Ramadan and Taqwa | Ustadh Majed Mahmoud | Miftaah Circle

Ramadan and Taqwa

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ

I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. Jazakumullahu khayran. May Allah bless you and protect you. And my thank you for your attendance is a little bit more than my thank you to other attendees in other cities. Why? Because you had way too many other options than being here. Because you're in Orlando. I heard a study — I'm not sure if it's accurate or not — but it said that you can live in Orlando for 40 days, do three different things every day, and you will not repeat them again. That's how many things you guys have, alhamdulillah. Say alhamdulillah. Mashallah. I think the city of Orlando will be very happy for this comment, inshallah. May Allah bless you and may Allah protect you, ya rabbal alameen.

What Is Taqwa?

My topic tonight, inshallah, is regarding Ramadan and taqwa. Now, what is taqwa? And why is it related to Ramadan? Allah says in the Qur'an:

O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it was prescribed upon those before you. Why? Why did Allah assign us to fast? And every single nation, since the time of Adam, alayhi salam, to you — every nation had fasting. Why? The ultimate goal is لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ — so that you may attain taqwa.

But hold on — I want to make an even bigger deal. Why were we created? What's the ultimate goal of your creation? Why are you here? To worship Allah, right? And some of you can reference this ayah:

Allah says: I did not create the jinn or the human beings except to worship. But what's the goal of worship? What's the goal of all goals? The goal of all goals is to attain taqwa. That is the goal of worship.

Allah says in the first call in the Qur'an — يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ — that's the first call in the Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter 2:

Allah says in this ayah: worship Allah, the one who created you and those before you. Why? So you can attain taqwa. So clearly, we worship Allah to attain taqwa.

Taqwa Explained: Levels of Protection

Taqwa comes from the word wiqayah, which means protection. So if I tell you اِتَّقِ — for example, ittaqi al-COVID — what does it mean? Protect yourself from COVID. What would you do? A mask. Can you have more taqwa than just a mask? A vaccine. So now someone has more taqwa than others. Hand sanitizer. Booster shot. Six feet distance. Stay home. Make du'a. You see what just happened? Your taqwa just went up and up and up. So clearly taqwa has levels. The more that you protect yourself, the more likely you will not face harm, inshallah.

The taqwa of Allah means: protect yourself from Allah's punishment. What's the barrier between you and Allah's punishment? Fear Allah and learn more about Allah. Repent from every mistake that you make — that's how you don't get affected by Allah's hellfire. Do what Allah told you to do and avoid what Allah told you to avoid. The Qur'an is applicable every day and in every location. Every part of Google Earth, the Qur'an can be applied to. The more you do, the bigger the barrier, the more the protection.

How much protection should we seek? The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1417; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1016)

Put between you and Allah's punishment every possible shield — even if it was a peel from a date. Everything you can do.

The Story of the Three Men in the Cave

How about we go through a story — just one story — an example of how taqwa saves, how taqwa is applied, how taqwa rewards you. May Allah grant us all taqwa, say ameen.

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: there were three men that were traveling. As they were traveling, all alone, it started to rain. When it started to rain, they saw a small cave, and all three walked into it. They said, let's wait till the rain stops so we can continue our journey. While they were in the cave, a massive rock rolled and fell, shutting the one and only entrance and exit to the cave. So it became extremely dark. All three of them pushed — one, two, three — it was not moving, not even a little bit.

So one genius amongst the three said: there's only one way we will be saved, and it has to be through Allah. We yell, no one is hearing. We push, it's not moving. Only Allah can hear, and push it away from us. So whenever you go through a moment in life where every door is locked, know that Allah — His name is Al-Fattah — the unlocker of every lock.

So this genius said: ask Allah with the most sincere action you've done in your life. Use that as the intercession. If you want to approach Allah, approach Him with the strongest deed you have. Ya Allah, if you accepted the deed I did that day, please relieve us from the hardship that we're at.

The First Man: Taqwa Towards Parents

The first one said: Ya Allah, every night I go feed my family, and I start with my mom and dad. He was married and had kids, but he started with his parents. He milks the goats, had a bowl of milk, and one night he was getting late. It started to rain, so he waited. When he eventually arrived to his parents, he found them sleeping. He stood next to them and did not want to wake them up — knowing his wife was probably hungry and his kids were also hungry — but he chose to prefer his mom and dad. He stood there all night until Fajr, subhanAllah. And when they woke up, he gave them the milk.

Ya Allah, if you accepted this deed, please relieve us from the hardship that we're at. When he said that, the rock moved — but not enough for them to squeeze through. This is taqwa towards your parents. Fear Allah with how you deal with your parents. One of the signs of the Day of Judgment is when children treat their parents as if the parents are slaves. May Allah protect us, ya Rabb.

Sometimes we become too creative in seeking Jannah — we travel, we attend events. But, ya miskeen, you want Jannah? Jannah is under the feet of the respected lady in that living room. Are you fulfilling your priorities first? May Allah protect us.

In Ramadan, the taqwa through your parents matters deeply. Next time you have an iftar invite, don't snap at mom and dad over something obligatory while prioritizing something sunnah mu'akkadah like tarawih. It's okay if you missed tarawih one night in the masjid because you were serving your mom and dad. Prioritize things very well — but if it's every night, that's a musibah.

The Second Man: Taqwa in Guarding One's Gaze and Desires

The second man said: Ya Allah, I had a woman that I loved so, so much. I proposed to her and I was rejected. Then, when a serious financial crisis hit the city, she came to me and begged for money. I told her I would not give her money unless she allowed me to enjoy her presence in a sinful way. She refused. Later her desperation was so great that she came back again, and I made the same condition. She was on the verge of agreeing out of desperation — but then she said to me: this can only be halal through marriage, and this is not right.

He said: Ya Allah, when she said that, I was shaken. I realized that You were watching. And I told her to step back. We never did anything. I gave her the money she needed without committing any haram. Ya Allah, if you accepted the taqwa and the deed that I have done, please relieve us from the hardship that we're at. The moment he finished, the rock moved a little more — but still not enough to pass through.

In Ramadan, this is the taqwa of what you watch during the day and night. The taqwa of how you deal with the opposite gender. The taqwa of how you behave with your own spouse. May Allah grant us all the wisdom, ameen.

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says about our character in Ramadan:

Whoever does not stop lying and foul language in Ramadan — if you don't stop them — there is no benefit in your fasting. That doesn't mean don't fast. Don't misunderstand it. But the reward is significantly diminished. Just like the one who prays — first rak'ah thinks of that business, second rak'ah thinks of that movie, third rak'ah thinks of that individual, fourth rak'ah thinks of that project — and right before the salam, they take a very long sujood to make up for all four rak'at. When you lose focus in salah, you lose the reward. And the more you curse and lie in Ramadan, that taqwa level is so low. May Allah protect us, ya Rabbal alameen.

The Third Man: Taqwa in Fulfilling Trusts (Amanah)

As I'm sharing these stories — do you have a deed in mind if you ever got stuck? If you're on the highway and had a flat tire, no one around, your phone died, no connection, no one passing, completely dark — you have no one but Allah. Do you have a deed? Because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam told us this hadith. Every person should seek to have a private deed with Allah — khabi'ah. You know you have a savings account that no one else knows about? Have one with Allah — a deed that no one knows.

The third person raises his hands to Allah and says: Ya Allah, I used to be a manager. I had workers that worked from the beginning of the shift. One worker came and applied mid-shift — four hours into an eight-hour shift. I said, go ahead and work now. At the end of the shift, I gave those who came at the beginning the full wage — for example, eight dollars. The one who came mid-shift got four dollars. But the worker argued: I gave you the same production in four hours that the others gave in eight. I want the full eight dollars. Back and forth, back and forth — eventually the man threw the four dollars down and left.

I did not throw or burn those four dollars. I invested them. Invested, invested, invested — until it grew into a fortune. Millions. Decades later, the same man came back, old now. He said: Do you remember me? I worked in your office that many years ago. I threw the paycheck back at your face. I want it now.

The manager said: You see all this fortune — the camels, the goats, everything? That is what the four dollars became after I invested what you left behind. All of this is yours. The man thought he was being mocked, but it was all returned to him. He took it all.

How are you with people's trust? Someone gives you a book to borrow — when you return it, there are crumbs inside. Where is the amanah? This man gave not just the four dollars but everything the four dollars had grown into, because that was the man's right. Then he said: Ya Allah, if what we did was accepted by You, please relieve us from what we're going through. And the rock moved — and all three were able to leave.

Closing: Become of the Muttaqeen

May Allah make you of the Muttaqeen — like these three people who realized Allah was watching them every step of their way. May Allah protect us from hellfire and enter us into Paradise — all of us with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Wassalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.