 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على أشرف الأنبياء والمرسلين حبيبي إله العالمين أبل قاسم المصطفى محمد وعلى أهل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين قال الله تعالى في كتابه الكريم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وإذا سألك عبادي عني فإنني قريبا أجيب دعوة الداعي إذا دعان صلو على محمد وآله محمد مسلم السكولرين لقد فرمت المصطفى المصطفى المصطفى إلى ثلاثة كتابه وأن هذا لأن القرآن و the book of Allah has mentioned three types of souls three types of nefs the first nefs that are mentioned in the Quran is the nefs that is labeled as the نفس الأمارة الله says in the Quran وما وبرء و نفسي إن نفس ل أمارت بالسوء this is the part of the soul أن تساعدنا لتساعد الله سبحانه وتعالى هذا هو المدينة التي تساعدنا to follow and worship our desires just like the animals أن تضع المنطقة، أن تضع المنطقة، أن تضع المنطقة and following the desires and it is it's not only asking us to disobey Allah once it is constantly it never stops asking us to follow our desires and then there's another soul and this is labeled as the نفس اللوامة لا أقسم بيوم القيامة ولا أقسم بنفس اللوامة this is the part of us that tells us to go back to Allah سبحانه وتعالى after we have disobeyed after we have fell in the traps of shaitan this is the part of me that tells me I have done something wrong and I must go back to Allah سبحانه وتعالى this is the regret that every single one of us feels as soon as we have done something wrong there's a feeling when we have done something wrong everyone feels that regret some people try to cover it up some people try to ignore it but this is the نفس اللوامة and this is the gravity that pulls me back to Allah سبحانه وتعالى after I have gone astray and after I have disobeyed Allah and then there's the third type of soul that is mentioned in the Quran and this is the نفس المطمئنة the soul that has reached satisfaction the soul that is satisfied with itself and satisfied with Allah and Allah سبحانه وتعالى is satisfied with this person Allah says in the Quran فتخلي في عبادي وتخلي جنة this is the soul that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has accepted and this is the soul that it is satisfied with Allah سبحانه وتعالى the soul that is rest assured in this life the only way that we can reach security spiritual security and spiritual satisfaction is through Allah سبحانه وتعالى the only way that we can be content is through Allah سبحانه وتعالى because Allah is the one that controls the feelings in the heart and Allah is the one that will bring satisfaction to the heart you see some people they are millionaires you see some tyrants leaders kings presidents they have everything under their control they have the money they have the wealth they have power anything that anyone can wish for but then you see that they're still not satisfied look at for example one of the tyrants Saddam Saddam he had everything he had tens and tens of castles and mansions and palaces but he lived a lifestyle of fear he was always afraid every time he goes out there's a hundred cars going out with him every time he walks into a place he's constantly afraid for his life this means that he's not satisfied he hasn't reached the state of اطمينان he hasn't reached the state of satisfaction but you look at امير المؤمنين علي ابناء بطالب عليه السلام he used to walk and his servant the one who was with him he wasn't a servant he was as a friend to امير المؤمنين قمبر he would walk behind امير المؤمنين telling him او امير المؤمنين I'm afraid for you I'm afraid someone is going to harm you امير المؤمنين would tell him او قمبر the day that Allah has written for me to leave this life is a day that no one can change bring hundreds of bodyguards bring armies and soldiers let them try to defend me no one can that is the day that Allah has written for me this is the rest assured soul this is the soul that has submitted تا الله سبحانه وتعالى الا بذكر الله تطمئن القلوب it is only through the remembrance of Allah that the hearts will find peace الله says in the Quran ان الذين قالوا ربنا الله ثم استقاموا the ones that say ربنا الله and then they act upon what they say ثم استقاموا then they stand for what they say تتنزل عليهم الملائكة ان لا تخافوا ولا تحزنوا وابشروا بالجنة التي كنتم تعدون and then they promise them of the ultimate reward and that is تتنزل عليهم الملائكة ان لا تخافوا ولا تحزنوا do not be sad do not be afraid do not be sad for what is going on in front of you وابشروا بالجنة التي كنتم تعدون and then they promise them of the ultimate reward and that is تتنزل عليهم الملائكة these are the ones that have a rest assured soul these are the ones that have built a relationship with الله سبحانه وتعالى now I ask and every one of us we want to reach that level of اطمينان every single one of us we want to reach that level of satisfaction where we are we are worry free in this life we have Allah with us if I have Allah with me I am not going to be worried about anyone or anything but how do I reach that level how do I reach that level النفس المطمئنة this is what the month of رمضان teaches us this is what رسول الله صلى الله عليه وعاله teaches us this is what امير المؤمنين teaches us and the أهل البيت they teach us through the duas through the supplications that are recited during the holy month of رمضان and my dear brothers and sisters I've said this and I'll say it again you go and you look all over the world search east and west and north and south you will never find supplications like that of the like that the أهل البيت have brought for us where can you find the دعاء like دعاء كميل where can you find the دعاء like دعاء الصباح where can you find beautiful words like the دعاء that was just recited earlier دعاء الافتطاع this is the legacy of the أهل البيت this is what the أهل البيت left for us we hold on to the أهل البيت not only because of it's an issue of power an issue of خلافة after رسول الله no we hold on to the أهل البيت because they help us reach spiritual satisfaction for ourselves during this holy month let's learn lessons from أهل البيت all Muslims are fasting but it is only a few Muslims it is only a small group of Muslims that are able to benefit benefit from their fasting otherwise you'll have a person that was fasting but he goes and he blows himself up killing people that are prostrating to Allah on a Friday in a Masjid in the month of Ramadan he was fasting as well most likely you need to have spirituality you need to reach Allah through the correct way the way that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has brought for us and that is where we go to the أهل البيت عليهم السلام we go to the أهل البيت to learn how to build a relationship with Allah سبحانه وتعالى let us go to the doors let us go to the teachings of زين العابدين عليهم السلام the one who رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله named him زين العابدين the adornment of the worshippers إمام علي ابن الحسين this great Imam of the أهل البيت the son of Imam الحسين عليه السلام who teaches us how to build a relationship with Allah at a time where everyone is busy for themselves it's either night time when everyone is asleep when everyone is worried about the rest or during the hours of صحر during the month of روضان when we are worried stuffing our stomachs so that we so that we won't go hungry throughout the day what do the adornment teaches us what does also Allah صلى الله عليه و آله teaches us yes take a few bites eat you're not going to starve out of hunger but during those hours make sure that you feed your soul as well so that that is the time that the dua is most likely to be accepted during the times of eating also رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله says during the time of إفطار right before you eat right before you eat ask Allah for one of your hajats ask Allah for something say one because that is also a time that Allah will answer the dua we learn from the أهل البيت that during that hour the hour of the صحر to build a bond with Allah to invest in a relationship with Allah صبحانه و تعالى it is mentioned in the تفسير سورة يوسف after the brothers they brought the catastrophe upon يوسف they came back to their father and they were repenting they told their father يعقوب يعقوب father الله to forgive us so Prophet يعقوب عليه السلام he says سأستغفر لكم ربي he says I will ask الله to forgive you he doesn't do it right now at that moment commentators of the Quran they say that he was waiting for the moment of صحر he was waiting for the time of صحر because that is the time of prayer that is the time that you can have a relationship an intimate relationship with الله سبحانه وتعالى and we learned from Imam زين العابدين عليه السلام some of the most beautiful prayers some of the most beautiful supplications that are recited specifically during the month of Ramadan one of them is دعاء أبو حمزة ثمالي this beautiful دعاء this beautiful language of love where the Imam عليه السلام he teaches us how to speak to Allah from the perspective of a servant from this perspective of a sinner from the perspective of someone who is a deviant sinner that is going to be judged by Allah any day now we don't know when we're going to leave this life but have we prepared ourselves for that day have we prepared ourselves for the Akhira this is what the Imam teaches us this is what the Ahl al-Bayt teaches us to get up in the middle of the night and remember Allah and build a bond with Allah Allah سبحانه وتعالى describes the ones that stand in the middle of the night the ones that stand in the middle of the night to have a conversation with Allah Allah says in the Quran تتجافة جنوبهم عن المضاجع يدعون ربهم خوفا وطمعا ومن ما رزقناهم ينفقون their bodies are lifted from the bed in the middle of the night you know there are some sleep cannot come to them sleep cannot come to them why because this is the time that your lover is waiting for you this is the time that Allah is waiting for you who is going to speak to Allah during that moment during those moments who is going to cherish those moments and have a conversation with Allah سبحانه وتعالى and this is what the dua of Imam Zain العبدين عليه السلام teaches us one third of the month of Ramadan has passed my dear brothers and sisters one third of this holy month has passed let us take advantage of what is remaining from this month and this beautiful dua we are taught how to have a conversation with Allah and Allah سبحانه وتعالى is welcoming Allah سبحانه وتعالى listens to us وإذا سألك عبادي عني فإني قريب وجيب دعوة داعي إذا دعان when my servant ask about me let them know that I am close and I answer whoever calls upon me and this dua the Imam teaches us how to have a conversation with Allah many of us we want to have a conversation many of us we want to have a dialogue with Allah but we don't know what to say we don't know what to ask for we don't know how to ask the imams they teach us how to have a conversation with Allah and one part of the dua the Imam says إلهي بذكرك عاش قلبي وبمناجاتك برت ألم الخوف عني he says oh Allah it's through your remembrance that my heart survives and through the munaajat through the whispering prayers with Allah I have cooled down the pain in my heart I have cooled down the suffering that I witness all around me every day when you talk to Allah you will feel comfortable when you have a conversation with Allah even if you're poor even if you're suffering from diseases even if you're suffering from health financial issues if you have Allah what else do you need what else do you need if you have Allah سبحانه وتعالى أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام he used to say ركعة لي في دنياكم أحب إلي من الجنة وما فيها he would say that one raka'a in this lower life is better than heaven and what it offers because if you have Allah what is heaven if I have Allah سبحانه وتعالى then heaven is nothing if someone builds a bond with Allah سبحانه وتعالى this is أمير المؤمنين so here in this dua أمام زين العابدين عليه السلام he teaches us a few factors in building a relationship with Allah he begins the dua دعاء أبو حمز الثمالي by admitting who he is and who Allah is many of us we want to have a relationship with Allah but I treat Allah as a coworker when I ask Allah if he does not answer me I come and I get upset and I yell and I say Allah doesn't listen to me and I'm going to leave we don't treat Allah as if he is our master and we are the servants we are the slaves but the Imam reminds us who we are when we begin a conversation with Allah ومن أين لي النجات ولا تستطاع إلا بك he says oh Allah do not punish me do not discipline me through your punishments through your torture who else do I have other than you oh Allah who else can save me from the afterlife who else can save me who should I turn to other than Allah سبحانه وتعالى the Imam teaches me to acknowledge who I am and who Allah is because the moment I acknowledge who I am I will be able to have a conversation with Allah سبحانه وتعالى and then the Imam of course there's many lessons every sentence every page every word there are many lessons that we can learn from this dua I'm just pointing out a few of these factors another factor of this dua is that the Imam focuses on the problem a problem that we all have and that is a problem that we continue falling into sin why do I continue falling into sin why am I like an animal following my desires I have no self control my desires control me Allah سبحانه وتعالى gave me intellect but I let that aside and I'm following my desires I'm going after this dunya the Imam says why why is it that we continue falling into sin why is it that we cannot build a bond with Allah سبحانه وتعالى اللهم إني كل ما قلت قد تهيأت وتعبأت وقمت للصلاة بين يديك ونا جيتك القيت علي نعاصن إذا أنا صليت وسلبتني مناجاتك إذا أنا جيت ما لي كل ما قلت قد صلحت سريرتي وقد قرب من مجالس التوابين مجلسي عرضت لي بلية أزالت قدمي he says why is it oh Allah that every time I make an intention to build a relationship with you I make an intention I decide that tonight I'm going to pray صلاة الليل I decide that tonight I'm not going to disobey tonight I'm going to do good tonight I'm going to do something that brings me closer to Allah but then something comes in the way and brings me away I slip I fall I crumble and I cannot stand in front of those desires the Imam replies he says سيدي لعلك عن بابك طرتني oh my master maybe it is because you have kicked me out of your doors and when Allah سبحانه وتعالى shuts the doors in front of our face that's it there's no head there's no head آية وعن خدمتك نحيتني أو لعلك رأيتني أستخفا بحقك فأقصيتني أو لعلك رأيتني معرضا عنك فقليتني أو لعلك وجدتني في مقام الكاذبين فرفثتني the Imam points out if you reasons why we cannot build a relationship with Allah سبحانه وتعالى the first لعلك عن بابك طرتني oh Allah maybe you have kicked me out of your doors Allah سبحانه وتعالى does not kick us out of his mercy Allah سبحانه وتعالى sent 124,000 profits just to guide me just to bring us to the right path why would Allah shut the door in front of my face Allah shuts the door because we shut the door Allah does not answer me because I have shut the door I don't want to have a relationship with Allah سبحانه وتعالى maybe it's because of my sins that are on my shoulders that stop me from building a bond with Allah سبحانه وتعالى and then he says أو لعلك رأيتني معرضا عنك فقليتني maybe I do not go the extra mile I say I only do the wajib I don't want to go extra I don't want to do anything else I don't want to go to the masjid listen to dua كوميل دعال افتتاح I don't want to have any relationship I'll just do whatever I have to because of that my dua is not getting closer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى Allah tells me there's no need to force a relationship with Allah you don't want to have a relationship with Allah there's no need for force you stay where you are and Allah is where he is and then he says أو لعلك رأيتني غيرا شاكرا لنعمائك فحرمتني maybe I do not take the time to appreciate what Allah سبحانه وتعالى has given me every breath that we take is a gift from Allah سبحانه وتعالى everything around us is a blessing from Allah سبحانه وتعالى have we taken the time to thank Allah and appreciate have we appreciated people around us and society around us Allah says in the Quran لأن شكرتم لأزيدنكم ولأن كفرتم إن عذابي لشديد if you thank Allah Allah will give you more and if you do kufr and do not thank do not appreciate then also the punishment is severe أو لعلك فقدتني من مجالس العلماء فخذلتني أو لعلك رأيتني آلف مجالس البطالين فبيني وبينهم خليتني he says لعلك فقدتني من مجالس العلماء I do not like to sit with the علماء I do not like to sit with a scholar not any scholar a scholar is someone who reminds you of Allah سبحانه وتعالى a scholar is anyone anyone could be a scholar but this is someone who reminds you of Allah سبحانه وتعالى maybe your parents can be scholars maybe your grandparents maybe a friend someone who reminds you of Allah سبحانه وتعالى أو لعلك وجتني رأيتني آلف مجالس البطالين فبيني وبينهم خليتني because I like to hang out in the sessions that are wasting my time sit and talk about politics talk about the economy talk about the weather talk about social networks talk about everything but as soon as the conversation becomes about Allah you see some people they get up and they leave they don't want to talk about Allah I don't want to have a conversation about Allah I want to sit and talk in a conversation I'll talk for hours and hours I'll give my input and I'll be willing to listen for hours about anything else as soon as it becomes a reminder of Allah سبحانه وتعالى I get up and I leave because I don't want to have a relationship with Allah I don't want to be reminded of my sins I don't want to be reminded of my obligations these are the مجالس البطالين they asked رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله he tells the Muslims اجتنبوا مجالس الموتى انتبعوا من الأسئلة لا one literally sits with dead and socializes with dead people we all run away from dead people so they asked رسول الله who are the dead رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله كله غني موتراف everyone who is so rich that all they think about is this life now you have some rich people they're very good they're very close to Allah they're constantly donating they're constantly giving for good causes they use their money to get close to Allah سبحانه وتعالى but then there are some that just want their money to bring them away from Allah سبحانه وتعالى رسول الله says stay away from that type of session so this is one factor another factor that the Imam points out and the dua is that we have to admit our sins the only way we can go through this obstacle the only way that we can build a relationship with Allah the only way that we can get closer to Allah is after we have admitted our sins after we admit that we are guilty but in my view I'm not a sinner everyone else is a sinner but I'm not a sinner this is why we refuse some of us we refuse to repent some of us we keep delaying the repentance and Allah سبحانه وتعالى says إن الله لا يغير ما بقومن حتى يغيروا ما بأنفسهم الله سبحانه وتعالى does not change a group of people or a person until they decide on changing themselves and the only way that I can change myself is once I have admitted once I have admitted of my faults and my mistakes in front of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and there is no shame in admitting your sins to Allah سبحانه وتعالى because Allah is all-seeing because Allah is all-hearing yes it's Makruh it's not good to tell your sins to other people because no one else can help me get rid of my sins but tell your sins to Allah سبحانه وتعالى and the Imam he points out to this factor إلهي أنا القليل الذي كثرته والمستضعف الذي نصرته وأنا الطريد الذي آويته أنا يا رب الذي لم أستحرك في الخلاق ولم أراقبك في الملاء أنا صاحب الدواه العظمة أنا الذي على سيده اشترى أنا الذي عصيت جبار السماء the Imam says oh Allah I am the small that you raised I am the nothing that you made something I am the one that couldn't walk you helped me I am the one that no one knew about me in the womb of my mother but you continued to send blessings and sustenance for me in a time where no one knew about me not even my own mother you kept giving me you kept giving me but what did I do I kept disobeying أنا الذي عصيت جبار السماء I am the one who had the audacity to disobey the creator of the universe the creator of the skies and the solar system out of all of the creation of Allah all of the creation everything that you look around you is a creation of Allah all of the creation of Allah does not disobey Allah everything goes in one pattern the solar system the DNA the genes the animals they don't disobey Allah they do what they're ordered to do but the only one that has the audacity to disobey Allah is me the human we are the only ones that disobey Allah سبحانه وتعالى but now what's the solution فقد عصيتك وخالفتك بجهدي فالآن من عذابك من يستنقذني ومن أيدي الخصماء غدا من يخلصني وبحبلي من التصل ان انت قطأت حبلك عني The problem is that this life is going to finish one day The problem is that we don't even know when that day is going to be The problem is that I've continued to live a lifestyle of disobedience but one day I'm going to leave this life Who's going to help me Who's going to be there for me and this is why the Imam The Imam he starts begging Allah سبحانه وتعالى begging Allah for forgiveness because there's no way out Today in this life maybe I could be the biggest criminal but I can go if I have money I can go and bring a lawyer and he could take me out of jail Look at the white collar criminals they go and steal so much money they destroy lives of millions of people CEOs of companies and then they come and they live everything is fine if they end up going to prison they go in a very nice place that there's no punishment nothing but with Allah can we escape ولا يمكن الفرار من حكومتك there's no escape from the government of Allah سبحانه وتعالى this is why the Imam right now before we go in the afterlife right now we have to beg Allah for mercy إله لو قرنتني بالأصفاد ومنعتني سيبك من بين الأشهاد ودللت على فضائحي عيون العباد وأمرت بي إلى النار وحلت بيني وبين الأخيار ما قطعت رجائي منك وما خرج حبك من قلبي أنا لا أنسى أيادك عندي وسترك علي في دار الدنيا he says oh Allah if you were to punish me if you were to hold me in the chains on the day of judgment during those hours during those moments I would say I have a Lord and that is Allah سبحانه وتعالى because who else can I call upon other than Allah سبحانه وتعالى the Imam he teaches us how to build a bond with Allah سبحانه وتعالى and finally in the dua the Imam reminds us of something that we all try to stay away from we all try to ignore and that is death is leaving this life you know there are some people they drive by cemeteries they turn around they don't even look at the cemetery because they don't want to be reminded of that home that is being prepared for them that home that is the true home that every single one of us is bound to be in our true home is the afterlife this life it finishes within a blink of an eye this life will finish it will be gone but what have we done for the afterlife I'm asking you to help me build a relationship that brings me closer to you because I have lived a life of tasweef and amal tasweef means that I say I will do istighfar tomorrow I will do istighfar next year I will go to Hajj this coming season this season comes I end up not going to Hajj this I'm going to repent and I was busy thinking of something else this is tasweef and the other thing is amal having hope I constantly have hope that we're going to live tomorrow who knows if I'm going to live tomorrow just two days ago the explosion in Kuwait these people they went to the masjid they took a shower they went they were praying who would have thought that there would have been an explosion while people are praying in their sujud today yesterday they were buried some of them in Karbala some of them in Najaf and others in Kuwait who would have thought how can I guarantee that I can live for another hour this is why the Imam teaches us to repent and the only way that we can repent is through shedding tears yes there's no shame in crying to Allah there's no shame in shedding tears in front of Allah مالي لا أبكي ولا أدري إلى ما يكون مصيري وأرى نفسي تخادعني وأيامي تخاتلني وقد خفقت عند رأسي أجنحة الموت مالي لا أبكي أبكي لخروج نفسي أبكي لظلمة قبري أبكي لضيق لحدي أبكي لسؤال منكر ونكير in EI he says I cry I cry for the moment that I leave this life that my soul is snatched out of my body I cry for that home that I have not prepared for myself I cry for the tightness of my grave I cry for the afterlife my time is over but we ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to accept our du'az during this holy month of Ramadan during what is remaining from this holy month of Ramadan one third of this month has passed there's two thirds left let us take advantage of it والحمد لله رب العالمين وصل الله على محمد وعلى أهل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين