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Fasting is for Allah (swt)

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

5 July 2013 Burton, Michigan

Jumu`ah Khutbah at As-Siddiq Mosque

O Believers, Muslims! Allah (swt) said:

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَر

Shahru ramadaana alladhee unzila feehi 'l-quraan hudan li 'n-naasi wa bayyinaatin min al-hudaa wa 'l-furqaan. fa-man shahida minkumu 'sh-shahra f ‘al-yasumhu wa man kaana mareedan aw `alaa safarin fa`iddatun min ayyaamin ukhar.

Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an as a guide to Mankind, also as clear (signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill or on a journey, the prescribed period (should be made up) by days later. (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:185)

Allah (swt) has ordered us to fast Ramadan. Allah wants for those who are living in the west or are living in areas that are difficult to give them more moments in their life to be precious to them. That's why some are fasting 17 or 18 hours. It is not going to be rewarded the same as those fasting 12 hours. There are countries you fast 12 hours, there are some 18 hours.

Prophet (s) said that Allah (swt) said:

« كل عمل ابن آدم يضاعف الحسنة عشرة أمثالها إلى سبعمائة ضعف. قال الله عز وجل: إلا الصوم، فإنه لي وأنا أجزي به. يدع شهوته وطعامه من أجلي. للصائم فرحتان: فرحة عند فطره، وفرحة عند لقاء ربه. ولخلوف فيه أطيب عند الله من ريح المسك» رواه مسلم

Kullu `amali ibni Aadam yuda`afu al-hasanatu bi `ashri amthaaluhaa, ilaa sab`a miata da`f. Qaala-Llaahu ta`ala: illa as-sawma fa innahu lee wa anaa ajzee bih. yada`a shahwatahu wa ta`aamahu wa sharaabahu min ajlee. Lis-saaim farhataan: farhatan `inda fitratihi wa farhatan `inda liqaai rabbih. Wa la-khuloof feehi atyabu `inda-Llah min reeha ’l-misk.

All the deeds of the Children of Adam are multiplied so that there are ten rewards for each good deed increasing up to 700, and Allah said, “Except fasting, for it is done (purely) for Me and I reward for it. He gives up his food and his drink and his sexual desire for My Sake. There are two occasions of joy for one who fasts: a joy when he breaks it and a joy when he meets his Lord. And the breath (of an observer of fast) is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk.” (Muslim)

Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (r) said that Prophet (s) said, kullu `amali ibni Aadam yuda`af, “Any action you do while fasting will multiply,” breathing in and breathing out will multiply. That is why those fasting a longer time, 17 hours, every breath going in and going out is multiplied. What gives us the analysis to understand every moment is multiplied, in the same hadith at the end we mention it, and since every moment the rewards of fasting days is multiplied, not a multiplication we understand, 2 become 4 or 4 become 8 and 8 become 16, it doesn't multiply like an atomic reaction in which every particle will multiply, because it multiplies from 10 to 700. So that 17 hours you fast in some countries is going to multiply more than those in 12 hours fasting in other countries as it is more by 6 hours. So what is a moment? Is it a second? Less than a fraction of a second? A fraction of fraction of fraction of a second is smaller than that; it goes down to where scientists were able to calculate that a second can be divided to 10(-22) units of time, a number you cannot count. What is a moment in science? It is 0.00001 (with 22 zeroes) and after that there is no more time, only energy as time is gone.

That moment when time is gone is the moment that Allah will reward from 10 hasanaat to 700 hasanaat per moment! Calculate them, what Allah is rewarding Muslims who are fasting in Ramadan and this is what he (s) said Allah gave to them outside of Ramadan, the months that are not Ramadan.

And the Prophet (s) said, illa as-sawma fa innahu lee wa anaa ajzee bih, “Except for fasting (Ramadan), that is for Me and what I will reward.” So what Allah will reward is not like the multiplication for outside of Ramadan. So that is reward no one can know up to infinity, we can say epsilon. So those who are fasting Ramadan are receiving reward that no one knows. Why? “Because he drops all kinds of desires and pleasures for My Sake,” eating and drinking and juices and milkshakes and Starbucks. “Leave everything for Me!” Fasting for 17-18 hours in this country and there are countries that are fasting 20 hours and all are rewarded, but the one fasting 12 hours will not be rewarded the same as fasting 17 or 18 hours.

So for the fasting is rewards, farhataan, two happinesses, and that is for fasting one day! So what if Allah made fasting for 24 hours, with no break? If He orders you have to do it, but Allah is giving a break between Maghrib and Fajr to do what you like, eat and drink and do what you like. And the other happiness is when he meets with His Lord. Allah made both these happiness's equal, the fast-breaking and the meeting with the Lord are equal! Allah made the fast-breaking time to be like the time you meet Allah (swt) and He sends you to Paradise!

O Muslims! What do you want better than this? I will repeat the hadith again:

All the deeds of the Children of Adam are multiplied so that there are ten rewards for each good deed increasing up to 700, and Allah said, “Except fasting, for it is done (purely) for Me and I reward for it. He gives up his food and his drink and his sexual desire for My Sake. There are two occasions of joy for one who fasts: a joy when he breaks it and a joy when he meets his Lord. And the breath (of an observer of fast) is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk.” (Muslim)

The smell of the fasting person will be more beautiful to Allah than the scent of musk! So don’t brush your teeth on fasting days, brush them after you eat suhoor (before fasting begins). That is a mistake to brush your teeth in the day of Ramadan. That smell is better to Allah than the smell of musk. When someone has eaten garlic and onion, the angels run away; when he eats fully garlic and onions they have a hard time to take your prayer up, but when fasting they are rushing to take that smell of musk up to their Lord! Musk is from the deer and deers have a kind and nice character. Allah doesn’t like us to brush our teeth when fasting. May Allah forgive us.

الصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ إِذَا كَانَ أَحَدُكُمْ صَائِمًا فَلاَ يَرْفُثْ وَلاَ يَجْهَلْ فَإِنِ امْرُؤٌ قَاتَلَهُ أَوْ شَاتَمَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ إِنِّي صَائِمٌ إِنِّي صَائِمٌ

`An Abi Hurayrah idhaa kaana ahadakum saaiman fa laa yarfuth wa laa yajhal fa-in amruwun qaatalahu aw shaatamahu falyaqul innee saaim, innee saaim.

Fasting is a shield; when one of you is fasting, he should neither behave in an obscene manner nor foolishly. If a man fights or abuses him, he should say, “I am fasting, I am fasting.” (Abu Dawood)

When fasting don’t approach women, your wife, and don’t act a wrong act. If someone curses you or shouts at you or says something you don’t like, what do you have to say? Say, innee saaim, “I am fasting.” Even if someone fights with you, what you have to say? “I am fasting.”

O Muslims! Don’t argue in Ramadan. Ramadan inshaa-Allah is coming next week and inshaa-Allah Allah gives us power to fast the whole month.

(Du`a.)

(Salaat al-Jumu`ah.)

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