Ramadan is a school, training program. There are modules, courses and lessons that a person needs to take and attend. Once he graduates from those modules, courses and lessons that are training program from the school of Ramadan, he graduates as a different person to the person that they were when they entered it.
"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous – " [Al-Baqarah 2:183]
• Whenever Allah calls out to us with this description, this title الذين آمنوا , Allah is instructing and calling out to us to tell us something that we have to do or something we have to keep away from.
• The concept of fasting is something that was present in the previous nations.
• The word "لعلكم" we say it in hope or fear, i.e. لعلك بخير , I hope you are well, or لعلك مريض , I'm worried it seems like you're sick.
But when Allah says it, from what is famous in the books of Tafseer, is that the word " لعلكم " means The Purpose.
• At-Taqwa, in Arabic language it means: to put a barrier between something a person is scared of.
In Islam Taqwa is shielding ourselves from the punishment of Allah, Allah's Anger and curse, the Hellfire.
Ali bin abi Talib رضي الله عنه defined how a person can shield himself from Allah's Punishment. He sai:
ما عبد الله يمثل الخوف، Allah was never worshipped with anything better than fear.
- Acting upon the Revelation,
Allah warned us against two groups of people in Surah Al-Fatihah, from being the people who Allah's anger is upon. Because they didn't act upon what they knew.
- And sufficing yourself with little,
Ramadan is a time where a person leaves off eating, drinking and intimacy and it gives him nearness to Allah because that person is leaving his desires, and leaving them brings a person near to Allah by default. A person learns to control his Nafs and how to leave them by leaving some of the things that Allah made Halal. It should make a person satisfied with little bit.
Many of the people, the Haram they left in the daytime they do it in the night time. They exchange the daytime for the night time. So they don't ever feel satisfied with the little they have.
- Preparing for the day of Departure.
• Definition of Taqwa by Talq ibn Habib رحمه الله
العَمَلُ بِطاعَةِ الله، عَلَى نورٍ مِنَ الله، رَجاءَ ثَوابِ الله، وَتَركُ مَعاصي الله، على نور من الله، مَخافَةَ عَذابِ الله.
You act in obedience to Allah,
Hoping for Allah's reward,
Upon a light of guidance from Allah,
And you leave disobeying Allah,
Upon a light of guidance from Allah,
Fearing Allah's Punishment.
• At-Taqwa is to act in obedience to Allah and to leave disobedience to Allah, with the correct intention, الإخلاص , and a نور , (beneficial knowledge) from Allah. Doing good deeds and keeping away from Haram with sincerity and following the Sunnah.
Taqwa requires two things: Sincerity and Sunna of the Prophet ﷺ
• Two Dangerous Things to be Careful of:
- Exchanging the night for the day.
- Not making permanent changes.
There's no benefit in this. This is a Madrasah, school, what is the point of graduating and going back to being ignorant?
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