Mufti Memoirs, Episode #2 | A Four Part Series with Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed! | Ramadan 2025

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad, and upon the family of our Master Muhammad, and bless and send peace. O Lord, open my chest and ease my affairs, and release the knot from my tongue so that my speech will remain.

Glory be to You, there is no knowledge for us but what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, All-Wise.

O Allah, teach us what benefits us, and benefit us with what You have taught us, and increase us in knowledge and action. O Allah, enlighten our hearts with Your knowledge, and use our bodies for Your obedience, and guide us to what You love and are pleased with, through speech, action, intention, and guidance. You have power over all things.

Reflections from Malawi: Returning to a Natural Fitrah

The country I had visited a few months ago, Malawi — and although the tour lasted only the first six hours of the trip — I was at least, at the very end, able to hopefully convey some of the main reflections and points that I wanted to share with the community: gratitude for the blessings we have, as well as understanding how unnatural our lives have become with all sorts of luxuries, but also a lot of the technology that has disturbed our normal fitrah. Not only obviously the smartphone and whatnot, but even something like electricity — because over there, it's a very natural way of waking up and a very natural way of sleeping. When the sun sets, everyone goes to sleep.

One hour and a half after the sun sets, there are no lights. And when dawn breaks, the lights are on, so everyone is up. Whether you are a Christian or a Muslim, everyone is awake. SubhanAllah — a very natural lifestyle of the night being for sleep and rest, and the day being for work, as Allah Himself mentions in the Qur'an:

We have created the night as a garment — like a blanket to cover yourself — to relax, rest, and get that much-needed sleep that the sleep of the day cannot make up for. And Allah says: We made the day a time for earning livelihood.

Alhamdulillah, those were some of the many reflections I had from spending time in the villages. And I would encourage all of us to travel with our children to such places, our families to such places, for them to truly get an idea of what a natural lifestyle is.

Traveling as a Muslim: The Siyāḥah of the Ummah

Now when we're thinking about traveling — Ramadan, after Ramadan, spring break is coming, people will be traveling, summer is coming — many families have a standard procedure. Those whom Allah has blessed with a little extra abundance have regular travels, sometimes international, to different parts of the world or different parts of the country. Traveling is very beneficial. But a person needs to have a very clear purpose of why he is traveling.

The Prophet ﷺ has said something ajeeb, a hadith related by Imam Abu Dawood:

(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith 2486)

Which means: the siyāḥah — the tourism — of my ummah is striving and struggling in the path of Allah. The obvious literal meaning is clear to all of us. But you can also take another meaning: that whenever a person travels, even if it means for relaxing or tourism purposes — which is okay — there has to be the element of ikhlas, sincerity for the sake of Allah, and the struggle for deen.

For example, a person is traveling to a foreign country where there is not much Muslim presence. Nowadays Japan has become a popular destination. Some people go to Eastern Europe. Great, go visit. But in the process, a person needs to remember and remind himself and his children and spouse: we are going to establish the deen of Allah wherever we can. Even a simple aspect of publicly praying salah is a very huge da'wah — not only da'wah for others, but it strengthens our own children. For them to see their dad and their mom, no matter where they are — whether on a beach somewhere or in the middle of a city center — when it is time for salah, they are unapologetically performing their salah.

One of the boys gives the adhan, one gives the iqamah, put down your little thin plastic mats or jackets if you don't have anything else, and you pray. That little five minutes of prayer, besides giving da'wah to others, actually strengthens the faith of our children. We are teaching them that Islam is not to be preserved within the four walls of a masjid. This is where it just starts. The real work is outside. The majority of our interactions are going to be outside — hence we have to practice our deen outside.

The Empire State Building Musalla: A Story of Hidden Hikmah

A person went to the Empire State Building and went up to the observatory at the top. It came sunset time — time for Maghrib. Just like I'm telling you, he gave adhan, iqamah, and prayed Maghrib with his kids. Halfway through the salah, a security guard showed up and tried to stop him: "You can't pray here." He made a big scene. "You're going to get arrested for this." Eventually, they took him downstairs and made it into a big deal — a low-level security officer. The dad is being manhandled in front of the kids. Very upsetting.

So he decided what to do. He made a lawsuit. SubhanAllah — he said, it was so bad the way I was mistreated, but look at the hikmah that was hidden behind it. Through the barakah of the lawsuit, they established a musalla there. An actual musalla. He said: many times you think something is horrible and bad for you, but there is hidden benefit in it.

This is a man who lives in New York. He just took his kids to the Empire State Building — that is it. But when a person has a good niyyah, look at how much khair comes out. We cannot imagine how much it would cost to establish a dedicated place of salah in one of the most iconic buildings in the country. But Allah gave it to him. And he is getting the reward for becoming the means of establishing a place of salah in that building.

Representing Islam Wherever We Go

When a person travels, that is the key thing, brothers. We should travel as Muslims. You don't have to be going to a Muslim country. Even if you're going to a non-Muslim country — please travel as a Muslim, as a representative of the Prophet ﷺ. And because you're an American, and usually spending a good amount of money when you travel, you will actually be able to make an impact in a lot of places.

For example, you go to a country overseas where lots of tourists are coming. You go to the hotel you're staying at or a restaurant you're visiting, and you explain why you're not eating something on the menu — because it is not halal. The waiter may come and say, "This is chef's special, we have this and that." And you say, "Just give me the fish, without alcohol, and make sure it's fried separately." But don't just walk away. Try to have an impact. Ask to speak to the manager. Ask: how many tourists do you get from the Middle East? They'll say, "Oh my God, they are our top customers — they book out entire floors." And then say: "They're not the only Muslims. You've got them, and you've got us, and people coming from Britain, and other places. We love your establishment, but we would love to spend even more money here if you would try to make a little accommodation by providing halal."

Many times, people don't know about halal because no one talks about it. No one demands it.

The FDA Story: What We Could Have Had

I know a brother here locally, a physician, whose brother was head of a regional division of the USDA's meat inspection authority covering five or six states. He told me this about his own brother — and this story is about 12 or 13 years old. He said: the Saudis — a prince — came to make a deal with one of the slaughterhouses, a major non-Muslim beef company. The deal was in the hundreds of millions for the entire country for a whole year. His brother was sitting there on behalf of the government to oversee the deal.

He said: the deal was so large that if you were to demand that every cow should be facing Mecca, that every cow should be given water to drink before slaughter, and that there should be a sharpened knife for every single slaughter — they would have done it. Because it was too big of a deal to let go. So his brother tells him: the guy asked, "Do you have any special requests or demands?" And he said, "None whatsoever. I just need a stamp of halal on the boxes. That's it."

Whatever situation we find ourselves in today is honestly because of our own faults — because of us not wanting to actually explain Islam to people in a nice manner, and not setting our expectations clearly.

The Power of Ikhlas: Stories of Youth Taking Initiative

Establishing Jumu'ah in a Public School

When I was previously Imam in Frankfort, Illinois at the AIAA Masjid, we had a small retreat at another masjid. Afterwards, a young student — a 10th grader in public school — came to me and said: "Sheikh, I now realize Jumu'ah is necessary and obligatory for men who have reached the age of maturity. But I'm in school. We don't have Jumu'ah there. What do I do?"

I said: go and simply ask the administration that you would like to establish Jumu'ah salah in the school. Monday morning he went straight to the principal's office. The principal said she had never heard such a request and referred it to the superintendent. After a meeting, the superintendent said, "No problem — get a letter from your imam confirming this is necessary."

I had pulled out all the relevant laws from the 1990s that allowed school children to establish their salah in a public school. But I said: we are not going to pull this out first. We don't want to go in antagonistic and ready to fight. Let's keep this as a backup at the very end if need be. So alhamdulillah, I wrote a letter: it is obligatory for Muslim men to pray Jumu'ah; you must create an opportunity for him to pray in school or let him leave during the last period to go pray. She accepted the letter.

Then the boy came back and said: "Sheikh, I'm stuck." The superintendent had said: "Your imam's letter is strongly worded. It seems like you really must pray Jumu'ah or else you'll be in trouble based on your religious beliefs. I've been superintendent and in various positions in this school district for 30 years. Hundreds of Muslim kids have gone through here, and I have never — in 30 years — even heard a single request for prayer. That confuses me. Are you following a separate sect? In 30 years, not a single parent has ever come to ask for provisions for prayer."

He came to me: "Sheikh, what do I do now?" I told him: just tell her — not all Christians go to church either. Everyone calls themselves Christian, but what percentage regularly attend? Imagine if church was on Wednesday during the day — how many would leave school and go? That is just the reality. A large chunk of people are simply not practicing, and we cannot be blamed for that.

Alhamdulillah, she gave him a provision — about 8 to 10 minutes. Now this boy went through the school all week to gather Muslims. "Hey, Assalamu Alaykum — we've got Jumu'ah!" What was heartbreaking is that kids literally asked him: "What's that?" Eventually, there were more girls than boys who showed up — wearing skirts and tank tops, just completely outside the Islamic dress code. He asked: "What do I do?" I said: what are you going to do? You have to start somewhere.

He had two boys and maybe six, seven, or eight girls. He would bring prayer mats from home. He asked how to give a Jumu'ah khutbah and I taught him the basic things. SubhanAllah — a couple of weeks later he comes to me and says: "Sheikh, there is one kid attending Jumu'ah who deals in drugs. Not only does he take them, he sells them." And his entire Jumu'ah was about eight or nine minutes — khutbah, adhan, iqamah, salah — the whole thing from A to Z. He said: "This kid came for Jumu'ah and now he wants to repent. I'm a 10th grader myself. How do I deal with someone who wants to repent from taking and selling drugs?"

I shared with him what to say to that kid. And then I sat there and marveled at what sincerity does. A 14 or 15-year-old kid establishing Jumu'ah for the first time in the entire school district, within two or three weeks, and having such an impact that another kid may repent from drugs. That is the power of ikhlas. When a person is sincere, you don't have to be loaded with credentials. When you have ikhlas, you can do things that all the credentialed people cannot do — because Allah simply does not open the path for them. But when a person has this concern — Ya Allah, I have to do the work of deen here — amazing things will happen.

A Medical Student and the Power of Practicing Deen at Work

A student who had completed the one-year program and was starting medical school told me: "I went for my rotations at one of the major hospitals. My attending physician really liked my character. Then Jumu'ah time came, and I told him I won't be able to work this hour — I have to go pray." Again the conversation started. And the doctor was shocked — even though he was in a suburban hospital full of Muslim doctors — that this was the first time no fellow physician or medical student had ever talked to him about Jumu'ah.

The student told me: "I realized what a poor job we are doing as Muslims. Although we are in all these positions all over America, the impact we are not having is simply because we are not playing our role as representatives of Islam. There is this fear — if I practice my deen, something will happen — instead of thinking: this is an obligation, and I should be afraid of what Allah will ask me on the Day of Judgment. That you were given this opportunity to bring change — what did you do?"

The Hidden Muslims Among Us

This Ramadan, a brother working in corporate downtown Chicago told me that he started meeting Muslims on the train, Muslims getting off the train downtown, Muslims in the elevator. He said — and I'll repeat his word — he shamelessly started giving salam to anyone who looked Muslim. "You don't have to have a name tag. I don't care — you look like a Muslim to me. Salam alaykum. What's the worst they can say?"

He compared it to the Jewish community — the level of open Jewish identity and connectedness is incredibly strong. They do not hesitate. They let people know who they are, unapologetically. And we should have the same confidence. Why this level of fear — "Oh my God, he might recognize I'm Muslim"? We as masjid-going people need to do this — just be open and happy. Ramadan Mubarak. Carry some dates. Give them to people. Make goody bags — not only for non-Muslims but for Muslims as well. Include a Ramadan timetable. We take it for granted that everyone knows it's Ramadan or knows salah times. They don't. Just giving that timetable itself is a form of da'wah.

How many Muslims are there in Chicago? Since the 80s and 90s, I've been hearing the number 500,000. Cook County, Will County, DuPage — not even including Bridgeview, Orland Park, the Afghan part, the Bangladeshi part, the Somali part — it's enormous. In 20 days we'll have Eid. I want you to do a quick mental calculation: add up all the people praying at all the masajid across Chicago. CIOGC releases all the Jumu'ah spots — 40 or 50 locations. Add them up. You might get 70,000. You might get 65,000. Where is 500,000 from 30 years ago, and where is the 70,000 showing up in 2025?

I remember I had a tutor — right around this corner — a math or science tutor. A few days after Eid, I went to his house and said: "Assalamu Alaykum, Eid Mubarak!" He said: "What? Eid Mubarak? Oh my God — when did that happen?" Maybe a couple of miles from this masjid. And this was not someone I would think would be so disconnected. He seemed like a practicing Muslim to me. His mom and dad seemed very practicing. But the fact is — and this is a 1994 or 1995 story — he had no idea. So if a person doesn't know what Eid is, what about Ramadan?

The amount of hidden Muslims, low-key Muslims, closet Muslims — and Allah knows best, even some cultural non-practicing Muslims — is tens and tens of times more than those who show up at the masjid. The crowd sitting here today, the crowd that comes for Tarawih — 1,500 or 2,000 people — this is a drop in the bucket representation of the Muslim community. I hope you all know that.

The WhatsApp Group and the Corporate Ramadan Workshop

This brother in corporate downtown started making a Muslim WhatsApp group for people working in his company. Within about a month and a half, he got about 40 people — with no litmus test of practice level, just anyone he happened to identify as Muslim.

During a tour of the company headquarters, the tour guide — a woman dressed and speaking like any non-Muslim — accidentally let slip "mashallah" or "inshallah" towards the end. He grabbed onto that word. "Oh — where are you from?" She said: "Yemen." He said: "In my wildest dreams I would never have imagined she was a Muslim." SubhanAllah — he gave her da'wah and invited her to join the WhatsApp group. She said yes.

They organized a Ramadan workshop framed as "Ramadan for non-Muslim colleagues" — an introduction to Ramadan. And she showed up. Afterwards she said to him: "Thank you so much for organizing this. I feel so happy that we have a safe space for ourselves." Look at that — that is Iman speaking. She is a Muslim deep down. The environment has not been conducive, but there is a flicker of Iman still in her heart.

It reminds me of a story Shaykh Hamza Yusuf once mentioned. He said he was on a flight, and a Muslim flight attendant — who had to serve alcohol to passengers — told him: "I hate serving alcohol. But the least I can do is serve it with my left hand, hoping that Allah will look at that and forgive me." He was pointing out: what is making her do that? That is the Iman in her heart. We don't know the situation of a person. Externally, you might write someone off. But deep down, there is genuine connection and love for Allah that will baffle us. We should never write off anyone.

Muslims at O'Hare and the Importance of Being Present

Alhamdulillah, I travel quite a bit — to give talks and for work. I've been noticing at O'Hare, especially over the past few months, the number of Muslims working there is unbelievable. From the bag drop-off, to the check-in counter, to security, to the guy pushing the wheelchairs — it's Muslims everywhere at every step. And I take an early 6 a.m. flight, so I'm saying salam to workers all the way to the gate.

But no one is giving them da'wah. No one is even saying "Salam alaykum, how are you brother? Ramadan Mubarak, how's it going?" And there are thousands of Muslim business travelers passing through. If you just take a moment to shake hands, speak, say a few kind words, and remind them — "I know you've got a 12-hour morning shift at O'Hare. Everyone's struggling. But alhamdulillah, try your best. Keep your deen strong." — that is da'wah.

I was doing wudu in the bathroom there. As I was washing my hands, I heard a man nearby say Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim and roll up his sleeves. I turned around — it was one of the workers getting ready for Dhuhr salah. Then another worker, picking up garbage from the bathroom, walked in and said: "Brother, Salam alaykum — getting ready for Dhuhr?" One was Yemeni, the other was Afghani. They all lived on Devon. Some of the business lounges have almost 10 to 15 Muslim employees working in one.

Our job, wherever we go, is to have the mindset: I am a Muslim. Whether I am a business traveler or a tourist, I am a Muslim. So I have to establish my salah. It has happened to me at O'Hare: I am praying Fajr and random people walking by just join me. And for those who don't join — they are reminded that Islam is still alive. Muslims, no matter what, are still here and establishing their salah.

The Deen of the Environment: A Serious Problem

For those of us connected to downtown corporate environments — my dear friends, it is ground zero. Very tough. Not just Chicago, but many other places as well. The Muslims there are very, very disconnected. You have 23 and 24-year-olds who graduated from college, living on their own, away from their parents, with zero Islamic culture. And after work, it is just which bar or which club or which happy hour to choose. And there is no one there — besides Allah — to say: "Hey, wake up. Ittaqillah. What are you doing?"

One brother told me: he found a Muslim colleague who looked and spoke completely like a non-Muslim. She gave him a company tour. Towards the end of the half hour, she accidentally said "mashallah" or "inshallah." SubhanAllah — she was from Yemen. He said: "In my wildest dreams I would not have imagined she was a Muslim."

The Hajji Who Sat Through Happy Hour

A brother went with me for Hajj a few years back. His company sent him to the East Coast as a contractor. He's a Hajji — just finished Hajj. A few days into the new job, a Jewish colleague noticed he was Muslim and said: "So obviously you're a Muslim." Yes. Then the office had a happy hour. Our beloved hajji sahib went — with his Diet Coke. The next day he asked his Jewish colleague: "I didn't see you there — how come?"

The Jewish colleague said: "Why would I be there? Are you crazy? I'm a practicing Jew. I don't drink, I'm not going to be where people drink. When I took the job, I told HR: I don't drink, I won't be at events where people drink." The hajji was stunned. He started feeling extremely guilty. He had just come from Hajj a month before and here he was, sitting at happy hour with his Diet Coke. "And this Jew has principles and says, 'I'll tell them, I don't care.' What's wrong with me?"

Then that same Jewish colleague looked at him and said: "Muhammad, I haven't seen you pray since you joined our floor. When do you pray?" He said: "Yeah, I pray — but like after hours." The Jewish colleague went to HR and said: "This is my colleague next to me. I need you to give him a spot to pray." Same day, they gave him a spot. And then the Jewish colleague would look over: "Muhammad — did you pray yet? It's already 2 o'clock. What time do you pray Dhuhr?"

Allahu Akbar. He said: "I feel so guilty. What is wrong with me?"

This is what we understand. Hajj, Umrah, Ramadan, I'tikaf, Qiyamul Layl — these are all necessary. These are fard. But brother, they are not sufficient on their own. Iman has to penetrate the heart. If Iman is not inside the heart, we call this deen ul-bi'ah — the deen of the environment. You practice deen as long as you are in a conducive environment. The moment you are out of that environment, the deen goes.

Look at our own community: Friday was our first Tarawih last week. Look at Thursday Isha — where were we? Look at Friday Maghrib — where were we? Then what happened at Isha? Within half an hour there was no place to park. The same Lord, the same God, the same Islam, the same everything — what happened? The environment changed. The culture changed. And then during the last 10 nights, again it will be beyond capacity. But as much as we beg ourselves and the community — please continue to show up.

When the moon of Shawwal is sighted and everyone says "Eid Mubarak!" — what happens at Isha? You are at literally a quarter or fifth of the previous night, if not less. And the next day — Eid day — finished. The masjid is crying. I'm sure those of you who are regulars to the masjid feel it in your heart when you come two days after Eid and see how empty this place has become.

What do you call this? The deen of the environment. The very same people doing two tawafs a day in Makkah, going to Masjid Aisha for multiple Umrahs, sleeping four hours and buzzing with ibadah — what happens to those people when they board the flight home? All the salats on the way back, missed. Watching TV, sleeping. What happens to the hijab of our sisters who were gung-ho with love of Rasulullah in Madinah, getting up two and a half hours before Fajr to be in the front row — what happens to their hijab, their dress, their salah the moment they land? Instantaneously it goes.

This is why we cannot just emphasize people going for Umrah and Hajj or coming for Tarawih and Qiyam. We have to emphasize: whatever deen you have, make sure it is not just surface level. Make sure it goes deep inside your heart. Otherwise it will not last. And how will we face Allah when we have not done our job of absorbing Islam fully?

O believers, enter into Islam with totality — kāffah. Not with one toe or one foot, but fully. Beloved brothers, speak about this in our homes: Ramadan is not a cultural phenomenon.

Ramadan Vibes: What Does It Really Mean?

What does "Ramadan vibes" mean to all of us? It would be a good exercise to give this as a prompt and tell people to write a paragraph. I think — not the people sitting here, but the chunk of the people outside — Ramadan vibes means lots of great food from different cuisines. If you checked Wikipedia, it would probably say: "Ramadan is a time for family celebrations, get-togethers," and whatnot.

Someone shared with me an actual ChatGPT conversation. It's titled: "When AI Knows Better." This person asked ChatGPT — based off the information you have online about Suhoor and what it is supposed to be about — would you attend a Suhoor fest as a Muslim trying to better themselves? The response:

"Based on what's commonly found about Suhoor fests — long lines, mixed gatherings, and a focus on socializing rather than worship — I personally would not prioritize attending one if I were trying to make the most of Ramadan. The pre-dawn hours are valuable for qiyam, night prayer, dhikr, du'a, and preparing for the fast. Standing in line all night just for food does not align with that goal. However, if a Suhoor fest were well organized, with a good environment, meaningful reminders, proper etiquette, and no unnecessary delays, it could be a beneficial way to strengthen bonds with the community. The key is whether it helps or distracts from the true purpose of Ramadan."

SubhanAllah — so nuanced, so nice. There is nothing wrong with people gathering and eating. We have no issue with that, and we want Muslim halal businesses to thrive. But it is the way you set it up — the maqsad. What is the purpose? The purpose is connecting people in the month of Ramadan with the spirit of Ramadan. The real Ramadan vibes are what Rasulullah ﷺ experienced in Madinatul Munawwara.

What I am afraid of is where we are headed — a pure commercialization of Ramadan. From A to Z: recipes, food products, Ramadan cards, specific types of cookies, massive markets. Like a Hallmark holiday — what Christianity and Judaism have done with their celebrations. I feel that is unfortunately where we are headed: making it heavily cultural, competing with other cultural holidays because "our children will feel left out." So we copy — dekha dekhi — whatever they do, we do the same thing and put a hilal where the cross is, thinking we have Islamicized it. We cannot do that.

We have to understand the maqsad and goal of these things. The Ramadan final nights — I think a food truck or special dessert that brings people to a program is a great idea. Food brings people in. As long as it is done appropriately. And we should use the same etiquette the Prophet ﷺ used when dismissing people from salah — letting the women leave first and then the men, so gatherings remain in good order. لِكُلِّ مَقَامٍ مَقَالَةٌ — there is something to say at every station. Use creativity to get people through the door, but do not compromise on principles.

Social Media, Influencers, and the Sanctity of the Masjid

No one wants to come to the masjid anymore. Everyone gets their lectures and talks on TikTok. No one wants to come and listen to a live session in the house of Allah. The only time they will come is if a famous online influencer is at your local masjid — then there is no place to stand. I know one masjid that called a famous online personality, and they had 10,000 people. The police showed up. Hundreds of Muslim boys and girls — we had never seen them in the masjid. And they were so disrespectful they were in the prayer hall with their shoes on, just to get a picture or a selfie with the influencer. He said: "We make tawbah, tawbah, tawbah. We will never call such people again."

Now we have live streaming Tarawih on TikTok to create content, with camera and lights. People are commenting and giving gifts. And the imam is reading off his phone. Why are we accepting this? Why are we promoting this? There is a waqar — a dignity — to this place. The mihrab is the mihrab of the Prophet ﷺ. The minbar is the minbar of the Prophet ﷺ. We cannot cheapen this place. We cannot degrade it.

I may be sinful. You may be sinful. But this place — we must allow it to continue to have that status in our hearts. It cannot be used as a playing ground. I know deep down everyone listening to me agrees. But we have heard and seen the opposite for so long that what I am saying now seems foreign. Inside you know it is right. The only way to continue bringing awareness to these things is for you — not me — on your own, speak what is in your heart. Speak your fitrah. When you see someone doing that, say: "Come on. Let's give the masjid its respect. Let's give Ramadan its respect. Let's not make this a cultural phenomenon. Let's make Islam truly religious, truly sunnah-based, truly Madinah-based."

Raising Children with Islam in Their Hearts

My ustadh told me something amazing, and I'll end with this. He said: for every juz of Qur'an, when you're trying to motivate your child, give him gifts — toys, candies, whatever he wants. Tell him: if you memorize this surah, if you memorize this juz, that is what you will get. That is definitely not the advice you would have gotten 30 years ago. And the second thing he said: whatever you do, never ever raise your hand on your child — especially for Qur'an. Because you want him to fall in love with the Qur'an. You do not want him to connect the Qur'an with being hurt or getting in trouble, because then the love for the Qur'an will go away.

If any of you have experience teaching your son or daughter Qur'an, I tell you it was the most difficult challenge of my life. It is so hard. And I'm not even the teacher — there is a teacher. But just being there assisting, may Allah reward our parents beyond our imagination for making us huffadh. Wallahi, I cannot imagine what they went through. It is even more difficult now with all the distractions. So it was very tough, very challenging.

One day I got really upset and screamed: "What are you doing?! Why don't you worry about your own Qur'an?! Why do I have to keep reminding you?!" Right afterwards, I called my ustadh. I told him what had happened. SubhanAllah — and this was about three years ago — my teacher, my sheikh, scolded me in a soft manner that I still remember. He said: "Okay. Continue yelling and screaming at your son. And simply wait for the day when he reaches a certain age, turns his back, and walks out the door — and you won't see him again."

It was my ustadh telling me this. I had goosebumps. I had tears. And he said: "That is the environment you are living in." Wallahi al-Azim, he is right. I have seen this more than perhaps even him. But this is the firasa and the nur of Iman — the foresight and insight of a man of Allah. He is not in this country, but he literally spelled out what I have witnessed within the Lombard community in the past two years.

As soon as boys and girls reach 18 — the 18th birthday — walking out. Leaving a note: "Don't try to look for me. Don't contact the police. Otherwise I will make a report that you abused me." Dads have come and shared this with me. Multiple dads. And these are masjid-going people. The non-masjid-going people — I have no idea how many of them are suffering like this.

SubhanAllah — we must change. We must adapt the way we do the tarbiyah of our kids. It is a different era. But make sure we do not compromise on our principles. Is hitting a sunnah method? Of course not. The reason we have these problems is because we left the sunnah. We just have to go back to the original sunnah.

First we had the back-home Indo-Pak and Arab culture, which caused a lot of damage and caused many people to leave Islam. And now we have a local post-modern culture going in the opposite extreme. Both of them are cultures. The culture we love is the culture of Rasulullah ﷺ in Madinatul Munawwara. If it contradicts the deen — regardless of where it comes from — we do not accept it.

Closing Reminder: Wear Your Islam on Your Sleeve

The main gist of what we spoke about today: I started with Siyāḥatu ummati al-jihādu fī sabīlillāh — it is not just vacationing. You have to remember Allah wherever you go. When you go to work, to the store, to school, to university, when you travel through airports and train stations — wherever you are — wear your Islam on your sleeve. Top to bottom. Do not hesitate to talk to people.

Use the month of Ramadan to give material about Ramadan — Ramadan calendars, Ramadan gifts. Don't just give them to non-Muslims. Give them to those closet Muslims. Welcome them. Don't say, "Brother, you're a closet Muslim." Just say: "Mashallah — I'm sure you're fasting. Here's a box of dates." The person may not even know it's Ramadan. But you give it to him. Wallahi, I would say a larger portion may not know about Ramadan than those who are observing it — they are right there.

I have people who've come to me and said: "Sheikh, my manager in corporate drinks, eats pork, everything. But when I mentioned I'm going to Dar es Salaam, he said, 'Oh yeah — give salaam to Mufti Yaseen. I know him from such-and-such place.'" Many people who've memorized the Qur'an and led Tarawih for many years are today either not practicing at all, or some are even outright atheists. We need to worry about them. Our job is not to decide who is and who is not a Muslim. Our job is to smile at people, be super nice, share the beauty of Islam.

Instead of giving your date cookies to the person praying Tarawih next to you — twenty raka'at — give it to the neighbor down your street you've never seen at Jumu'ah. That person needs it more. The person next to you is alhamdulillah doing fine. Give it to the person who doesn't even know it's Ramadan. There are so many of them.

Du'a

O Allah, we ask You to grant us the tawfiq of the people of guidance. O Allah, grant us the ability to distinguish right from wrong. O Allah, grant us the ability to stay away from wrong. Allow us to establish the truth. O Allah, make us people who practice the truth by day and by night. Allow us to become from the people who invite towards the truth, who speak the truth, who live by the truth, and eventually pass away in the truth.

O Allah, we ask You to safeguard our children and our future generations from losing their deen, from losing their Islamic identity. O Allah, wherever You take us, allow us to become ambassadors of Islam, ambassadors of deen. O Allah, save us from becoming Muslims of pure culture. O Allah, save us from practicing only on cultural components of our faith. O Allah, make us people who practice the culture of Rasulullah ﷺ in Madinatul Munawwara.

O Allah, wherever we are, save us from following the deen only because of our environments. O Allah, allow the deen to penetrate into the deepest parts of our hearts. O Allah, do not make us from people who practice deen when it is conducive and leave it when it is not — but rather make us people who practice Islam wherever we go.

جَزَاكُمُ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا — May Allah reward you all with goodness. Wassalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.