Ramadan The Month of the Quran
By Yasir Qadhi | 2026-01-07T20:38:14.1471+00:00 | Topic: Ramadan
Ramadan: The Month of the Quran
Dr. Yasir Qadhi
Introduction
The topic at hand really I think is a good reminder for all of us and that is what's going to be happening very soon. That is the holy month of Ramadan and I think it is a topic that even though all of us have heard over and over again, it's something that requires a refreshment. It's something that we help when we listen to the ayat and a hadith that will motivate us about this blessed and holy month because in the end of the day it is indeed the month that Allah has chosen to rejuvenate our Iman.
The Quranic Foundation of Fasting
Allah says in the Quran in Surah Al-Baqarah in the very first Surah in the very first Juz of the very first Surah and by the way Surah Al-Baqarah is an amazing Surah. Surah Al-Baqarah the first Juz of Surah Al- Baqarah is really like an introduction to the whole Quran. It tells us about the basics of Iman. It tells us about the beginning of the creation the Genesis story. It tells us about the prayer. It tells us about charity. It tells us about fasting. It tells us about Hajj all of the Arkan of Iman and the Arkan of Islam are discussed in the first Juz of the first Surah of the Quran. It's really an amazing introduction to the whole Quran.
The Verse of Fasting
What Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah are the verses pertaining to Siyam and these verses are the most explicit verses in the whole Quran pertaining to Siyam. Allah says:
O you who believe, fasting has been ordained for you. Notice Allah is speaking in the third person. It has been ordained meaning it's a done deal. Before even this legislation had come, I had already decreed that fasting would have been ordained for you. It's a done deal. It had been ordained.
The Universal Nature of Fasting
It's something that had been predetermined that as Muslims because Allah links fasting to (يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ - ya ayyuha alladhina amanu) - O you who believe fasting. So iman and fasting go hand in hand and that is why if you don't fast and you have the capacity to do so, this is in fact actually hurting your iman. It is going to the very core of your iman. So O you who believe fasting has already been ordained for you.
Then Allah tells us you're not the only group that has ever fasted. You're not the only group. You're not the first group all other civilizations before you I had ordained fasting for them. Kama kutiba ala alladhina min qablikum - So Allah is saying this has always been a part of my decree that all those who believe in me shall be of those who are fasting.
The Wisdom Behind Fasting
Attaining Taqwa
Allah tells us the wisdom: Why has he ordained fasting for us (لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ - la'allakum tattaqun) - so that you can attain taqwa and the best way to translate taqwa is the consciousness of Allah - God consciousness and it is so true that nothing brings about consciousness of Allah like fasting does no other act of worship.
Now let us ask ourselves those who pray regularly inshallah all of us are those who pray regularly five times a day ask yourselves. And I asked myself the prayer: Has it truly served its purpose for us or unfortunately, has it become monotonous routines? The fact of the matter is that most of the time our salah has become simply a habit we look at the watch say oh, it's time for Dhuhr. Let me quickly go pray Dhuhr as we move up and down. Our brain is attached with our finances. Our soul is attached with what's gonna happen today and tomorrow. For the salah astaghfirullah has become a ritual, of course, it shouldn't be. I'm saying this is the reality.
Zakat, I mean you write a check and you're done you give some money and qalas the fundraisers taking place you give your money done. Hajj, well, we don't go every year and if we go once every 10 20 years or something. Yes, that's indeed a very moving experience, but it's not something regular.
The Transformation in Ramadan
So what then will bring about that consciousness of Allah? Look at ourselves in Ramadan an amazing transformation takes place in Ramadan. Even the ones amongst us who are not practicing Islam. Even the ones who don't even really come to the masjid pray regularly in Ramadan. All of a sudden we rediscover our faith. In Ramadan, we began monitoring our speech our action our gaze all of a sudden things that we did regularly routinely in Ramadan or we get stuff will I'm fasting? Saying something. Oh, I can't say that fasting even the environment. I shouldn't be here. I'm fasting in other words the consciousness of Allah is demonstrated in Ramadan.
And what did Allah say? I legislated fasting for you so that you're gonna attain consciousness and all of us notice this reality in our lives in Ramadan without exception when Ramadan comes along. We are forced to attain that consciousness of Allah (لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ - laallakum tattaqun) so Allah tells us the wisdom and we experience the wisdom ourselves and the purpose of Ramadan is to fortify that taqwa to solidify to strengthen that taqwa.
Then Allah says (أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَدات - ayyaman ma'dudat) - limited number of days. (Quran 2:184)
Meaning guys Ramadan is not forever. It's limited (أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ - ayyaman ma'dudat) Allah is stressing. It's just a few days. Take advantage of it, you know when one of our department stores has a sale it says limited time only ten days only. Why do they have that ten days only because if you don't act you're gonna miss out. They want to tell you you better get your act. You want to purchase this ten day sale? Well to Allah belongs the perfect example. Ramadan is infinitely more important than these sales that we have and Allah is telling us don't take Ramadan for granted (أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتِ - ayyaman ma'dudat) - Limited number of days and every one of us as well. We can testify when Ramadan comes before we know it. Oh the first week's over. Oh, the first third is over. My god. Sorry, the 15th the last 10 is starting then Allah it's over. It's a countdown 29 28 27 (أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ - ayyaman ma'dudat). So Allah is saying take advantage of Ramadan day by day night by night. It's something that is only there for the short period of time.
Ramadan: The Month of the Quran
Then Allah mentions in the next verse the most powerful verse that links Ramadan to the Quran:
Shahru Ramadana alladhi unzila fihi al-Qur'an
Now this is an amazing verse because in this verse firstly by the way, the month of Ramadan is the only month that Allah mentions by name in the whole Quran. There's no other month that Allah mentions by name شهر رمضان Shahru Ramadan - the month of Ramadan. So Allah mentions it by name and merely mentioning it by name, it blesses Ramadan above all the other months. No other month has Allah mentioned by name in the Quran and Allah called it the month of Ramadan شهر رمضان Shahru Ramadan.
The Primary Association with the Quran
Then secondly, what's really interesting here? Allah didn't say the month of Ramadan is the month of your fasting. No Allah linked Ramadan to something else (ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ - alladhi unzila fihi al-Qur'an) The month of Ramadan is the month of the Quran. The Quran tells us that Ramadan has more of a linkage with the Quran than it does with the Siam. Unfortunately, we are the ones that have reversed this for us. Ramadan comes more about the fasting than the Quran but in the Quran Allah emphasizes that Ramadan has to do with the Quran and then in the next paragraph Allah says so whoever is there amongst you fast as well. Fasting comes after Quran for the month of Ramadan.
But for most amongst us we don't pay attention to this and we link and associate Ramadan with Siam more than we associate Ramadan with the Quran but Allah says (شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ - Shahru Ramadana alladhi unzila fihi al-Qur'an). This is the month Allah chose to reveal the Quran.
The Two Revelations in Ramadan
There are two revelations that took place in Ramadan. Ibn Abbas tells us that in the month of Ramadan Allah revealed the Quran from the lawhil mahfuz. The lawhil mahfuz is the original preserved tablet in the heavens with Allah. Allah revealed the Quran so the actual if you want to call it the original Quran if you like the Quran that is written in the lawhil mahfuz. The original Quran for lack of a better term that is written in the lawhil mahfuz Allah sent that copy of the Quran down to the lower heavens in the month of Ramadan the whole Quran physically came down to the lower heavens and Ibn Abbas says Allah housed it in an abode in a chamber called baytul Izzah the house of Izzah. It is the house of honor the house of glory. This happened in Ramadan. So the physical Mus'haf that Allah wrote in the lawhil mahfuz came down in the month of Ramadan to this lower heaven.
Then in the month of Ramadan according to most scholars on the day after Laylatul Qadr whenever it was Laylatul Qadr the next day the next morning Jibreel came to the Prophet ﷺ and said to him Iqra. So the story of Iqra actually takes place in the month of Ramadan on the odd day following the odd night of the last ten nights which night we don't know because Laylatul Qadr is shrouded in mystery either the 21st or the 23rd or the 26th or 27th, excuse me the 29th one of those days Jibreel came the day after the night of Laylatul Qadr right you get it the day after the night of Laylatul Qadr and Jibreel began the actual revelation of Iqra of the Quran so both the Mus'haf and the tilawa began in Ramadan and Allah mentions that Ramadan is the month of the Quran.
It is the Quran that came to guide you so just like the Quran is your spiritual guide so too in terms of time Ramadan is the time guide. The book that will guide you is the Quran the one time frame that you will be the most guided in is Ramadan. Ramadan is the month of the Quran.
The Prophetic Sunnah of Quran Recitation
Therefore the Prophet ﷺ himself established the sunnah of reading the Quran and listening to the Quran in the month of Ramadan. We learned from the hadith in Sahih Bukhari that our Prophet ﷺ said to our mother Aisha:
He said: "Oh Aisha, Jibreel would come to me every year to recite the Quran and to have me recited and this year he asked that I do it twice and I have no explanation other than this is my last Ramadan." (Bukhari 4997)
So he has a premonition that he's about to pass away and that premonition proved to be true that premonition proved to be true but the point of the hadith that I'm quoting it is we learn that the sunnah of reading the Quran in Ramadan and of listening to the Quran in Ramadan so there's two different sunnahs you read and you recite or listen to you recite and you listen and Allah sent the most noble angel to the most noble human being so the both of them can read and recite to one another in the month of Ramadan every day and every night Jibreel would come and recite and listen back and forth.
The Development of Taraweeh
From this later scholars have extrapolated the concept of reciting the Quran completely in Taraweeh. Now of course our Prophet ﷺ did not do this because he did not pray 30 nights of Taraweeh. Our Prophet ﷺ only prayed three nights of Taraweeh and then he said I don't want to establish this because it might you might think it's obligatory and I don't want to make Taraweeh obligatory on you. So he only prayed three nights of Taraweeh, but when Umar ibn Khattab reinstituted the sunnah of Taraweeh the later Sahaba began to simply divide the Quran into 30 parts and every day would recite 1/30th because it made sense and the ummah has accepted this custom and concept and its original basis goes back to the hadith of Bukhari that Jibreel and the Prophet ﷺ would recite the Quran back and forth to one another.
The Command to Fast
Then the next paragraph Allah says:
Faman shahida minkumu ash-shahra falyasumhu
So whoever amongst you witnesses the month, let him fast the month. This is a command you must fast the month and then Allah says except if you're sick or traveling and then there are exceptions. There are exceptions if you're sick, you're elderly, you know, the women in their cycles whatnot there are exceptions. They of course a different story, but if you are healthy and you are not traveling fasting is obligatory and Alhamdulillah it is one of the signs of Iman and also one of the signs of the blessedness of Ramadan that the entire Ummah by and large observes fasting.
Statistics on Fasting Observance
The fact of the matter is that perhaps up to 90% of the ummah that is capable of fasting actually fasts and that is truly a remarkable number. By the way, these statistics are not just out of my head. Few surveys have been done professional Gallup polls and whatnot have been done and unfortunately, the number of people who pray worldwide is not that much. It's probably in the 30 or 40 percent who pray regularly, right? So one out of every three Muslims maybe prays regularly, which is still I think a big number compared to the other religions but when it comes to fasting MashaAllah Tabarak Allah the surveys have shown like in the high 80s low 90s across the globe the ummah by and large is observing fasting and this is of the Baraka of Ramadan that the globe over Alhamdulillah, they by and large they observe this phenomenon.
Allah's Promise of Ease
And then Allah says:
Yuridu Allahu bikumu al-yusra wa la yuridu bikumu al-usra Allah wants to make things easy for you and he does not want to make things difficult for you. Now this phrase very interesting that Allah places this phrase in the context of fasting. Very interesting that this phrase occurs in the context of fasting why so and how so well because all of us right now Ramadan is barely 10 11 12 days away. We're all wondering how am I going to fast from dawn for you guys here in Leicester? How long is the fast this month? So our brother automatically says it feels like 21 hours but in fact, it's 18 depends on which school of thought you follow, huh? That's one of your problems here up north subhanallah. So even if it's 20 hours, right? I mean I myself am wondering how do you guys do 20 hours and you at this point in time are wondering how am I gonna do 20 hours?
The Miracle of Ramadan
But you know as well as I do that come the first day and you sit down for your iftar. You're like my god. Wow wasn't that bad? We did it and the next and the third and the fourth until finally it becomes so easier like why don't I fast every single day of my life and we also know that right now this week for example if one of us were to miss our lunch or we weren't to drink water in the hot weather or were to I'm addicted to coffee. Let's say right I need my caffeine dosage in the afternoon if I don't get my caffeine dosage then I get headaches the caffeine headaches that you get right if I don't have lunch in Houston I live in America into Memphis you think this is hot. This is nice cool breeze right now MashaAllah.
For us in Houston where I'm raised and born in Memphis where I live I mean we get with the actual heat is very hot over there and if you don't drink it's very possible you get dehydrated regular days but in Ramadan Subhanallah, it's as if quite literally a miracle happens because it is a miracle it really is a miracle because try it one day today skip your lunch. You're not going to be able to concentrate normally by the time three four hours comes you can I wonder like how do I function? It's not gonna happen, but in Ramadan you skip your lunch your regular breakfast. No water. No tea. No coffee and the day goes by yeah it's not easy, but it's not difficult as I'm trying to say you struggle a little bit but it's not the struggle that you would do outside of Ramadan if you skipped a lunch. Do you see what I'm saying here right and this is what Allah is saying (يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ - Yuridu Allahu bikumu al-yusra wa la yuridu bikumu al-usra) - Allah wants to make things easy for you. He does not want to make things difficult for you meaning.
I know Ramadan is scary for you guys, but don't worry I will make it easy for you. Allah is promising you that Ramadan is not going to be difficult and you know without even knowing this verse or many maybe some of you haven't concentrated on it, but you know it to be true. You understand what I'm saying here every one of you and myself who have fasted Ramadan in the past? We all know this verse to be true. Even if we never paid attention to it. Ramadan before it happens. We're all worried and scared but in the
middle of it. It's a piece of cake. It's not difficult at all. Why because Allah has guaranteed us. He's not gonna make it difficult (يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ - Yuridu Allahu bikumu al-yusra wa la yuridu bikumu al-usra).
The Barakah of Suhoor
So the point is when we put in the effort put in the Nia to fast Ramadan Allah will bless us to make the difficult easy. This is a guarantee from Allah in the Quran and I testify and I know all of you testify to this reality when we have the himma the courage the Iman the Ikhlas when we have the himma we're gonna do it and we wake up for Suhoor and we put in our Nia that Allah will help us. Guess what Allah helps us and the day goes by like a breeze. Yes, some difficulty nobody's saying that's the whole point just enough though just enough that you can bear and nothing as if today or yesterday or tomorrow you skipped lunch and dinner you skipped, you know breakfast you skip nothing like that you see my point here, right and Subhanallah it is as if we are miraculously being fed. Our sustenance is coming and we don't even understand.
It is as if indeed as our Prophet ﷺ said: "Eat suhoor for there is barakah in it." (Bukhari 1923, Muslim 1095)
You eat a small amount, but it will become nourishing for the rest of the day.
Completing the Count and Gratitude
Then Allah says:
Wa li-tukmilu al-'iddata wa li-tukabbiru Allaha 'ala ma hadakum wa la'allakum tashkurun
That you may complete the prescribed number, and that you may magnify Allah for that He has guided you, and that you may give thanks.
So in the beginning Allah says (أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ - ayyaman ma'dudat) - limited number of days. In the end Allah says so that you may finish the prescribed quantity the beginning and the end both emphasize one thing and that is what it's a limited number of time limited number of days. You have to take advantage of this time. Then (وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ - wali-tukabbiru Allaha 'ala ma hadakum) - so that you may praise Allah because he has guided you (وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ - wa la'allakum tashkurun) - and so that you may thank Allah.
So the month of Ramadan is the month of the Quran. The month of Ramadan is the month of Siyam. The month of Ramadan is the month of dhikr. So you make dhikr of Allah, so you should say tasbeeh, tahmeed, takbeer, tahleel subhanallah, alhamdulillah, la ilaha illallah, you keep on making dhikr and you may thank Allah.
The Month of Du'a
And then one more verse after it:
Wa idha sa'alaka 'ibadi 'anni fa-inni qarib ujeebu da'wata ad-da'i idha da'an
That verse is about making du'a to Allah. So Ramadan is linked with du'a as well. So we have the Quran. We have Siyam. We have dhikr. We have taqwa. We have thanking (وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ - wala'allakum tashkurun) and then the very last verse: When your servant when my servants ask you about me tell them I am close to them I respond to the du'a of the one who makes du'a when he makes du'a (أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ - ujeebu da'wata ad-da'i idha da'an). So when he makes du'a I will respond to that du'a. So let him make du'a to me so Ramadan is also the month of du'a.
The Special Time for Du'a
And especially right before breaking the fast our Prophet ﷺ said: "There is one time that the du'a is never rejected and that is at the time of breaking the fast." (Tirmidhi 3513, Ibn Majah 1753)
So when we sit down and make this a habit in your iftar gatherings when you go to your da'wats every day there's da'wats in Ramadan mashaAllah subhanAllah when you go there make sure you tell them this hadith that our Prophet ﷺ said that the du'a at the time of iftar is never rejected. So before the iftar those five minutes ten minutes right before the iftar it should be the time that all conversation kind of shuts down that people make their dhikr and their du'a because that is the most difficult time when the smell of the samosas waft in right when you see all of those delicacies right there sitting in front of you on the table waiting to jump into your mouth if you can concentrate on your du'a at that time if you can cut off that and concentrate on raising your hands to Allah that du'a is never rejected.
The Complete Month of Worship
So look at how many things this verse tells us about the blessings of Ramadan:
• Ramadan is the month of the Quran
• Ramadan is a month of the masjid as well. By the way, the masajid are jam-packed in Ramadan
• Ramadan is the month of Islamic brotherhood. Look at all of the brothers and sisters that come together in the masjid you meet them every single day. You kind of miss it after it's over like, you know, you miss the brotherhood
• Ramadan is the month of charity. How much charity were given in Ramadan
• Ramadan is the month of generosity? How many people we invite to how much people we feed
• Ramadan is the month of all of these things together?
• Ramadan is the month of salah of tilawa of Quran of so subhanAllah.
It is quite literally as if Ramadan is the month of rejuvenating our Iman and that's really the goal taqwa that Ramadan comes. We feel that passionate boost we you know, all of us we need that energy to be you know the battery dies right? You need the recharger all of us. This is our recharger. It's like we plug in the iPhones. We plug in our even our car batteries die something our Iman as well kind of goes down. What's the thing we need to plug in? It's Ramadan. Ramadan is the recharger and alhamdulillah. We thank Allah for Ramadan we thank Allah for having blessed us with this great month. We pray that Allah gives us life to live to the month of Ramadan. He gives us Iman to perfect our Iman in this month and he then accepts the good deeds of this month. Jazakumullahu khairan.
Questions and Answers Session
On Reading the Quran in Arabic vs Translation
Reciting Quran has to be in Arabic. There is no recitation of the Quran in non-Arabic. You read the translation for yourself and non-Arabic, but that's not the Quran. So when you say pray, what do you mean you made dua or you mean Quran? That's not reading the Quran. No reading the Quran is only in Arabic when you say you read the Quran in English. You should say I'm reading a translation I'm reading a meaning the Quran by definition is only in Arabic. So when you read in English, you are simply reading for the sake of knowledge and good. That's good, but there's no inherent Baraka in you don't do tilawa of the English. The English is human. It is the original Arabic that is divine.
So my suggestion to you would be unless you have mashallah like six seven eight hours a day or maybe even four or five hours a day. We're okay at least 30 40 minutes. You can do the English translation. Otherwise in Ramadan put aside the translation just emphasize the Arabic outside of Ramadan. Yes, read the translation as well get the meaning but Ramadan is the month of the Quran and the Quran is the Arabic Quran.
On Making Du'a for Specific Things
You are allowed to ask for specific things. Let me categorize there's two general types of the religious du'a and the worldly du'a. The religious du'a you want Hidayah? Maghfira forgiveness Jenna protection from Jahannam. Okay, those du'as you ask without any qualifications. You say oh Allah. I want Jenna understood. There's no qualifications. Oh Allah protect me from Jahannam. Okay, you ask unconditionally because you want it.
Worldly du'as it is not wise to ask for specifics nor is it proper etiquette, but it is Halal. There is a difference between the two. It's not haram. You want the Mercedes 500 whatever it is, okay or you are wanting a particular sister to marry. MashaAllah, right? Oh Allah sister Fatima, please let her father say yes to me for example, okay. Is it Halal? Yes, it is Halal but is it wise? No. Why is it not wise? Because you do
not know whether that car or that job or that sister is for actually your best interest or not. You do not know. So you should put a condition. So for example, you've applied to ten job and you want that particular job and will I it's natural nothing wrong with wanting one job out of those ten. It's human nature. You want a particular spouse, you know you're interested in a particular person's human nature nothing wrong with that, but you should add a condition. Oh Allah bless me with that job or that sister if it is in my best Dini and dunya interest religious and worldly interest. Oh Allah bless me with that job. If it is the best job for me otherwise give me the better job. So that you put a condition because you do not know what is best for your dunya.
Recommendations for Ramadan
That I urge you all to do this Ramadan, I don't want to do anything one specific I'll tell you a number of things:
First and foremost every one of you without exception every one of you put it in your mind I will finish an entire recitation of the Quran no excuses. Every one of you can do it. Okay, it's not that difficult. It's 20 pages of Arabic a day. Seriously all of us can do that 20 pages a day. You can do that. Put it in your mind.
Secondly, you make it a point to pray tarawih every single night. You're able to pray tarawih if you're not able to go to the masjid you pray it at home but you pray so every single night you will pray tarawih if you cannot pray in the masjid. You'll pray at home and for the sisters during the time that they cannot pray then they can make up with dhikr. They can make up with dua they can make up with other things. Don't just and this is a problem that many of our sisters have is that during that week? They're like Allah summer vacation. No you're on vacation from salah. Okay, but not from dua not from dhikr. How about seeking knowledge in that week listen to lectures that we do other things, right? Other acts of worship that you can do that will bring a little closer to Allah.
And the third thing is that this Ramadan make sure that you do an act of charity that you've not done before. Do something above and beyond. Sponsor an orphan right find a poor family the best charity my dear brothers and sisters the best charity is to find a family in your community or an orphan or anybody a widow in your community that people are not aware of. You hunt them down properly. You find out where are the people who are too shy to ask for help? But they need help and then you just give the money without even them knowing where the money came from. That is the highest form of charity where you help the righteous religious people in your own community who are too embarrassed to go around doors asking. There's a widow in your vicinity. She got three kids but she's got too much dignity to go knocking on doors, but you hear about her. She's struggling to make ends meet just quietly gift something that's out of her house bring the groceries in the morning. She wakes up. She finds groceries. That's real charity and you don't need to be rich to do that. We can all afford some canned goods some groceries. We can all afford some types of if they have children give some food some toys some toys get some toys for you know make her happy and you don't she doesn't need to know or whoever he
sometimes people are poor it doesn't matter give them help and they don't even know where it came from. You can do that much without anybody knowing.
On Dealing with Riya (Showing Off)
Struggling with riya is a common problem and it afflicts every single human being and to be aware that you are struggling with riya is healthy because the problem comes when you don't even care about it to be aware that oh my god, I have a problem I'm not saying riya is healthy. I'm saying to be aware of riya is healthy. There's a difference between the two and then come to that it's a sign that there is some sincerity the fact that you're struggling with sincerity. Is that clear? Because if you weren't struggling with sincerity then you're very insincere. All of us are struggling with insincerity. It's just at different levels the minute that you're not worried about sincerity. That's when you clearly are insincere so the main advice that I give myself and you when it comes to riya is to keep on asking Allah for Ikhlas and to try to do as many good deeds in secret as you can because riya can only affect public deeds. It cannot affect private deeds. If you stand up in the middle of the night and pray two rakat that nobody knows there is no riya. So you're worried about riya, then make sure you have plenty of private deeds that nobody knows about. That's why our Prophet ﷺ said: "Give charity so that even your left hand doesn't know what your right hand gives." (Bukhari 1423, Muslim 1031)
On Cultural Practices
There are things that have been added culturally to our umma and Shab-e-Barat is one of those things that doesn't seem to have much of a basis to it at the same time my dear brothers and sisters one needs to take into account the overall pros and cons of correcting and what time we use and how we correct in other words what I'm trying to say is choose your battles wisely. And the fact that your family is involved in let's say Shab-e-Barat. I don't approve of it but perhaps you trying to correct them will actually turn them off from far bigger issues. So let me ask you I'm not you don't have to answer. I'm just speaking out loud is your family regularly praying five times a day? If they're not praying five times a day surely the bigger priority is to have them pray five times a day then to worry about Shab-e-Barat.
You don't have to participate, but if your family is not at that level maybe you can put it in your heart inshallah at a later date. I'll correct them. You don't have to correct each and every thing instantaneously, there's a wisdom when it comes to dawah and the best dawah you can give as a young member of the family is through your proper manners and respect and etiquette realize usually the general rule of thumb youngsters are not successful dais to their parents and uncles and aunts this is the general rule of thumb and you will understand this when you have your own kids. When you change somebody's diapers, they're never qualified to tell you how to live life. It's just human nature. Okay, so perhaps you know more than your mother and father, but they'll never realize that you know more. So give dawah to them about manners, akhlaq, through your own manners, through your own respect, through your own
treatment of them and slowly, but surely when you win their respect the time will come when they will come to you and say why don't you do this? Then you will open up a polite dialogue.
It was my pleasure to be in Leicester and I hope inshallah next time we can come for a longer time. Jazakumullahu Khayran. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.