20160603- Second Khutba - Imam Nadeem Bashir

Preparing for Ramadan: The Call for Taqwa

Every single day, my brothers and sisters, we should ask Allah:

Ramadan is around the corner, but yet life is unpredictable. None of us can guarantee that we will be able to reach the month of Ramadan and witness this blessed month of Ramadan. So therefore, we should continuously ask Allah to grant us this blessing of Ramadan.

The Purpose of Fasting: Attaining Taqwa

My brothers and sisters, in the Qur'an, when it comes to Ramadan and when it comes to fasting — not even Ramadan, but just the idea of fasting — Allah tells us what can be achieved through fasting. Allah says:

The objective of fasting is to attain taqwa. To attain not the fear of Allah, but to attain the awareness of Allah. The value of Allah. The emotional state that we are in when we are remembering Allah.

And this is why we find Rasulullah ﷺ teaching us, his followers, that we should not only fast in Ramadan, but we should fast throughout the entire year. That's why we find that it was a sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ that he would fast on Mondays and Thursdays. That's why we find in the seerah, in the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, that he would fast on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every Islamic month. That's why the Prophet ﷺ would fast on Ashura. That's why the Prophet ﷺ advised that if he were alive the following year, he would add the following day after Ashura. This is why the Prophet ﷺ would fast in the beginning days of Dhul Hijjah. This is why the Prophet ﷺ advised us to fast for six days in Shawwal.

Why? Because fasting has this ability and this power to bring a person closer to Allah. But where we find ourselves, the position that we find ourselves in, is that every year we fast primarily only in Ramadan. So from Ramadan to Ramadan, there is absolutely no fasting that takes place. We only fast in Ramadan. And we see the benefits in Ramadan — that after Ramadan, we are slightly a changed person. But can you imagine that if we fasted throughout the entire year, time after time, I guarantee you that there will be a much bigger difference within our personality and within our awareness of Allah?

Because Allah says here, going back to this ayah, كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ — Allah did not mention anything about Ramadan in this ayah. He mentioned Ramadan in a later ayah, where He says:

So there He talked about Ramadan, but in ayah 183, He did not mention anything about Ramadan. He just said that fasting has this power to bring a person closer to Allah. And then at the end of the ayah, He says لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ — that hopefully, through fasting, you will bring taqwa into your life.

Why Is Taqwa So Important?

If you paid close attention to the khutbatul haja — when I began my khutbah and I recited three ayahs of the Qur'an — in all three of them, there is something you'll find consistent. The first ayah I read:

Have this awareness of Allah. The second ayah I recited:

Once again, the concept of taqwa is being mentioned. And then the third ayah in my khutbatul haja:

Again, taqwa is being mentioned. Now look at Surah al-Fatiha. A surah that we have to recite in our salat. Every single time in Surah al-Fatiha, what are we asking Allah?

Oh Allah, show me the right path. We do this in every single rak'ah. Allah is telling us: you want the right path? You want the straight path? Here you go:

Here is the book. Here is a book that there is absolutely no ambiguity, no contradictions, and no doubt in this book. Then what did He say? You've been asking for hidayah? Here you go. This book is a source of guidance. But it can only be a source of guidance for who?

Only for those people who have taqwa in their life. Meaning that if I don't have taqwa in my life, it doesn't matter how many times I read the Quran. It doesn't matter how many times I stand in Qiyamul Layl or in Salat al-Tarawih and hear the Quran being recited — it will not benefit us. We can cover the Quran from cover to cover linguistically and it will have no effect on us if we don't have the key ingredient which is called taqwa. If I don't have taqwa, I cannot achieve what the Quran has to offer. If I don't have taqwa, I cannot come closer to Allah.

That's why there is again and again emphasis in the Quran and in the sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ about taqwa.

What Does Taqwa Really Mean?

Now the general idea about taqwa is that it means to have the fear of Allah. And that's not entirely accurate. Because the word taqwa comes from the word wiqaya. Wiqaya means to protect yourself. So if a person, let's just say financially speaking, if a person chooses a right path and creates a plan for himself — this is the financial path I'm going to walk on so that I don't put myself in a financial crisis down the road in my life — that is called taqwa. Because you are protecting yourself from anything wrong that can happen to you.

When we say that we have taqwa, that means that I have something that will protect me from committing sins. It will protect me from being engrossed and immersed into this dunya. It will protect me from having the love of this dunya in my heart.

Umar and Khabbab's Definition of Taqwa

It's like Umar radiyallahu ta'ala — he asked Khabbab radiyallahu ta'ala one time about the definition of taqwa. This is Ameer ul-Mu'mineen, asking Khabbab radiyallahu ta'ala. And Khabbab radiyallahu ta'ala asked Umar ibn al-Khattab radiyallahu ta'ala: "Have you ever traversed, have you ever traveled through an area that is filled with thorny branches?" And he said yes. And he asked: "How did you protect yourself? Can you tell me how you applied caution?" And Umar said: "As I was walking through, traveling through that area, I would put my clothes together, hold my clothes together, and take every single step with great caution. I was very careful that my clothes would not get tangled with the thorny branches." So then Khabbab radiyallahu ta'ala said: "This — you being careful with every single step that you are taking and protecting your clothes — this is what taqwa is."

Ali's Definition of Taqwa

Someone asked Ali radiyallahu ta'ala about the definition of taqwa. He explained it in his own words, saying:

It is to be fearful of Allah — meaning that just like today we are fearful and we know very well what the consequences are if we break the law in this country, likewise Ali radiyallahu ta'ala is saying that the definition of taqwa is to be fearful of Allah, fully aware that if I break the orders of Allah, if I violate any rules or laws set down by Allah, or I abandon the sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ, then there will be consequences.

Then he says وَالْعَمَلُ بِالتَّنزِيلِ — to act upon and implement the teachings of the Quran. وَالْقَنَاعَةُ بِالْقَلِيلِ — and to be content with what Allah has given us. وَالِاسْتِعْدَادُ لِيَوْمِ الرَّحِيلِ — and to prepare ourselves for the everlasting day, the Day of Judgment. That is the definition of taqwa.

The Story of the Bowl of Milk

Let me share a story about a student. A student once came to a teacher. He wanted to learn what taqwa was — he didn't have a clear grasp upon what taqwa meant. So he went to a teacher and said: "I want to learn what taqwa is." The teacher asked: "Are you prepared to do anything I ask you to do in order to learn what taqwa is?" And the student said: "Absolutely. You're my teacher and I'm your student." So the teacher said: "Fair enough. I want you to take this bowl of milk. Every single day I take a bowl of milk to my teacher, who lives some distance away. Today, I want you to take that bowl of milk. But there are a few things you have to keep in mind."

"Number one: there is a certain route that you have to take — you will take only that path. Number two: this bowl of milk will be filled to the top, which means you have to be extra cautious as you are walking. Number three: I will assign a person to stand right behind you and monitor every single step that you are taking. If you do anything wrong, this person will document it and inform me later on."

So the student took the bowl of milk, followed all the instructions, went to the teacher's house, delivered the bowl of milk, and came back. He told the teacher: "I have delivered the bowl of milk. Now what?" So then the teacher asked him a few questions.

"On your way, there was a marketplace. Did you see that marketplace?" He said: "No, I did not see the marketplace because I was so immersed and so engrossed in that bowl of milk, making sure that nothing would drop from it. I therefore did not concentrate upon what was going on in that marketplace."

Then he said: "As you were going to my teacher's house, did you come across a beautiful river?" And he said: "No, I did not see the river. I did not pay attention to that."

Then he said: "When you were passing after that area, my nephew lives there. Did you see his big bungalow?" And the student said: "No, I didn't see that either. Why would I see that? I was concentrating on this bowl of milk."

Then he said: "When you got to my teacher's house, did you see his garden? His front garden is so lush, so beautiful — there are so many roses. Did you see that beautiful garden?" And the student said: "No, I did not pay attention to that."

So after all of this, the teacher said: "My job is done here. You have learned what taqwa is." The student was puzzled: "How did I learn what taqwa is? I mean, I just took a bowl of milk. How did you teach me taqwa?"

So the teacher explained: "Taqwa is to be cautious of every single step that you are taking in this dunya. Being careful of every single thing that you do or you say. Because you were cautious, you were fixated upon that bowl of milk — part of that is taqwa."

Then he said: "Part of taqwa also is that we do not admire and we do not get engrossed in the dunya that is around us. You did not concentrate on the river. You never concentrated upon the marketplace. You never looked at the big bungalow of my nephew. You never looked at the garden of my teacher. That is you being careful and focused on what you have to do — which was that bowl of milk. Part of that is taqwa."

Then he said: "Also part of taqwa is to have this awareness that someone is watching you. This person that was standing behind you — the teacher said there are two things you can learn from this. One is that there are Kiraman Katibin — they are writing every single thing that you do or you say. They document everything. Number two is that just like you had the awareness that this person was watching you constantly, likewise Allah is watching you constantly. To have this awareness and this frame of mind — that is called taqwa."

Everyday Examples of Taqwa

To have this awareness that Allah is watching me. We all fear someone, right? For an adult or for a driver, he fears the police officer. When you travel in Plano, you know that there are some certain places where the police sit. And as you pass that area, if you see the police, the first thing that you do is — you hit the brakes. Even if you're traveling at the standard speed limit, you hit the brakes right away. Why? Because there is a taqwa there. You have taqwa for the police there. Even if the police car is not sitting there at that moment, but you know that this is where the police car usually sits, you'll be careful when you travel in that area. Even if there's a police car on the highway with no one sitting in it — just because you see that cop car, again you hit the brakes right away. That is called taqwa.

Taqwa for a child is when they're playing on their laptop or on their phone, and their parents come in right away, and they hit those few buttons on the keyboard to switch screens quickly. They know how to get around the computer. So they switch screens, and the parent comes and says, "What were you doing?" And the child says, "I wasn't doing anything. Look what I was doing." That is called taqwa — not taqwa of Allah, but that's taqwa for your parents.

So this is what Allah wants from us. If we can have this awareness of mind, believe it or not, we will be changed people. If I know that someone is watching me at all times, I guarantee you, you will not do anything wrong. If we know that someone is looking into our heart — no one can say "I know what's in another brother's heart" or "I know what's in the sister's heart" — but Allah knows what's in our heart. Allah knows what we're thinking.

Ramadan: A Training Ground, Not the Test

So this Ramadan that we are being given — this is a time that we will fast insha'Allah. But Allah wants us to build this awareness within ourselves, so that hopefully after Ramadan is over, we can apply this taqwa.

Remember that Ramadan is not the test. Believe it or not, Ramadan is not your test. The test is after Ramadan. You know when you see people, they go and they practice. For a police officer, they go to a police academy and they practice there. They see these simulated criminals, they go through police training, they go to a gun range, and they practice their shooting. Likewise a firefighter has to go into a building on fire — it's a fake building, a fake fire — but they have to go through the simulation. A person who wants to become a pilot has to go through a flight simulation. Why? All this is practice — so that when the real time comes, they're fully prepared.

Likewise, Ramadan is not the test. Allah is telling us: I'm giving you the time of Ramadan so that you can build yourself, you can build your iman, you can build your taqwa, and I'm removing all the distractions. Who is that distraction? Shaytan is that distraction. Allah is telling us: I'm removing that distraction so that you can focus in Ramadan, you can prepare yourself for what is coming after Ramadan.

Because what happens after Ramadan is that people forget about fasting, people forget about the Quran, people are no longer praying Qiyamul Layl. At that time — when everyone is not fasting, you are the one who is fasting. When everyone has forgotten about Allah, hopefully at that time you will remember Allah. When people are no longer connected with the Quran, you are reading the Quran. This Ramadan is being given to us as a training, so that we can prepare ourselves for after Ramadan.

The Benefits of Taqwa

The question is: what do we get from taqwa? I've understood what taqwa is, I understand what Allah tells us in the Quran about taqwa, but what's the benefit in it for me? What do I get from taqwa?

First, Allah says in the Quran that you will receive guidance: هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ — if a person has taqwa, insha'Allah they will be guided.

Second, for a person who has taqwa in their life, Allah says:

Every single person is going through some type of trouble in their life. No one is exempt from this. Whether that problem is related to ourselves, our children, our family, our spouse — there's something going on in our lives. Allah is telling us: whoever applies taqwa in their life, for every single problem they find themselves in, Allah will create a way out for them. Would we not want that? Absolutely. We're all looking for a way out of our miseries, a way out of our challenges. Allah is telling us: apply taqwa and I will do that for you.

Not only that, but in the following ayah He says:

Many of us may not have a job, we're looking for jobs, we're looking for a better job. Allah is telling us: apply taqwa in your life, and I will remove these obstacles from your life, and not only that, but I will give you a source of income — I'll give you sustenance from places that you can never imagine. You never thought you'll get a job from this area or from this company. But because you apply taqwa in your life, hopefully, insha'Allah, Allah will make things easier for you, and you will get a job from places you could never have imagined.

Then, in the same surah, Allah says:

Once again — whoever applies taqwa in their life, Allah will make their difficult matters easy.

Whoever applies taqwa in their life, Allah will cover their shortcomings, Allah will cover their sins, and He will grant them more reward.

We all, as individuals, want dignity. We want to be respected in our community, within our families. We want to be dignified. Allah tells us: you want dignity, you want honor, you want respect? Apply taqwa in your life:

Allah does not look at what you have. Allah does not look at who you are. You want honor and dignity? You want to make sure that no one takes that honor away from you? Honor Allah. Apply taqwa in your life. Have this awareness of Allah. If you are always thinking of Allah, then I guarantee you Allah will always be on your side.

The Prophet ﷺ, one time sitting down with Ibn Abbas radiyallahu ta'ala anhuma, said:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2516)

"Oh child, let me teach you a few words today. Protect Allah and Allah will protect you." Meaning: you protect the orders of Allah, you implement the rules and the laws set by Allah, and Allah will protect you. Allah will always be on your side. When a person has taqwa, Allah is always on your side.

Allah says:

Allah is the wali — meaning He is your caretaker. He will be there at every single step of your life, only for those who have taqwa. The word wali was also used in Surah Yusuf. When Yusuf alayhi al-salam made du'a to Allah, he said: "Oh Allah, You granted me this great position, and You gave me the knowledge of interpreting dreams." And then he said:

You are the one who has created this world, the skies and the earth. You are my wali in this dunya and the akhirah. Allah was with Yusuf alayhi al-salam every step of the way in his life. And every single challenge that he faced, Allah was there to help him. Likewise Allah says وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ — for a person who has taqwa in their life, Allah is with them step by step along their way.

Making Ramadan Count

So these are the benefits of taqwa, my brothers and sisters. Allah teaches us about what taqwa is. He has mentioned taqwa throughout the Quran. Now, the responsibility is on our shoulders. Do we do the right things to bring taqwa into our life? Can we bring taqwa into our life? Absolutely. But we are the ones who have to make the right intention and to use the month of Ramadan to bring that taqwa into our life. If we don't, then we are the ones who are the losers — we are the ones who will be in khasara.

This is why it's very important to use this month of Ramadan. Let's use this month of Ramadan — make the niyyah right now — that Ramadan will be a month of taqwa for me. The month of Ramadan is going to be a month to bring myself closer to Allah. It's a month to bring myself closer to the Quran. It's a month of istighfar. Let us not waste this month of Ramadan.

Yesterday I was sitting down with some youth, asking them: "How much Quran did you recite last year in Ramadan?" Some said 10 juz, some said 5, one said 1. Some of the youth were laughing. I said: "Don't laugh at him." I told that youngster: "Even if you did one juz last year, don't worry about that. Make sure this year, you do at least 2 to 3 juz. Make sure that this Ramadan is better than your last year's Ramadan. Make sure that insha'Allah, if next year Allah keeps us alive, then next year's Ramadan will be better than this year's Ramadan." Every Ramadan has to be better than the previous Ramadan. If we can make that strong intention, and we can implement that intention and act accordingly, I guarantee you, every year we'll become a better person. Every year we'll become a better believer. We'll become a more model citizen for our community members.

May Allah give all of us the ability to act upon what's been said and heard. May Allah grant all of us taqwa in our lives, insha'Allah.

Du'a

May Allah bless us. O Allah, help Islam and Muslims. O Allah, help Islam and Muslims everywhere. O Allah, help us against those who are against us. Protect our country, heal our children, heal our sick, heal our afflicted, have mercy on our dead, and take our hands to all good, and protect us from all evil and from all harm. O Allah, grant us from Your fear what stands between us and Your disobedience, and from Your obedience what conveys us to Your paradise, and from certainty what makes the calamities of this world easy upon us. And grant us to hear, to see, and grant us to use what You have given us, and make it a part of us, and make our strength against those who have wronged us, and help us against those who have transgressed against us. And do not make our calamity in our religion, and do not make this world our greatest worry or the extent of our knowledge, and do not lead us to the fire, and bless us with Your mercy. Ameen, O Lord of the worlds.

Indeed, Allah commands justice, goodness, and giving to those who are close to Him, and forbids immorality, evil, and transgression. He warns you that you may remember. So remember Him — He will remember you — and be grateful to Him, and do not be ungrateful. Aqimu al-salah.