YOU Make Ramadan DIFFICULT Powerful Khutbah

YOU Make Ramadan DIFFICULT

Powerful Khutbah by Sheikh Abu Usamah

Opening

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim)

Introduction: The Virtues of Ramadan

The month of Ramadan has a lot of virtues that are connected to it. If a person wanted to give the khutbah just about the virtues of Ramadan, then he probably should have started giving the khutbahs before Sha'ban to talk about all of those virtues because there's so many. You're not going to come to talk about all of the virtues of Ramadan in one khutbah.

But they are many, numerous. One of the most important virtues of Ramadan and one of the most important aspects of Ramadan is: Ramadan is an opportunity for a person to save himself from the fire of Jahannam.

There's not a single person here despite our differences in ages, despite our differences in the level and the status that you're on in terms of your taqwa and your commitment to Islam. We're different in our sizes, our colors.

There are a lot of differences amongst us. There are no two people here that are exactly alike even if they come from the same father and mother. They're not exactly alike.

Although that is the case, everybody here unanimously inshallah wants to save himself from the hellfire.

Ramadan is one of the best ways to do that, the month itself. One of the virtues is to save yourself from the torment and the punishment of the hellfire.

Hadiths About Ramadan Protecting from Hellfire

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, mentioned in an authentic hadith: If the month of Ramadan comes, the doors of Jannah open - what doors? The physical doors and also the opportunities to go to Jannah - and the doors of the hellfire are closed. It's an opportunity to be protected from going into the hellfire for the one who does it the right way.

He mentioned, peace and blessings be upon him: Every single night in the month of Ramadan, from the first day to the last day, every single night, Allah will free some people from the hellfire. People who did things in their past that they may be deserving of going to the hellfire, like disrespect to their parents, not praying and

falling to kufr and shirk, so many issues. But when Ramadan comes, the first day to the last day, every single day Allah frees individuals from the hellfire. Another proof Ramadan is about getting away from the hellfire.

And out of the benefits and the proofs of this benefit is what he described Ramadan as. He says, peace and blessings be upon him: Fasting, whether it's in Ramadan or outside of Ramadan, fasting is a shield that the person can protect himself from the punishment of the hellfire.

That's three hadith clearly indicating, clearly showing, one of the benefits of Ramadan is freeing yourself from the hellfire. He said, peace and blessings be upon him: Anyone who fasts any day outside of Ramadan, anyone who fasts on any day, Allah will remove his face, his body, from the hellfire by 70 seasons. Another hadith said 100 seasons, and there are other hadith.

What's the point? One of the benefits of Ramadan is that this Rukn from the Arkan of Islam, this Ibadah from the Ibadah of Islam, from the hikmah of Allah, it is an opportunity to free yourself from the hellfire. There are many other things to consider, many other things to think about, many other things to do, but this is one of the things that should be prioritized. It's an opportunity for a hadith that we mentioned here today, but which Ramadan is that? That's the Ramadan that the individual does it the right way.

The Problem: Lack of Knowledge

Now, I'm going to tell you something today, inshallah, that will enhance your ability to save yourself from the hellfire, whether it's Ramadan or outside of Ramadan. And unfortunately, because the ummah, the nation of Muslims, we are living in a time close to the hour, as a result of that, knowledge is a little bit, knowledge is not a lot. And as a result of that, there's a knock-on effect and there's fitna and there's drama. Because when we don't have knowledge, we don't know what we're doing.

As Allah described the kuffar of Quraysh:

"And among the people is he who worships Allah on an edge."

They're those people, they worship Allah and they don't know what they're doing. They don't know what they're doing at all.

So you young people who are here, it is not enough that you just grow up with the name Shaquille, Ahmed, Mohamed, Bilal. You have to be a Muslim with that name Shaquille, Ahmed, Mohamed, Bilal, and you know what you're doing. If you don't know what you're doing, what's the difference between you? What's the difference?

So I'm going to tell you something today and this is what the khutbah is about, inshallah: something to enhance your Ramadan, saving yourself from the hellfire. This issue, if you comprehend it, if you implement it, if you practice it, it will inshallah for the rest of your life be a tool by which you can save yourself and it enhances your Ramadan.

The Main Teaching: Be Easy and Gentle

Rasulullah came to his companions, peace and blessings be upon him, and as he used to do often, he used to ask them questions. He said to them on this particular occasion:

Reference: Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2488

"Should I not tell you people, the person, the individual who the hellfire is haram for him? It is haram like alcohol, like all of that, gambling. The hellfire is haram. He can't go into the hellfire." Ramadan is a month of ibadah to get you out of the hellfire.

He told them, you want to know the individual who the hellfire is haram for him? They say yes, ya Rasulullah, who is that individual? He said:

Reference: Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2488

"The hellfire is haram for each and every individual who is easy in dealing with other people, easy on his own self, and he's not complicated. He's an individual when you meet him, it's like drinking water. It's not complicated. You understand him."

Explanation of the Characteristics

He understands you. Not that difficult individual who when you meet him, he expects you to know what's in his heart. He's extremely, extraordinarily difficult to comprehend. A mother, father who's like that, extremely difficult to comprehend. When there's a problem between you and him, it's easy to solve the problem.

All we have to do is come and sit down and I say I'm sorry. He says I forgive you. He says I'm sorry. I say I forgive you. And we keep it moving, business as usual. He's not like, he's that way, easy. Not that individual when something between you and him transpires, that's it. You're his enemy. He's your enemy. Your family's enemy. His family's enemy. No salams in the street. No love in the street. Complicated, complicated.

He said the hellfire is haram on everyone who he's easy with other people and he used the word هَيِّن لَيِّن . Really if you take any Arab off the street, you say what's the difference between these two words that the prophet said: هَيِّن لَيِّن ? The Arab won't know because they lost their language. هَيِّن لَيِّن - they mean the same thing.

It means being easy, but one means being easy with other people and the other means being easy on yourself. So before salah, he used to say:

سَوُّوا صُفُوفَكُمْ وَتَرَاصُّوا

"Straighten your rows and stand close together."

Straighten up the lines and be gentle and easy. Don't be like he wants to implement this sunnah but he's hard, he's rough and tough and he's stepping on people's feet.

So the hellfire is haram on the one who is gentle with others. He's gentle on himself and he's سَهْل like the name سُهَيْلٌ . The last description he said: قَرِيبٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ - and he's close to the people, easily accessible to the people.

Like the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, Sayyid of Bani Adam and he was the Ashraf, the Shurafa. Although that was the case, the slave woman could come to him and say in his ear, "Ya Rasulullah, this is my problem," and he would just listen. The young man can come to him and he has a problem and he says, "Ya Rasulullah, this is my issue," and he wouldn't say to him, "Get out of here, you're a youngster." Any and everyone can come to him. He was easily accessible.

Not like sometimes individuals in our community. That individual, Ramadan. That individual. This is the one who the hellfire is haram upon him. To enhance that, go into Ramadan and be a person who is easy with people and easy on yourself. Be a person who is سَهْل. A person who is قَرِيبٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ

Examples of Making Ramadan Difficult

Being Harsh on Children

How is the individual not easy with people in the month of Ramadan? Many ways. It's the parent who has a child. He's eight. He's nine. He's seven. And he makes that kid fast all day in Ramadan and the kid is not ready for that right now, especially during these long hours. So he has to allow his child, if he sees he's struggling, just do half of the day. Just do what you can do, do the weekend.

As for the father, the mother who wants to give training to the child to learn how to fast, and that's from what the companions used to do, may Allah be pleased with them. As for the parent who does that without taking into consideration the dynamics of his kid, you are being harsh. And the one who the hellfire has been created for is for those kind of people, the people who are extreme. The people make things difficult.

Rasulullah didn't even like in Islam the one who speaks in a way in which he goes overboard in trying to be articulate. He described him as the cow whose tongue is going all over the place, the one who goes overboard in trying to be very, very intelligent.

We come from the village. We just simple, easy people. We don't need someone coming up here in the mimbar talking to us in a language over our heads and we don't understand, we don't comprehend. Prophet Muhammad

said don't talk like that to people because it's not easy. You're the messenger, give the message to the people in the way that they comprehend.

Being Strict About Suhoor Time

How are people tough on other people in the month of Ramadan? They're tough on people in the month of Ramadan in that you see Fajr comes in at 3:15 3:20. But we're told you have to stop eating suhoor 30 minutes before Fajr time, 40 minutes before Fajr time. When the Prophet of Islam, peace and blessings be upon him, all of the prophets, all of the messengers, they were ordered to do three things. One of those things that they were ordered is to delay the suhoor, to take the breakfast before you fast as close to Fajr as possible.

You don't intend, intentionally go beyond Fajr time. No, you don't intend to do that. But you set yourself up that if Fajr comes in, not as prayer, if it comes in for example 3:45, you can continue to eat your suhoor up until 3:44, 23:43, 3:42. As for an hour before, 45 minutes before, Allah didn't tell the people to do that. The hikmah of the suhoor is to give the people the ability to continue to fast throughout the day.

Being Harsh on the Sick and Travelers

There are many examples of the rough and tough people who under cultural ignorant way of fasting. What's the difficult one dealing with other people? Many examples. What about the one dealing with his own self? And this is really what I want to focus on: the one who is tough on himself in the month of Ramadan because he's sick and he doesn't even have to fast.

I know someone close to me. They died a few years ago. They had high blood pressure and diabetes. They're from Africa. They couldn't see themselves, an elder, he couldn't imagine not fasting in the month of Ramadan and he's an old man. When he fasts, he becomes sick. He loses consciousness. You have to put him on the bed. He becomes incapacitated as a result of Ramadan.

Allah doesn't want that. Allah said in the Quran:

"Don't kill yourselves. Allah was forever Merciful to you."

Don't kill yourselves.

So that individual who in the month of Ramadan when he fasts he has a headache. Most of us will suffer from headaches in the first day, second day. No problem. Go ahead and fast. The guy who smoked cigarettes, may Allah help us in this month to kill that habit. So as a result of not having nicotine, coffee, he as a result of that gets a headache. No, you have to fast.

As for the one who gets a migraine, a migraine, that's the headache on the other level. You don't have to fast.

And don't let anybody come and tell you, "Hey, I have migraines and I fast, so you must fast." Allah told us in the Quran: Every individual knows himself better than the next person. You can't tell me what's my threshold of pain.

You can't tell me, no Sheikh can tell me how much pain I can handle and how much pain I can handle. So this one got his tooth pulled in the month of Ramadan. He kept his fast, but he is not the example for everyone else. He kept his fast. So everyone else has to keep his fast? I get my tooth pulled. I don't have to fast for that day.

So what's the sick one? As Allah mentioned in the Quran: In the month of Ramadan, anyone who is sick, anyone who is traveling, then let him make up those days from another time.

So the one who makes things difficult on himself is the one who says I'm going to travel from Keithley all the way to London and it's haram for me to break my fast. What are you talking about? It's haram? What are you talking about?

The Prophet allowed people to break their fast when they were traveling and some of the companions fasted, others didn't fast. The ones who didn't fast didn't criticize them and they didn't criticize those. But in another incident, he was traveling to battle, to the battle of Badr that happened in the month of Ramadan. He told the people: No one should fast today because they're traveling and they need their strength. No one should fast today.

In another situation, they were traveling when they were traveling. Some people weren't fasted. Some people were fasted. He looked over there. There was a commotion. He said, what's going on over there? If he was all-seeing and all-knowing, if he knew the unseen, he wouldn't have said what's going on over there. He would have been there. He would have known.

Hey, what's going over there? What's the commotion? They say, ya Rasulullah, there are a group of people who are fasting and the heat, the heat is so strong that some of them fell out. They needed water. They need people to fan them.

He says, peace and blessings be upon him: Those people were not fasting. They took all of the reward today. Why? Because they're helping the other people. The best of the community is the ones who bring benefit to other people.

So the one who's not easy on himself is the one who says I can't break my fast during this month of Ramadan while I'm traveling because the airplane is easy. I'm going to Pakistan in Ramadan. I'm going to keep my fast over it. You don't have to do that. If you want to do it, do it. If you don't want to do it, you don't have to do it.

But if fasting while you're traveling is going to cause problems, you're one of the people that the hellfire has been made for because you're tough on yourself.

The Prophet told another man who was having difficulty traveling while fasting, fasting while traveling: It is not righteousness that you fast while you're traveling.

Being Harsh on Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

Being tough, being rough in the month of Ramadan is that individual, that lady who's pregnant. She's pregnant or she's breastfeeding, pregnant or breastfeeding, and we tell her you have to pay for someone to eat every day that you don't fast and you have to make the fast up as well. Two penalties. His wife is pregnant. His wife is breastfeeding.

The fatwa is you have to pay for every day that you don't fast and you have to make the fast up, but that's not what the companions did. That's not what Ibn Abbas did. That's not what Ibn Umar did. That's not what they did. What they did was they told the women from their own households who were pregnant, who were breastfeeding: For every day you don't fast, just pay the food and that's it. You don't have to make it up.

Why make the religion difficult on people because we don't know what we're doing?

Three Types of Sickness That Excuse Fasting

So what's the sickness that the person doesn't have to fast?

1. If fasting is going to cause you to become sick, you don't have to fast.

2. If you're already sick with something - diabetes, you have something, arthritis, something - and when you fast it's going to increase that sickness, you don't have to fast.

3. If a person is sick and by fasting his healing is going to be delayed, his healing will be delayed, he doesn't have to fast and he doesn't have to worry about it.

He doesn't have to have any doubts in his mind. The people are fasting and I'm not fasting and the people fast and I'm eating. Prophet Muhammad told the people, peace and blessings be upon him: The one who eats food and he's thankful, the one who eats food and he's grateful for the food, he's in the same level as the one who fasts and the one who has patience.

Islam is Easy

So we're living in a time right now. People are unnecessarily rough and tough on themselves and on other people. And what else can we say is the result of Boko Haram in Africa, Al-Qaeda around the world, ISIS around the world, Al-Shabaab in Somalia. What else does that come from? It just comes from people being rough and tough.

Although many ayat, look at those ayat in the Quran about fasting, all of those ayat and then the ayat ends by Allah mentioning:

"Allah wants ease for you and he doesn't want difficulty for you."

That's concerning the ayat of fasting. Allah wants ease for you and he doesn't want to make things difficult for you. He said in the Quran:

"In this religion Allah hasn't made anything difficult on you in your religion. This is the religion of Ibrahim."

There are many ayat that goes to show Islam is an easy religion to practice. Islam is a simple religion to practice. Not like Christianity. It's complicated. The whole idea: three gods equal one and one equals three. That's difficult. Islam says no, simple, one God.

If there were more than one God in the heavens and the earth, then the heavens and the earth would have been corrupted because it's complicated. Islam is easy. Five prayers a day, very quickly. They're done. Five equals 50. There's zakat. All you have to do is get 2.5% of your money. If you don't have the money you don't even have to give it.

Hajj is easy. Which Hajj you want to make? I want to make Quran. I want to make it easy for me. And then when you're doing Hajj you can do this. You can combine, you can shorten. The whole religion is easy, but we come, we make it hard.

Ramadan is easy for the one who knows what he's doing. Allah mentioned those ayahs:

"Allah doesn't burden you beyond your scope, beyond your ability."

"Fear Allah the best that you can."

Don't go overboard. Prophet Muhammad described Islam. He said about Islam, about this deen: This religion is easy. Anyone who tries to go overboard in it and do everything, he will be overwhelmed. He will be overpowered.

The New Muslim Example

He would tell his companions that he wants to send to the people to give Dawah to Allah. The brand spanking new Muslim comes to our Masjid. He never saw Ramadan in his life. Brand spanking new like a baby. This is first Ramadan. Maybe he'll accept Islam in the month of Ramadan and we become rough and tough. You must fast. He's a Muslim. He should fast. He should pray. But we're going to look at his situation.

Did you know from the ease of Islam that in Islam fasting wasn't wajib immediately? It was up to you. If you want to fast, you fast. If you don't want to fast, you give sadaqa. That's it. It was easy. You choose.

Why was it like that? The same reason for alcohol. Our mother Aisha said, may Allah be pleased with her: If Allah made drinking alcohol haram just like that, the Arabs would have left this religion. So even the companions were given the opportunity. Get yourselves used to fasting.

He's a brand-new Muslim. Yes, he should pray. Yes, she should wear hijab. Yes, she should fast. But take it easy. Take it easy. Allah took it easy with the companions. From His names is, He is al-Latif. He is al-Halim.

The Prophet is a Mercy

Now, I want to share something with you brothers that shouldn't leave any doubt in your mind about the ayat of the Quran that described the Chosen One, peace and blessings be upon him:

"We have not sent you except as a mercy to all the worlds."

He's a mercy to the worlds. The worlds, that word means Rabb al-Alameen and Alameen means everything other than Allah. There's Allah over His throne in a way that befits His Majesty. Everything other than Allah is the Alameen. His Arsh, the angels, the Kursi, the jinn, everything else is the Alameen. He's the Rabb al-Alameen and Rasulullah was sent as a mercy to the Alameen, to the mankind, to the jinn, to the angels. He's a mercy.

The Story of the Man Who Broke His Fast

Look what happened. Sahih Bukhari, Abu Huraira. He said, the Prophet was sitting in the masjid, peace and blessings be upon him, a man came and in front of all of the people. He said:

هَلَكْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1936

"I have destroyed myself, ya Rasulullah. I'm destroyed, ya Rasulullah. I'm destroyed."

Rasulullah said, "What destroyed you?" The man said, "I had relationships with my wife during the day hours of Ramadan."

If you go to the book by Imam al-Dhahabi, a book that every Muslim who's worth his weight in salt should know about that book, the major sins, Kitab al-Kaba'ir, one of the major sins that he mentions: breaking the fast of Ramadan without an excuse. That's one of the biggest calamities in Islam. That's one of the big ones right there.

Someone breaking his fast, someone not fasting in the month of Ramadan, big, big problem. That man said, ya Rasulullah, I had relationships with my wife. Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, told him the penalty. He said, "Okay, do you have a slave that you can free?" Because if you break your fast, you have to free a slave.

The man said, "I don't have a slave." He said, "Can you fast two months consecutively, 60 days, if the month is 30-30?" And if you start fasting seven days and then you miss the eighth one, you got to start all over. If you start fasting for breaking the fast in the daytime and then you made a month and three days, you miss the next day, you got to start all over.

Can you fast 60 days straight? The man said, "I can't do that. I can't do that." You can't tell me because you got a toothache and you fasted, I can fast. That man is saying what he can do. "I can't do that, ya Rasulullah. I can't fast 60 days."

He said, "Do you have the ability to feed 60 people since you can't fast 60 days? You made the penalty. Do you have the ability?" He said, "I can't feed 60 people. I'm poor."

He said, "Go sit over there. Go relax yourself." He sat in the masjid, things were happening.

A man came to give sadaqa in the month of Ramadan. If a person doesn't increase his sadaqa in the month of Ramadan, he's not doing the Ramadan of the sunnah. I don't say that your fast is invalid, but sadaqa increases in the month of Ramadan. Reading the Quran increases, salah increases. We don't have the time to deal with that. If it doesn't happen with you, you're not doing the proper fast of the sunnah.

So one came, "Here's some dates, ya Rasulullah," a bucket of dates. Rasulullah took it. He said, "Hey you, you come, come, come. Take this food, take these dates, take them and go give them to 60 people." Rasulullah is helping him for his penalty, his mistake. His Muslim brother is helping him for his penalty, his mistake.

"Take the food and go give it to 60 people." The man said, "Ya Rasulullah, there's no one in this city of Medina. No one in Kifli. No one in this area is poorer than me and my family. What do I look like taking these dates to give it to people and I'm poorer than all of them. I need it more than them."

Rasulullah smiled and he said, "Then take it. It's yours. Take it. It's yours," and he was the one who made the mistake. That's the mercy of Islam. That's the mercy of Islam for the people who want to blow people up. That's

the mercy of Islam for the husband who's rough and tough with his wife. That's the mercy of Islam for the elder who's rough and tough with his kids.

Rasulullah's sunnah is in one valley and we are in another valley altogether. We're in another valley altogether. So take it easy. Take it easy and relax yourselves.

Understanding True Ease in Islam

Someone may be sitting in the audience. They say, "Hey Abu, aren't you contradicting yourself? You're telling us that Islam is easy. Ramadan is easy, but you're up there screaming in our ears and you look rough and tough. Isn't that a bit of contradiction?"

The ease of Islam is not based upon your interpretation and my interpretation or the interpretation of Amr, Bakr and Zaid. The companion said about the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: When he used to give the khutbah, peace and blessings be upon him, his voice would go loud. His eyes will become red. His anger would increase. His neck would pop out as if he was one of the people of an army, going to come and get them.

So if there was an army of enemies, they're going to come get us and I see them and you don't, I'm going to stand up and say, "Okay guys, they're coming over here. We better get ready." If I did that, I would be a person who was violent. So someone says, "Hey, this khutbah is not easy. What do you do?" No, easiness is not on your interpretation and my interpretation.

Listen, people from Kifli, listen, right now in this country, normative Islam, normal Islam is under attack. There's a program that came out about a week ago on TV called "The Biggest Mosque in the UK." It was a masjid in London, the size of three football pitches and that masjid was being run by Qadianis, Ahmadiyyas. That's the type of Islam that the people will accept. The Islam where you don't have to pray. You don't have to wear hijab. We don't preach hatred to the community, be nasty. No, no, but we have to take positions against people.

Ease, it's not interpreted by you and me, defined by you and me. There's an organization. I'm going to tell you the name. It's called Quilliam Foundation. People like that, beware and be careful of taking your instruction and your direction from people like that. Quilliam Foundation, people come up with crazy statements and we ask Allah for steadfastness because you never know, you never know.

Ramadan can be a cause that a person will leave Islam if Allah doesn't give him steadfastness. His wife can cause him to leave Islam. His job can cause him to leave Islam. His friends leave Islam if Allah doesn't give him steadfastness.

So the Prophet of Allah used to make sajda and he used to say:

"O Allah, Turner of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion."

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2140)

Warning Against Extremes

Ad-Dajjal will cause people to lose Islam. Individuals from Quilliam Foundation used to be an individual. His father is a sheikh. His grandfather is a scholar from the renaissance of Islam, from where you come from. All this monkey business - and I'm not talking around and saying Adam came from monkeys. That's not what I'm talking about.

Last year because of the long hours, he said Islam is easy. These hours are too long. We're fasting 18 hours, 17 hours. So what we should do is we should only fast 15 hours, 14, 13 hours, and then the rest of the day we can eat although the sun is in the sky.

Because Abu Usama said Islam is easy? So when I tell you here Islam is easy, don't get it twisted. Don't you be coming, Ramadan comes to you and you're watching TV wasting your time telling your wife Abu Usama said Islam is easy. She doesn't pray. You don't pray. Abu Usama said Islam is easy.

No, Islam is the month of actions and working. I told you the battle of Badr was in the month of Ramadan. That hadith, "Whoever sleeps in Ramadan is Ibadah," that's fabricated.

The month of Ramadan is the month of Jihad. Jihad the Nafs, Jihad the Nafs. You have to come to the Masjid and pray more. You have to give Sadaqah more. You have to give more food. You have to make more efforts. You got to do Tarawih, you got to do more Dua, you got to do more, more, more, but do more according to your ability, according to your ability.

Conclusion

Take care of yourselves and be easy and gentle with yourselves for the rest of your lives. Should I not tell you the one who the hellfire is haram on him? The hellfire is haram on the one who is gentle on others, gentle with himself, gentle on others, gentle with himself, and he is easy and he's close to the people.

May Allah establish our feet firmly upon the Kitab and the Sunnah and may He not allow us to die except as people of Tawheed and may He make us of the Ansar of the Sunnah al-Muhammadiyah and may Allah give khair to this community, inshallah, and make this Ramadan a successful one.