayah without any help from us. Allah does not need our help. First story is here in ISWM. One day I am sitting after Sahad al-Asr in the Masjid. There is almost nobody there, just one person. One little kid comes. He must be about maybe, I was like two connected to one. One day I am sitting there. Two kids come. One is probably about 13 and the second one must be about 11 or 12. So he comes and this is one, the older one. He says, who is the Sheikh? So I said, I am the Sheikh. He catches the other one, brings him here. He said, give him Shahada. I said, what? He said, you are a nutty or something. What do you give Shahada? He said, no, he wants to become Muslim. I said, who is he? He is my friend. I said, who are you? So he tells me some name. I said, where did you come from? He said, Springfield. Springfield. How did you come? On my bicycle. I said, you both rode on... No, no, no. I brought him on my bicycle. This kid rides with the other kid on his bicycle from Springfield to West Springfield. And he says, give him Shahada. So I said, who am I to stop with? If Allah says this, well, well. Later on my friends told me that kid is 12 years old. How can he give Shahada? He says, I don't care. As far as I am concerned, he brought him here. He said, Allah has sent him my gift. Another time, one comes from West Springfield High School, which is just up the road from us. He came and he said, I want to become Muslim. He must be around 14. What is your name? He said, Devin. But the way he said, I am sitting in the masjid, somebody says Devin, I hear Devil. So I said, Devil has come to become Muslim. He said, this is pretty good. So I said, what? He said, Devin. So, okay. So I said, why do you want to become Muslim? He said, no, I like Islam. I said, what do you mean, like Islam? Sort of, you know, orange flavor or something. What do you mean, Islam? He knew a lot. I said, how do you know all this? Oh, my friends are there and I have been talking to the friends and so on and so on. So, he became Muslim. Somewhere he gets a Palestinian scarf. And next thing I know, I see him and I am thinking like this is some malak which has descended. He is wearing complete white and he has got this Palestinian scarf and so on. The only thing missing is a topia kufi. So I said, he looks beautiful. So I said to him, what can I give you? He said, can I have your cap? So I said, here, take it. Has he? What is our effort in this? Third story. I started my career in 1979, Guyana in South America. And at the age of 21, I was the de facto mayor of a mining town on the bank of the river Babies in the Amazonian rainforest. So when 21 year old kids come and tell me that they did this or that, I said, you know, it takes a lot to impress me, believe me. Because at your age, I was running a mining town. So I don't think you are anywhere going to impress me with what basketball you played or something. Who cares? So, I had a manager there called Nick Adams, James Nicholas Adams. Nick Adams was absolutely the most beautiful human being on the face of the earth. Absolutely wonderful human being. And he was, I mean, he was so particular about me following Islam and so on that, I mean, this not eating Zabiyal, not modern or new, you know, Kiri kumnai brein, which most people think it is. I have never unknowingly eaten anything which is not Zabiyal. So I, what he used to do among things, he would call me one day, he would say, please come and there would be a whole crate of chickens. You know, 50 or none of you would say 20 chickens. He would say, Zabiyal for all of them and we'll clean them and you put them in the freezer for when you come to eat with us, we cook this chicken for you. So to that extent, very, very West Indian,
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  • Get serious

    Get serious
    Apr 19 2025
    Auto-generated transcript:Now let me begin my khatira. The khatira today, the title is focus. And focus is important because without focus, there is no destination to reach. Without focus, if you are in a shooting competition, you cannot shoot because you have no focus. You can have the best weapon in the world, you can have the best bow and arrow, best gun, you won't hit anything because you have no focus. Focus is critically important. Now in life, what must you focus on? You must focus on the questions that you will have to answer before Allah. There is nothing that is more important than that. This whole life is an exam. This whole life is an exam. You are living the exam. And the passing and the failing is when you meet Allah. Right? The one who is freed from the hell fire and entered into Jannah, into Paradise, is the only one who is successful. It's not the one who had money, power, wealth, glory, whatnot, whatnot. The Quran is full of stories of people who had all this and more. They had more than you can even imagine. Yet they failed. So, focus on the questions that will be asked. What are those questions? There are four questions. Tell me anybody. What are the four questions? What is the first question? No. No. No. On the Day of Judgment, I'm saying, who is your Rabba? The question is in the grave. There are two kinds of questions. The Akhidah questions in the grave. The Amal questions on the Day of Judgment. I'm assuming that you got through the Akhidah questions. On the Day of Judgment, you're still not clear. Day of Judgment, first question, yes. Where you made your money and how you spent it? One of the questions. Good. You're halfway there. The first question is, what did you do with the time you had? What did you do with the time you had? Second question, what did you do with your youth? What did you do in your youth? Third question, what did you do with your life? That's the first one. Third question, money. Where did you earn your money? Where did you spend the money? And the fourth question, what did you do with the knowledge that was given to you? Now in these four questions, what are you being asked about? The quantity or what you did with it? Which one? Quality. Allah is not asking how long did you live? Why did you die at 50? You should have lived for 100. No. Your life has been given to you. What was given to you is given to you. Just before Ramadan, we did a janaza for a child who was born and two or three hours later he died. Date of birth and date of death is the same day. But that child also will be resurrected. Obviously, the child has no sins. So, in the dua of Makhfirat, we do not even say Allah Makhfir Lahoo because he has no sins. But the point is even he will be resurrected. So Allah will not ask how long did you live? Allah will say what did you do with the time? I was doing zikr and I was also scrolling. That's what I was doing. And you know the scrolling was more interesting than your name and your zikr. So I was looking at the scroll. You will say this. You will say it on the day of Jannah. If you don't make istighfar and taubah and you do not stop doing that, you will say this to your Lord. You will say I am a Zikr or Lord. I made no mistake. It's not funny. It is not funny. Religion is not funny. It's very serious. What did you do with the time? Then what did you do with your youth specifically because this is the time. greatest energy, greatest power, you have money, you have all kinds of shahwats, all kinds of desires and the means to fulfill them halal or haram especially while living in an environment in countries where in the name of freedom you can do whatever you want. Therefore, what did you do in your youth? And that is why one of the seven who would be shaded under the shade of the Arsh of Allah on the day when there is no shade except he's shaded is the youth who spent his time in obedience and dhikr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Not the old person,
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  • Promises of Allah for the Muttaqoon

    Promises of Allah for the Muttaqoon
    Apr 18 2025
    Auto-generated transcript:Alhamdulillah, I remind myself and you, my brothers and sisters, that all the promises of Allah SWT are for the Muttaqun. And therefore it is in my own interest and your own interest for you and me to examine whether we are Muttaqun or not, whether we have Taqwa or not and if we do have Taqwa Alhamdulillah, Insha'Allah, then what is the level of that Taqwa? How strong is it? One of the best ways to see that is our attitude towards Salah. Do we see Salah as an honor or as a burden? Which one? Do I want to finish Salah and go? My South African friends have this wonderful saying, Let us make Asar finish. Let us make Zor finish. And then what is finish? Do we just finish and go? Or is it an honor? Rasulullah SAW used to say, Go call the other. Give us relief. Give us Sukkwa. Call the other. We stand for Salah. When he prayed Tahajjud, the Sahaba said, sometimes we were afraid the sun would rise. He would pray the whole night. Almost till the time of Fajr. What is our attitude? Allah SWT praised him and he praised those who stood with him in Salah. What is our attitude? What is our attitude towards spending in the path of Allah SWT? Do we see that as a burden, as a nuisance, as something to be done and finished? Somebody asked me on Zakat. They said, there are stores, you know, stock value of the store. There are big department stores. So they say stock value of the stores. So he said, should I pay Zakat on the market value of that stock or the price at which I bought the stock? So I said only one thing. I always say the same thing. I told him, do you want Allah to count and give you? Just tell me that much. Do you want Allah to count and give you? How many Salah did he pray? What was the quality of that Salah? My Rizq what I'm going to give him for food will depend on that. You want Allah to do this calculation for you? He said, no, I got you. I got the answer. Thank you. Seriously, spend in the path of Allah understanding one thing. If you don't get anything from this, take this one thing. Hold your hand like this. This one, your left hand is your bank account in this world, is your worldly assets. This, your right hand is your assets on the day of judgment. All right? When you are spending in the path of Allah, it's not going anywhere. You are taking it from this one, from the left hand, your bank account in this world and transferring it to the right hand. That's all. That is all. It's yours. How can we give to Allah? Can we give to Allah? The one who gave it to you in the first place, we can give it to him. All that you are doing when you are donating to the masjid, when you are donating to some other cause, when you are giving it to your own poor relatives who take first precedence, when you are giving to people who are in need, no matter where you are giving, whether it's your money, whether it's your time, your energy, you are simply taking what belongs to you in this world about which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, whatever is with you will finish with perish and you are taking it and putting it into your own akhira account about which Allah said, wa ma'indallahi baq. And what is with Allah will remain. So ask yourself, ask yourself, I have this much of asset, my net worth is so much, what do I want my net worth to be on the day of judgment? Forget who is asking you. Forget the masjid. Masjid needs this. Forget the masjid. The house of Allah, Allah will provide. That's why I never do fundraisers. I say I will never do a fundraiser inside a masjid because to me to do fundraisers inside the masjid is an insult to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You want me to beg people for the house of Allah? When I'm standing in the house of Allah? I will ask Allah, Allah we need this, we need so much money to run this masjid, give us because it is your house. How would you like somebody to come into your house? And do a fundraiser and say, I have to run brother Abdullah's house so please we need so much money,
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  • Qualities of the Muttaqoon

    Qualities of the Muttaqoon
    Apr 17 2025
    Auto-generated transcript: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 Muttaqee...
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  • Best of the sinners

    Best of the sinners
    Apr 16 2025
    Auto-generated transcript:Alhamdulillah Rabbil Alameen was Salat was Salam Alaa Sharifil Ambiya Wal Mursaleen Muhammad Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Alaihi wa Sahibus Sallam Tasleemun Kaseerun Kaseera Fahmul Baduk My brothers and sisters I remind myself when you that fasting comes to reinforce this primordial and fundamental foundational message that all virtue and blessing and success starts with obeying Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and making his will the guiding light in our lives. I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to illuminate our hearts with his light and to drive out the darkness of fear and depression and despair. As we face a hostile world it must be clear that the only source of support and protection that we can rely on is Allah. So let us repair our bridge to him. Here is what I suggest for all of us. Number one, visit the goals we set. If you did not set goals do it now. Check how you are doing with respect to achieving those goals. Number two, identify the blocks and retardants to your success and remove them. They will be for example time wasters, pointless conversation about things not in our control, low achiever friends who will drag you down to their level, distractions in your day combined with the inability to say no. Learn assertiveness and practice it. Number three, apply the start stop continue standard. What do I need to start which I'm not doing? What do I need to stop which I am doing? What do I need to continue consciously which I am doing which is good? And see on each if we are on track what are the measurable changes in our lives. Remember that metrics are evidence of existence. If you can't measure it, it doesn't exist. Good intentions that are not followed by action are useless. And four, finally having identified these turn to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala especially in tahajjud. Make tahajjud further on yourself for the rest of your life inshallah and ask for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's help to get closer to him because that is the purpose of Ramadan. Allah said, was judh waqtarib. Allah said, make sajdah and come close to me. Sajdah is the ultimate quintessential icon of obedience. You want to come close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? There's only one path and that is the path of obedience. And that's why in the middle of the ayat relating to fasting Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed, wa idha saadaka li baadiyanni fa inni qareeb wujeebu daawat ad da'ee dha da'aan fal yastajeebu li wal yu'minoo bi la'allaghum yarshudoon Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, when my slaves ask you O Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam about me, I am truly near to them. I respond to their da'aan when they call upon me, so let them obey me and believe in me and they will be guided to the right way. La'allah, which is translated as perhaps in the Quran, is at the level of yaqeen. So whenever you hear la'allahu yarshudoon, la'allahu turhamoon and so on and so forth, there's no element of doubt in that. Even though Allah said la'allah, there's no element of doubt in that. Now see this, the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the slave only asked, wa idha saadaka li baadiyanni, the person is only asking about Allah and Allah says I'm close to him. I'm close to him. And when the slave is close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he is in need, so he asks Allah. And Allah says, Allah assures him. wujeebu daawat ad da'ee dha daan Allah said I will give you. But two conditions, fal yasta ji boolee wa joomeen ubee. Obey me and believe in me. Obedience is the key and obedience with knowledge of who Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is engenders and strengthens belief. Obedience is proof of Iban. When the heart of the slave is illuminated by the noor of the glory and magnificence of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, it is filled with gratitude to him for all his blessings. The first and most critical of them is tawheed and then his immediate response is to make istighfar and seek forgiveness. The surest sign of khashyatullah is the frequency of istighf...
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