Dr. Hamid Ghazali - 3-14-25

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Dear brothers and sisters, alhamdulillah, almost half the month of Ramadan, and we're waiting for the second half. As we transition to the second half, we really want to get the maximum benefit from the month of Ramadan.

No doubt, the dua is a very important tool that we should always resort to, especially when you include in your dua the Muslims who are suffering in different parts of the world, especially Gaza and Sudan and Syria and other hot spots in the Muslim world. So, I want to share with you the importance of getting the spirit of the month of Ramadan. The Prophet ﷺ said, perhaps a fasting person has nothing of his or her fasting except thirst or hunger.

(Musnad Ahmad and Ibn Majah)

In another story, al-'atash. So, we really want at the end to benefit from the siyam. And that is very important.

So, it is not about, that's the general in the ibadah. It's not about just doing the technicalities, which is very important, and ignoring or not giving enough attention to the spirit that is associated with the ibadah. When the Muslims were making hajj, for example, and they were so much occupied with slaughtering the sheep and giving the needy, giving it to other people.

And Allah told the Muslims in surah al-hajj, The blood and the meat don't reach Allah. What reaches Allah is a taqwa. The thirst and the hunger does not reach Allah.

What reaches Allah is a taqwa. And that is very important. Sometimes we get so much occupied with the details, and we somehow don't recognize the spirit that is associated with this detail.

The Spirit of Ramadan

So, keeping that in mind then, it is important for us to look at the spirit of the month of Ramadan, look at the spirit of the Qur'an that we are reading, benefit from it, give, care, share, live Ramadan as a month of giving, caring, and sharing. That is very important for us. And also, we have great days, and we have a great month, and we have Laylatul Qadr, may Allah bless us with Laylatul Qadr.

Understanding Laylatul Qadr

One of the things that you think about when you start seeing the Qur'an and reflecting about the Qur'an in the month of Ramadan, you start thinking. Allah said, for example, in Surah Al-Dukhan,

Allah talked about Laylatul Qadr in Surah Al-Dukhan, and said that in that night, every good matter is decided in this matter. Allah, in Surah Al-Qadr said, إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ Notice here, إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ So, in a blessed night.

Allah did not say in THE blessed night, فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ While in Laylatul Qadr, it came in defined. Laylatul Qadr, not Laylatul Qadr. Laylatul Qadr, a night of Qadr, versus Laylatul Qadr, the night of the Qadr.

What difference does it make? It makes a big difference, as I will explain. So, in one hand, you look, إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ Not Laylatul Qadr, but Laylatul Qadr. Why? Because there are other blessed nights as well.

We have the ten, وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ For example, in Suratul Fajr. We have the night of Al-Jum'ah. We have other nights as well.

But when it comes to Laylatul Qadr, Allah said, إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ Among those blessed days and nights, we have only one night. If I say Laylatul Qadr, then it could be more than one Laylatul Qadr. But we are only blessed with one Laylatul Qadr.

So that is very important for us not to miss it. And that explains to us why Allah, at the end of Suratul Qadr, Allah said,

The angels and the soul, Jibreel alayhis salam, come with every good matter. And Allah did not say, تَتَنَزَّلُ We have تَتَنَزَّلُ used in the Quran, in Surat Fussilat,

Those who say رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ and then have the istiqamah, straighten themselves on the straight path of Allah, the angels, تَتَنَزَّلُ meaning continuously coming down to them.

With the another ت added, تَتَنَزَّلُ versus تَنَزَّلُ So the addition of the ت in Surat Fussilat means that the angels will always come to those who say رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا وعلينا القدر is not there. And what's the wisdom for that? The wisdom is because ليلة القدر is only one night. And either you get it or you lose it, like you have a sail, and you want to catch that sail, that sail is only for a certain period of time.

So similarly, in ليلة القدر we have only from sunset until the فجر سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ You get it or you lose it. And it's very important that we get it. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us all get it.

Understanding the Engine of Each Surah

That is the spirit of looking, understanding the Qur'an while we're making the fasting, while we are contemplating in the Qur'an. You look at Surah An-Nisa for example. Lots of rules, inheritance rules.

And we learn a lot about inheritance laws. Marriage and divorce is always there. So if I get from Surah An-Nisa, that I miss the engine of Surah An-Nisa.

If I go there and I see the inheritance laws, the marriage and divorce, and I don't think of other important things in Surah An-Nisa, then I really don't understand the main part of Surah An-Nisa. The wisdom behind it. And that is very important.

The engine of Surah An-Nisa. What's the engine of Surah An-Nisa? What's the engine of Surah Al-Ma'idah? What's the engine of Surah Al-Anfal? And on and on. Sometimes we go and pick up things here and there, and we leave or not give attention to the engine of the Surah.

The Engine of Surah An-Nisa: Justice

So actually the engine that came behind giving the inheritance laws, and establishing the inheritance laws, and the laws for marriage and divorce is to maintain and make sure that women and others get the rights. No injustice done to them. Then the engine of the Surah is the injustice.

And these are examples of how Allah is going to make sure that justice established. Women who used to get nothing of the inheritance, now they get the full right according to the laws that Allah revealed in Surah An-Nisa. Not only that, but everybody else get that justice done.

You see Isa Alayhi Salaam, Jesus, peace be upon him, mentioned in Surah An-Nisa. What does it have to do with women to be included in a Surah that talks about women? Here comes understanding the engine of Surah An-Nisa, which is injustice and the opposite of justice. You want to remove injustice, and you want to make sure that you establish justice.

And Isa, they did a lot of injustice to him. And that's where the context, when Isa Alayhi Salaam is mentioned, Isa, Jesus is mentioned there, comes in a context of injustice that was done against him and his mother.

And their kufr and their fabrication of lies, the dhulm, the buhtan kind of dhulm against Isa and his mother.

Understanding that helps you understand the Surah. It helps you understand the story, for example, of a Jew there that was accused falsely. And the Quran came in to declare that this Jew is innocent.

And what was done was from some Muslims who were not really acting as good Muslims and accused him falsely. Why is it in Surah An-Nisa? Because of the justice issue that we talked about. You really have to get that.

The Engine of Surah Al-Ma'idah: Depending on Allah

If you look at Surah Al-Ma'idah and you say, Oh, it's about halal food. It's about how to eat the halal meat and how to do this. That's good.

And it's good, Alhamdulillah, to take that. But in this case, you forget the engine of Surah Al-Ma'idah. And the engine is you depend on Allah.

And you carry out the laws of Allah. And that's where the story of the disciples of Isa asking for a table to come to them. And then Allah is telling us, They did not support Isa as they should.

Don't expect them to support you. You depend on Allah, the Messenger, and yourselves in establishing your deen. So part of the establishment of the deen is to have halal food, is to eat halal meat.

So the main topic then, the engine is how you establish the deen. And that's why you read there,

If they established the Torah and the Injil, they would have eaten from beneath them and from on top of them. What a way to look at the engine of each surah and understand it.

And inshallah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will guide you, will help you, and you will have a big smile in your face because you see something that not too many Muslims are able to see.

اُدْعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَنْتُمْ مُوقِنُونَ بِالإِجَابَةِ

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على أشرف المرسلين سيدنا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين

The Spirit of Ramadan and the Engine of Surah Al-Anfal

Dear brothers and sisters, when we look at our deen, we look at Ramadan, the month of the Qur'an, we look at Laylatul Qadr, we look into what we do, and we stick to the spirit, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will open doors of rahmah for us. Ramadan is about giving, as I said, is about caring, is about sharing.

And actually, in 2-3 days, we'll have the memory of Ghazwat Badr, the battle of Badr that the Muslims won. And you wonder, where is it in the Qur'an? It's in Surah Al-Anfal. Why didn't Allah call it Surah Badr? And called it Al-Anfal? That again goes to understanding the engine of Surah Al-Anfal.

That comes to understanding why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, what is the lesson that Allah wants us to learn from the battle of Badr? The Muslims who were best of the best, were at the end of the battle, were fighting over a sword, where the sword is part of Al-Anfal, the spoils of the war. Those muhajireen, only muhajireen and ansar who joined the battle, and those who, the ansar, who gave everything to the muhajireen for the sake of Allah, and the muhajireen who left everything for the sake of Allah. One gave everything, one left everything, for the sake of Allah.

Now we're fighting over $1 or $10. Doesn't make sense. So what is the issue here? We get short-sighted.

We don't see clearly sometimes. Happens to all good people, can become short-sighted. As the best of the best Muslims became short-sighted after the battle of Badr.

And how Allah helped them see where the mistake is. They woke up, they realized what was wrong, and asked Allah forgiveness. That is a key lesson, and that's why when you read Surah Al-Anfal, with that spirit, you'll see a lot of good lessons for you as a committed Muslim.

What should you do? What would you learn to increase your commitment in the month of Ramadan? Because of the time, I'm not able to share with you these lessons, but Alhamdulillah, I prepared a videotape for Surah Al-Anfal, as well as Al-Baqarah, Al-Imran, Al-Nisa, Al-Ma'idah, and I'll be happy to share it with you. Look at it, beautiful lessons. Very beautiful, very unique lessons that you want to learn.

Make sure you get a copy of this videotape, watch it, and Amir will have a copy with him, inshallah you can ask him, he'll pass you the copy. Ask me, I'll be happy to pass you the copy. But make sure you understand in this month, the spirit of the month, the spirit of the Quran, the engine of each Surah, so that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala opens doors of rahmah for you.