Ramadan - Time to Stop Bad Habits - Sheikh

Ramadan - Time to Stop Bad Habits

Sheikh Yassir Fazaga

Opening

"Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings."

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."

Adhan

Khutbat al-Hajah (Opening Khutbah)

"I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan."

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."

"All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah's peace, blessings, and grace be upon the noblest of prophets and the purest of messengers, the intercessor for sinners and the beloved of the Lord of the worlds, Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), and upon his family and his good and pure companions."

"Indeed, praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness and guidance. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from the wickedness of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, there is none to misguide him, and whomever He misguides, there is none to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is His servant and messenger."

"And I bear witness that the truest of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)."

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."

"All praise is due to Allah. We bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and we bear witness that Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is His final messenger."

"Indeed, the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)."

May Allah make us of those who come to know and listen to the best of speech, the Book of Allah, and follow its commands. And may Allah make us of those who come to know the best of ways, the way of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and make us of those who embark on such a mission.

Dua for Ramadan

"O Allah, O Lord, allow us to reach Ramadan. O Allah, allow us to reach Ramadan. O Allah, O Lord, allow us to reach Ramadan and grant us in it righteous deeds and sayings."

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to extend our lives so that we may witness the blessings of the month of Ramadhan. Not just to be alive during that time, but we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that we be blessed by doing that and saying that which is pleasing to Him subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Main Body

"O beloved ones of the Messenger of Allah, may the prayers and peace of my Lord be upon him."

It was said that the Prophet, peace be upon him, prior to him raising his hands and begging of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he would begin by praising Allah. Prior to asking Him, he would begin by praising Him.

Hadith - The Prophet's Night Dua

Reference: Sahih Muslim

And in one of the most beautiful ways of praising Allah, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam began and said: "O Allah, the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the awesome throne. We acknowledge that You are our Lord and that You are the Lord of everything. The one who splits the seeds. You are the one who sent down the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur'an, the criterion."

And this is collected by Imam Muslim. They said that the Prophet, peace be upon him, would make this du'a at the end of every night before he goes to bed. He would begin by saying "I seek refuge in You from the potential of all the evil in the things that You have created."

And then he would go on to say: "O Allah, You are the very beginning, You are the first, that no one comes before You. And You are the last, and no one comes before You. You are the most high, and there is nothing above You. And You are the most intimate, and there is none that is closer than You are."

All of this beautiful, powerful, magnificent introduction. What would you think the end of that prayer is going to be? He, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, then said after this beautiful introduction and praise of Allah: "O Allah, we seek that You help us in the paying of our debts. And O Allah, enrich us out of poverty."

So the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, every single night, with this beautiful introduction, that is the thing that he would pray for: "And O Allah, get us out of poverty. Enrich us, by halal means, out of poverty."

And that is such a powerful dua from somebody who understood the negative consequences of debts.

The Permissible Nature of Debt for Necessity

See, brothers and sisters, subhanAllah, they say that being in debt for legitimate reasons, there is nothing wrong with that. You know, sometimes medical expenses come up, underemployment comes up, people losing their jobs come up, and just difficult circumstances in life, they come up. They say, if that is the reason, then Allah, subhanAllah, permitted us as well as encouraged those of us who have more, to give those who have less.

And in this, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, says: "Whosoever relieves a believer from the difficulties of this world, Allah will relieve them of the difficulties of the world to come. Whosoever alleviates the suffering and the difficulties of a believer in this world, Allah is going to alleviate him from the suffering and the difficulties of the world to come."

So the point is, if there is need for it, then the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, encourages people. And Islam, in such, does not look down upon people who borrow money because there is need. However, it becomes a problem when there is no need for that and it becomes just a poor lifestyle.

Statistics on Consumer Debt

Reading about some of the statistics within us, within the residents of this country and how much debt there is out there: It is estimated that consumer debt in the US is at 2.4 trillion dollars. Last year, people charged on their credit card, just for fast food, 51 billion dollars. 1 out of every 10 people in the US has more than 10 credit cards. They say that the average debt on a credit card is about 8,000 dollars per person.

So with all of this, adhering and listening to the advice of Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is very good. And that is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, the first thing that he does is create awareness. Such a beautiful long du'a that ends with: "O Allah, help us in paying our debts. O Allah, take us out, enrich us out of poverty."

Hadith on Borrowing Less

Reference: Hadith

And the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, says: "Borrow less, you live like a free man." Because debt is shackling. Especially if there is no need for it, then it only works as a shackle. Either the fact that there is really nothing much that you do with your own money, or the fact that you cannot move around simply because you are so spent living a very poor lifestyle. By the end of the day, you cannot even keep up with that poor lifestyle, so you constantly have to be in the state of debt.

So the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "Borrow less, you live a free man" - somebody who is not financially shackled.

Seeking Refuge from Poverty

But then also, there is the idea of faqr, poverty. And then also there the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "O Allah, enrich us out of poverty."

Reference: Hadith

And he, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, would say: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from kufr, disbelief, and I seek refuge in You from poverty."

And the association is indeed mind-boggling. So somebody said to the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: "How do you explain this?"

See, brothers and sisters, the state of kufr is when a person is spiritually bankrupt. Spiritually bankrupt. And the state of faqr, poverty, is a person when they are financially bankrupt. These are two types of bankruptcy. One is spiritual, and one is financial. And the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "I wish to be neither one of these two."

The Importance of Planning

And then when they look into, why do people do what they do? How come there is so much debt out there? They usually put two reasons for that. They say it is the lack of planning and budgeting. People don't plan. We don't budget.

And in this, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "You have no mind to plan." He said, the intelligence is about planning, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He said: "You have no mind to plan, and you have no hand to hold, and you have no good character." He said: "You have no mind to plan. It is clear. There is no intelligence like planning." He said: "Intelligence is all about planning."

So we call ourselves the followers of Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and there is absolutely no sense of planning. And it even becomes worse when you think that planning is almost competing with Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. That is silly.

Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is teaching us that part of being a believer is that you understand how the world operates, and you plan accordingly. There is no intelligence like planning.

Poor Habits and Extravagance

And then the second reason they cite is poor habits. People getting into a terrible lifestyle. Upgrading when they really don't need it. Buying gadgets when they really have absolutely no need for it. Leasing, and buying, and accumulating, and obsessing about possessing when there is really no need for it.

Brothers and sisters, that is a poor lifestyle. It is un-Islamic to begin with.

Quranic Verses on Extravagance

"Allah does not love those who are extravagant."

"Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils."

So can you imagine being extravagant with money that you don't have? Being wasteful with money that does not belong to you? Such a lifestyle is not befitting to a believer, brothers and sisters.

And that is why again the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, teaches: "Borrow less." And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will give you, will facilitate for you so that you live like a free man.

Ramadan as a Time to Break Bad Habits

Some of us are sitting there and saying: "You know this is the last Jum'ah before Ramadan. Why are we talking about this?"

Simply because Ramadan is the time that we break bad habits. Can't really be that we think of Ramadan as a time that we only don't eat and don't drink from this time to that time and that is the end of it. That will be confining Ramadan in ways where Ramadan is much bigger than this.

So Ramadan is the time that we kill and we get rid of all the bad habits. Bad habits that impact us spiritually negatively. They impact us financially negatively. They even may impact us physiologically negatively.

So the month of Ramadan comes in and says that: "You know what, you must take this opportunity to get rid of the bad habits that you have been taking with you throughout the year."

So the month of Ramadan, my brothers and sisters, is the month of breaking these ill and negative habits. And we cannot go through it and then we come back and we are back to the same person that we were before Ramadan. That will be just an absolute waste, brothers and sisters.

The Power of Ramadan to Break Habits

So the month of Ramadan is coming and it is an opportunity so that we be rejuvenated, so that we be people who are different, so that we be people who are cognizant of their bad habits so that we can come out of it.

SubhanAllah, they say bad habit or developing a bad habit is like falling into a comfortable bed. Very easy to get into, but very difficult to get out of. But the month of Ramadan makes the impossible possible.

SubhanAllah, people nowadays say: "Man, if I don't have a cup of coffee in the morning, I can't even function. I don't even remember what my name is. I must have my cup of coffee in the morning." But SubhanAllah, comes the month of Ramadan, that coffee goes out of the way. People who are engaged in some more negative habits than this, be it the smoking or something else, the month of Ramadan is the time that everything that we have said in the past is difficult, is impossible, now it becomes the time that it is possible and it is doable.

And how we treat our day and how we spend our day, how we spend our earnings, is going to be one way to conquer the bad habits that we have developed throughout the years when the month of Ramadan comes.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us in doing so, ya rabbal alameen.

Second Khutbah

So that this is not misunderstood brothers and sisters: The point is that most of us many times we are in need. We are in need. Please move forward inshallah to make room for those who are coming in late.

Clarification on Borrowing for Need vs Lifestyle

So that we are not misunderstood: When we go through difficult times, we appeal to our brothers and sisters. We ask for a helping hand. "You know I really need this. Things are difficult, times are tough." This is not what we are talking about.

We are talking about borrowing money to support a lifestyle. Not to support a life, but rather to support a lifestyle that is based on being extravagant and is based on being wasteful. Such a thing Islam absolutely looks down upon. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam is telling us: "Do not engage yourself in such a lifestyle." But if there is a need, then as a community we are supposed to come together and be of help to one another.

I think I've told you this so beautifully: We love to use our credit cards in ways that are very irresponsible. We've said this before: Credit card is a means by which we buy things we don't need at a price we cannot afford with money we do not have and we don't even like.

Once you are engaged in this lifestyle, then it becomes a life that is just wasted on supporting a style. And when we are engaged in supporting a style, we miss out on quality. What we are looking for is quality. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us in doing so.

Preparing for Ramadan

Speaking of which, the month of Ramadan inshallah, mostly anticipated to be this coming Friday, next Friday, a week from today. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala extend our lives to witness the blessings of the month of Ramadan.

But the month of Ramadan is just beautiful guests. And usually when guests come over, you know we need to do some cleaning because that is how we honor our guests. You don't wait for the guests to arrive so that you start cooking. You don't vacuum when the guests get there. That would be rude. What we do is that we do all the cleaning, we do all the cooking before the guest comes in.

SubhanAllah that is also the story with the month of Ramadan. And the most important place to clean, the most important place that needs to be cleaned at this point: Two things. Our hearts and our relationships.

It will be such a disaster that the month of Ramadan comes in but our relationships have not been mended. My brother I don't talk to. My son I have disowned. My mother I don't visit. My uncle and my cousins. That will be such a poor way of beginning and receiving this beautiful guest of the month of Ramadan.

So if anything, now is the time in anticipation of the month of Ramadan coming our way, we decide that: "You know what, I really don't need to carry all these things with me. What I really need to do is I need to mend relationships."

Cleaning Our Hearts for Allah's Gaze

And the second thing is: Usually subhanallah when a guest come over, we have a tendency to clean the area where we know that the guest will be taking a look at. So what we do is just take everything and just

all in one, just dump it in one room and pray very hard: "Oh Allah, we hope that the guest does not come to that room because that room is just going to be disaster. It's going to be terrible."

We like to clean the area where we know that the guest is going to see. Well subhanallah remember this: The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "Allah does not look at your body nor at your thoughts, but He looks at your hearts." Allah is not going to look at your physical appearance or your body. Allah is going to take a look into your heart.

So as the month of Ramadan is coming, the question that we ask is: Is my heart worthy of the gaze of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

And inshallah with such a beginning, with such an approach to the month of Ramadan, we can say that: "You know what, the month of Ramadan looks good."

Community Activities and Zakat

Also inshallah paying attention to the different activities that take place and just participating in as many activities as we can. Be it the taraweeh prayers that will be held here every night inshallah. Be it the fact that you know what, many of our brothers and sisters who are not doing well financially, they look forward to the month of Ramadan because the month of Ramadan is the month of giving. Be it in the zakah, be it zakah til maal or be it zakah til fitr.

You know people benefit from this. And I was just talking to your administration and he was saying that last year this masjid paid close to a hundred thousand dollars in helping the poor and the needy. It was not the masjid. It was the community of this masjid. And subhanallah many times the little dollar and two that you give here and there can have such a big impact on the people.

Please do not wait until Ramadan to say that: "You know what, I'm going to pay it in Ramadan because it's going to give me more reward." People don't wait for Ramadan. You know poverty and hunger, they don't say we're going to wait till Ramadan. If you have it please inshallah do pay it as soon as you can.

And also usually with zakah money we have questions: "How do we do this? How do we calculate that?" So you can always inshallah reach out to the imam of the masjid here Sheikh Mohammed to answer your questions about zakah.

Month of Dua

Also inshallah the month of Ramadan is the month of dua. And there are many people out there who are in desperate need for dua. Praying for peace in Afghanistan. Praying for peace for the people of Iraq and the people of Somalia. Praying for success for the people of Egypt and the people of Libya. Praying for liberation for the people of Palestine and the people of Syria.

These are all people that maybe there isn't really much that we can do for them, but we know that Allah listens all the time. But Allah listens more during the month of Ramadan. So that we can raise our hands and say: "Please Allah, our brothers and sisters in all these places, they are in desperate need of your intervention and of your aid and your help."

So we pray to them that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala eases their difficulties and that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala brings peace into their hearts as well as into their countries.

Community Events

And then finally the different events that take place. One that is really important: Save the children of Syria fundraising iftar that will be taking place the second Saturday of Ramadan which is July 28th that will be held here locally. And unfortunately for those of us who are aware of what is happening in Syria, poor children are the ones who are dying there because what you have is a dictator that has absolutely no mercy nor compassion in their heart. So please inshallah see into it that you do take a look at this.

Financial literacy is very important brothers and sisters. Learning how to budget and how to plan financially is really important. There is an event that is held by Access California. So inshallah on your way out do take a look at that and register for it inshallah where you'll be taught of different ways inshallah of handling your financial affairs.

Closing Dua

"Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire."

"Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful."