What Is Your Goal For Ramadan?

I'm gonna ask everyone a question, what is your goal for Ramadan? And I really mean this to you, and don't answer me, I'm in the same boat as you are and will be, what do you want to get out at the end of Ramadan? The day tomorrow is Eid, and believe me it's going to be like a blink of an eye where you're going to hear the announcement tomorrow is Eid, what did you achieve? And this question I always ask myself every single year.

All the millions will be fasting, so I didn't do anything special, most of the millions will be praying tarawih, so I didn't do something special, most of these people will continue to work, or go to school, or have exams, take care of their families, whatever their usual life is going to continue in spite of adding the Ramadan requirement. 

So, what I'm going to do special, a man was saying and came to my mind, when I am going to be meeting Allah subhah wa ta'ala, when he's going to be looking at me, and this is for everybody, we're all going to meet Allah subhana tala as an individual alone, what did I bring to Allah? As we say, what do I have on the table from this Ramadan, that no one else has, or everybody has, but not the way I did it.

So, this is a question as we are preparing this less than 10 days, I normally get a little bit of anxiety, when this becomes, because I don't know if I'm going to be alive, and I really want to be alive not to enjoy this duniya, but because this is an opportunity for me to meet Allah subhah wa ta'ala after Ramadan as a better person, as a one who is more confident that I did my best to please you, you know we just heard a beautiful talk about love, which most of us don't know what this even mean.

Ya Allah, I ask you for your love, and for the love of those who really loves you, and the love for every deed, that will get me close to your love, so each one of us need to ask herself and himself young and old, what is your goal in Ramadan? You know, we always we are very good in planning, every person I speak especially since I moved to California you know it's an IT State and everybody talks about planning, which is nothing wrong with that, and every time somebody talks to me or mention planning, I ask myself this question, what is my plan for Akhirah? I can't guarantee anything.

I know Allah is generous, is one of the most beautiful ways of learning how to connect the end of a Surah with the beginning of the Surah, if Allah was not Rahman we will all be in big trouble, but alhamdulillah. So, what is your goal? you want to say the goal is taqwa, and we have heard alhamdulillah beautiful thing about taqwa.

I'm going to share two things with you and may Allah SWT accept number one, and make me write the way pleases him, what does Ramadan mean? What does the Month mean? What does the name of this Month mean? 

Do you know that, there's more than 10 or 15 and some says even 30 meanings of the month of Ramadan, the the word itself, when I learn the word, I learn the meaning, I learn the goal, and one of the meanings I'm just going to share one is from Ramadan, it's from extreme heat, you live in Florida, I was told in the summer gets very hot, and very humid, so you feel the heat even more, as we call it heat index.

So, why Ramadan is called Ramadan? What is has to do with heat? And it's not hot beautiful weather today, I came from California, actually is what's called for California, and one of the scholars says, what does heat does? It melt things, first goal.

I'm going to just share some goals, and you pick and choose, let's make Ramadan the month that will melt my sins, how many of us have piles of sins show me hands, everybody let's be honest with Allah, he knows it's piles, small or big or major or minor, you call it the name, I didn't mean, it just happened, I love it, I enjoy it, I was forced to do, it doesn't matter, I did it.

Let's make Ramadan, the Ramadan of the righteous, so I'm going to talk about little bit of the Ramadan, and little bit of the righteous, let's make one of my goals that, this Ramadan is going to melt my sins, two ways, the ones already piled, and I'm not going to add to the pile, you know the number one cause of adding piles, or sins to the pile, please forgive me, correct me if I'm wrong, is in the masjid during tarawih, true or false.

And I'm going to share some experiences, and I've seen this even in the Haram, eight rakat is done and half of the Masjid follow the Sunnah that tarawih is only eight rakat, and there is no extra, alhamdulillah. So, what do they do? I would love to say they walk and go home and sleep, because tomorrow they need to be ready, this is men and women no difference, stand outside talking, while you just said it's only eight, and Quran is being recited, and I am in the month that will melt my sins, and what I am talking about Allah knows, don't pile your your sins in a place meant for you and me to melt my sins.

And I learned this from one of my teachers actually, especially if any of you is going to be in mecca or medina in the Haram during Ramadan, one of the most challenging times, and she said, and I love this every Ramadan I remember this word. 

She said, when you are in that Masjid, or even here, because here also there is multinational people, when you are sitting there, and someone comes, and sit next to you, young and old, what do you feel inside your heart, if she is from this, or from that, or she is not like what I want, or I kept it for my friend, or I want this person to come, and sit next to me, she said look inside your heart, that's a sin, I am arrogant, I'm looking down at the person next to me, although all of you from dust, all of you from Adam, and Adam was created from dust, don't pile.

Third and beautifully shaikh Abdullah just shared with us, beautiful things about the Quran, I hope it melted your Heart, and some Masjid here in the states they have this, like habit of having Quran recitation, before the tarawih, and some of us go early, because we want to go early to get a good place, alhamdulillah run, and the Quran is being read, and what do we do, I'm looking at my phone, I'm talking to my friend, I'm listening to something else, and the words of the Beloved is being recited, I'm piling sins, I'm in the Masjid, I just broke my fast, and I ran, especially mothers ran.

I know, some mothers run, actually they have their iftar in the car, because the Masjid is little bit far, or there's no parking, in all the difficulties we go, and we are piling sins, and this is Ramadan, and what the Hadith that you all going to hear repeatedly again and again, and one of them this close to me, because it's related to rasululah saw, and to Ramadan, and the meaning of, that the person who will leave Ramadan day, and he did not achieve one of these three, if not the all three, he's a loser, or she's a loser, and what's these three.

One of them is about Ramadan, one of them is about rasululah saw, and one of them is about parents, and he said, is a loser, he was actually getting up on a member, and they heard him saying a ameen, ameen, ameen, and it's like what is that, they asked him, ya saululah saw, and he said, Jibril said this to me, and I said ameen, or is a loser, the person who reach, and this is for the Youth, and not very young.

Especially living in this country, when one of your parents get to old age, with all the challenges of old age, and you did not get to Jannah because of them, you did not take good care of them, rather let someone else does that.

Second and he said, when my name is mentioned in front of him or her, and he didn't say SAW, I don't hear it, and the name is mentioned repeatedly in all the speakers make it a habit, how much it costs you that's how I tell myself, not even a breath, but this my my path to jannah, and the third is what we are talking about, who comes through live through Ramadan leave Ramadan, and he was not forgiven, what is your goal? What do you want to get from Ramadan?

Don't tell me I want to do this, I want to cook, I want to invite people, they are all nice, but that's not the main goal. 

What is your goal with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? What is your goal with the Jannah? What is your goal with the creation of Allah subhana wa ta'ala?

Let's be lofty people, we all at work, in business, in duniya, we want to be the best, I say this to myself all the time, want to be in the best house, want to be in the best job, I want my children to be in the best colleges, alhamdulillah there's nothing Haram, but why not in Jannah? Why don't I make this as my goal, and there is nothing cheap, and nothing easy in Duniya, do you think in Akhirah, so look at Ramadan, number one as this is your last one, someone came from Allah gave you a letter, exactly like what shaikh Abdullah said about Fatima, rasululah saw told her you're the first one to follow me, and she smiled, someone come to you and says that is it, no more Ramadan, how you going to look at it, what are you going to be doing, keep it this way number one.

Number two, taqwah, I'm going to connect both the title, first question everyone can claim, am I really a muttaqi, and one of the definitions of taqwa, alhamdulillah, I didn't hear it.

So, I can share something new with you, Talq Ibn Habīb said, is one of the most famous definition of taqwa, what is taqwa? What is this word that everybody hears, and we all get scared when someone says be have that taqwa. He said the following, taqwa is you do what Allah told you, but who said so you know your Dean, don't tell people this is Haram and it's not Haram, and don't say to yourself This is Haram and it's not Haram, and that's knowledge you need to learn, put a goal.

Second goal, plus the the sins every day in Ramadan, I'm going to learn something, one thing practical, one thing about this Dean, you choose make it the month I'm going to learn about the rasululah saw, it's going to be the month I'm going to learn every single day one verse from the Quran well not like a bird, so you need to learn do it for Allah, because you want want his Jannah, not to please people, not to look for praise, but I want him, actually I'm teaching myself not even to one Jannah, I want him to be pleased with me, I want him to look at me, and imagine all of us, and Allah looks at you, and says as Allah said to the prophets especially what a servant of Allah, Allah says this what a servant, what is a she servant of mine, she always comes back to me.

Make it a goal, every single day, don't waste too much time at food and eating and cooking, alhamdulillah the things are easier these days, but every single day I'm going to learn something new about Allah, about this Dean, and third which is the opposite of the taqwa stay away every single day, because I don't know if I'm going to live again of this month, and I told myself this is the last month, every day I'm going to stay away from a sin, and I'm being very generous, if you want to use the word, no sin, ask yourself this question what will happen if I didn't disobey Allah just 24 hours, 24 hours don't back bite, don't look down at people, don't look at Haram, don't listen to Haram, don't eat Haram, don't waste time, food, energy. what will happen? Nothing, on the contrary you will see what Allah will give you.

And I'll share this verse, which is as one of the scholars says, the one of the most verses that was given to Muslims, and many of us don't know it, staying away from the sins is basically taqwa, you want Allah to be pleased with you, and you want to go to Jannah, and you don't want to be punished, so taqwa, what what will happen if I do that, and this is the verse, it's ‘Surah At-Talaq’ by the way, the chapter of talaak Or divorce is very short Surah, it's only two pages, but the highest word frequently mentioned is taqwa, because rejection as you heard from scholars is very hard on the nafs, and I hard for me to practice taqwa, so here you go back, what will I get, if one day only, and please Ya Allah forgive me, but I'm trying to be practical and realistic, one day only I'm not going to disobey Allah, if I normally smoke after iftar I'm not going to do it that day, if I normally go and watch whatever I watch after iftar I'm not going to do it that day, if I'm going to be speaking this way I'm not going to do it this way, and then everybody look at their sins, no one is perfect, he will open the doors for you, how many people wants to go to Jannah, then practice taqwa, because one of the meanings of Makhraza is an exit actually, see they put the exits in red because it will save me, one of the meanings is Allah will give you Jennah, one of the meanings of Makhraza, exit is going to make the next act of worship easier, and he's going to make the next Act of disobedient harder.

The best way Allah bless me and you, if he makes me hate or dislike disobedient, I don't like it then I'm not going to do it, and this is one of the duas you have to do it for yourself, Ya Allah make us love, Faith, and beautify our hearts with it, and make us hate and don't like the kufur, rejection, ungratefulness, and immorality, public Disobedience as Allah SWT, one good deed you do consciously, and especially if it is difficult, and see what Allah subhana wa tala will give you with it, it's together, because they say it's right away practice it, it's a big word, most of us think it's very difficult, well it is not, it just needs practice, needs Focus, needs desire, I want to do it, I want to go to Jennah, I want this Ramadan to be the best Ramadan in my life, then I need to do something different, I say this to myself one of the goals is, I'm want to do something 99% of the people can do it, like I always wish one day I stand up all night like rasululah SAW, and I say just stand up all night might read the Quran, and the feet aches, but I'm going to say I want to be grateful, and if rasululah SAW can do it Allah will make it easy for us, if I really wanted, be a person of a goal this Ramadan, be a person who will start the change this Ramadan, and the change is number one in you, don't ask anyone to change before you change, don't ask your children to change before you change, don't ask your spouse to change before you change.

Last thing about there's so many things about taqwa, but I'm going to share one last thing our biggest problem in Ramadan, we say it's Shaitan, where Shan is Chained right, but still we disobey Allah, and Allah taught us something in surah Al-araf the end of it, people of taqwa that's my goal, if I am a person who's going to practice from today, practice and Ramadan becomes a habit every single day, I'm going to do something to obey Allah, based what he taught me to get to his Jennah, stay away from a Disobedience based on what he taught me, because I don't want to get the punishment of Allah, and when I fail or I am weak, but I am a person of taqwa, Allah will send something to me and you, and we will remember not to do it, that's not my words, that's his word, they remember.

Allah will make the Disobedience difficult for you, Allah will make you don't like Disobedience you remember, may Allah swt first Dua I make to myself and to everybody, don't take it granted, no one knows, I could die as I am standing, anybody can leave, we don't know.

So number one, Ya Allah give us life till we live to Ramadan, two, make it the best ever, you make it, I'm telling Allah I can't do it alone, it's not me, I'm weak, I don't have the energy, I don't have what it takes, but Allah can, the strong can make me strong, and number three make me live till the end of Ramadan, and I will be of the people, that I will live, and I will hopefully, please forgive me, know the night of Al kadar, and I will give it, its do right, and when the day eid will come, and I'll share this with you, it's a true story, I was in the Haram, in Haram in Macca in Itikaf, and there was a woman next to me, sometimes behind me, did nothing for the last 28 days other than Quran and Salah, and obviously she was hafiz, because she was reading and reading.

So how do you know, when you are in the haram, that tomorrow is eid, and this was before the time of the internet, there was no tarawih, so when they call for isha no more tarawih, so we knew tomorrow is eid, and Allah is my witness, this woman start crying, as if she lost her child, and I kept looking at her, and she does that, it's done, it's finished, because they right away the the cleaners comes in they ask you to leave the Haram, because they need to clean it for the eid, she was crying like a baby, I looked at her and I said Ya Allah what you gave her give me, so when Ramadan leave my beloved left me, the awaited guest left, not tomorrow eid, and we go back to where we are, this is not difficult for Allah, we just need to be honest, sincere, and Allah will give us.