Becoming a Better Listener | Hidden Treasures Episode 02 | Shaykh Mikaeel Smith

Ramadan: The Month of Listening

There is one unique ibadah that is only done in Ramadan, that isn't done so much in other months. And I like to look at Ramadan as a month of listening. If you look at it, in Taraweeh prayer, what is the majority of everyone doing? Yes, the imam is reciting, but the whole ummah, collectively, around the world, after Salatul Isha, are listening to the Qur'an.

And it's got me thinking that this being the month of Ramadan, what does it tell us? It tells us that our ability to grow as human beings — spiritually, cognitively, in every way — our ability to thrive, depends on our ability to become good listeners.

The Warning of Surah Al-Mulk

If we look at Surah Al-Mulk, one of the things that people in the fire of hell — may Allah protect us — but they're in the fire of hell and they're complaining, they're looking back at their lives, and they're saying "only if":

They say: "Only if we had listened or thought, we would not be in this predicament we are in right now."

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us in the Qur'an:

Don't be like those who say that they hear you, but they're not listening deeply.

Sama' Al-Qubool — The Listening of Acceptance

About this listening, Imam Al-Mahalli in Jalalayn speaks about a type of listening which he calls سَمْعُ قُبُول — which is a listening of acceptance, a listening of welcoming in the message. So in this Ramadan, I think what we need to develop is the ability to be still. Be still.

As we all know, when we're getting children to learn and teaching them, the first thing we have to do is get them to be still. And then we have to get them to listen. Listen actively. What that means is you're paying attention, you're dialed in, so to speak.

So this Ramadan to me is about becoming a better listener. I'm going to listen to the words of Allah. I'm going to listen to people around me better. Connect with them, understand them. Because this month is a month of family. It is a month of community. And we as human beings thrive on social interactions with one another. And that primarily happens through the act of conversing and listening to one another.

How will it feel? How does a person feel who's never been listened to? He feels alone. So I'm going to listen to Allah. I'm going to listen to people.

I'tikaf: Listening to Your Own Heart

And here's where we get into the last ten days of Ramadan. In the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet ﷺ — what would he do? He would do this i'tikaf, or spiritual retreat. He would cut himself off. This kind of monasticism for ten days, away from everything. In the masjid, in a tent in the masjid. Isolation.

What's the function of that isolation? The function of that isolation is so that we can become better listeners to ourselves. And so in this month of Ramadan, take time daily and weekly to unplug completely so that you can become a better listener to your own heart, your own soul. Because the well-known saying that we've heard many times is:

"The one who understands their own heart is that much closer to understanding Allah."

The Prophet ﷺ: An Ear That Listened to Everyone

You know what's something very interesting? The munafiqeen and the mushrikeen used to make fun of the Prophet ﷺ for a quality that he had. The Qur'an tells us:

And they say about him ﷺ that he is an udhun. Udhun in Arabic means an ear. They were making fun of him because they used to say that this man listens to everyone. He listens to everyone. And so they felt that if they had an issue, if they wanted to get out of a situation and make an excuse, well, he listens — he's a good listener.

It's funny that they were mocking this, but this is his beautiful quality that he had. The quality that regardless of who you were, he gave you his presence and he listened to what you had to say. That doesn't mean he was gullible — no, he responded the way he needed to respond. But sometimes the truth about us comes out on the tongues of our enemies. And they said وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ أُذُنٌ.

A Call to Listen — This Ramadan and Beyond

Maybe we all need to become better listeners to people. To our children, regardless of their age. To our parents, regardless of their age. To our spouses.

We need each other. Human beings bond through dialogue. This is where intimacy truly happens. So in this month of Ramadan, perhaps it's a moment for us all to try to become better listeners.