Day Twenty-two of Ramadan. A reading from the book "The Call of Allah" by Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi. Today we talk about Community. We learn Ramadan is a time for introspection and a time to break fast and be in community with other believers.
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As-salamu alaykum. Peace be with you and Ramadan Mubarak. Welcome to the University of Sufism's reading of Rosina Fawzia Al-Rawi's book, The Call of Allah, A Companion to the Holy Month of Ramadan. Today I am sharing day number 22 about Ummah, Community. The Prophet, Peace be upon him, Said, If anyone removes his brother's fear of this world, Allah will remove for him one of the fears on the day of resurrection. If anyone eases the life of an impoverished man, Allah will make it easy for him in this world and on the day of resurrection. If anyone conceals a Muslim's secrets, Allah will conceal his secrets in this world and on the day of resurrection. Allah will help a servant as long as the servant helps his brother. Allah has established this month for us in order to make it easier for us to turn away from the creation and towards the creator. In his love and mercy, He has kept away the negative outer forces and thinned out the veils between heaven and earth so that we have the best opportunity to receive inner knowledge and deal with the inner veils which keep us away from him. Thus, Ramadan is both a time for retreat. O you who have attained to faith, Be conscious of God with all the consciousness that is due to him and do not allow death to overtake you ere you have surrendered yourselves unto him. Quran 3 ayat 102 And a time for the community and hold fast all together unto the bond with God and do not draw apart from one another. Quran 3 ayat 103 In my inner life when I retreat, I pay attention to my thoughts, My feelings, My senses. Where are they taking me? What is on my mind? Where are my energies and thoughts heading to? What is filling and occupying my heart? How conscious is my bond with God, My faith in him, And my love of him? Do I remain in remembrance, Dhikr, Even when the fire of hunger in my stomach makes me weak? Do I remain in my love or do I fall prey to the wishes of my body and the needs of my ego, My nafs? What do I want from life? What is my spiritual attitude in life and what do I give of myself to this world? Fasting makes us slow and weakness overtakes our body, Thus loosening the grip of our ego whilst at the same time making its ensuing irritations plainer for us to see. We are being moved by Allah to and fro. At times our heart turns in deep love to our true self, To our soul, To that part in us which loves Allah and his creation unconditionally. At other times it turns to the wishes of our body and would like nothing better than to shake everything off and follow its own wishes. During the day, In the clear light of the sun, I find myself confronted with the question, Where do I stand? Who am I? What do I want? And I feel that only he can help me. The more I let go, The more I surrender, The more I follow his call and his kind love, The more I become that for which I was born and created, A servant of God. When the time of transition comes and the sunset approaches, The time of community begins, The time of iftar, New situation, New challenge. How am I in the community? How do I behave? Do I become forgetful, Throw myself in happy conversation, Forgetting and letting myself be distracted from my creator? Do I greedily grab at that which will fulfill my physical needs? What comes up? Modesty or greed? Do I feed others and humbly share, Lovingly thanking Allah? Night comes and many of us gather in the mosques for the Taraweeh prayers and to read the Quran together. These gatherings are called Muqabbalah. We open our inner space to Allah, To the creator, While embedding ourselves in the creation. Do I let my love for Allah move my tongue, My hands, My heart? Do I pronounce praises and blessings? Do I remain connected with God and do I strengthen this bond within the community? Or do I fall prey to my pretense, My hypersensitivity and my excuses? The messenger of Allah, Peace and blessings be upon him, Was asked, Who lives Islam best? He answered, The one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe. The day paved the way for the night. This day and night cycle repeats itself 30 times and every day and every night I lift another veil which stands between me and Allah. May our outer rituals be filled with our inner values. In the Quran, Allah gives us a present of a surah, Surah 49, Al-Hujurat, The private apartments, In which he shows us the principles of the brotherhood of all believers or brotherhood of humankind. O you who have attained to faith, No men shall deride other men. It may well be that those whom they deride are better than themselves, And no women shall deride other women. It may be well that those whom they deride are better than themselves, And neither shall you defame one another nor insult one another by approprious epithets. Evil is all imputation of iniquity after. No one has attained to faith, And they who become guilty thereof and do not repent, It is they, They who are evildoers. Quran 49 ayat 11. And Allah further explains, O you who have attained to faith, Avoid most guesswork about one another, For behold, Some of such guesswork is in itself a sin. And do not spy upon one another, And neither allow yourselves to speak ill of one another behind your backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, You would loathe it, And be conscious of God. Verily, God is an acceptor of repentance, A dispenser of grace. Quran 49 ayat 12. When the Quran mentions brothers, This word addresses equally women and men. All believers are but brethren. Hence, Whenever they are at odds, Make peace between your two brethren, And remain conscious of God, So that you might be graced with his mercy. Quran 49 ayat 10. The nature of compassion is an attitude where we endeavor to soothe others' suffering, To support one another in doing so, To further goodness in ourselves, And welfare for all. Compassion is to experience others' joys and sorrows as if they were our own. We all strive for happiness and try to avoid suffering. A Bedouin had three sons. When his time came, He sent for them and said, Children, I'd like to bequeath you my seventeen camels, But I insist on the following distribution. You, My eldest, Should receive half. You, My second, Should receive one-third. And you, My youngest, One-ninth. The father passed away, And the sons could not fathom how they should proceed. No matter which way they looked at it, It seemed impossible. Should they sacrifice one camel and distribute it? Should they distribute a few of them? Suddenly, They noticed an old Sufi taking a rest with his camel under a palm tree. They went to him and asked him for advice. Take my camel, Then you'll have eighteen camels. And so it was. The eldest son received half, Nine camels, The middle, A third, Six camels, And the youngest one, Ninth, Two camels. Once the distribution was complete, One camel remained. The old Sufi took his camel and went on his way, Smiling. The way we see God is a direct reflection of the way we see ourselves. If we see God as being full of love and compassion, So are we. When we see God solely as a judge, We start constantly judging ourselves and others. The Qur'an always speaks about community, Not about a state, And it wants to help us create a just, Diverse, And lively community, United in its faith in Allah and his Messenger, Peace be upon him. We human beings thrive and grow and are much more satisfied in a society where prosperity is equally distributed among the population and all the members are given the same opportunities, Than in a society where the gap is wide between the rich and the poor. The principles of the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him, Can only be realized in a community whose individuals develop these values and these ethics within themselves. To be a true Muslim means to consider every human being as a creature of God. We human beings are like trees whose roots are invisibly connected in one and the same earth, While our outer expression is varied and unique. Thus does multiplicity point to unity. We all treasure qualities such as friendliness, Tolerance, Warm-heartedness, Generosity, Patience, And peacemaking. By the same token, We loathe malice, Narrow-mindedness, Greed, And unfriendliness. Allah's beloved, Peace and blessings be upon him, Said, Verily on the day of resurrection Allah will say, Where are those who love one another for my glory's sake? Today I shall shelter them in my shadow on that day when there is no other shadow but mine. Yet it is also important for us to understand that we cannot change another human being if they are not willing to change. We can only change our reaction or our attitude towards them. Strive, Pray for them, And put your trust in Allah. The Prophet, Peace and blessings be upon him, Said, None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself. Regardless of our religion, Culture, Or political views, We human beings are all connected with one another. For every community faces a direction of its own, Of which he is the focal point. Therefore, By with one another in doing good works, Wherever you may be, God will gather you all unto himself. For verily God has the power to will anything. Quran 2 ayat 148. We all carry a responsibility, An obligation towards Ummat Muhammad, Peace be upon him, And towards a worldwide community, A global ummah. And if God had so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community, But he willed it otherwise in order to test you by means of what he has vouchsafed unto you. Vy then with one another in doing good works. Unto God you must all return, And then he will make you truly understand all that on which you will want to differ. Quran 5 ayat 48. And the Quran shows us where we stand. And thus have we willed you to be a community of the middle way, So that with your lives you may bear witness to the truth before all mankind, And that the apostle might bear witness to it before you. Quran 2 ayat 143. If we are aware of God, We shape a world in which everyone can live the way God wishes us to. We feed the poor and take care of the old. We protect the women when they are beaten and the men when they are enslaved. We encourage and help our children, Boys and girls alike. We make it possible for all to be educated, And we contribute to connect human beings in respect and mercy. The practice suggested for today. Repeat 100 times. There is no God but Allah. No one partakes of his almightiness. All praise and thanks are due to him, And he has power over everything. Thank you for joining us today for this reading of The Call of Allah, A Companion to the Holy Month of Ramadan, With the permission of Rosina Fawzia al-Rawi. Ramadan Mubarak.
