Cultivating the Right Mindset for Ramadan's Blessings

Opening

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. We praise Him, we pray, and we salute His noble Messenger. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our actions.

After this, may my Lord open my heart and ease my affairs, and release a knot from my tongue, so that my words may be understood. Beloved brothers and sisters, esteemed and honorable guests of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

The Blessing of Reaching Sha'ban

Alhamdulillah, it is through the great virtue of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, it is through the great kindness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the extreme kindness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and it is from His blessings that He has allowed us and granted us life. And He has allowed us to experience another month of Rajab. And now we are in the month of Sha'ban, and we pray and we make dua that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allows us to see another Ramadan.

For the sahabah radiyallahu anhum, and many amongst the salaf, and even we see in the life of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, they all used to look forward to the month of Ramadan. They used to wait for it eagerly. And they had this mindset that to them Ramadan was perhaps one of the greatest times in the year.

And we see this also, Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has mentioned this in a few ahadith. He has mentioned:

That there is no month that has ever passed for a believer that is better than the month of Ramadan.

And in another hadith, Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has mentioned:

That the best of months is the month of Ramadan.

The Wrong Mindset Towards Ramadan

Unfortunately for many of us, it has reached a point where we do not look forward to the month of Ramadan. Or even if we do look forward to it, we are also taken aback and we are hesitant because of the seeming burden that we are going to have to take. May Allah protect us.

That some of us have this mindset — as Ramadan approaches, we are happy, but at the same time we think to ourselves: "Oh, but now I have to fast. Oh, but now I have to fast and go to work at the same time. Then I'm going to have to also come to the masjid and perform taraweeh salah." And so on and so forth. At times, this actually prevents us from really benefiting as much as we should be, and from really looking forward to it as we should be. But this should not be the case.

Energy Flows Where the Mind Goes

How are we going to protect ourselves from this? How are we going to correct our mindset? Well, we have to go back to the ahadith of Rasulullah ﷺ, and we have to look at the Qur'an as well and see the great virtues and the blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has for us in these actions. Whether it comes to the recitation of the Qur'an, or even fasting, or refraining from other acts of sin and increasing acts of devotion and worship — we have to attach ourselves.

Our teacher used to say: "The energy flows where the mind goes." He used to give an example.

When we were studying in South Africa, the school day was very rigorous. The week in fact was extremely rigorous, and you didn't have much time at all. Throughout the week it was on average, I would say, plus minus 10 hours of mandatory studying time — where you had to sit in the class under the instruction of a teacher, or you had to sit and read a book or review material. And some students even went beyond those 10 hours.

And in fact it wasn't just Monday through Friday, but it was actually Monday through Saturday. Saturday you would start early in the morning from 7, and then you'd only end around 1 PM. So you didn't even have a proper weekend. You just had plus minus, not even one and a half days — because by Sunday Maghrib time, you had to start studying again, mandatory studying time. So the whole week the students are exhausted. They're so tired.

They give an opportunity for the students, of course, because you are there the whole entire day, the whole week, and you don't have anything else to do. The day is structured such that there is also a time to take a nap. And there are also younger children who are enrolled in the hifz program. You'll find that between the ages of 12 and 13, what kind of a 12-year-old actually wants to take a nap? But you'll find the whole entire school, everyone is knocked out when it's time to take the nap, because it's so rigorous — if you don't take the nap, you're never going to make it. And the students are generally very tired.

And now when the weekend comes, that's the time you have to relax. You should take it off and go to sleep, have a really nice long nap from Dhuhr to Asr. But what do you see? You see that the children, every single one of them, is up and about — they're playing soccer, they're playing basketball, they're playing various different sports, and they're so energetic. Where did all of that energy come from? So the teacher mentions: it's because they know this is the only day they have. They know that this is the only opportunity, so the energy, it comes about. The energy flows where the mind goes.

So similarly, if we are to review the ahadith of Rasulullah ﷺ about the virtues of fasting, the virtues of reading Qur'an, the virtues of standing up and performing salah before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the virtues of making dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the virtues of feeding others in the month of Ramadan — then we will find that we will be able to recharge our batteries, and we will look forward to every single second of the month of Ramadan.

Connecting to Resources as a Family

This is something that we have to take our own time, and we have to do. Some books that we can read together as a family — as I found immense benefit in this, even with my own family. Before moving here, we used to regularly read, right before the month of Ramadan started, a few books on the topic. And alhamdulillah, it was so beneficial. The first year we did that; the second year we called other extended family members and we did it on Zoom. And then after that, because of COVID, there were online lectures for the whole entire community on the topic.

What we can do together as family members is we can read books like Riyadh al-Salihin, or we can read books like Fada'il al-A'mal, the chapter regarding fasting. And when it comes to these books, we read them together as a family. And if there are any questionable things that come to mind — certain things that seem a bit odd — then that is when we bring it to the attention of a scholar so that he can mention to us whether it is reliable or should be avoided, or so on and so forth. But we should still attach ourselves to these books and read them together as a family.

And whenever we hear any opportunity for any such lecture happening in our locality, we should take it upon ourselves to attend.

The Virtues of Fasting in Ramadan

Some of these ahadith we have heard about. When it comes to fasting, Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 38; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 760)

That person who fasts in the month of Ramadan — إِيمَانًا, having faith, وَاحْتِسَابًا, and also hoping and anticipating reward — then what is in store for him? غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ — all of his past sins are going to be forgiven.

When a person is fasting, they also take out the time — generally when a person is sick, you feel very weak. Especially when a person is so sick that he finds difficulty in moving — when he prays salah and carries himself out, and he is conscious of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, then he cries to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala about his helpless state, and he asks for help, and he asks for mercy from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

When a person fasts, they enter a very similar state, where a person is very weak, it's very difficult for him to carry out different tasks during the day, and he realizes truly how weak he is, and he calls on to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Now the spirit with which you call on to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala at that time will result in so much greatness. That is also why Rasulullah ﷺ has promised, at the time when a person breaks his fast, that he will receive such a dua which is readily accepted by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And the earnestness with which a person makes that dua is definitely going to be much higher. And when a person asks for forgiveness, it's going to generally be more sincere.

The Virtue of Suhoor

When it comes to waking up in the morning, sometimes we tend to be very lax on this. We think to ourselves: "If I don't wake up for suhoor, I'm going to have an extra hour of sleep. I'll eat as much as I can before going to sleep, and then I'm going to sleep through suhoor, I'll wake up for my Fajr, I'll perform my Fajr, and I'll carry on with the rest of my day." And many a time, this is what many of us think. But we fail to realize that Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned so many various different virtues for the person who wakes up for suhoor to eat that early morning meal.

In fact, it is mentioned that the mala'ikah, the angels, they all make dua for that individual who partakes in the early morning suhoor meal. So this is also something that we need to be very particular about. In fact, Rasulullah ﷺ stressed this to the point that even if it's just a single date, or even if it's a sip of water — ensure that you wake up to attain the barakah of the angels. And you'll find such strength in those few morsels. If you wish to eat a few morsels instead of a heftier meal, you'll still find barakah in that, which will help carry you throughout the day.

The Virtue of Qiyam al-Layl in Ramadan

Besides that, it is also the month of reading Qur'an. And in other ahadith, Rasulullah ﷺ has emphasised the night prayers, as well as in certain ahadith also encouraged one to perform taraweeh salah. This is also something that we should look forward to. Rasulullah ﷺ mentioned:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 37; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 759)

That person who stands up in the month of Ramadan with faith and also looking forward to it, anticipating reward — not just lazily or sluggishly, or because of peer pressure, or because of pressure from other family members — but rather hoping for reward before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. As a servant of Allah carrying out your duty, imagine and put yourself in this situation: "O Allah, despite whatever tasks I have to take care of, despite whatever condition I'm in, I'm still coming solely for Your worship and hoping and anticipating Your reward." With a positive outlook, the reward that you'll receive and the benefit that you'll get is such that all of your sins will be forgiven, and the peace and contentment that you'll gain — and the enjoyment that you'll gain in that ibadah — will be incomparable to anything else.

Like that, there are so many more ahadith. But again, the emphasis is not necessarily in this lecture to discuss the various different virtues. Rather the emphasis is that we connect ourselves to these resources which are available — whether it be by books, whether it be by lectures, whether it be by approaching scholars and asking them to conduct such lectures. The whole purpose is that we connect ourselves and we begin to acquaint ourselves with the various different virtues that Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned and that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has discussed.

The Qur'anic Command to Fast

Allah mentions:

This is such a thing. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud radiyallahu anhu mentions: once a person came and asked him, "Give me some advice." He said, "Anytime you hear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala saying يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا — فَأَرْعِهَا سَمْعَكَ — then give it your undivided attention, for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is addressing you directly."

This is something that we see only in the Qur'an. There is no other book, there is no other divinely revealed scripture that addresses the believers in such a manner — that Allah is addressing you directly. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا — O you who believe. Allah says: كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ — this is an address to you, this is to the Farhan, to the Fatimah, to the Zayd — that you, My special servant: كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ — I have prescribed fasting upon you. Fasting has been prescribed upon you for your benefit.

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud radiyallahu anhu mentions: why should you listen very attentively? فَإِنَّهُ خَيْرٌ يَأْمُرُ بِهِ أَوْ شَرٌّ يَنْهَى عَنْهُ — because it is goodness that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is mentioning and laying out for you, or it is evil that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is prohibiting you from.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala then looks at our comfort, and He looks at our mindset. He understands that we may find it to be quite difficult. So then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions: كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ — just as it has been prescribed and ordained upon those before you. That this isn't something new that I'm only asking you to carry out. This isn't such a difficult task. In fact Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions:

Just a few days. It's so few that you can actually count them. And this isn't something that you won't be able to do — but rather it is tried and tested, and so many people have done it before you. In a hadith, it is mentioned in Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith number 2863, that this is something that many of the prophets before also instructed their nations with. When it came to fasting, this was something that various different nations had to do. And the ummah of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam also has to do so.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala continues the verse, and at the end He mentions:

That "I haven't made it difficult for you — but if you are sick or if you are traveling, such that you're not able to fast, then you can make it up with a number of days afterwards." يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ — Allah continues and He mentions that Allah only intends ease for you. وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ — He doesn't intend difficulty for you. But all of this — the whole entire system of fasting — is only for our benefit. Why? لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ — at the very beginning Allah mentions: so that you may attain Allah-consciousness. So that you may connect yourselves with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Story of the Village and the Guest Named Ramadan

To end off, I would like to mention a story — again, for us to understand how our mindset should be, and to prepare ourselves accordingly.

There once was an alim, and he had the opportunity of passing through a village on his way to another town. And as he was passing through — in those days there weren't that many places where he could stay; there weren't really planes; he had to travel by foot, or by other modes of conveyance, maybe a horse or a camel. And as he was traveling, he passed by a village. This village was such that they didn't have any scholar residing in their town. It was a very small village, and when they found out that this person was a person of knowledge, they were extremely happy and so excited. And they told him, "You know, Sheikh, nobody comes to our town, and you've told us that you're such a great alim, you're such a great sheikh — you have to address our people, and you have to share some information with us. You have to share some of what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has taught you."

So he said, "Okay, fine, no problem. When do you want me to speak?" They appointed a time, they called everyone in the village, they came to their town hall, and they advertised it such that everyone was present.

Now when the alim came and he was speaking to them, he told them about a very special guest. He told them: "A very special guest is going to come to you all soon. And when this guest comes, then you're going to have to refrain from eating food just right before sunrise, or before the break of dawn. And then you should refrain from eating in order to honor your guest until the sun sets. And then also when your guest comes, you should ensure to read a lot of Qur'an."

And then the faces of the individuals — all the villagers — when they were listening, they were so happy at first, they were gleaming, because they didn't have many of these opportunities. But as he kept on speaking and telling them how to honor this guest, he saw that the smiles started turning upside down into frowns, one after another after another.

Anyways, he finished his lecture. He told them: "You're also going to have to read more Qur'an, you're going to have to pray more salah, you're going to have to help and assist others." And then he finished his lecture. They were very kind people, they appreciated him. And then he continued and he went on his way to the next town.

Now, they decided to have a meeting — they called and summoned everyone immediately. Village meeting in the town hall. They discussed with one another: "You see, the Sheikh was talking about a guest. We can't do that. How are we going to stay away from eating our lovely meals? And then we have to get rid of our lunch, we have to eat so early, and then wait till so late at night, and then we have to read Qur'an... No, we can't do that. This guest — we have to take care of him."

"What we're going to do is we're going to set up barriers at every entrance to the town. Any person who comes by, we're going to ask them." And as the alim was giving the lecture, he had told them the name of this guest. The name of the guest was Ramadan.

So at every post, as each person came through: "What's your name?" "My name is Muhammad." Go ahead. "What is your name?" "My name is Abdullah." No problem. "What is your name?" "My name is Zayd." So on and so forth — until one person came. They asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "My name is Ramadan." — Ramadan Ali. Some people have the name Ramadan. They took their bats and they started beating him and sending him all the way home. He didn't even know what he had done. And they continued the month like that, very nicely, and they were perfectly fine.

Now the time came for this sheikh to return home, and he decided to go through the town. So he came and asked, "So how was your guest? How was the guest?" They mentioned, "Oh, you mean Ramadan? Oh, Ramadan — don't worry, we didn't have to fast, we didn't have to read Qur'an, we didn't have to pray salah — we sent him packing straight back where he came from." So then he asked, "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" They said, "You said our guest's name is Ramadan. Ramadan came, and then we sent him back home."

So then he realised: "Oh, you foolish individuals — didn't you understand? I was trying to talk about the month of Ramadan. I thought you had at least this much sense, that when the time for the month of Ramadan comes, then you're supposed to fast. Didn't you understand what I was trying to say?"

But they were villagers, and they didn't have the opportunity, and they didn't realise, they didn't understand. But for us, the lesson is in this: that our attitude should not be such like that of the villagers, who felt it was going to be a burden and was going to be very difficult. But rather we should look forward to embracing the month of Ramadan, and we should look forward to carrying out all the various different actions. As of course at the end of the day, all of that is only truly for our benefit, and is a time to truly come closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Closing Du'a

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us all the ability to connect ourselves to the Qur'an, to connect ourselves to the ahadith, and to connect ourselves to the ulema, and to acquaint ourselves with the various different virtues of the month of Ramadan — of fasting, and all the various different actions, of reading Qur'an, of making dua, of assisting and helping out the less fortunate. Jazakumullahu khayran. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us all tawfiq.

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Du'a Requests

There are many dua requests. Sheikh Omar Hussaini, hafidhullah, also my teacher, will be undergoing surgery early next week. Please keep him in your duas. There is a family requesting dua for their younger brother who is undergoing cancer treatment. Another family is requesting dua for an elderly sister who is undergoing treatment for her brain tumor. Zahir Siddiqi is in ICU and critical after his surgery — he is recovering but still needs a lot of prayers. Atifa Ma'mun had a stroke yesterday and is currently under observation at the hospital. Please also make dua for her recovery.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala cure all those that are ill. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant them complete shifa as soon as possible with 'afiyah.