Ramadan- The Month of Training

Ramadan: The Month of Training

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and to those who fear Him. And peace and blessings be upon His noble Messenger, upon his family and companions, and upon those who follow them in good faith until the Day of Judgment.

After this, Allah, the Exalted, said: O ye who believe! Fasting has been decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may be righteous.

Respected elders and brothers and mothers and sisters of Islam, السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, from His infinite mercy and grace, has allowed us to experience the month of Ramadan. Today being the fifth fast, and tonight, inshallah, being the sixth of the Taraweeh. Indeed, this is the great mercy of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Quranic Foundation of Fasting

In the Qur'an, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, has mentioned:

O ye who believe! Fasting has been decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may be righteous.

So beautifully Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, He addresses the believers. To indicate that this fasting that has been prescribed upon you is not something that is difficult. The word Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, has used is: O ye who believe! He starts out with that — O you who believe! That you have already believed in Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. You are a believer of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and of the injunctions of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. You are not those that do actions if it pleases them and do not do the action if it displeases them. Whether you enjoy it or don't enjoy it. Whether you find pleasure in it or don't find pleasure in it. You are a believer. You have submitted to the will of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. Whatever the command of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala is, you are going to fulfill it.

So Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, first starts out with that, to remind us: O you who believe! You have made a pact with Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, that you are going to fulfill the commands of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. Then Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, gives us the injunction:

Fasting has been made fard upon you, has been prescribed upon you. Then Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, from His infinite mercy — Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is a very merciful Allah — says that this is not something difficult for you. Do not worry. Do not get worried, O the ummah of Nabi ﷺ. This has been made fard upon you:

Just how it was made fard upon the people before you — other nations before you. They also fasted. They were also able to fulfill this command of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and they survived. Sometimes when a person is given such a hard task, he gets scared, he gets worried — maybe I cannot do this, 16 hours of fasting, 15 hours of fasting, not eating, not drinking, maybe I'm too weak for this. So Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says: do not worry. Those before you had also done this and they were able to fulfill this command of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. You shall also be able to fulfill this command of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Then Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, gives us the reason why we fast. Because we're human beings, we need to know reasons. We need to know why we have to do something — that's our innate nature. That if we don't know the benefit of something, we probably won't do it. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says:

Perhaps you might adopt taqwa. Perhaps you will become muttaqi. Taqwa will come into you. Means through this fasting, the end result is that you will get taqwa. You will become from the chosen ones of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Ramadan: A Gift, Not a Burden

So this fast that we have, this is indeed a great mercy of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is not a chore. This is not a burden. But this is a gift from Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. And this month of Ramadan — there are two points that you need to keep in mind.

One aspect of Ramadan is obviously to fulfill the command of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. That whatever command of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala is due upon us, we as believers say:

We heard the command, we will fulfill it. Whatever command of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala is, we are going to fulfill it. So Ramadan, being one of the commandments of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, we are going to fulfill it. Just as prayer, salah, is a command of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. To give zakat, if you have wealth that a year elapses on it and is surplus, then you have to give zakat on that. Similarly, all the commandments of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala — we have to fulfill them — and from those commandments is the command of fasting.

But the second point, or the second aspect of Ramadan, is that Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, through this month, is training us. Through this month, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is training us for what purpose? لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ — so that we may get taqwa.

Our Two Great Enemies: Shaytan and the Nafs

Now we as human beings, we have two great enemies. One is Shaytan. Shaytan made a vow that he is going to try his best to make mankind go astray, and he clearly says: I am an open enemy of mankind. And the second enemy that we have is our nafs, our inner carnal desires, that ego that we have within us — that is also our enemy. So Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, through this month, is training us in how we could detach ourselves from these two enemies, so we could come closer to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.

First of all, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, has chained up all the shayateen. All the shayateen are chained up in the month of Ramadan. So there is no evil shaytan that could give us waswasa — whispers in our ears. The quality of shaytan is that he whispers and he backs away, whispers and he backs away. So the Prophet ﷺ, in many narrations, has mentioned that the shayateen are locked up in the month of Ramadan. So we only have one more enemy left, and that is our nafs.

Taming the Nafs: The Analogy of the Wild Animal

And this is where the training happens. To suppress our nafs, our ego, we have to go through some mujahadah. We have to go through some sacrifice to control it. This nafs that we have is like a wild beast. It wants to roam, do whatever it wants, see whatever it wants, eat whatever it wants — it doesn't care about any laws or consideration. That is the quality of a nafs that is not controlled, a nafs that tazkiyah is not made of. That nafs becomes a wild animal.

Now, how do we control wild animals? There are two ways. Number one: keep it hungry. And number two: make sure it doesn't get sleep. You put it through difficulties. You keep it hungry for a little while, you keep it awake at the time when it wants to sleep — slowly that animal starts to obey commands. But if you give it all the food it wants, let it sleep all it wants, and let it become the king of its own domain, then it becomes disobedient. That's how our nafs is as well. The similitude of our nafs is a wild animal. By keeping it hungry, and by keeping it awake, this nafs comes under control.

So Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, in this month — and again, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is very merciful, very, very merciful — did not say: stay hungry and eat less. That's not the command. It says: no, move your timings. The time that you normally eat, just don't eat at that time. And this is one of the greatest ways to control the nafs. That something that we are used to — you tell the person not to do it at that time — that becomes really difficult. It's tough on the nafs.

So Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, does not say that if you eat 3,000 calories a day, in this month eat 2,000. That's not the command. No — you could eat your 3,000 calories, enjoy your meals. The only thing is, the time that you eat, I'm just going to move that around now. Now this becomes really tough on the nafs. The lunch that we're eating — we're going to misplace it, we're going to eat it later on at sunset. Throughout the night, eat as much as you want. There is no command of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, that says you should eat less in the month of Ramadan. This is a misunderstanding we sometimes have — that we have to starve ourselves, we must be on the verge of dying for the fast to really be there. No.

There are many pious people of the past who said that in the month of Ramadan, eat more. Why? The Prophet ﷺ says:

The sustenance of a believer is increased. And we notice that — the normal foods that we eat in Ramadan are much better; we have much better meals, much better iftari, suhoor, dinner, everything goes out. And this is permissible. This is okay. This is not against the spirit of Ramadan. But yes, what do we do? We shift our schedule around. We shift our sleeping schedule around. Normally we sleep right after Isha. In this month, no — you have to pray a little bit more. Sleep during the day — perfectly fine. But we are going to move your schedule around. By moving the schedule around, by doing something that we are not used to doing, this is really tough on the nafs. So by taking Shaytan away, and by controlling the nafs, this allows us to get closer to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. This allows us to come closer to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and become muttaqi.

The Purpose of Ramadan: Becoming Allah's Friend

So this entire month, Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, has planned it in such a manner that it is very easy for a person to become the friend of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ — because that is what Allah wants from us. What does He want from us? He wants us to become His friend. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says:

Indeed, the friends of Allah are who? The muttaqi. We're not just talking about piety. We're talking about being close to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, being a friend of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. So this is the purpose of Ramadan. This is the philosophy behind Ramadan — why are we doing this? Why is this month so different from all other months?

Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, sprinkles throughout the month so many virtues, so many benefits, that if a person does just a virtuous deed, he will be rewarded as if doing a fard act. If he does one fard act — right now we are praying Jumu'ah Salah, this is the fard of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala — by praying it in the month of Ramadan, you will be multiplied by 70 times. So we are encouraged. All your barriers are taken away. All your enemies are put aside. You have the clear path. All you have to do is make an effort. Try. Your rewards are multiplied — virtues upon virtues, virtues upon virtues.

But it is up to us, dear respected brothers and elders, and sisters in Islam — how much do we want out of this Ramadan? This is a month for us to show our desire. To show Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala: I really want this. This is something that I've been looking for, something I've been striving for. But it has become extremely difficult for me throughout the year — Shaytan and the nafs, my nafs is so strong, Shaytan has been after me so much. I am used to certain sins. I am used to missing certain commandments of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. The 11 months were extremely difficult for me. But in this month, O Allah, You have made it so easy — I am going to show You that I really want this. I am going to express my desire for You, O Allah. This is the month to express how much we really want Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. How much we really want to come close to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. Because indeed, we have no excuse in this month.

The Dua of Jibreel and the Ameen of the Prophet ﷺ

It is for this reason the Prophet ﷺ, one time while ascending the mimbar, said Ameen, Ameen, Ameen on each step. The Sahaba asked him: we saw you do something that you normally don't do — on each step you said Ameen. Why? The Prophet ﷺ said that on each step, Jibreel, the archangel, made a du'a, a supplication, and I said Ameen to that.

Respected brothers and elders and sisters in Islam, the Prophet ﷺ is rahmatun lil-'alameen — he is the mercy for the entire universe. He is the embodiment of mercy. Everything about him is mercy. But here the Prophet ﷺ said Ameen to what we call a bad du'a — a du'a against a person. And who is making the du'a? Jibreel is making the du'a. Who is saying Ameen? The Prophet ﷺ. Is there any possibility of that du'a being rejected? There is no possibility whatsoever.

The Prophet ﷺ says: anyone who experiences the month of Ramadan and does not get himself forgiven is far from the mercy of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. Why would the Prophet make such a du'a? Because, respected brothers and elders and sisters in Islam, it is almost impossible not to get yourself forgiven in this month of Ramadan. How can you not get yourself forgiven? So much mercy. So much grace of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. All barriers taken away. All enemies put aside. And still you don't take this opportunity to come closer to Allah? Still you don't take this opportunity to ask forgiveness from Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala? Indeed, you deserve that Ameen of Nabi ﷺ — because you are showing your wretchedness to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. That Allah, You paved the path for me, and I deliberately went against the right path and went to the wrong path.

Understanding Taqwa

So respected brothers and elders, this month is a month of taqwa. This month is a month of Allah — a month for us to attach our hearts to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. What is taqwa? Sometimes we translate taqwa as being very pious. A person prays a lot of tahajjud — oh, he has taqwa. A person keeps a lot of fasts — oh, he is muttaqi. A person prays a lot — he is muttaqi. So we think that abundance of actions is taqwa. But this is an incorrect understanding of taqwa.

Taqwa is a mindset. Taqwa is a temperament. It's a temperament where a person keeps a consideration of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, in mind before doing anything. For example, let's understand this through an example. If you have a child, and we trained him and taught him etiquettes and adab — we taught him from a young age that you must respect your elders. And this child goes about being very respectful. But what is the respect he is showing? Is it some action? No — it has become his temperament. That before doing any action, he thinks: does this insult the elders in any way? Does this show any type of disobedience, disrespect, or any type of embarrassment to the elders? If it does, then he is not going to do it.

For example, a child knows that if the father is walking, then the son should not walk in front of the father. This is what the Prophet ﷺ taught us — that when the father walks, the son must walk slightly behind, to show respect to the father. Now if the son were to walk a bit ahead, what does that show? That he has not kept the consideration of the father in mind. He has shown some disrespect, some type of embarrassment, as if to suggest he is greater than the father. We say: that's not respect. But if he walks behind and keeps it as a habit, we say: oh, he has understood respect — and that has become his temperament. Similarly, taqwa is the temperament of keeping the awe and grandeur of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, in mind before doing anything. It becomes our character. That whatever we do, we always think: how does this action affect my relationship with Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala? Does it bring me closer to Allah, or will it take me away from Allah? If it brings me closer to Allah and he does it — that's a muttaqi.

Taqwa Is Fear Out of Love

It's not just fear of Allah. Sometimes we misunderstand taqwa to be fear alone — fear with a negative connotation, like someone who is oppressive and unjust and will harm you if you do not comply. You obey not because you respect, but because you just don't want to get in trouble. That's not a form of respect. That's not taqwa.

Similarly, we have this concept of taqwa as being just fear of Allah. In reality, it is fear out of love of Allah. That is true taqwa. That you love someone so much that you don't want to displease that person. Sometimes this happens between spouses, between a father and a child, or between a student and a teacher. Sometimes the student loves the teacher so much that they don't want to displease him — they will not disobey him. And when the teacher just has a frown on his face, that is enough to break their hearts, and they feel guilty. That is what you call true love, true respect. Similarly, taqwa is the respect of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala — that when we do an action, we think: is this going to bring displeasure of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala? Or is it going to bring the pleasure of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala?

Make the Most of Ramadan

So this is the perfect month, respected brothers and sisters in Islam, for us to train ourselves. Five days have passed — trust me, 20 days will pass, 25 days will pass, and before you know it, the month of Ramadan will come to an end. But we have to see how much did we gain in this month. How much did we actually work on our nafs, our soul, and come closer to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Let it not be that when Eid comes, it's not really an Eid for us, because we did not attain anything. The taqwa that Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, wants us to attain — we did not really attain it. We lived a life before Ramadan the same way we're living it in Ramadan. We watch certain things before Ramadan, we're still watching the same things. We are engaged in certain acts before Ramadan that were not permissible, and we're still engaged in those actions. Then what is the purpose of Ramadan? What have we achieved?

So this is a month of mujahadah. This is a month that we have to really put our foot down and say: that's it — I'm going to change this month. Give yourself a chance to change. Show Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and you will see Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, welcoming you with open arms. You will see Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, running towards you. As the hadith of Nabi ﷺ says:

When a person walks towards Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, the mercy of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, comes running towards that person. But we have to take the first step. If we are just going to sit there and let time pass — time will continue to pass, the world will continue to revolve, but we will not be going anywhere. We will be stagnant. We will be stuck. In fact, we might even be going backwards.

The Three Levels of Fasting

That is why Imam al-Ghazali mentions that there are many different types of fast, many different levels of fast.

The basic level of fasting is that a person doesn't eat, doesn't drink, and doesn't fulfill his passions with his spouse from dawn to sunset. That is the most simple form, which we are all doing.

A higher form of fast is that a person not only abstains from eating and drinking, but also abstains from sins. Anything that brings displeasure of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, he will stay away from. He will not be involved in any sins. That is the second level — it is for the khawas, the special, the elite.

And the third is the elite of the elites, the akhass al-khawas. They abstain from anything that takes their attention away from Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. That is the true fast. If it is certain friends, for one month I will stop communicating with them — that's okay. If it is certain websites, I am not going to visit them. If it is certain places, I am not going to visit those places. If certain groups make you backbite, don't hang out with those groups. If certain groups make you do certain sins, make you become lazy, make you become vulgar — whatever it is, you have to take action. That is the elite of the elite. Akhass al-khawas are those who abstain from anything that takes their mind and their heart away from Allah.

Let us try that for one day. Let us try that for a few days. That today I am going to try to engage in 24 hours of ibadah. I am going to sleep with the remembrance of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. I am going to wake up with the remembrance of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. I am going to be involved in Quran tilawat, the dhikr of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, frequenting the masjid, listening to a good lecture, pondering about the greatness of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala — throughout the day I am going to do this. And trust me, by the end of the day, you will feel like a different person. You will definitely feel like a different person.

This is the month to do it. This is the month for us to achieve whatever we want to. It's like a gold mine with no restrictions — dig as much as you want, take as much as you want. But at the end of the day, that person who went all out will have the greatest treasure.

Closing Du'a

May Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, give us the ability to value this month of Ramadan. May Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, give us the ability to control our nafs, control our passions and our ego. And may Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, give us the ability to worship Him in this month how He wants us to worship Him. This is our last prayer. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.