The virtue of Qiyam and Tahajjud

What Does Allah Want From Us?

By Shaykh Yasir Fahmy

Opening

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Khutbah al-Hajah (Opening Khutbah)

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَسْتَهْدِيهِ، وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَأَطْهَرُ خَلْقِهِ وَخَلِيلُهُ اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلَّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْأَوَّلِينَ، اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلَّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرِينَ اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلَّمْ وَأَنْعِمْ وَأَكْرِمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْمَلَا الْأَعْلَى إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

: يَقُولُ عَزَّ مِنْ قَائِلٍ

"O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]."

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ، اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ، اللّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ اللَّهُمَّ آمِينَ

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. To Him we belong and to Him we shall return. We ask Allah in His infinite grace and boundless mercy on this blessed day of Jumu'ah to send an abundance of prayers and peace upon our beloved Messenger Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). We ask Allah to have mercy upon us and upon this Ummah and to bring us relief and ease and tranquility and to bring our hearts into a place of God-consciousness and a love for the Quran and a love for the sunnah of al-Habib al-Mustafa Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

Ya Allah, beautify our hearts and our homes, our masajid, our institutions, beautify our nations and all of the people with the beauty of the Quran and the beauty of the sunnah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). For we know, Ya Allah, as our beloved Messenger taught us in his parting sermon that:

(Reference: Hadith - Sahih Muslim)

I have left for you two things which if you were to hold on to, you will never be led astray: The book of Allah and my sunnah.

Allah grant us the love of the Quran and the love of the sunnah and allow us to be in the day of judgment in the highest of stations and the best of spaces in the company of al-Habib al-Mustafa Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا)

The Purpose of Fasting

Brothers and sisters, Allah tells us in the Quran when talking about the reason why he legislates, why he prescribes and why he guides us to the fast. He says:

"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous"

Allah has obligated the fast just as he did on those that preceded you for one distinct reason and purpose and that is لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ So that maybe, perhaps, inshallah, if Allah wills, we are muttaqeen. We are people who are conscious of Allah, mindful of Allah, fearful of Allah and that is the sacred relationship between the fast and taqwa. That Allah legislates and prescribes the fast so that we can remember him. We must never forget that.

Even in the word, the Arabic word, (صيام - siyam) means to stop. If the wind that is howling, is bustling, comes to a stop. The Arabs would say (صامتِ الريحُ). The wind has stopped. You can imagine a noisy night when the wind is bustling and howling and then suddenly the wind stops. Serenity, peace, quiet.

Allah Calls Us to Stop

Allah is telling us that with the fast of the month of Ramadan: I want you to stop. Stop. Allah is telling us Stop. Just stop. Stop. Stop. Stop what you're doing. Stop what you're thinking. Stop the mechanical way that we may have come to exist. Stop. Stop doing what you're doing at home. Stop doing what you're doing behind the scenes. Stop doing what you're doing at work. Stop. Stop and think. This is what Ramadan is about. This is what Siyam is about. It's about stopping to remember one thing: Allah.

It is to stop to remember one reality: That is Allah. We have to stop. Because this is not good when we're in the hamster wheel of life. When we're just running, not thinking why like chickens with heads cut off. We end up doing a lot of damage to ourselves and to others. We have to stop. Because Allah He created us with intellect. He created us with hearts. And He created us with souls. So that we can know Him. And we can love Him. And we can surrender to Him. We can connect with Him. And that was the will of the messengers.

All of the messengers and all of the prophets. They came with the same exact message. And when their brother Noah said to them, Will you not fear Allah? And when their brother Hud said to them, Will you not fear Allah? And when their brother Salih said to them, Will you not fear Allah? And when their brother Lot said to them, Will you not fear Allah? And when Shu'ayb said to them, Will you not fear Allah? And when Abraham said to his people, When he said to his people, Worship Allah and fear Him, That is best for you if you only knew. All of these are ayaat in the Quran Surah Shura. If they said to their people, My people, be mindful of Allah. This was the message of Hud. The message of Noah. The message of Shu'ayb. The message of Salih. The message of Lot. The message of Ibrahim. The message of Isa. The message of Musa. And certainly the message of our beloved Al-Habib al-Mustafa Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)

The message is simple: اِتَّقُوا اللة. That's the message. Be mindful of Allah. Remember Allah. Know Allah. Because it's all about Allah all the time.

The Purpose of the Masjid

You know this Jumu'ah prayer that we have. This Jumu'ah prayer that is prescribed for us every week. The sole purpose of the Jumu'ah prayer As our ulama have illustrated and taught: At-tadhkiratu bittaqwa. The Jumu'ah is all about remembering Allah. Do you know why we have a masjid? Did you ever pause for a moment and think: Why do we have a masjid? Why did Allah construct such a space? To remember Him. These are sanctuaries of remembrance. We only live for Allah. We eat, we drink, we sleep for Allah. We marry for Allah. We work for Allah. We don't eat for Allah. We travel for Allah. We exist for Allah. We pray for Allah. We come and we go for Allah. We build for Allah. We love for Allah. And we hate for Allah. We love, everything is about Allah. And that's what Siyam is about. لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ. لَعَلَّ is لِلتَّرَبِّي. With the hope that you will remember.

Because we all know that so often we may have fasted but we don't remember. We may fast and all that we get from our fast is that we restrict some food and some drink. But we don't remember Allah. No. Allah prescribed this fast to know Him and to remember Him.

May Allah help us to be amongst the muttaqeen. Those who truly remember Him. Those who strive to know Him. Those who struggle to understand what He wants from us and what He expects from us and how He wants us to be in every nanosecond of our existence.

The Meaning of Taqwa

That's why Imam Ali karramallahu wajhahu, when he was asked, what is taqwa? He said:

التَّقْوَى الْخَوْفُ مِنَ الْجَلِيلِ وَالْعَمَلُ بِالتَّنْزِيلِ وَالرّضا بِالْقَلِيلِ وَالْاِسْتِعْدَادُ لِيَوْمِ الرَّحِيلِ

(Reference: Attributed to Imam Ali (RA))

Imam Ali says that taqwa is number one: It is the mindfulness and the fear of al-jaleel. The majestic Allah. Just to be mindful that Allah is the one who wills every reality. And Allah is the one who decrees everything. And Allah is the one who is in control of every single thing that we think, feel, see or even can imagine or fathom. It is all Allah. So the disposition of the mutaqi is one that says I fear and I am conscious and mindful of that reality: Allah.

وَالْعَمَلُ بِالتَّنْزِيلِ . See, our mindfulness of Allah, our connection to Allah, does not simply register internally. It's not just a thought. Sometimes we tell ourselves: Well, I am a good Muslim, I act Islamically. I want for Allah. I am sincere that what I am looking for is for Allah. But then when I assess my actions, my actions do not reflect that reality.

And so Imam Ali says: From the haqiqah of taqwa is al-amalu bil-tanzeel. That my actions must be in coordination, in tandem and authenticated bil-tanzeel. That my and your actions have to be as a direct result and function of the guidance of Allah. The sacred revelation. The sunnah of al-Habib al-Mustafa Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) who was the walking Quran. My actions have to be solely inspired by that. Nothing else.

All of us. We have to pause. Stop and think: Do my actions, do my actions reflect a Quranic Muhammadan reality? Or do my actions reflect a nafsani reality?

All of us have to ask that question. Because ad-dunya khada'ah. The dunya is deceiving. And this world deceives us. And we move and we function and we marry and we buy and we sell and we take and we do. Not realizing that it's not in accordance with what Allah wants. With the decree of all decrees. He does not want us to be that way. He does not want us to take that. He does not want us to be in that relationship. He does not want us to drink that. He does not want us to go there. He does not want us to speak that way. But we do it. Not in accordance with Allah and his messenger. But rather in accordance with what I want.

And so the fast comes to force us and compel us to stop. And ask this question: What do my actions actually mean? Everything that I'm doing in my life. What's inspiring it? Does the Quran authenticate it or not? Because these are the questions of existence.

Real vs. Unreal Actions

Brothers and sisters, you know people sometimes when they come into the Muslim space. This is the kalam of the mashayekh. This is what they call darwasha. Darwashat al mashayekh. This is just nonsense speech. We want people who live in the real life. The real world. We want to do real things. What is real? What are real things to be done? When Allah has already decreed what he wants. What he expects. But we put that all aside because we're so deceived by a career or by an interest or a desire. We don't see. We don't pause to think: well, what does Allah want? What would Allah like? Not what I like. Not what I think. Not what I posit. But what does Allah want?

Do we ask that question sufficiently in our homes? In our masajid? In our ummah? You know we'll talk so much about what's happening geopolitically, economically, philosophically and otherwise. But do we stop and say: What does Allah want? Do we do that?

When I'm sitting by myself at home on my couch and just programmed into just watching and consuming, obsessed with my phone. Do I pause and think to myself: What does Allah want from me right now? How does Allah want me to be? Am I positioned in a manner that Allah looks at me? And he says I like you. Is that our reality?

Does Allah look at us? And does he look at us and he say I like you as my servant. I'm pleased with you. Does Allah look at us and is he happy with me? And what I am and what I do and how I act and what I think. What is it? How does Allah look at me? How does Allah look at us? That's what taqwa is all about. It's for us to stop and think: How does Allah think about us today? And how will he think about me tomorrow? And what does he think about what I've done yesterday? And how will he deal with me when I'm standing in front of him on the day of judgment so vulnerable, so weak, so alone?

When I have no friends or family. Everyone has fled from me. I have no one who I was able to garner their support or otherwise. None of that. I'm by myself in front of Allah. What is Allah going to say to me in that moment? How is he going to deal with me? Is he going to embrace me with love and warmth? Because I tried, we tried in this dunya to do something for the sake of Allah. To attain his pleasure and his joy. Do our actions reflect that? That's what Ramadan is all about. That's what fasting is all about.

Being Content with Little

وَالرّضا بِالْقَلِيلِ . Is to be content with the little that Allah gives us. Allah decrees for us very little in this dunya. Very minimal amounts of things. We're not going to get that much out of this dunya. Wallahi, this dunya does not have anything for us. This dunya has very little to offer us. We can't be consumed by it. We can't be absorbed by this dunya. This dunya is deceptive. This dunya can drown us. So Imam Ali says, الرضا بالقليل. Be content with what you have. Say Alhamdulillah. Say Alhamdulillah. Say Alhamdulillah from your heart.

Ya Allah, I'm sorry. Ya Allah I've been an idiot, excuse me. Please forgive me. Ya Allah I haven't been thinking straight. I've been so busy with work and with my kids and money and my bank account and this and that and my family member, my cousin, my uncle and this person who...

Ya Allah, أَنَا رَاضٍ بِكَ رَبًّا وَرَاضٍ بِقَضَائِكَ . Ya Allah I'm content with your decree.

(Reference: Hadith - At-Tirmidhi)

We are pleased with Allah as our Lord, with Islam as our religion, and with Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as our Prophet and Messenger.

Preparing for Departure

وَالْاِسْتِعْدَادُ لِيَوْمِ الرَّحِيلِ . And prepare ourselves for the day of departure. والله والله والله. All of us will die. Whether it's today, tomorrow, ten years from now. We will die. Don't ever forget that. And don't be deceived by anything else. There's a lot of noise. A lot of static noise that happens in the day to day affair of all of us. School, work, our home. A lot of static. Don't let that static noise distract you from the haqiqah. The reality of death. And that death is imminent. It is coming. And it will be upon every single one of us.

الْمَوْتُ لَا يُخْطِئُ أَحَدًا . Death does not miss anyone.

Ask yourself a simple question: When Allah chooses to take my soul. And that can be right this second. What does my soul look like? What does my (قُلْب - qalb) look like? What does my (ختام - khitam) actually look like? When Allah takes my soul what will be the last action I did? Was I watching something filthy on TV? Was I cursing? Was I backbiting? Was I lying? Was I cheating? Was I stealing? Was I hurting? Was I aggressing? Was I ignoring? Was I abusive to my wife, my children, my family? What is the last act that Allah will see me in? Because as we die, that is how we will be resurrected. May Allah protect us.

نَسْأَلُ اللهَ النُّطْفَ: We ask Allah. يَا رَبِّ أُلْطُفْ بِنَا ، أُلْطُفَ بِنَا يَا رَبِّ. Be gentle and kind with us يا الله. Because we are so weak. And we are so... we don't think يًا الله. We don't think. We just do. We do with our نَفْس With our egos. We just act يا الله. We don't think يَا رَبِّ فَالْطُفْ بِنَا . Be gentle with us. وَارْزُقْنَا حُسْنَ الْخِتَامِ . Ya Allah make our ending beautiful from this world. Give us a beautiful ending to this world. And help us to fulfill all of the أمانات that we have. All of the responsibilities and all the trust that we've been endowed with. May Allah help us to fulfill them.

We've taken our spouses بِعَهْدِ اللهِ. We've taken our wives بِعَهْدِ اللهِ . Sisters you've taken your husbands بِعَهْدِ اللهِ . We have أمانات. We have trusts in our hands. Some of us have small. Some of us have large trusts. But we all have أَمَانَات that we have to deal with. فَنَسْأَلُ اللهَ الْعَافِيَةَ . We ask Allah to help us fulfill our responsibilities with wisdom and beauty with the guidance of the Quran and the sunnah of صلى الله عليه وسلم Muhammad.

Walking Carefully on Earth

When Sayyidina Umar was asked about Taqwa. What is Taqwa? So he said: do you know of a thorny path? طَرِيقًا ذَا شَوْكٍ . He said do you ever see a path that has thorny bushes? So he said yes. What do you do? He says شمَّرْتُ وَاجْتَهَدْتُ. You know if you see a path that has a bunch of thorny bushes. What are you going to do? You're going to immediately gather your clothing together شمَّرْتُ وَاجْتَهَدْتُ. And you walk very gently so that none of those thorns prick you or harm you. Sayyidina Umar رضي الله عنه says وَذَلِكَ التَّقْوَى. That is Taqwa. That you walk very gently on this earth. Very gently on this earth.

That Taqwa is to walk gently. Taqwa is to walk deliberately. Taqwa is to walk carefully. To be very careful how you walk in the dunya. Because Allah is watching every step. Every qawl, every word, every action. Allah sees it. So we have to worship Allah with the knowledge that we... He sees us. But what is even of a higher station that we worship Allah as if we see Him. Because it will be the case that in this dunya all sorts of realities will come about that will hurt us, will bother us. Will make us fearful, worrisome. May have a situation at home that is very bad and ugly. Never should a person be complacent or apathetic or be in a state of despair.

No, Allah. If you are in a difficult circumstance. If you are in an abusive relationship at home. Should certainly work to the best of your capacity with hikmah, with ihsan.

Be muhsin, be beautiful, be excellent in your actions. Certainly don't be complacent, don't be apathetic. Don't be in a state of despair. But ultimately, ultimately.

وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا . So often we hear things from people we love. Maybe it just hits us right in our gut. You know what? You know what the result of that will be? Because صَبَرْتُمْ بِمَا عَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامُ . That's what the angels will welcome us with.

You know. Musa عليه السلامhe was speaking to Bani Israel. He told them this. Bani Israel went through all sorts of hardships and difficulties. Today we look out into the world and we say يَا وَيْلًا . What is happening in the world? Look at Yemen, look at Libya. Look at Egypt, look at China. Look at this country, look at Africa. Look at Asia, look at Europe. Look at America, look at the world. يًا الله. Is it hard to look at? Yes, when you see tyranny and oppression. When you see wrongdoing, when you see fake news and you see the falsity of realities. It's so painful to see, Wallahi it is.

And as I've said time and time again. We have to be people who are proactive. Who are prophetic. Who are مُحْسِنِين . Who are beautiful and excellent and wise. And only seek رضا الله. We never operate or do anything from our nafs. Yes we are standing and operational. But we take ultimately at the depth of our spiritual essence the guidance of Musa عليه السلام that he taught Bani Israel:

Get your support, get your strength مَعَ اللهِ and be patient. Listen to what Allah is telling people, be patient and seek aid مع الله

Let go of control. Don't be apathetic, don't be complacent, don't despair. No work truedo بِالْإِحْسَا be wise. But let go of control because we don't have control. إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ. And the end will be for whom لِلْمُتَّقِينَ . Those who are mindful and conscious of Allah.

So remember this, brothers and sisters. That as long as every moment of your life your ultimate concern is the taqwa of Allah. Being mindful and conscious of Allah. Seeking to please Him. Seeking to orient yourself around Him. As long as that is your concern every moment. As long as you are doing everything that is pleasing to Him. Because He says:

Do good. As long as that is our reality. Then be liberated and comfortable with one essential truth:

الْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ The الآخرة The afterlife. The abode of happiness. The abode of genuine eternal joy is for لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ?whom

Rejecting Arrogance

عُلُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا. It's not about that I'm above my wife. I'm above my children. They know that I'm the boss at home. No, that's not what I'm interested in. I'm interested in:

That I wanna be a garment for my spouse and she is a garment for me. Because that is what is beautiful in the sight of Allah بِالْعَمَلِ الْمُحْسِنَةِ . I never wanna be a متعالي. May Allah protect us from ourselves. From ever being in a state of اسْتِعْلاء. No, I wanna be always humble مع الله. Always humble. Knowing certainly never do I wanna see any فستاد. I never see. We never wanna see harm or evil. Never. As long as that is the depth of your intention and your desire.

وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ . Be in the way of Allah. أَخَيْرٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ . That is what Ramadan is about.

Brothers and sisters. The Siyam is about this. It is about knowing and remembering Allah every moment of our lives. It is about ensuring that every step is done correctly. Ramadan is gonna come and go. This fast will come and go. But what did Ramadan actually do for me? Is the big question that I wanna leave you with. What will our fast mean for us? Will our fast of the month of Ramadan bring us into a space and a place where we are truly mindful of Him? Worrisome about what we are doing for Him? With Him? Or perhaps may Allah protect us against Him? Unknowingly. That is the big question.

And don't ever think that Allah تَعَالَى وَحَاشَاهٌ does not have something in store for you. No. Allah تَعَالَى وَحَاشاه has something in store for those who are متقين. You know there are two ayahs in Surah At-Talaq. In the beginning of Surah At-Talaq. And I wanna share these ayahs because they are so relevant. Especially for those of you who have been through very difficult divorces or ugly divorces or now that you are in a difficult circumstance:

Allah says that those who are mindful and conscious and fearful of Allah then Allah will grant them a مَخْرَج which you would never have conceived of. Only for the . So be mindful of Taqwa. Especially when you're in the depth of your difficulty. Your problem, your anxiety, your worry. Bring Allah to the fore. Because you know with certainty as He says in Surah Al-Talaq Ayah 2:

And then two verses later: And those who are conscious and mindful and fearful of Allah then Allah will bring from your affairs ease.

So you look out in the world and you see it's so dark. Don't see it's so dark. Because مَعَ اللهِ there is only light.

It's only dark from my perspective. But my perspective or my lens may be polluted or foggy. My lens may not be clean. I have to take my glasses off. Cleanse and I'll see that it's nur. Because it's Allah. Whatever Allah has willed or decreed:

(Sahih Muslim)

All of it is khayr. Because it is from Allah.

May Allah make us amongst the muttaqeen. May Allah help us in this blessed month of Ramadan that is just days away. May He help us to be amongst the muttaqeen. May we be conscious of Him in our hearts, in our homes, in our work, at school, in the street, while we're driving, while we're eating, while we're drinking, while we're in the masjid, while we're outside of the masjid. Wherever we may be. May Allah always make us amongst the muttaqeen.

The Blessed Month

This month of Ramadan is the month of Quran. It is the month of forgiveness. It is the month of healing. It is the month of rahma. It is the month of being saved from Jahannam. It is the month of affu when all of our sins can be erased as if they were never done. It is the month of brotherhood and sisterhood and love. It is the month of beauty. It is the month when the shaytan becomes shackled.

But know this: When the shaytan knows that he is about to be shackled and he knows how much good we can have in the month of Ramadan. The shaytan ramps up his efforts. He is going to ramp up his efforts. The shaytan will do everything in his power to harm us. Everything in his power to harm us. He wants our hearts to not be mindful of Allah. The shaytan is working overtime right now.

And so sometimes the shaytan comes and something that... Subhanallah, the shaytan... Shaytan works in remarkable ways. Beware of the shaytan. Don't let the shaytan into your heart. Beware of his whispers. Beware of your nafs. Beware of our nafs. Because there is a lot of work happening right now to make it that Ramadan for the believer doesn't work. No, Ramadan is about Allah and about remembering Allah.

So right now say to yourself:

I seek refuge in Allah from the cursed shaytan. And I seek refuge in Allah from my nafs. Because I want from myself and yourself that you and I were able to place a wiqaya. As Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali says that taqwa is that you place a wiqaya. A protective force between you and the wrath of Allah. That's what taqwa is according to Ibn Rajab.

And so what that means is as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(At-Tirmidhi)

Ya Allah, I seek refuge in you from you. That yes, it is the wrath of Allah that I fear. But it is only the love and the mercy of Allah that will protect me from his wrath. May Allah make us amongst the Muttaqeen.

The Heart of Taqwa

And lastly, as I close insha'Allah. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) he tells us where taqwa lies. The famous hadith (ثَلَاثًا) when he (أشار إلى صَدْرِهِ عندما). And he said:

(Reference: Hadith - Sahih Muslim)

But you know there's something about this hadith is that taqwa, the essence and the reality of taqwa is a reality that exists within. But this statement of the Prophet is in and of itself in the heart of a hadith. And that hadith goes like this:

(Reference: Hadith - Sahih Muslim)

Don't envy one another. Don't hate one another. Don't fight one another. Don't turn away from one another. And don't take other's rights. كُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا. Be servants of Allah. Be collectively servants of Allah as brothers and sisters. Hold on collectively to the rope of Allah.

All of us, we say what? (لا إلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ كُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا) Be servants of Allah in the state of أُخْوَّة. In the state of brotherhood and sisterhood.

(Reference: Hadith - Sahih Muslim)

The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim. The Muslim does not belittle the Muslim. The Muslim does not betray the Muslim. The Muslim does not harm the Muslim.

(Reference: Hadith - Sahih Muslim)

The blood, the money, and the dignity and the honor of the Muslim is haram to the Muslim. Meaning sacred and prohibited. You and I, we owe it to each other to dignify and honor one another. We never ever are to be in a state where we harm one another. Hurt one another. Attack one another. Impure one another.

And so it is not a mistake by the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that when he is identifying where taqwa lies. And that taqwa lies in the heart. It is couched and surrounded all by what? How we deal with each other.

And that's why inshallah this Ramadan. All of this Ramadan. The theme and the spirit that will govern the khawater of this month of Ramadan and the khutab of the month of Ramadan and the actions and the behaviors of the month of Ramadan will be prophetic relationships. We will struggle and strive and work together to function under the rubric of (الدِّينُ الْمُعَامَلَةُ). That this religion is how we treat one another and deal with each other. How we treat our mothers and our fathers and our children and our parents. Our relatives, our friends, our foes. How we treat people that we love and people that we hate. All of it we will think and we will delve deep into this reality of trying to understand how Allah expects that we deal with each other.

Because taqwa and the realization of taqwa. God consciousness and realizing the purpose of Ramadan and the purpose of the fast is also a function of realizing that we have to learn to deal with one another (بِالْحُسْنَى). With excellence and beauty. In a manner that pleases Allah.

May Allah make us amongst the muhsineen. May Allah make us amongst the muttaqeen. May Allah make us amongst (الْقَائِمِينَ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الْقَائِمِينَ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الرَّاكِعِينَ الصَّلَاةُ)

Closing

"Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded. And remember Allah will remember you, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do."