Ramadan: A Divinely Engineered Opportunity To Revive Our Hearts

Jumu'ah Khutbah — Preparing for Ramadan

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah. Peace be upon His chosen servants. We seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan.

O you who have believed! Fasting has been decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may fear Allah.

A Great Month is Upon Us

My dear respected brothers and sisters, respected elders and youngsters, peace be upon you. Allah Almighty is bringing upon us a very great month. As Rasulullah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, at the end of the month of Sha'ban, gave a khutbah to the Sahaba, may Allah be pleased with them all, in which he said that there is a great month, a blessed month, that is dawning upon you.

And for this month of Ramadan that is coming, we all have to make an active effort to prepare our hearts to receive the blessings of this month. Allah is not only the one who is sending down ahkam, awamir, and nawahi — prohibitions, and commands, and injunctions, and rules, and regulations, and do's and don'ts. That is not what Allah only is. But behind all of this, there is a purpose of Allah. He is the Musarriful Qulub — He is the one who changes the hearts, who turns the hearts.

And we hope that the Musarriful Qulub, the one who controls our hearts and the direction of our hearts, will turn our hearts, insha'Allah, sooner than later, even before Ramadan. As we do not know if we will even make it to Ramadan. We do not know if we will make it till the night. How many people, they see the sun rising and they do not see it setting. How many see it setting, do not see it rising the next day.

But we hope that Allah — ballighna Ramadan — will allow us to reach Ramadan, and allow us to take the full benefits of the month of Ramadan.

Ramadan: A Divinely Engineered Interruption

We have to understand, as Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, rahimahullah, mentions, that the month of Ramadan is not just a day-bound obligation. These are certain dates, ayyamul ma'dudat, that can be counted — from the first of Ramadan to the 29th or 30th of Ramadan, these particular dates you fast. It is not just an obligation that is restricted to a few dates; rather, it is a divinely engineered interruption in our schedule. It is from Allah — a season where He wants us deliberately, and with intention, and with ihtisab, looking forward for the reward from Allah, to consciously change our schedule and reconnect with Him.

So this is such a system from Allah that He is literally turning our schedule upside down. And if we still just go through the motions without paying any attention to what is going on, what is the intention of Allah — fala yaloomanna illa nafsahu — then we have no one to blame but ourselves. How much more can Allah do for us, and give us excuse upon excuse to turn towards Him?

So the actual statement of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, rahimahullah, he said:

He said the mawasim rabbaniyya — these different seasons that are from the Rabb, Allah — these sacred seasons are opportunities for reflection, opportunities for introspection, opportunities li ihya'il qulub, to bring our hearts alive.

If the hearts were sleeping, then you say istiqad — to wake up the sleeping heart. But since the hearts have, beyond sleep and slumber, gone into death itself, we have to revive the dead heart. This seems very difficult, but innallaha ala kulli shay'in qadeer, wa bil-ijabati jadeer, kazalika yuhyi illahul mawta — Allah is the one who will bring the dead back to life on the Day of Judgment. So, insha'Allah, Allah can bring our dead hearts back to life.

The Meaning of La'allakum Tattaqun

The ayah that I recited in the beginning has so many different lessons. We'll be quoting it multiple times, each time with something different. But Allah says ya ayyuhalladhina amanu — O those who believe. Allah is addressing the mu'minoon, not ya ahlul kitab, not ya ayyuhannas — O mankind. But after you enter into Islam, then: ya ayyuhalladhina amanu, kutiba alaykumus siyam — fasting has been prescribed upon you.

And if we feel this is such an obligation, how are we going to be able to fulfill it? This is not a bala' in the worst sense — but there is a statement: al-bala' idha amma khaffa — that when the calamity becomes general and inclusive of everyone, and everybody has to go through it, then it becomes easier to bear. So Allah says: don't worry, kama kutiba alal ladhina min qablikum — it was prescribed upon people prior to you, so if they survived, you will also survive. La'allakum tattaqun — so that perchance you may gain taqwa.

This last part is what I wanted to focus on. La'alla — this word indicates that there is hope, not certainty. It is not for yaqeen and conviction; it is hope, perchance, possibly. That is, if you fulfill all of the huquq of fasting, then you will attain taqwa. But it is definitely not something guaranteed.

This is what Imam Fakhruddin al-Razi, rahimahullah, in his Tafsir al-Kabir pointed out. He said: law kana as-sawmu mujiban lit-taqwa hataman lama qala Allahu ta'ala la'allakum tattaqun — if fasting in and of itself would guarantee that whoever is fasting, in whichever way, shape, or form, will acquire taqwa, then Allah would not have said la'allakum tattaqun — perhaps you may gain taqwa.

Because, as we know, Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, warned us:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1690; also reported in Musnad Ahmad)

This is such a sobering hadith — how many people there are who are fasting, and the only thing they acquire from their fasting is hunger and thirst. And how many people there are who are standing up late at night, but the only thing they get is saharu wa ta'ab — staying awake at night and exhaustion the next day. So fasting's reward is not something guaranteed. It is something we have to prepare for beforehand to be able to, insha'Allah, reach that reality.

The Practice of the Salaf

What was the practice of the Salaf? Mu'alla ibn al-Fadl mentions:

The way of the Salaf was that for up to 6 months, they used to continue to make du'a: O Allah, allow us to reach Ramadan. SubhanAllah — if you are making du'a for so long, why 6 months? Why not the whole 12? Well, Ramadan is 1 month, so it is 11 months outside of it. The answer is in the next part: that after Ramadan would finish, they would be making du'a for the other half — up to 6 months — saying: O Allah, accept our fast of Ramadan. Accept our qiyam of Ramadan. Accept our sadaqa of Ramadan.

They are continually making du'a and making istighfar — seeking forgiveness for not fulfilling the haq. Because this is one of the obligations: that at the completion of an amal, even the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — sayyidul awwaleen, sayyidul aakhireen — the one whose ibadah is the pinnacle of ibadah, the standard of ibadah — after performing salah, after the final salam, would say astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah. Did he lie? Did he cheat? Did he backbite? No — he performed salah. And yet he says astaghfirullah. Because: ma abadnaaka haqqa ibadatik — I cannot worship You the way You deserve to be worshipped.

So half the year after Ramadan they seek Allah's forgiveness — O Allah, we did not fulfill Your right in Ramadan. And then they switch gears, and in the next half of the year they are asking Allah: O Allah, allow us to reach Ramadan. The qubuliyya — the acceptance — is a secret that Allah alone knows. Wal-qabulu makhfiyy — the acceptance is hidden by Allah. It will become apparent on the Yawm al-Din, the Yawm al-Hisab. May Allah accept our fast.

The Three Levels of Fasting

What are some of the levels of fasting? As mentioned by al-Nawawi, rahimahullah — the first, basic level of the awam, the common people, is to abstain from food and from fulfilling shahawat. The bottom line. This is the fast of the body.

Number two is the fasting of the limbs — the fasting of the jawarih — meaning protecting the body parts from all different forms of disobedience. Protecting the eyes from looking at haram, the ears from listening to haram, the mind from imagining haram, the hands from grasping haram, the feet from walking towards haram. All of the limbs to protect them from the unlawful. That which was lawful, we are already abstaining from — food and drink and halal relations with our spouse. So how can we not abstain from that which is unlawful throughout our entire lives?

And lastly — first was fasting of the stomach, the body. Second, fasting of the bodily limbs. Third is the fasting of the heart. The imsak of the heart. The heart itself turning away, emptying itself from everything besides Allah. To become among those who gain the ma'rifah and recognition of Allah, who make the dhikr of Allah —

Standing, sitting, or reclining — the indication being: at all times.

Don't become like those who forget about Allah. The obligation of remembering Allah is never uplifted.

And this is a practical experience. Just like when you go to school, you have the science class and then you have the science lab. In the science class, you learn the theory. Then you go into the lab — the practical part. You learn how to drive, then you sit behind the wheel. So likewise, there is a talk about —

Do you not know that Allah is watching you? This is istifham — this is for taqrir. Allah is asking you a question with negation: Do you not know that I am watching you? That is the theory. But then what happens is the practical application — you go to the water cooler, then you stop. You want to grab a Snickers? Take a break and grab a KitKat? Whatever it may be — you remember that Allah is watching. This is the practical lab where it becomes experiential. We experience: inna allaha ma'iya, yarani, wa yasma'u kalami — Allah is with me, He sees me, He watches what I'm doing, He hears what I'm saying. This is la'allakum tattaqun — perchance you may gain taqwa. It is not guaranteed. It is something we have to work for.

As the Day of Judgment is coming in which neither wealth nor children will be of any avail —

Except for the one who comes with the sound heart. How are we going to make that heart sound? By working on it in the month of Ramadan.

Ramadan: The Month of the Qur'an

If you bear with me, let us examine this concept of preparing for Ramadan a little bit deeper. Many times we think: okay, I get it, Ramadan is coming, gotta get ready for it — what's the big deal? But a more subtle point that some of the mufassirun have mentioned, which really touched me and that is why I am sharing it with you, is that when Allah introduces the month of Ramadan, there were so many different things He could have said. There are so many different aspects, fada'il, virtues of this month that He could have mentioned — shahru sabr, the month of patience, shahru mawasa, the month of compassion, the month of mercy, the month of charity. But Allah says:

The month of Ramadan — this is the month in which the Qur'an was revealed. Showing that the most important and first attribute of the month of Ramadan is its link with divine revelation.

The Qur'an came down in two ways — one is the inzal of the Qur'an and one is the tanzil of the Qur'an. With its entirety, it was revealed from the Lawh al-Mahfuz to the sama' al-dunya, the near sky. This happened in the month of Ramadan. And from the earthly near sky, the second revelation came upon Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam —

That is over 23 years this revelation came, and it also began in Ramadan. It was not only in Ramadan naturally, but it began in Ramadan. So this is the link of the Qur'an with Ramadan. And beyond the Qur'an, the Suhuf Ibrahim and Musa, and the Torah and Zabur and Injil — previous scriptures were also revealed in the month of Ramadan. There is a very strong link between Ramadan and divine revelation.

The Preparation Required to Receive Revelation

Now, the month of Ramadan is the month of Qur'an. We are still sitting in Sha'ban — so why are we talking about it? It is because Sha'ban immediately precedes Ramadan. We have a precedent, a track record in the Qur'an, that we see time and again from the beginning — there is a definitive preparation period before getting to the level of receiving the benefit from wahi and revelation.

Let us start with Karimullah Musa, alayhis salam, historically. Allah says:

In short, it means that he had to do 40 nights of ibadah, 40 nights of spiritual preparation, before he began to become considered — at some level — qualified to receive the Torah from Allah.

The same pattern we see with respect to Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: kana yata'abbadu fi Ghari Hira — the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would be in deep meditation and worship before his Prophethood in the Cave of Hira. It is called ta'abbud. He used to perform a specific form of worship before Prophethood in seclusion, worshipping Allah, spiritually elevating himself to reach the level of being able to receive the Divine Revelation.

He still needed the three very strong injections of spirituality from Jibreel, alayhis salam — as we nowadays have resuscitation of the heart. He grabbed him and held him so tight:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3)

He was resuscitating his heart from Allah, and there was that transmission — the nisba transferred from Jibreel, Ruh al-Amin, from Allah to Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. So he had to go through a lot to be able to receive the revelation. And then:

That heavy kalam — he was ready to receive it. So for us as well, if we do not prepare our hearts now and start trying to get that rust off — we are nowhere near that level of Ruh al-Amin coming down to do that for us — but what happened to the condition of our hearts is:

All the sins we have been committing have completely rusted it out — totally. And what happens is now when this beautiful Qur'an, the month of Qur'an, is going to come, we are not going to be ready to receive its benefits. So we have to get working on it as soon as possible — start polishing it, getting it ready beforehand. Otherwise we will not be able to benefit.

Al-Shatibi, rahimahullah, says:

The Qur'an will not allow any of its secrets and benefits to reach anybody unless the person first empties out his heart from batil, empties out his heart from the dhulmat, the darknesses of sins. Man arada al-'ilma falyuthawwir al-Qur'an — if you want any knowledge, you have to deeply probe into the Qur'an. The Qur'an that was revealed upon Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was revealed at night, in stillness, to the heart of Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, who had been going through this muraqabah for so long that his heart had already become detached from the dunya. So that is the preparation that is required now, if we want to, insha'Allah, hopefully benefit from the month of Ramadan.

Ramadan's Forgiveness: An Offering, Not a Guarantee

At the end, I conclude with that one beautiful statement of Ibn Rajab once again. He says:

SubhanAllah. The forgiveness of Ramadan — all the sins being forgiven, entering into Jannah, all the rewards — ma'rudah la mafrudah: it is an offering from Allah. It is not imposed and guaranteed from Allah. It is an offering. Come and take it. If you want it and strive for it, you will receive it. But just because Ramadan is coming, everyone is not automatically forgiven. That is not the case.

May Allah allow us to realize that such a blessing is coming. It is a huge potential reward — a huge season of forgiveness that can either be capitalized upon, or can be completely lost. That is why on one side the rewards are so great, and on the other side the warnings are also so great. He is cursed by Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and the ameen of Jibreel was said upon it:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6076; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2551)

Whoever finds the month of Ramadan and still does not attain forgiveness. May Allah give me and you and all of us the tawfeeq to make amal and prepare for the month in the proper manner and receive all its benefits.

Announcements

Sadaqah tadfa'ul bala' — charity repels calamities and draws the mercy of Allah. Please pass the donation boxes from left to right. There are also kiosks in the lobby. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said that sadaqah given on the day of Jumu'ah is more rewarding than any other day.

We have some upcoming events. The Jami'ul Masjid fundraising dinner is on February 15th at 6pm at Shalimar. They are here in the lobby — please purchase your tickets and donate to this very worthy cause of building Jami'ul Masjid, insha'Allah.

Also, we have a Laylatul Bara'ah program coming with Mufti Azeemuddin on Monday, February 2nd after Isha. Fiqh of Fasting with Mufti Sa'ad Raouf on Friday, February 6th after Isha. Fiqh of Zakat with — insha'Allah — myself on Sunday, February 22nd after Dhuhr Salah.

Weekly programs: Every Monday night we have a podcast with Mufti Azeemuddin. Tuesday nights I do Tafsir. Thursday nights we have an Urdu program on Imam al-Tirmidhi's Shama'il al-Muhammadiyya. Saturdays we have a team Fajr program covering the lives of the Sahaba. Weekends we have the Tafhim al-Din programs and a whole host of sisters' programs as well.

Du'a requests: Please make du'a for shifa for brother Fawaz Al-Hassan who is in the hospital. One of the students' relatives, Sister Khadija, was diagnosed with blood cancer and has a surgery on Monday — please make du'a for her shifa. Brother Haris had a cardiac arrest — please make du'a for his shifa. And please make du'a for the entire Ummah.