Which Fast Are You?

Many people fast, but not all fasts are the same…

• Those who see Ramadan as in inconvenient time of restrictions and preventions; a time of prohibitions from fun and indulgence.  They fast with great difficulties while continuing to be the way they are.  They see the fast as nothing more than cultural practice and as an obstacle in front of their usual life.
• Those who see Ramadan as a month of food and drink.  Most of their time is consumed going and coming from the grocery store purchasing food for themselves, families and guests.  Ramadan doesn’t increase them except in being pre-occupied with entertaining.  Though fasting from food is not a divine weight-loss plan and there is no harm in entertaining, provided that does not become the focus of the month
• Those who see Ramadan as an annual Muslim event and since everyone at home fasts, they too fast;  but there is no increase in…their prayers, neither in their God-concioussness nor improvement in their character.
• Those who are “Ramadan Muslims”; who pray, dress appropriately, give charity and read Qur’an…ONLY in Ramadan.  (Then they take a break from Islam till the next Ramadan)
• Those who can not wait for the arrival of Ramadan, and when it comes they go into top gear with their worship, their character development and their generosity.  Ramadan motivates, invigorates and rejuvenates them.

Which group do you belong to?

[[lecture by Sheikh Sadullah]]

Gem #7

“Knowledge that is followed by action is true knoweldge”

Al-Baqarah 8-16

Bismillah.

Allah (SWT) begins describing the 3^rd group of people, the hypocrites, in these ayat.  Hypocrites are those people who have one thing in their heart and show another thing in their actions.  They are different than what they publicize.  These people will be in the lowest pit of the Hellfire in the Akhirah.

And of the people are some who say, “We believe in Allāh and the Last Day,” but they are not believers.

The first quality Allah (SWT) mentions is that they say with their tongues that they are believers when they truly are not.  They do not prove their belief through their actions.  They say one thing, but do something else.  They call themselves Muslims, but are nowhere near to fulfill the commands of Allah (SWT).  It’s not enough for us to call ourselves by Muslim names such as Abdullah or Maryam or Muhammad thinking our label is sufficient.  We need to prove through our actions that we truly are Muslims.

They [think to] deceive Allāh and those who believe, but they deceive not except themselves and perceive [it] not.

What do they think, they are deceiving Allah (SWT)?  Do they think that Allah (SWT) does not know?  Do they think they can get away with all this? They are not deceiving anyone except themselves.  They are not harming anyone except themselves, if only they knew. Do you think when you hide all these secrets in your heart that no one knows?  Do you think you’re getting away with everything?  How will you get away from Allah (SWT) on the Day of Judgment?  How will you hide your sins then?  You’re not hurting Allah (SWT) with this deception, you are only deceiving yourself and hurting yourself.

In their hearts is disease, so Allāh has increased their disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie.

They have a disease in their heart, the disease of hypocrisy and doubt.  They live an uneasy life always confused and lost.  But the punishment will not end when they die, it will go on with a painful punishment in the Hereafter. They receive such a great punishment because they used to lie.  They lied to others and to themselves thinking they got away with all their white and black lies.  Well Allah (SWT) has news for you, you got away with nothing.  Instead, the cause of your destruction is your lying habit.

And when it is said to them, “Do not cause corruption on the earth,” they say, “We are but reformers.”

When you talk to these people and you tell them not to create problems on the earth, they say we are only doing good.  When they cause fights and spread gossip and lies, they try to justify their actions saying they are only trying to help.  They think they are doing something good when it is only creating problems.

Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not.

Allah (SWT) affirms that they are creating problems and spreading corruption.  The sad part is that they don’t even realize it.  They continue to justify their wrong actions thinking they are doing something good.  But Allah (SWT) says that they are not helping anyone.  In fact, they are only harming themselves.

And when it is said to them, “Believe as the people have believed,” they say, “Should we believe as the foolish have believed?” Unquestionably, it is they who are the foolish, but they know [it] not.

When they are told to be good Muslims, follow the footsteps of Muhammad (S) and the Sahabahs and the righteous among them they laugh it off saying should we believe these foolish people?  Should we follow these “mullis” or “wahabis” or “religious” people who are too serious and don’t know how to have fun?  They are considered foolish because they don’t work for worldly gain and are ready to sacrifice anything for Allah (SWT).  Allah (SWT) responds to them saying that indeed the believers are not foolish but these hypocrites are but they don’t even know it.  They are ignorant and too occupied to get out of it.

And when they meet those who believe, they say, “We believe”; but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say, “Indeed, we are with you; we were only mockers.”

Such people change faces depending on their circle of friends.  When they are with the believers they become “religious” and are “loyal” to them.  But when they are with the wrongdoers, those who fall into Shaytaan’s traps, they become like them.  They give excuses for being with the believers saying we were only with them to see how crazy they were and to mock them.  In simple words, they can be considered fake.

[But] Allāh mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression [while] they wander blindly.

Because they mock the believers, they receive a taste of their own medicine.  Allah (SWT) in response mocks the hypocrites and lets them wander blindly in dunya.  Because they chose to mislead themselves, Allah (SWT) allows them to wander away in disbelief.

Those are the ones who have purchased error [in exchange] for guidance, so their transaction has brought no profit, nor were they guided.

These people traded away the guidance they had for misguidance.  It’s as if they went to the store and bought 3 packs of misguidance for the price of 3 packs of guidance.  They received no benefit from this trade, only loss.  They were not guided because they chose misguidance over guidance.  They had the chance to follow the Qur’an, but they wanted to have fun in dunya instead.

Gem #6

“The sign of the love of Allah is love of the Qur’an. The sign of love of the Qur’an is love of the Prophet. The sign of love of the Prophet is love of the sunnah. The sign of love of the sunnah is love of the Next World. The sign of love of the Next World is hatred for this world. The sign of hatred for this world is that you do not store up any of it except for provision and what you need to arrive safely in the Next World.” [[Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah]]

Gem #5

“True knowledge is that what you take with you in the bathroom“

-Sheikh Yasir Birjas

Seek out Benefit

On the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah, sal Allahu alayhi wa salla, said: “Seek out that which benefits you, seek help only from Allah and never say you can’t do it.
“If any adversity comes to you, do not say: ‘If I had only acted in such-and-such a way, it would have been such-and-such;’ but instead, say: ‘Allah has decreed (it) and what He willed, He has done,’ for verily, (the word) (if) opens the way for the work of Satan.” – Saheeh Muslim

Lessons from this hadith

If there is something that will benefit you, make every effort and go after it! Seek it out.
There is no failure, only lessons.

[taken from Muhammad Alshareef]

Gem #4

Whatever is in your heart comes out on your tongue.

Gem #3

There was a rock on the floor, one person passed by and kicked it away. Another person passing by saw a sparkle on it and decided to pick it up. When he brushed it off a bit, it turned out to be a huge precious diamond. This is how the Qu’ran is in our lives. We all have it in our homes, wrapped in the nicest silk cloth on the highest shelf in our house. Some of us pass it daily, and just kick it away, while some of us decide to pick it up and discover what a precious gem it truly is. Be the one who picks up the Qur’an and realizes how beautiful and how valuable it is. Don’t just kick it away, someone else will pick up the treasure instead…

[[brainstormed through a lecture given by Bro. Nouman Ali Khan]]

Al-Baqarah 1-7

Bismillah.

After we finish making a Du’a to Allah (SWT) asking him to guide us, He answers us with the Qur’an.  He begins his answer with Surah Baqarah, and with three miraculous letters:

From the beginning, Allah shows us that we have such limited knowledge.  We know so little, yet we think we know so much.  If we know so much, we should be able to interpret these letters, but because we do not know anything, we are not able to.

This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah–

Allah (SWT) then states such a strong statement.  He says that this book, this Qur’an has absolutely no doubt in it, there is nothing wrong it in, there is no mistake in it, and it is all true. This Qur’an, as we keep reading it will clear up all the misconceptions we might have.  But who is this book for, who will benefit from this book?  The Mutaqeeen.  Naturally the next question in our head will be who are these people, how can I be one of them. And Subhanallah, the Qur’an does answer all our questions.  In the next Ayat Allah mentions who these people are.

Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them,

They believe in the Ghaib, those things we cannot see.  But why should we believe in something we can’t see?  If Allah (SWT) showed us heaven and hell in front of us, would we hesitate to worship Him?  No, we wouldn’t care about anyone but do what we had to in order to get to Heaven.  But the test comes when we can’t see it.  These people then show that they believe in the unseen by establishing salah.  Establishing salah is not praying salah sometimes, but establishing it, meaning making it regular and proper with total submission.  They give their rights to Allah (SWT), and to others.  They give to others from what they have been provided with, whether it is food, money, clothes, time, knowledge, and talents, anything they were given by Allah (SWT).

And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muúammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith].

These people also accept the Qur’an and the Sunnah/Hadith that was given to the Prophet (S).  They also accept the previous prophets and the previous books such as Jesus (A) and the Injil and Musa (A) and the Torah.  And last quality, they believe in the Akhirah with certainty.  Allah (SWT) doesn’t say they believe in it, but they believe in it with certainty, they have strong conviction of it, it’s almost as though they can see it.

Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful.

These people, that have these qualities are successful.  The Arabic word for success comes from the root which means farmer. For a farmer, when is he successful?  After he seeds the earth, takes care of it daily, working day and night, and then after a while when the fruits grow and he sells them, that is when he makes money and is successful.  His success is not instant gratification. Just like that, we need to work hard, day and night, and then after we work and put in some labor will we get success.

Indeed, those who disbelieve – it is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them – they will not believe.

And then Allah (SWT) shows us the other extreme, the disbelievers.  For them, no matter how much you warn them, they don’t want to listen, they don’t care.  They are having too much fun in this world and are too used to the easy life.  They don’t want to sacrifice anything.  They don’t want to change.  So you tell them or not, it’s as if they never heard

Allāh has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and over their vision is a veil. And for them is a great punishment.

They are given the Qur’an, they are given the guidance, but they choose the dunya over the akhira.  They choose to have a fun life now rather than later.  Because of their choice, Allah (SWT) seals their hearts, their hearings, and their sight has a veil.  These are the faculties to help you identify the truth, and these faculties are no longer available.  They are blinded by their desires, by the “fun” entertainment.  They can’t see the truth nor hear it because they don’t want to hear it. They can’t recognize the truth because their hearts are already occupied with the dunya.  And their punishment doesn’t end there, they have a painful punishment in the akhira.

Allah shows us 2 out of 3 groups of mankind.  1-beleivers, 2-disbelievers, 3-hypocrites.  Inshallah in the following ayat Allah (SWT) mentions the 3^rd group and leaves the choice to us, pick who you want to be like, there is no midway.

Gem #2

Because our hearts are occupied with love for something else, we are prevented from obeying the commands of Allah (SWT)