What is Your Goal for Ramadan? Dr. Haifaa Younis | Mifftaah

What is Your Goal for Ramadan?

I'm going to ask everyone a question. What's your goal for Ramadan? And I really mean this. Each one — and don't answer me, I'm in the same boat as you all are and will be.

What do you want to get out of Ramadan, at the end of Ramadan? The day tomorrow is Eid. And believe me, it's going to be like a blink of an eye where you're going to hear the announcement: tomorrow is Eid. What did you achieve? And this question I always ask myself every single year.

All the millions will be fasting, so I didn't do anything special. Most of the millions will be in the masajid, praying taraweeh, so I didn't do something special. Most of these people will continue to work, or go to school, or have exams, take care of their families — whatever their usual life, it's going to continue, in spite of adding the Ramadan requirement.

So what am I going to do that is special? When I am going to be meeting Allah, when He is going to be looking at me — and this is for everybody — we're all going to meet Allah as an individual, alone. What did I bring to Allah? As we say, what do I have on the table from this Ramadan that no one else has, or everybody has, but not the way I did it?

So this is a question, as we are preparing — there's less than 10 days — I normally get a little bit of anxiety when it becomes this close, because I don't know if I'm going to be alive, and I really want to be alive. Not to enjoy this dunya, but because this is an opportunity for me to meet Allah after Ramadan as a better person, as one who is more confident that I did my best to please Him.

We just heard a beautiful talk about love, which most of us don't know what this even means:

"Ya Allah, I ask You for Your love, and for the love of those who truly love You, and the love of every deed that will get me close to Your love."

So each one of us needs to ask herself and himself — young and old — what is your goal in Ramadan?

The Meaning Behind the Word "Ramadan"

We are very good at planning. Every person I speak to — especially since I moved to California, it's an IT state and everybody talks about planning, which is nothing wrong with that. And every time somebody mentions planning, I ask myself: what is my plan for the akhira? I can't guarantee anything. I know Allah is generous.

So what is your goal? Do you want to say the goal is taqwa? I'm going to share two things with you.

What does Ramadan mean? What does the name of the month mean? There are more than 10, 15 — some scholars say even 30 — meanings of the word Ramadan. When I learn the word, I learn the meaning. I learn the goal.

One of the meanings comes from the root of extreme heat. So why is Ramadan called Ramadan? What does it have to do with heat? And one of the scholars says: what does heat do? It melts things.

Goal One: Melting Your Sins

First goal — let's make Ramadan the month that will melt my sins. How many of us have piles of sins? Let's be honest with Allah. He knows. It's piles — small, big, major, minor. You call it what you want. I didn't mean it. It just happened. I love it. I enjoy it. I was forced to do it. It doesn't matter. I did it.

Let's make one of our goals that this Ramadan is going to melt our sins — two ways: the ones already piled, and I am not going to add to the pile. I am not going to add to the pile.

You know, the number one cause of adding sins to the pile — and please correct me if I'm wrong — is in the masajid during taraweeh. And I've seen this even in the Haram. Eight raka'at are done and half the masjid follow the opinion that taraweeh is only eight raka'at. Alhamdulillah. So what do they do? I would love to say they walk home and sleep because tomorrow they need to be ready. Instead — men and women, no difference — they stand outside talking. You just said it's only eight raka'at, and Quran is being recited, and I am in the month that will melt my sins. Don't pile your sins in a place meant for you and me to melt our sins.

And I learned this from one of my teachers — especially for any of you going to be in Mecca or Medina during Ramadan, one of the most challenging times. She said — and I love this, every Ramadan I remember this — when you are sitting in that masjid and someone comes and sits next to you, young or old, what do you feel inside your heart? "If she is from this group or that group, or she is not like what I want, or I kept this spot for my friend..." Look inside your heart. That's a sin. That's kibr. I am arrogant. I am looking down at the person next to me, although all of us are from dust — all of us from Adam, and Adam was created from dust. Don't pile. Don't pile.

And some masajid here in the States have the habit of having Quran recitation before the taraweeh. Some of us go early to get a good place — alhamdulillah, run! And the Quran is being read. And what do we do? Talk to me about love. What do we do? I'm looking at my phone. I'm talking to my friend. I'm listening to something else. And the words of the Beloved are being recited. I'm piling sins. I'm in the masjid. I just broke my fast. I ran — especially mothers ran. And we are piling sins. And this is Ramadan.

The Hadith of the Three Losers

And there is a hadith you are all going to hear repeatedly again and again. One of them is close to me because it's related to Rasulallah and to Ramadan. The meaning is that the person who passes through Ramadan and did not achieve one of these three — if not all three — is a loser.

What are these three? Rasulallah was ascending the minbar and they heard him saying: "Ameen, ameen, ameen." They asked him, and he said: Jibreel said this to me, and I said ameen.

A loser is the person who — and this is especially for youth not very young, especially living in this country — when one of your parents reaches old age with all its challenges, and you did not enter Jannah because of them. You did not take good care of them.

Second: a loser is the person in whose presence the name of Rasulallah is mentioned and he did not send salawat. The name is mentioned repeatedly. Make it a habit. How much does it cost you? Not even a breath. But it is my path to Jannah.

And the third is what we are talking about: whoever lives through Ramadan, and leaves Ramadan, and was not forgiven. What is your goal? What do you want to get from Ramadan?

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 3545; also reported by al-Bazzār and others)

Don't tell me: "I want to cook, I want to invite people." These are all nice. But that's not the main goal. What is your goal with Allah? What is your goal with the Jannah of Allah? What is your goal with the creation of Allah?

Let's be lofty people. We all — at work, in business, in dunya — we want to be the best. I want to be in the best house, the best job, my children in the best colleges. Alhamdulillah, there's nothing haram in that. But why not aim for Firdaws in Jannah? Why don't I make that my goal? And there is nothing cheap and nothing easy in dunya — do you think it's any different in akhira?

Treat This as Your Last Ramadan

Look at Ramadan as if this is your last one. Someone came from Allah and gave you a letter — exactly like what was said about Sayyida Fatima, whom Rasulallah told: "You are the first one to follow me." And she smiled. Imagine someone comes to you and says: that is it. No more Ramadan. How are you going to look at it? What are you going to be doing? Keep it this way — number one.

Goal Two: Taqwa

Number two: taqwa. Am I truly a muttaqi? First question. Everyone can claim it — but am I really a muttaqi?

One of the most famous definitions of taqwa comes from Istalq ibn Habib. He said:

"Taqwa is: you worship Allah upon knowledge from Allah, hoping for the reward of Allah; and you leave the disobedience of Allah upon knowledge from Allah, fearing the punishment of Allah."

You do what Allah told you — but based on knowledge. Don't tell people this is haram when it is not haram. Don't say to yourself this is haram when it is not haram. That's knowledge. You need to learn. Put a goal — in addition to melting sins — every day in Ramadan I'm going to learn one thing. One thing. Practical. One thing about this deen. You choose. Make it the month you learn about Rasulallah. Make it the month you learn every single day one verse from the Quran — properly, deeply, not like a parrot.

Do it for Allah, because you want His Jannah. Not to please people. Not to seek praise. I'm teaching myself — I don't even want Jannah for its own sake. I want Him. I want Him to be pleased with me. I want Him to look at me and — as Allah said to His prophets, especially Sayyidina Ayyub — say: "What a servant of Mine." Make that your goal.

Every single day, don't waste too much time on food and eating and cooking — things are easier these days. But every single day, I'm going to learn something new about Allah, about this deen.

Staying Away from Sin — One Day at a Time

And third — which is the other face of taqwa — stay away from a sin every single day, because I don't know if I'm going to see this month again. I told myself this is the last month. Every day I'm going to stay away from a sin. Ask yourself: what will happen if I didn't disobey Allah just 24 hours? Don't backbite. Don't look down at people. Don't look at haram. Don't listen to haram. Don't eat haram. Don't waste time, food, energy. What will happen? Wallahi, nothing harmful — on the contrary, you will see what Allah will give you.

And I'll share this verse, which — as one of the scholars says — is one of the most profound verses given to Muslims, yet many of us don't know it:

"And whoever has taqwa of Allah — He will make a way out for him, and provide for him from where he does not expect."

Staying away from sin is the essence of taqwa. You want Allah to be pleased with you. You want to go to Jannah. You don't want the punishment of Allah. So — taqwa. And this verse is in Surah Al-Talaq, the chapter on Divorce. It's a very short surah — only two pages — but the word most frequently mentioned is taqwa. Because rejection and divorce are very hard on the nafs, and it is hard to practice taqwa in those moments.

What will I get if even for one day I do not disobey Allah? Ya Allah, please forgive me, but I'm trying to be practical and realistic. One day. One day only, I'm not going to disobey Allah. If I smoke, and I normally smoke after iftar — I'm not going to do it that day. If I normally watch something after iftar — I'm not going to do it that day. Everybody, look at your own sins.

He will open doors for you. Makhraj — one of the meanings is Allah will give you Jannah. Another meaning: He is going to make the next act of worship easier. And He is going to make the next act of disobedience harder. The best way — may Allah bless me and you — is if He makes me dislike disobedience. Then I won't do it. And this is one of the du'as you must make for yourself:

"Ya Allah, make us love faith and beautify our hearts with it, and make us hate disbelief, immorality, and disobedience."

Do one good deed consciously — especially if it is difficult — and see what Allah will give you with it. It's right away. Practice taqwa. It's a big word and most of us think it's very difficult. Wallahi, it is not. It just needs practice, needs focus, needs desire. I want to do it. I want to go to Jannah. I want this Ramadan to be the best Ramadan in my life. Then I need to do something different.

Taqwa Protects You from Shaytan

Our biggest stated problem in Ramadan is shaytan. Well, shaytan is chained — yet we still disobey Allah. And Allah taught us something in Surah Al-A'raf, near the end:

"Verily, those who have taqwa — when a thought from Shaytan touches them, they remember, and immediately they see clearly."

If I am a person who practices taqwa from today — and Ramadan makes it a habit — every single day I'm going to do something to obey Allah based on what He taught me to reach His Jannah, and stay away from disobedience based on what He taught me because I don't want His punishment. And when I fail or I am weak — but I am a person of taqwa — Allah will send something to me, and I will remember not to do it. That's not my words. Those are His words.

تَذَكَّرُوا فَإِذَا هُمْ مُبْصِرُونَ — They remember. Allah will make disobedience difficult for you. He will make you dislike it. You will remember.

Three Du'as for Ramadan

The first du'a I make to myself and to everybody:

"Ya Allah, give us life until we reach Ramadan." Don't take it for granted. No one knows. I could die as I am standing. Anyone could leave. So number one: Ya Allah, let us live to reach Ramadan.

Two: make it the best ever. You make it, Ya Allah. I'm telling Allah: I cannot do it alone. I'm weak. I don't have the energy. I don't have what it takes. But Allah can. القَوِيُّ يُقَوِّيني — The Strong One can make me strong.

And number three: make me live until the end of Ramadan:

"Ya Allah, let me live to see Laylatul Qadr" — and may I give it its due right.

A Story from the Haram

I'll share a true story with you. I was in the Haram in Mecca, in I'tikaf. There was a woman next to me — sometimes behind me — who did nothing for the last 10 days other than Quran and salah. Quran and salah. She was clearly a hafidha because she was reading and reading continuously.

So — how do you know when you're in the Haram that tomorrow is Eid? This was before the time of the internet. When they called for Isha and there was no more Salatul Qiyam — يَرحَمُكُمُ اللَّه — we knew tomorrow was Eid.

Wallahi — and Allah is my witness — this woman started crying as if she had lost her child. And I kept looking at her, and she continued like that. It's done. It's finished. Because right away the cleaners come in and ask you to leave the Haram so they can prepare it for Eid. She was crying like a baby.

I looked at her and I said: Ya Allah, what you gave her — give me. So when Ramadan leaves — my beloved left me. The awaited guest has departed. Not: "Tomorrow is Eid and we go back to where we were."

Ya Rabbi, Ameen. This is not difficult for Allah. We just need to be honest, sincere — and Allah will give us, by His permission.

Jazakumullah khayran.

"Glory be to You, O Allah, and all praise is Yours. I bear witness that there is no god but You. I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You."

May Allah's peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad and upon his family and companions.