Unforgettable Ramadan Obedience, Reflection & Change
By Yasmin Mogahed | 2026-01-10T03:26:13.812133+00:00 | Topic: Ramadan
Unforgettable Ramadan: Obedience, Reflection & Change
A Lecture by Yasmin Mogahed
Opening
"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."
"Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and upon his family and companions."
"Whosoever Allah guides, there is none who can mislead him, and whosoever He misleads, there is none who can guide him."
"And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner for Him. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger."
"My Lord, expand my chest and make easy for me my affair."
Introduction: Understanding Our Purpose
First, I'd like to welcome you all to this session about preparing yourself for Ramadan. (إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ - In sha Allah), I want to begin by talking a little bit about and putting everything kind of into proper context, (إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ - in sha Allah).
I want to begin by speaking about and kind of bringing it back to the beginning of why is it that we, what is it that we're doing here. It's extremely important to understand our purpose. If we are to be successful, if we are to know and to have direction in our life, we need to know why it is that we were put on this earth, why it is that we were created.
And we cannot really understand or prepare for Ramadan until we understand it in the proper context of our purpose, our greater purpose. And to understand our purpose, we have to go back to the revelation that came from our Creator. If anything is created and you want to know what is the purpose for which it was created, you need to go back to the Creator to find out why that thing was created.
The Creator and His Creation
It has a purpose. Everything has a purpose. A paper clip has a purpose. A paper clip was created for a particular purpose. It was created to hold papers together. If you're using that paper clip to try to start a car, it's not going to work.
It has to be used for its proper purpose. And in order to understand that purpose, you go back to the Creator of that paper clip. In our case, we also have a Creator.
And we need to go back to our Creator to understand why it was that we were created. And Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ - subhanahu wa ta'ala) tells us this in the القُرْآن (Quran) when He says:
"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me."
"I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed."
We have not created الجنّ (jinn) and human beings except to fulfill عبودية (ubudiyyah), except to worship and serve and obey Allah. This is our purpose.
The Blessing of Ramadan
So now that we have our purpose clear, now we can begin to understand what is the purpose of Ramadan and begin to prepare ourselves for this incredible gift that we are being given by our Creator. To begin with, I want you guys to imagine for a moment that you look outside and it is pouring rain.
And, I mean, it is just, you've never seen it rain this hard before.
The Metaphor of Raining Money
But I want you to imagine that it isn't raining H2O. It's not raining water, but it's raining money. It's raining $100 bills or whatever currency you're using in your country.
It is raining hundreds. In each drop, instead of it being money, instead of it being water, it's money. Now imagine what would be the reaction of the community.
What would be your reaction? What would be your family's reaction? You looked outside and it was pouring money from the sky. Naturally, no matter what a person believes, they would run out and try to collect as much of this money as possible. In fact, people would be falling all over themselves trying to collect this money.
Even if it means knocking out other people, you want to get as much of this as possible. I want to tell you that in a few days it will be raining, but it's not going to be raining money. It's going to be raining something much, much, much more valuable than money, and that is the رَحْمَة (rahma), the mercy of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ - subhanahu wa ta'ala).
It's going to be pouring, but it's going to be pouring something much more valuable than money.
The Hadith About Ramadan's Blessings
Within this month, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ - subhanahu wa ta'ala) blesses us, and he says that when the month, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ - subhanahu wa ta'ala) has told us, (النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم - Prophet ﷺ) in his حَدِيث (hadith) has said, that Ramadan has come to you. It is a month of blessing in which Allah covers you with blessing, for he sends down mercy, decreases sins, and answers prayers.
In it, Allah looks at your competition in good deeds, and boasts about you to his angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for the unfortunate one is he who is deprived in this month of the mercy of Allah, the mighty, the exalted. (Based on Musnad Ahmad 8769)
So if you look at this حَدِيث (hadith), notice that it's talking about the deprived one.
Now imagine if you go back to the example of it pouring money, what would you say about the person next door who slept through it? So it was raining for a certain period of time, it was raining hundred dollar bills, and there was someone next door who slept through the whole downpour, and didn't get a single bill from that money, didn't get any of the money. What would you say about that person? That person you would feel extremely sorry for, and you would feel like that person was so deprived. This is like, I mean, not even, this is just a small example of the deprivation that a person would undergo if they did not take advantage of this downpour of the mercy of Allah.
In this month, we are shielded from the hellfire, protected from the شیاطین (shayateen), and cleansed from our sins. Within this month, there is a night that Allah has blessed us with that is greater than a thousand months. There is protection for us from the fire, and at least 70 times the reward for our deeds.
And Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ - subhanahu wa ta'ala) in this month, blesses us with the chance to have all of our sins erased. So now imagine what would be a greater loss than to find ourselves standing in the middle of this massive downfall of blessings and mercy, and not collecting any of it. Bringing us back to the purpose of our creation.
(صلى الله عليه وسلم - Prophet ﷺ) The Mission of the Prophet
We are told in the القرآن (Quran), the mission and purpose of why (النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم - Prophet ﷺ) was sent Allah says:
"It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they were before in clear misguidance."
Here Allah is saying what is translated as, It is He who has sent amongst the unlettered and apostles, some among themselves, to rehearse to them His signs, to purify them, and to instruct them in scripture and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error. The purpose of why (النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم - Prophet ﷺ) was sent to us, with his mission, The purpose of it, Allah mentions a list here in this آية (ayah).
And one of those reasons is in order that he purifies them (النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم - Prophet ﷺ) was sent to purify us - ليُزَكّيهم (liyuzakkihim). But there are two things which hold us back from being purified.
The Two Enemies
There are two enemies, in a sense, that we have. There are two barriers that we have from goodness, from being good, from actualizing the purpose of our creation. And those two things, one is the external enemy, and one is our internal enemy.
1. The External Enemy: Ash-Shaitan
Now we know, and this is something we have been taught since we are young, that we have this enemy outside of ourselves, and that is الشَّيْطَان (Shaitan). الشَّيْطَان (Shaitan) is a manifest enemy to us. Allah has told us this many times in the القرآن (Quran) that الشَّيْطَان (Shaitan) has made a promise.
When he was being exiled, when he was being sent out of the الجنّة (Jannah), he made a promise that he would attack us on the straight path, from our right, from our right, and from our left, from behind us, from in front of us, from every direction. And he would try to take us off this path. So we know that this is الشيطان's (Shaitan's) mission.
الشيطان (Shaitan) also has a mission, and that is his mission. We know that he is an enemy to us.
2. The Internal Enemy: An-Nafs
We have another enemy, though, that is oftentimes ignored. And sometimes the two are confused. And sometimes we think that our only enemy is outside of ourselves. But there is another enemy, and that is النفس (an-nafs).
That is the internal enemy. That is our inner inclination to do bad. This is my own self, which is attached to certain things, which are not pleasing to Allah.
Ramadan: When One Enemy Is Chained
When Ramadan comes around, something amazing happens. (النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم - Prophet ﷺ) said that when the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the الجنّة (Jannah) are opened, and the gates of Hellfire are closed, and the الشياطين (Shayateen), the devils, are chained. (وَهَذَا رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ - wa hadha rawahu al-Bukhari) - And this is narrated by al-Bukhari. (Sahih al-Bukhari 1899)
So we see now that during Ramadan, one of these enemies, one of these barriers are cut out, because Allah, in His mercy, has chained one of them up. So now we're only dealing with what's left. We get into
Ramadan, now what are we dealing with? Only one of the enemies are left, and that is our own النفس (nafs), our own self.
So when Ramadan comes along, we really are encountering our own self. Because a lot of times people ask this question, well, if the الشياطين (Shayateen) are chained in Ramadan, why don't I become an angel? Why am I still committing sins? Why am I still, you know, I'm not the best that I can be. I don't become this perfect worshiper.
And the answer is that النفس (an-nafs) is still there. Our own self, we're still dealing with our own self and our own lower inclinations during Ramadan. Allah has chained the الشياطين (Shayateen).
So you know in Ramadan, whatever it is that you just can't let go of still, of the sins, you know that that is your own self, that that's your own nafs that's attached to that sin, that's addicted to that sin. And this is where we are given an opportunity to really train the النفس (nafs), and to keep and to control the النفس (nafs).
Because Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ - subhanahu wa ta'ala) has removed the other enemy, so now we can put all our focus on dealing with this enemy, and that's the enemy of the النّفس (nafs).
The Concept of True Freedom
And this is something we have to realize. True freedom is not freedom of the nafs. True freedom is freedom from the nafs.
So this is, you know, (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ - subhanahu wa ta'ala), when we talk about freedom, and so much of this discourse about freedom is, it sort of presents as being freedom of the النَّفْس (nafs). I can do whatever I want. But ultimately that's actually slavery.
Because what happens is, I'm not really free. I'm a slave, but I'm a slave to my own النفس (nafs). I'm a slave to my own self.
My self says do and I obey. So I'm obedient to something, but it happens to be my own self. Instead of being obedient to Allah, I'm obedient to my own النَّفْس (nafs).
So I'm still a slave, and that's actually the worst type and most oppressive type of slavery. So I'm not actually free. So freedom of the النّفس (nafs), letting the النَّفْس (nafs) do whatever it wants, is actually slavery.
True freedom is when you become free from your nafs, when your النّفس (nafs) no longer dictates how you act and everything that you do. That is freedom. And it is in Ramadan that we are given the, you know, sort of the conditions are optimized for us to attain that true freedom.
How Ramadan Optimizes Training the Nafs
And I'm going to talk (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in sha Allah), about how we can do that and how it is that the conditions are optimized. One of the reasons is because Allah has taken out the other enemy. Allah chained the other enemy.
Allah chained the (الشَّيَاطِين - shayateen), so it's just you and your (النَّفْس - nafs). It's just you against your (النَّفْس - nafs) by the help of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, and it's really an opportunity to train the (النَّفْس - nafs) during Ramadan.
The other reason why the conditions are optimized and Allah سبحانه وتعالى gives us the tools to attain this true freedom from the (النَّفْس - nafs) is because he tells us not to eat or drink or engage in intimacy during the day.
The Two Parts of Our Being
How is it that that, now the question then is, well, what does that have to do with my (النَّفْس - nafs)? And what does that have to do with training my (النَّفْس - nafs)? And the answer is it has everything to do with the (النَّفْس - nafs) because we are basically composed of two parts.
We have our physical being, we have our physical self, our body, and this includes our bodily and physical needs and our bodily and physical pleasure. So, for example, eating and drinking and intimacy, those are things that are associated with the physical body, with the physical pleasure.
We drink, we eat, that's something that satisfies us physically. Intimacy satisfies us physically. But we have another part of ourselves, and that is the spiritual part of ourselves, our heart, our soul, (الرُّوح - ar- ruh) and (القَلْب - al-qalb).
Those parts of ourselves are the other non-physical parts of ourselves. And it is basically our goal is that we want to strengthen the qalb, we want to strengthen the heart and strengthen the ruh and weaken the nafs. And the (النَّفْس - nafs) is part of that physical, you know, what feeds the (النَّفْس - nafs).
Training the Nafs Like Training a Horse
We have to find out what things feed the (النَّفْس - nafs). You know, there are physical things that feed the (النَّفْس - nafs), and there are also unseen things that feed the (النَّفْس - nafs). This is true.
But when you reduce the intake of the (النَّفْس - nafs), it's kind of like you have a wild horse that you're dealing with, and you want to break that horse. You want to get that horse under control. Our nafs is like a wild horse.
And the way to break a horse, you basically do two things. First, you reduce intake for that horse. You reduce the horse's intake, whether it's, you know, maybe you reduce the food. You reduce the drink. And that's how people break a horse. Part of it is reducing the intake.
And the second part is overburdening the horse. So you're riding the horse. You're trying to overburden the horse in order to break it.
The nafs is the same way. In order to train the (النَّفْس - nafs), in order to break the (النَّفْس - nafs), so that the (النَّفْس - nafs) is no longer out of control, no longer wild, no longer the master that I obey, but rather I need to be in charge of the (النَّفْس - nafs). So in order to do that, first we reduce intake to the (النَّفْس - nafs).
Part of reducing intake to the nafs has to do with food and drink, because food and drink also feeds the (النَّفْس - nafs), can also feed the (النَّفْس - nafs), especially when the focus is on food and drink, and it becomes a physical attachment or addiction in some cases. So you reduce that intake. Part of controlling the (النَّفْس - nafs) is reducing the intake of food and drink, as well as intimacy.
And then the second aspect of overburdening the nafs is in the increased (عِبَادَة - ibadah), in the increased worship and acts of (عِبَادَة - ibadah) and (ذِكْر - dhikr) that you engage in during Ramadan. Those are the two parts of how to control the (النَّفْس - nafs). Decrease intake and increase burden the (النَّفْس - nafs) with that increased (عِبَادَة - ibadah), which we focus on in Ramadan.
We increase our remembrance of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. We increase our recitation and reflection on the Quran (al-Quran). We increase in our prayers.
We increase on our (قِيَام - qiyam). We pray more at night. We pray (تَرَاوِيح - tarawih). These are things which are, again, there's only one enemy we're dealing with in Ramadan, and it's your (النَّفْس - nafs).
These are the things which are weakening the (النَّفْس - nafs), helping to overburden the (النَّفْس - nafs), in addition to cutting out the intake, food, drink, and intimacy.
The Spiritual Focus of Ramadan
Now, it's important to understand that Ramadan is not about celebrating the physical world, the physical things, but rather about celebrating the spiritual, the inner part.
And ironically, and this is one of the things we have to break, one of the habits that we have to break. Ironically, a lot of us take Ramadan, and we actually do the opposite. Ramadan is supposed to be about basically taking focus away from the physical, taking focus away from these addictions to the physical world, such as food and drink and intimacy.
And yet, what happens a lot of times in Ramadan is we actually focus more on food. Ironically, we basically focus so much on what are we doing for (إِفْطَار - iftar), what are we going to eat for (إِفْطَار - iftar), what are we going to cook for (إِفْطَار - iftar), what are we going to present to others for (إِفْطَار - iftar).
And there is this huge focus. And in fact, they find that more money is spent during Ramadan on food than any other time, on food and sweets.
There's special sweets just during Ramadan. There's special effort made, these fancy, huge (إِفْطَار - iftars). And this becomes the focus, ironically, and that's supposed to be the exact opposite, that the focus is supposed to be taken away from food and instead on the spiritual realities, on our heart, on our soul, on building that relationship with Allah سبحانه وتعالى and on weakening that.
So this is important that we realize that we don't flip it and instead put more focus on what we're supposed to be taking focus away from.
The Two Essential Aspects of Ramadan
When you look at, you kind of scan the (آيَات - ayat) and the (أَحَادِيث - ahadith) about Ramadan, you'll find, you know, I think you'll find that Ramadan is essentially about two things. First, Ramadan is about taqwa (تَقْوَى - taqwa).
1. Taqwa ((تَقْوَى - Taqwa))
When Allah سبحانه وتعالى talks about taqwa (تَقْوَى - taqwa), or rather when Allah سبحانه وتعالى talks about Ramadan, in the Quran (القُرْآن - Quran) in Surat al-Baqarah (سُورَة البَقَرَة - Surat al-Baqarah), in verse 183 of Surat al- Baqarah (سُورَة البَقَرَة - Surat al-Baqarah), Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous."
(Note: The corrupted text in the original appears to be a garbled version of this verse)
Now when we live in non-Muslim countries and maybe, you know, we're doing da'wah (دَعْوَة - da'wah), right? And we're asked, why do you fast? Or maybe, you know, even in our own understanding, why are we fasting? Shouldn't we know why we're doing this thing? It becomes a ritual and we don't really understand why we're doing it.
And a lot of times when we explain to others why we're fasting, you know, we explain it in a lot of different ways. One of the most common ways that I've heard the reason explained is so that we can understand what the poor people feel.
And I think that it's important for us to distinguish between the purpose of an action and one of the fringe benefits of an action. Now, Allah سبحانه وتعالى has not said that the purpose of fasting is to feel what the poor people feel, although it is a fringe benefit. It definitely is a fringe benefit that we do understand through this act of (عِبَادَة - ibadah), we do understand what it would be like to go through hunger and what the poor people do feel like and those who do not have food.
However, Allah سبحانه وتعالى tells us very clearly in this ayah that the reason that he has prescribed fasting on us is so that we can attain taqwa (تَقْوَى - taqwa).
So we need to understand what is taqwa (تَقْوَى - taqwa), because this is the purpose that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has commanded us to fast.
What is Taqwa?
The word taqwa (تَقْوَى - taqwa) derives from the Arabic words (وَقّى - waqa) (وَقِي - waqi), to protect or to shield.
So Taqwa (تَقْوَى - taqwa) means to protect oneself. But what are we protecting ourselves from? Taqwa (تَقْوَى - Taqwa) is a noun derived from that meaning and it means to shield or protect oneself. What are we shielding and protecting ourselves from when we have taqwa (تَقْوَى - taqwa)? We are shielding and protecting ourselves from a number of things.
One, the excessive indulgences of the self which end up enslaving us. Two, we are protecting ourselves from shaitan (شَيْطَان - shaitan). And three, we are protecting ourselves from the wrath, displeasure, and distance from Allah سبحانه وتعالى .
So Taqwa (تَقْوَى - taqwa) is shielding ourselves from all of those things Taqwa (تَقْوَى - Taqwa) is a shield. ittiga (اِتِّقَاء - ittiga) is to protect yourself.
Building the Shield Through Fasting
So fasting is actually a shield for you. Fasting is a way for you to build this taqwa (تَقْوَى - taqwa), this shield, to shield yourself from your own self, from shaitan (شَيْطَان - shaitan), and also from the displeasure and wrath and distance from Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Which is the worst punishment is that distance from Allah سبحانه وتعالى . This is the worst punishment, more than any other punishment. And this is something that scholars have said.
When Allah سبحانه وتعالى describes the punishment in the hereafter, Allah describes the hellfire, Allah describes the burning, Allah describes the boiling water, Allah describes many of these things we are told about as the punishment in hellfire.
But the scholars say that actually the worst punishment in the hereafter and in this life is the fact that you are veiled from Allah سبحانه وتعالی. The fact that you are distant, you become so far away from Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
And in fact Allah says that to those people who are the people of hellfire, Allah سبحانه وتعالى says that today you will be forgotten as you forgot our signs.
Allah actually saying that to you, that is the worst punishment. Allah turning away from his ibad (عِبّاد - ibad - slaves), because in this life Allah never does that. Allah's door in this life is always open.
Allah's door of mercy and Allah's door of forgiveness is always open. And no matter how many sins we have committed in the past, there is never a point in this life so long as you are still breathing and you are still alive, and the sun has not risen from the west. As long as the Yawm al-Qiyamah (يَوْم الْقِيَامَة - Yawm al-Qiyamah - Day of Judgment) has not come, and you have not yet, and you are still breathing, you can always turn back to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
There is no such thing as too late in this life as long as you are still alive. It is only Shaitan (شَيْطَان - Shaitan) who wants you to believe that there is such thing as too late. That is actually his number one trick.
His number one trick is to make you hopeless. His number one trick is to make you despair of the mercy of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. But Allah, His door is always open, and Allah does not turn His back on anyone in this life so long as you seek Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
And Allah says that if you take one step towards Him, He takes ten steps towards you. And if you come towards Allah walking, He comes towards you with speed. This is how Allah سبحانه وتعالى deals with us in this life.
But for those people who have failed, those people who have not come back to Allah in this life, for those people who have not sought the mercy of Allah سبحانه وتعالى in this life, and no better opportunity than in the month of Ramadan, it is for those people that Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the hereafter that He will forget about them, that He will put a barrier between them and Him, and those people will not be allowed to see Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
And it is in that that there is the greatest, that is the worst punishment. That is the worst punishment of turning away from Allah سبحانه وتعالى in this life, is that Allah will turn away from you in the next life.
The Practice of Taqwa
So Taqwa (تَقْوَى - Taqwa) Taqwa (تَقْوَى - Taqwa), when someone says Ittaq Allah (اتَّقِ الله - Ittaq Allah), it is usually translated as fear Allah سبحانه وتعالى. But more accurately, it is protect yourself. It is shield yourself.
Shield yourself from your own self. Shield yourself from Shaitan (شَيْطَان - Shaitan). And most importantly, shield yourself from the displeasure of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and the wrath of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and being distant from Allah, from having Allah turn away from you in the hereafter.
That is Taqwa (تَقْوَى - Taqwa). And it is fasting that allows you to build that. It is fasting that allows you to build and strengthen that muscle of Taqwa (تَقْوَى - Taqwa).
If you think about (تَقْوَى Taqwa) is, if you think about (تَقْوَى Taqwa) like a muscle, it is something you have to build. And one of the things that helps you build that is fasting. Why is that?
Well, if you think about during Ramadan, when you are fasting, you are actually holding back yourself. You are holding yourself back from eating and drinking and intimacy, even with a spouse, which is normally allowed. So you are normally allowed to eat, you are normally allowed to drink, you are normally allowed to engage in intimacy with your spouse. These are all things which are (حلال halal).
And yet because of the commandment of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, you have forbidden yourself, you have held yourself back, you have held the (النَّفْس nafs) back from things which are normally (حلال halal).
Now tell me this, if you are able to hold yourself back from things which are normally halal for the sake of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, for no other reason, for the sake of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, are you not then able to hold yourself back from the (حَرَام haram) for the sake of Allah سبحانه وتعالى?
So you see, in Ramadan you get that practice. You build that muscle of (تَقْوَى taqwa). You get that practice that if you are able to hold yourself back from what is normally (حلال halal) for His sake, are you not able to hold yourself back from what is (حَرَام haram) for His sake?
This is one of the things that fasting does for you.
2. Rahma (رَحْمة) - Allah's Mercy
The other aspect of Ramadan is رَحْمَة )rahma). So we said that there are, again, if you scan the أَحَادِيث )ahadith) and the آیات )ayat) about fasting, about Ramadan, you basically find two themes. One is تقوى )taqwa) and the other is the رَحْمَة )rahma) of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Now Allah has assigned moments in time and in space where He is nearer to us, when He is nearest to us.
Times and Places of Closeness to Allah
One of those times is in, this is something that He has assigned in space, and that is سُجُود )sujud). We are told that when we are in سُجُود )sujud), when we are in prostration, we are nearer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى than otherwise.
Allah has also assigned الثُّلث الأخير مِنَ اللَّيْلِ ath-thuluth al-akhir min al-layl) - the last third of the night. The last third of the night is the time just before صلاة الفَجْر salat al-fajr(.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى tells us in the حَدِيث قُدْسِي hadith) qudsi) that during that time, so this is time, that Allah سبحانه وتعالى comes down to the nearest heaven and is closest to us during the last third of the night.
Another place, this is again in space, is when we are at الكعبة al-Ka'bah), when we are in المَسْجِد الحرام )al-Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca. When we are there, we are nearer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
And there is another time that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has brought His mercy closer to us, has become closer to us, and that is in the entire month of Ramadan.
This is a mercy from Allah سبحانه وتعالى that He gives us this time. Allah is the owner of mercy, and there is no time when that mercy is showered more upon us than in the month of Ramadan.
The Three Parts of Ramadan
Allah سبحانه وتعالى has told us, Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said actually about Ramadan that its beginning is mercy, its middle is forgiveness, and its ending is liberation from the hellfire. (Based on Ibn Khuzaymah 1887)
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has also said that whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's reward, then all of his past sins will be forgiven. وَهَذَا صحيح البخاري )wa hadha Sahih al-Bukhari). (Sahih al-Bukhari 38)
The Two Joys of the Fasting Person
Think about these two أَحَادِيث )ahadith) for a moment. Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is telling us that Ramadan is all about Allah's forgiveness and mercy. Its beginning is His mercy, its middle is His forgiveness, and the ending is liberation from the hellfire.
Are we not going to take advantage of that? If Allah is showering His mercy on us, He is calling us back to Him, are we not going to take advantage of that?
And Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has told us, look at this gift from Allah. Allah has said that if we fast in this month and we do it sincerely for Allah's sake and hoping and having hope in Allah's reward and in His forgiveness, then all of our past sins will be forgiven. Can you imagine a deal like that? Allah سبحانه وتعالى erasing all of your sins by doing this one thing for His sake.
And that is the beautiful thing سبحان الله )subhan Allah) about fasting. We are told that the fasting person has two joys. The fasting person has two joys.
1. When Breaking the Fast
The first is when he breaks his fast. You know like food, it never tastes as good as when you are breaking your fast. All of a sudden on that date, like wow, dates never tasted that good before.
There is something really, like you see, you physically feel this حَدِيث )hadith). Because Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم taught us that Allah in His mercy gives the fasting person two pleasures. The first is in breaking the fast.
So you will notice that food and drink actually, physically, the experience of it is so much better when you are breaking your fast than any other time. Anyone who has experienced this can attest to it. That the same thing that tasted one way any other time, when you are breaking your fast, all of a sudden it tastes so much better.
This is part of the mercy of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, that He gives you that extra pleasure at the breaking of your fast.
2. When Meeting Allah
And the second time is when he meets his Lord. So there are two times for the fasting person that he experiences this pleasure.
The first is at breaking the fast. When you are breaking your fast, remember, this is just the beginning, that the second pleasure is when you meet Allah سبحانه وتعالى. And when you meet Allah سبحانه وتعالى Allah has reserved a special door in الجنّة )Jannah) for those people who fasted.
And that is الرّيان ar-Rayyan). This is a special door only for those people who can, only those people can enter it who used to fast. (Sahih al-Bukhari 1896)
We ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to make us among those people.
Those people who enter Ramadan in His mercy, and in the middle have His forgiveness, and by the end are saved from the hellfire. We ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to make us among those who Allah سبحانه وتعالى forgives all of their sins, erases all of their sins, and that we ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to make this an opportunity for us to take on our النَّفْس )nafs) and to win, إن شاء الله inshaAllah), by the help of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Practical Tips for Ramadan
I want to end, إنْ شاءَ اللهُ )in sha Allah), with just some practical tips of some things that we can do to benefit most from this gift of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
1. Keep in Mind Why You Are Fasting
One of them is keep in mind why you are fasting. Know that this is not just a ritual, but this is an opportunity to come back to Allah سبحانه وتعالى to train your النَّفْس nafs) and to protect yourself, to shield yourself from your own self, from شیطان )shaitan), and from the wrath, displeasure, and distance from Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
2. Don't Make Fasting Just About Hunger and Thirst
Second, do not make your fasting just about hunger and thirst. Prophet النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم warns us that whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of him leaving his food and
drink. (Sahih al-Bukhari 1903)
Remember that Ramadan, fasting, is not just about being hungry. It's not just about being thirsty. It's about leaving all of these evil actions, of coming back to Allah سبحانه وتعالى telling Allah سبحانه وتعالى I'm going to leave this sin for your sake. I'm going to stop doing this thing for your sake. I'm not just going to leave eating and drinking, which is normally حلال )halal), while I'm engaging in the things which are normally حَرَام )haram(.
That doesn't make sense. It's a contradiction. Allah سبحانه وتعالى doesn't need us to be hungry and thirsty. Allah is training us to be able to leave those things which are displeasing to him all the time. If we're able to leave those things which are normally حلال )halal) for his sake, eating and drinking, and حلال )halal) relationships, are we not able to leave those things which are always حرام )haram(?
Prophet النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم also warns us, many people who fast get nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst. And many people who pray at night get nothing from it except wakefulness. (Sunan Ibn Majah 1690)
While fasting, remember the whole picture. Remember that fasting is not just about staying away from food. It's about really striving to become a better person. It's about really developing ourselves and leaving those things which are displeasing to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
3. Reserve Private Time with Allah
Third, please try to reserve a private meeting with Allah سبحانه وتعالى during this month. Set a time before or after شخور )suhoor). Preferably have some time.
سبحان الله )Subhan Allah), we wake up before فَجْر )fajr) to eat. We wake up to feed our body. We freak out if we miss شخور )suhoor). We freak out. And yet, we won't wake up during that time to feed our soul.
Because this is the time that we said that Allah سبحانه وتعالى comes down to the nearest heaven. He comes down where he's nearest to us in the lowest heaven. And this is when Allah سبحانه وتعالى is asking, who is calling on me so I can answer his call? Who is seeking forgiveness so I can forgive him? Who is asking something from me so I can give him?
Allah is coming and looking for those who are calling on him during that blessed time. Make sure you are taking advantage of that time. Don't sleep through it. And don't just eat through it either.
This is another mistake that we make. We'll wake up and our whole focus is filling our stomach. Filling our stomach. It's شخور )suhoor) time. We just want to eat as much as possible. And that's our focus.
Again, that should not be the focus. The focus of شخور )suhoor), yes, you need to eat. But ultimately, this is a سُنّة )sunnah) of Prophet النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم But the focus is not in stuffing your stomach. But the focus should be during that time is to feed your soul.
So make sure you also make time in that last third of the night when you're waking up to eat. Also make sure that you set out time to pray, to make دُعَاء )du'a), to read القُرْآن Quran), to reflect, to be alone with Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Because if you miss that, then you're really, I mean you may be feeding your stomach, but you're starving your soul. You may be feeding your stomach, but you're starving your heart.
And those are the things that stay with you. Know that your stomach and everything in your body is going to pass away. Every part of your body is going to eventually disintegrate under the earth. Nobody can argue with that. That's the reality.
But the thing that's going to remain with you is how much did you feed your heart, how much did you feed your soul. That's what returns and remains. That's what returns to Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Whether you are of the people of الجنّة )Jannah) or the people of جَهَنَّم )Jahannam( وَأَعُوذُ بِاللهِ )waa'udhu billah(, it's your soul, it's your heart that's going to remain.
So take care of that. Don't neglect that for the sake of your physical body.
4. Set Time for Reflection
Fourth, set a time for reflection. Now it's very easy, especially for women, to become so caught up in the social sort of requirements of Ramadan. You have to make, you have to do, you know, a certain number of إفطار )iftar) and you have to have a certain sort of a level of the kind of food that you have to present.
And it becomes really, really easy to just get caught up in what am I cooking for خور )suhoor) and then what am I cooking for إفطار iftar) and then what am I cooking for the host, you know, إفطار )iftar). And it's just, it becomes, we really get caught up in that.
Please resist that. Try to make, to take time out for reflection, not to get caught up in what are you cooking and who are you inviting. الحمد لله Alhamdulillah), you are rewarded for feeding the fasting people. إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ )In sha Allah), this is a great reward. But let's not lose focus.
The focus here is on your relationship with Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Try to you know, make a plan for Ramadan. Make time, make time, take time out, spend it with Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Reflect on the creation around you and on the reality of your life, on the reality of your death, and on the reality of your final meeting with your creator. Choose a time, for example, the last third of the night, because that's a time when you have no distractions.
Perhaps during the day you can't find as much time that's the, you know, without distractions. Perhaps in the last third of the night is the best time. But make that time where you set it out between you and Allah سبحانه وتعالى and time for reflection.
This is also one of the purposes of taking away food and drink. You see, during the day, so much of our focus is on what am I eating for breakfast, what am I cooking for breakfast, and then what am I eating for breakfast, what am I cooking for lunch, and then what am I eating for lunch, what am I cooking for dinner, and what am I eating for dinner, and who am I going to eat it with, right?
So, so much of our focus throughout the day revolves around our meals. Like, we live to eat. We don't eat to live. This is just across the board. So many cultures, they really live to eat.
And so what Ramadan does is it comes and it takes that away. It takes that focus completely away. So now all of a sudden, we can focus on what really matters. So we've taken away the focus on food, on the physical being, on the physical satisfaction, and now we have a chance to focus on the spiritual being, and through that, we are able to focus on the true satisfaction and the true pleasure, which is the pleasure of the heart in the nearness to Allah سبحانه وتعالى the pleasure of the heart that comes from ذكر (dhikr).
"Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured."
It is by the remembrance of Allah in the remembrance of Allah سبحانه وتعالى that the heart finds true peace and satisfaction. It isn't in food. You're never going to find it in what you eat. You're never going to find it in what you drink. You're never going to find it in physical intimacy.
You will not find that true, true inner, true peace and satisfaction except in the remembrance of Allah. When Allah سبحانه وتعالى takes away this focus on food and drink and intimacy, now we can direct our focus on what really matters and on the true peace and satisfaction and the true pleasure, not just the physical pleasure.
5. Don't Miss Laylatul Qadr
Lastly, pay attention and don't miss out on the night of لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ (Laylatul Qadr), the night of power. There is a night that we're told, in the last ten nights of Ramadan, which is greater than an entire lifetime. It's greater than a thousand months, which is 83.3 years. This one night is greater than 83.3 years.
The Prophet ﷺ says that whoever prays during the night of لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ (Laylatul Qadr), power, with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven. (Sahih al-Bukhari 35)
عَائِشَة (Aisha) also told that the Prophet ﷺ used to practice (i'tikaf) in the last ten nights of Ramadan and used to say, look for the night of (Qadr) in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. (Sahih al-Bukhari 2017)
So this is something that, this is an extra gift that Allah gives us. So Allah gives us the gift of Ramadan and then on top of it, so Allah gives us the gift of Ramadan and says if you fast Ramadan and you do it for his
sake, he'll forgive all your sins.
On top of that he gives us another gift and that is لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ (Laylatul Qadr). لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ (Laylatul Qadr) is another gift where Allah has multiplied any action that's done on that night to be greater than 83.3 years, greater than a thousand months.
Some people might wonder why is it we don't know what night that is. Now actually this is another mercy of Allah سبحانه وتعالى because if you knew and I knew exactly which night it was, guess what we'd do? We'd skip out on all the other عِبَادَة (ibadah) all the rest of the time and we would just, you know, we'd just try really, really hard, we'd work really hard, we'd stay up all night, do our thing that one night and then just kind of sleep through the rest.
But out of Allah's mercy, he wants to increase us. So by not knowing which night it is, instead we strive all of the nights. And so by doing that we're actually, we're actually getting more good deeds and we're actually increasing our level with Allah سبحانه وتعالى (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in sha Allah) and we're increasing our place in الجنّة (Jannah) (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - insha Allah).
So by not telling us exactly which night it is, he's actually giving us a mercy that we are actually getting more through that.
Q&A Session
Now I ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى again to allow us to benefit from anything that was said today, anything that was good was from Allah سبحانه وتعالى and any mistake that I made was from my own النفس (nafs) or from الشيطان (Shaitan). I ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to allow us to really, really go into this month and to come out changed, to come out better, to come out more purified and closer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى and shielded from our own self, from الشيطان Shaitan) and from his wrath, displeasure and distance.
(إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - In sha Allah) right now we'll open it up for questions. We'll just take a few minutes to get those questions (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in sha Allah).
Question 1: How to Make Ramadan's Effects Last
Question: One of the main points of Ramadan is for the positive effects to last until the next Ramadan. My question is how do we make sure the effects will last? How do we maintain it as we see many people, the moment they reach the month of عِيد (Eid), they are back to how they were before Ramadan? جزاك اللَّهُ خَيْرًا (Jazak Allah khairan).
Answer: This is a beautiful question. جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا (Jazak Allah khair) for the one who asked it. This is actually very important.
What happens basically, and I think the reason why this happens, we enter Ramadan, we kind of sort of increase, try to increase on our worship. We do some couple extra things. We read some extra القرآن
(Quran). We do some extra prayers. But what's happened is internally we have not changed, and this is the point.
This is why we enter Ramadan. We act a little different. We leave Ramadan, and we are exactly the same as we were before we entered Ramadan. That's a sign that there has been no internal change during Ramadan.
In order for us to change internally, we need to refocus. Ramadan is not just about being hungry and thirsty. Ramadan is not just about going a couple hours without eating and drinking and then stuffing our face at إفطار iftar. Ramadan is about changing our hearts. Ramadan is about purifying our hearts.
If there are sins that we are addicted to, and we are continuing to do them during Ramadan, we need to know that our النَّفْس (nafs) needs training. Our النَّفْس (nafs) needs to be put under control, that our النفس (nafs) is addicted to this sin and cannot leave it. This is something we have to be putting our focus into.
We're not just trying to fill the cup. We need to clean it as well. I'll give you this example. If you take a cup and it's covered in dirt, it's absolutely covered in dirt, but you want to fill it with honey. Honey is a great thing. Honey is a pure thing, and you want to fill this cup with honey.
Honey is like our good deeds. We want to do all these extra good deeds. But if the cup is dirty, the cup is covered in dirt, what's going to happen when you put the honey into the cup? Well, it's going to mix with the honey.
And I'm not saying that that means that the good deeds are pointless. No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that we really need to put our focus as well on cleaning the cup. Clean the cup of the dirt as well as trying to fill it with honey.
We kind of talked about these two focuses in Ramadan تَقْوَى taqwa) and the رَحْمَة (rahma) of Allah. Now تقوى taqwa) has to do with really restraining ourselves from those things which are displeasing to Allah, trying not just to increase in our good deeds and not just to gain more reward, but to also protect ourselves from the displeasure of Allah.
We need to clean that cup. We need to clean our hearts of the stain of our ذنوب (dhunub). Every time we commit a sin, our heart is being stained. We're putting a black spot on our heart. So it's like it's that dirt that we have in the cup.
We have to have both focuses on cleaning the cup as well as filling the cup with honey. We should have a plan of the extra عِبَادَة (ibadah) that we're going to do, the extra القرآن (Quran) that we're going to read, the extra prayers that we're going to perform.
But we should also have a plan of how we're going to leave those things which are displeasing to Allah, how we're going to make a concerted effort to ask Allah to forgive us of our sins, to leave our sins, and to ask Allah to purify us.
It's when we make those real internal changes. Because you think about it, you fill the cup with honey, but eventually it gets mixed with dirt. As soon as Ramadan is over, there's no more honey that you're putting in because you reduce your عِبَادَة (ibadah) as well as more dirt that you're putting in with the sins. So then nothing changes.
We have to really, really plan on doing both. We really want to leave Ramadan changed. We don't want to go into Ramadan and come out the same person.
Please make your goal. You're not just going to increase in Ramadan. It's like you're running on a treadmill and you just want to run really, really hard, but you don't get anywhere. You want to make sure that you're actually getting somewhere and that you're actually transforming yourself (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in sha Allah), that you want to leave Ramadan with a transformed heart and a cleansed heart (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in sha Allah).
Question 2: How to Fill Days During Ramadan
(النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in sha Allah). Question: What should we do to fill our days during Ramadan? مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ (MashaAllah). أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ (Astaghfir Allah). I feel bored just reading all day and evening. How should we fill our days during Ramadan?
Answer: Most people don't have the luxury of just only sitting and doing عِبَادَة (ibadah) all day. Most people have to go to school still. They have to go to work, et cetera. So the majority of people don't even have that luxury of just being in اعْتِکَاف (i'tikaf), right, just being in the مَسْجِد (masjid) and just focusing on عبادة ibadah.
So realistically, what we need to do, and this is why I said that we need to set a time each day when there are no distractions or at least minimize the distractions, either of your obligations, of your family, of your work, of your school, and you set that time just to be alone with Allah, just to reflect, just to pray, just to read.
Reflect on the القرآن (Quran). And I want to emphasize another aspect, which I did not, and that is a lot of times people focus on, again, the rituals, the external rituals of Ramadan and of عِبَادَة ibadah) in general. For example, there is this emphasis on completing the القُرآن Quran), just finish reading it.
And although this is (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - insha Allah), rewarded, but the focus should not just be on finishing the القرآن Quran), but it should be on really understanding, reflecting on, and allowing the القرآن (Quran) to transform you. That's the point of the القرآن (Quran).
Realize that the القرآن (Quran) did not come down all at once for a reason. It came over many, many years. And the purpose of its revelation was, like I said at the beginning, to purify لِيُزَكِّيهِمْ (liyuzakkihim). النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم was sent with this book, that this book is sent down in order to purify us.
If we're just reading it and we don't even understand what it means, and we're just trying to zip through it as fast as we can so we can say we finished the القُرْآن (Quran), then we've missed the point. Yes, there's blessing, rather there's reward just for reading one letter of the القرآن Quran). Absolutely true.
But the actual purpose is to transform us, is for us to understand it and for it to change us. If we don't understand it, if we don't even know what it's saying, if we don't reflect on it, how can it possibly transform us? How can it possibly change us?
Think about what the القرآن (Quran) did. The القُرآن (Quran) came down to a people who were burying girls alive. That's what they used to do. And it turned them into the greatest people ever to walk the earth. Think about the صحابة (Sahaba).
These were people who used to take a girl and bury them alive. Imagine a person who could do that. I mean, none of you would ever do something like that. And yet you can take this book, this same book, the same exact book, was able to take that heart that could bury a human being alive and turn it into one of the greatest people who walked the earth, people who were promised الجنّة (Jannah).
That's the power of this revelation. But if we are not reflecting on it, we don't understand it, we don't think about it, if it's not changing our life, then it's not fulfilling its ultimate, its actual purpose, and that's to purify us.
So I would say that is incredibly important, that we are really going back and reconnecting with the words of Allah سبحانه وتعالى making time to do that, and not just have it be about the ritual of reading from front to back, just getting through it, not understanding anything we're saying.
So filling our days, filling our nights, what I want to say is, yes, you have to go about your regular routine, but make sure that this is a time that you're setting aside without distraction between you and Allah سبحانه وتعالى to really reflect on your life, to reflect on the fact that you will meet Allah سبحانه وتعالى as a certainty.
You will die. Every single one of us are going to die. This is something we like to sort of escape. This is something we like to forget, and we live in a world that's all about forgetting that, right? Just live for the moment, live for now, right? Live for now. That's the idea.
Let there be a time when you really are focusing on the reality of this life and the next, and the fact that there will be, you will meet your maker. We all will meet him. Let this be a chance to come back to Allah سبحانه وتعالى and set that time out for reflecting on this reality and on your purpose (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in sha Allah).
I think we can take another question, (إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ - in sha Allah).
Question 3: Teaching Children During Ramadan
Question: What is the most important thing to teach your children during Ramadan? (اللَّهُ أَكْبَر - Allahu Akbar). Great question. I'm glad this question was asked because I want to emphasize something very important.
A lot of times we mean well. We mean well, so we tell our children to fast, and as a reward for fasting, we pay them. We give them money. We tell them, if you fast, you're going to get this amount of money. If you fast, I'm going to give you this present. If you fast, I'm going to give you this gift.
I really want to encourage people not to do that. Do not do that. You know, there's, within psychology, and when you look at motivation, the psychology of motivation, and you'll find that when you present someone with an external reward for something, it actually decreases their internal intrinsic sort of motivation or attachment to that particular act.
So here's what they find. When someone, you want to increase the behavior, right? So in order to increase the behavior, you give an external reward. Initially, it will increase the behavior. So suppose you want someone to do something for you. Yes, you want someone to do something. You give them a reward for doing it. Initially, it's going to make them do it more. Yes, it's going to increase the behavior at first.
But the problem is, first of all, it's temporary. As soon as you take away that external reward, as soon as they're not being paid for it anymore, as soon as they're not getting presents for it anymore, they'll stop wanting to do it. And that's the danger, that if you attach the child to fasting is for money, fasting is for this gift, then what happens is what you're doing is they're fasting for the money, they're fasting for the gift.
And although you want them, yes, to fast, teach them the true reward of fasting. Teach them about (الجنّة - Jannah). Teach them about the reward of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). Teach them about good deeds.
That should be their motivation. That is the true motivation. But if you make it about money or getting presents, and again, that's fine to give presents. Giving presents, that's fine. I'm talking about linking the fasting and the reward for the fasting being the presents or being the money itself. That's very dangerous.
And what it does is it actually, again, it makes the purpose of the fasting the money. As soon as the money is taken away, the child will have no sort of attachment necessarily to the fasting itself.
You know, this is just, you want to, again, increase in your child the hope and the attachment to (الجنّة - Jannah). The fact that, you know, say they want a certain video game, let them know that in (الجنّة -
Jannah) they can have whatever they want. Let them know that (الجنّة - Jannah) is what they want. Let them know that that's the ultimate prize.
And, yes, children can understand that at a very early age. Don't think that they don't understand. Teach them about (الجنّة - Jannah) from when they're very, very young.
They need to understand. Oh, they're not going to completely understand when they're little exactly what (الجنّة - Jannah) is. We don't understand it. What we know about (الجنّة - Jannah) is it's the place where you're always happy. It's the place where you get whatever you want. That's enough for a child to understand.
Let them know it's better than Disneyland, right? It's that place where you get whatever you want. Let them strive for that and let it be for that reason (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in sha Allah), and not for this temporary thing, the money. No money can compare.
So, please, (إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ - in shaAllah) you know, don't – same thing with memorizing (القُرآن - Quran). Please don't pay your children to memorize (القُرآن - Quran). Please don't give them, you know, presents.
Again, it's fine to give them presents, but please don't link it with the memorization of (القُرآن - Quran) or the fasting or any (عِبَادَة - ibadah) for Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). You need to train them that the best reward is the reward of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) and train in them the desire to do it for His sake, not to do it for this meaningless, really meaningless money or presents, which compares in no way to the reward of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى).
Okay, (إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ - in sha Allah), we'll end there.
Closing
That will be the last question. I ask you (إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ - in sha Allah), to keep me and my family in your (دُعَاء - du'as), and I pray that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) blesses all of you and allows us (إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ - inshaAllah), to have a very blessed Ramadan and to come out of Ramadan changed, purified, and nearer to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى).
"I say this, and I ask forgiveness for me and for you. Verily, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
"Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. I seek forgiveness from You and repent to You."
"May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you."