 Assalamu alaikum and good morning. It's Monday morning and we have a great show in store for you today. I really do love the Holy month MashaAllah. It's such a blessing and with the month of Ramadan It's where the three books of Abrahamic faiths were revealed to the holy prophets We are far approaching the days when the Torah was revealed to the Prophet Musa. Yes, that's right Zahra absolutely correct Imam Sirika Lay Salam said the Torah was revealed on the sixth day of the month of Ramadan the Bible on the 12th night of The month of Ramadan and the Psalms on the 18th night of the month of Ramadan and the Quran was revealed on The night of Karah according to El-Kafi as it has been recorded The Holy Quran and blessed book was revealed in the Holy month of Ramadan too And it's very important that we keep being in mind especially in the holy month Importance of the Holy Quran and the need to read it and not just to leave you untouched on the shelves To better encourage us in the holy month. We have Mustafa Ali with a gorgeous Recitation of Sura Isra. I'm really looking forward to it. Definitely me too We also have brother Ibrahim Ansari in the couch with our daily du'as this morning I'm looking forward to that and today's du'a is for Suhoor something great for this morning, I guess I'm actually looking forward to inshallah We also have sister du'a with spiritual upliftment from the Holy Quran It was wonderful the other week really looking forward to it this morning How to benefit from the Holy Quran and what to recite when you are feeling stressed You can relate to that That's definitely going to be useful and today we also have nutrition and health and brother Bilal will be in the kitchen Discussing what food are the best to keep you full for longer with life coach and NLP practitioner for him Muhammad and our very own chef Ben. She's gonna be very useful in Ramadan inshallah long hours without eating so You'll be benefiting us later chef in the house. Yes, inshallah. I can't wait because I'm feeling a bit peckish myself to be honest I'm delighted so her time so we can eat This is our will also be speaking the system assume a job for honor Ramadan etiquette and today's topic is Ramadan But even more than that, I just can't wait for a little of bars Blessing he stayed up so far into the morning and he's going to deliver a daily of these can't wait to see what he's got for us I shall And to any fantastic show before your morning prayer We have a very own side watching show from Akam SOS on the couch with your questions and queries Can't wait to see what he has in respect to today's topic Right now it's time for a morning Baraka competition details You and a friend could win the chance to visit Imam Hussain and Abul Fazal Abbas peace and blessings be upon them for July 2018 for the competition details. Stay tuned for brother Do you want the chance to visit Imam Hussain and of Abbas peace be upon them both while you've come to the right place? Morning Baraka is giving away two free tickets to Karbala this July 2018 I am standing here with the holy shrine of Imam Hussain Alayhi salam behind me to give you the chance to send your salutations to the Imam in person The exclusive morning Baraka competition is the chance for you and a friend to visit the holy shrine of Imam Hussain For your chance to win answer the following question Name two names given to the holy land of Karbala in Iraq We need your emails with your answer and details which include a telephone number phone name and dress Entries are free of charge and closed by the 30th of June 2018 all entries after may not be accepted So please put your entries in before the deadline to enter. You must be over the age of 18 Now it's time for my most favorite part of the show, which is with grand recitation Got brother Mustafa Ali and joining us to recite And as I say that the holy Quran is at the heart of Islam and it's at the heart of the month of Ramadan Salam alaykum brother Mustafa. How are you doing today? Good to see you good to see you and we're looking forward to hearing you recite from al-Isra I am 9 to 15. Is that correct correct? That was so inspiring to hear brother brother Mustafa Ali and recite the holy Quran It's like it's uplifting and it's invigorating At all times here the Quran but in the month of Ramadan. It's the next level of inspiration Absolutely. Absolutely. My Allah bless him and We'll be hearing some Ramadan Dua's from yourself brother. How you doing Salam alaykum Good Welcome. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you for having me again Insha Allah. So today we're going to be speaking about Discussing Sahur and there's a Dua you have for us. Yes, inshallah If we start with the Dua He Mashallah, thank you so much. Thank you very much. Thank you So the translation So this Dua starts in the name of Allah the most merciful Generally is I what I like about this Dua is it starts off with Tawheed La ilaha illa Allah Al-Halimul Karim there is none worth worthy of worshipping by Allah. He was forbearing and generous There is none worth of worshipping by Allah. Who is the most high and And the great glory be to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Then it talks about some of his attributes The sustainer of the seven heavens and the seven earths and the sustainer of all the things in them and between them and The load of the great arch the arch usually Was meant by is the divine center of authority and power and All praise to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala the sustainer of the worlds So I think it's very beautiful where it starts off with towheed and then of course, this is all part of towheed Mentioning the attributes of Allah and we have our alama when they talk about towheed They always mention that the attributes of Allah are not separate parts of Allah They are all within one and a beautiful example. They sometimes give is Ar-Rahman ar-Raheem al-malik al-Quddus. They all tend to lie on the a different name each attribute tends to lie on their different name and At the end of it. They all lie under this great word Allah So they're all one within Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala This is a really interesting Do I though I was thinking from the concept of you know reading a do up before you start the fall so you're you're building up your physical foods, right and and your physical self in preparation, but also spiritually You know giving yourself that it sounds like giving yourself that confidence psyching yourself because fasting is Not that easy it's particularly part for some people some people find it easier because I'm standing from food is It's an easy thing but for others is quite a challenge. So this is like a gift This do I was like a gift for those who who they need a little extra psychological Psycho-spiritual booster. What do you think? Do I as in general the that to give you that spiritual boost Do you know now to recite before so hold us like you're remembering Allah You're remembering Allah just before you start your first and you're there like Okay, so this is Allah the one and only he has ordered me to perform this this fast Now then you also remember all these beautiful attributes of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and you're thinking Do you know what he has granted me so much and he's asking me for so little when we think about it It's not a lot truly and at the end of the day Fasting was put by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for that spiritual boost number one and number two it was most definitely put so that we can Remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala more in you know, do I Sometimes our imams would mention and even the Quran it mentions this it says that in the time of need Everyone tends to turn to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and when they are not in need of him I can't remember the exact I so just the general idea and when they are not in need of of him They turn away. Yeah Distracted distracted the human nature the human nature Yeah, definitely 100% however, I do want to mention something here because we have this general idea of This person is a 30-day Muslim just because in Ramadan They're starting or those who are even who tend to boost up their spirituality Muharram are those of 40-day Muslims I think that's very wrong for us to mention around and I think this this is kind of a message to our dear viewers Of course, inshallah, they're not one of those but just to make others aware Ramadan was put there For that boost Some people will take it as a starting point. Yes, definitely. Well, if we turn around and say Knock someone's effort your idea Muslim. Yeah, it's Spiritually, it's getting even spiritually. It's gonna have an effect on it. It's like, okay, so what am I praying for? What am I doing? Don't you also think that it's an effect on it's a reflection of how we think about others Whereas the focus always should be look at within yourself and not focus on others false I'm just saying we don't know in what capacity there. They may be ahead of us And even though it's no help to speak about you have a brother or sister like that really to yourself Is it you think about it's not it's no help to them So and I think it's more of a spiritual disease of what we say if we're knocking someone's efforts Well, they may be much better than us and surely we should focus on okay How well am I doing you know am I reciting as much Quran as first you know, perhaps brother Bilal was that's much better than me And you know, it's it's those sort of things. You know this this you mentioned Ahead of us. They might be ahead of us very beautiful story and amazing and it's really under this context I am mentioning maybe Allah Musa Ali who I love me, and I love the rest of peace Moses He was asked by Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. He sent him the next time that you come to me Bring with you Some someone or something that you think you are better than Maybe Allah Musa said okay. Now. This is Nabi Allah Musa and he's of all al-Azm He's a Rasul a messenger so that put him in a higher ranking. No need that he's of all al-Azm So he's the highest of the prophets Very interesting prophet Most mentioned story in the whole yeah, I'm very Now you'd imagine someone like him would come and He'll be able to pick anyone and just just come in he saw someone on the street He said do you know what? I'm the prophet He said no hold on a second. I don't know what is between him and Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala So he didn't bring him then mentions of him see then he said Just to shorten the story then he said Do you know what the easiest thing is for me to bring an animal Now let me think what is one of the worst of animals I can bring with me. He saw a dog He said you know what let me breathe this dog. Now. Not only is it a dog. It mentions Kelbun Aqour. Aqour has the illness to it. So it's not only is it a dog But it's a ill dog. She said most definitely I must be better than this this creation So then he was about to take it then he said no hold on a second Maybe this dog did something That was so high in the eyes of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala that it might be even better than me So then he went back. Did he mean like as in he was inflicted with that illness and that was sort of Allah's way of sort of testing No, no, he meant as in maybe there was an action So for example, for example, maybe one time he saw a puppy on the street as an example Yeah, and he saved the puppy For the dog so a specific action that they did so he said you know, I don't know that I don't know what was been going on through the life of this dog. He went back Last one time I said you didn't bring anyone with you. He said to him. Oh, Allah. I Do not know what is in the heart of of all the creatures that I was looking at Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala replete him He said if you had brought Anything with you I would have you know not taken away nubua No, then I said to her ankyani, you know when you have clothes on and you take the clothes off It says I would have taken profit hit out of taken off from you And it just shows the beauty of this is a prophet that we're talking about we definitely we don't know what is between I don't know what you guys do at home. I don't you don't know what I do at home I might be reciting dua here, but I might be doing something else when I'm out of the studio You never know so this having ideas of people trying to pinpoint certain stuff very wrong And I think you know when we talk a lot about connection in the holy month of Ramadan We say about spirituality and and you know in essence spirituality is the self refinement of yourself And you can only look at your own actions and know, you know Have a record of where you are compared to where you were yesterday or the year last year like how was our holy month last year Have you made improvements and spirituality is not about you know looking at others and saying well I'm doing better than you you know, it's really about in reflection and this month I mean when you're reciting the du'as, you know, again, it reminds you of the greatness of Allah Who will be going to face that day on you know, Kayama that Adi's good enough to be showing ourselves thinking I'm a believer and it's so important to be you know looking inwards So as these are specific du'as and you've previously mentioned that you know, my father of Jinnah Would you say that a person who perhaps doesn't have you know time to sit and you know Recite du'as, maybe it's a mother who's preparing the meals at Sahur For somebody to sort of in their heart to make that du'a from themselves that say Allah I don't have this, you know, what would you just sit down young children young family? How would you say would be the better? You know, you know what is these du'as that we mentioned from Mufayt al-Jinnah Usually the reason we recite them is because the Senate goes back to the imams or the Prophet I However, it doesn't mean that these du'as are wajib and these are the only du'as No He likes to see he likes to see the believer constantly asking him. Oh, Allah You know what I want this I want that and one thing I know for example personally in my time of need For some reason I tend to put Mufayt al-Jinnah in a set I go in Sujood because it is mentioned that you're closest to Allah in the act of Sujood Mm-hmm, and I let my heart Now I do it my way There's times when I visit the shrines and I wouldn't even talk formally with the with the with the person who's buried in the shrine No, I'll talk to them from my heart and a beautiful thing you'd see for example in Iraq because you have many of those you don't actually who are Omnijean so they don't write or read they come to the shrines for example It's a thing is some people laugh at it, but I think it's very beautiful. They come in and they're like oh Hussein not even oh your mom. Oh Hussein. I want this from you I want that and it's as if he's speaking to a friend now the thing is this is the way He sees a connection. This is the way he sees that connection and for the mother Definitely if she's kicking the butter care in that in that feed that she's kicking I've and the heat that she's that she's on the because of course she's kicking and there's heat now It just intensifies her fasting. I think her Dua is probably much much even more accepted than than ours Probably because I'll add her a lot of other Mashaqa as we have in the hadith the the reward is related to however much you How does a struggle so the more you struggle the higher your Thank you so much. That's all we've got I don't know how it goes. It goes very quickly. Listen to you. Masha'Allah I'll see you another morning. Keep us in your dark and have a blessed likewise. Insha'Allah Next we have with Dua Makhzumi Baraka pearls and leaving behind stress I Assalamu alaikum. I am Dua Makhzumi and I'm here to show you how the Quran can improve your life Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has revealed the Quran in the holy month of Ramadan Now, how do we deal with stress in the holy month of Ramadan? Do you find it difficult to adapt to the holy month of Ramadan? Does it spiritually help dealing with stress in the month of Ramadan? What different spiritual acts can you perform in the month of Ramadan to help deal with stress? Well, leaving stress in the month of Ramadan is very important The holy month of Ramadan itself can change your daily system Which can be a source of stress and anxiety But it's very important to be relaxed and to keep everything behind you all the stressful issues that you're going through With reciting the holy Quran Imam alayhi salam has said I myself when I get depressed and feel stressed out I read the Quran because Imam alayhi salam said learn from the holy Quran because it is the best part of learning pay attention towards its verses because they are like the spring that revives the heart and Read the Quran because it's a healing for your heart. So what can you do better when you're stressed out other than reciting the Quran? If you're going through this depression, it's a healing for your heart If you are stressed out, it's a spring that revives the heart Rabi'a al-Qulub On the other hand, there are specific du'as that can help with stress And they are available in Mafati-i-Hijjinaan in the section of Ramadan of the month of Ramadan There are supplications and for the month of Ramadan that are in Mafati-i-Hijjinaan They help relieve stress For example, one of the du'as begins with Oh Allah, I pray to you, a sorrow that no one will release but you And a mercy that does not come by anyone but you And a distress that will never get solved without you And a need which I will not accomplish without your help So supplicating in the month of Ramadan Raise your hands up to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and ask him from what you need because Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala Gives his servants with mercy He answers them if they supplicate, responds if they grant, if they ask, he accepts if they entreat Certainly after reading those supplications, you are definitely left with no stress at all Now it's nutrition and health. I have my guest sister Faheem and Muhammad Assalamu alaikum sister. How are you doing? You're good today? And the chef Ben is in the house in the house in the house. How are you doing sir? I'm very well. How are you? Excellent. I am excellent. I'm looking forward as always not just because it's food But I'm a student of life. So I like to benefit from the information and learning something new And hopefully our viewers can learn something about nutrition too. So what do you have in store for our viewers today? So today really really simple recipe again Full of nutrients simple is good simple simple works for this time of the year Simple is is a must. It has to be simple has to be quick on the go So yeah, really full of full of nutrients full of Beneficial vitamins. We have a smoothie. I see some fat there as well. It's fat. The devil is fat Are they healthy fat? Some fats are good. Some fats are bad This fat is pretty good. Okay. It's peanut butter so Fantastic alternative to if I mean if you're making spreads and things like that Fantastic alternative to butter, which is not so good But this is really really good. So we've got a peanut butter banana Strawberry yogurt smoothie. That's the name of it. Run that by me again, please sir. So it's a peanut butter strawberry Banana Anyway, yes Well, it's got a lot of ingredients in there, which I really like to be fair. Yeah Like I know what's your favorite? The thing is I know we consume a lot of this but actually this is really good for on your face and your hair as well You'll get very healthy for you. There you go Peanut butter is really good But I also wonder about people that have allergy for nuts. So the alternative to that I would suggest is to have the am I correct in the sunflower seed sunflower seeds great Yeah, you can have that because that's something that you know, a lot of people use a lot of nuts But you know a lot of people do you have? Yeah, my daughter one of my oldest daughter has a nut allergy So she would just oh, yeah, she wouldn't like this one. So we do have the alternative We do have the alternative and it's really really nutritional. It's very simple And I like the fact that there's hardly any ingredients really hardly any ingredients. I mean, that's not just it. We've got some Awesome strawberries here. I love strawberries banana And yeah, we're good to go Just gonna let's let's see what you have in store. Let's let's just gonna prep this banana here Well, banana gives you a lot of energy It boosts, you know a lot of whatever we need for the rest of the day. It will help us keep us fuller for longer Energy-wise as well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So that's really good strawberries are very good It has a lot of nutrition in there and it actually helps you, you know for A lot of benefits that we don't even realize there's micronutrients, right? There's micronutrients in the strawberry So bananas is one of those what they call cheat meals. Um People have them post-workout. Your body's just been through strength, you know, you kind of tax your nervous system And it um, it can it can fill the tank pretty quickly keeps you regular as my mom would say. Okay Um, yeah full of potassium. Yeah, yeah vitamins. Yes, fantastic strawberries delicious I really think the strawberries and peanuts, but I mean I'm as I said, I'm a student of life. I want to It's a strange combination. Yeah. What do you think of the combo? What would you? I think it's different, which is good That's all right. We won't use that one. We won't use that much We do need to have a selection and a variety which is different to the norm as our taste buds change Everyone has their own taste. So it's good to experiment And like I said, it you know, it can be a little bit mundane to have the same things over and over again And each time we're done. We're doing the same thing. So this is why we have to show Life is variety, right? Increase us in our knowledge and awareness as to what we can make We can have and these things we can probably have in the household lying very simply which we can put together Okay, that's it every day ingredients. Yes But when put together make a fabulous Start to the day even do you need to add? Oh, you you have the yogurt that will give it the Consistency yogurt is going to add even more good fat To give it that rich texture fantastic Consistency A lot of us think that we don't need to have fats. We don't need to have carbohydrates But it is all about the balance again, if you know your body, you know how much you need and obviously in Ramadan We need more protein We need to have ourselves, you know more healthier in a sense that we need to gain the energy We need to gain, you know for us to be fuller and we need to feel that We are actually doing good habits so that we can actually continue this not just for Ramadan I see you adding some water in there adding some water. I mean You can add water. You can add crushed ice, but something crushed ice crushed ice Why would you crush ice? I would like that personally. Crushed ice gives you that sort of slushy Okay, okay really refreshing sort of um gonna cool you down in the in the hot summer So really really good there. That's a good alternative sometimes So and it's just a case of blitzing up and drinking really and the lids on that well. Yeah, it's not gonna I'm not gonna get a spray. Yeah, stand backs then Give it a little shake Plop it on mocktail style So I do the whole How's that? It does go on. Okay So Raheema Weight loss is a controversial subject or can be for some Tell us a little bit about the foods the weight loss or weight regulating one's weight things of that nature Because there's a mind and a mouth connection in terms of food, right? Absolutely again It's creating new habits having new information. There is a whole List of foods that are good for you that will keep you fuller for longer like example, you know apples bananas And you know, we have yogurts. We have you know peanuts A lot of the times we don't have that information and we can add that to our normal daily food And we can actually you know build on that So having the mind of knowing first for having the knowledge then creating those habits And with me when I when I you know, a lot of the time I find clients they have all the information We have the information, but it's about trying to put it practically And the way in which you do it practically like Ramavali in a way kind of forces us into getting into these good habits The only problem is we just don't continue and we think that we just only have to do that for this time of year But it's actually to promote us to continue until after this, you know this month So it's about implementation and so people know but sometimes forgetting to implement what they know Exactly and these habits do take time. It does take a while to actually, you know, get yourself into a way of Doing something that's It's it's all in the mind. It's about you understanding what exactly And then doing it on a daily basis Are there obstacles that you encounter with food the foodies the healthy foodies or the unhealthy foodies? um people actually You know operating at a more optimum level executing. They know the information, but they're not implementing it There's some barriers A lot of the time I find if there is no Value in the worth then obviously there's not going to be someone that's we always say we want to diet We always want to but if you really feel it if you really want it Then that worth and that, you know, that sort of determination becomes extra Okay, okay So it's not it's more than just liking the idea but actually really valuing the end result. Yes That's what it is. And I think at the time, you know in anything that we do in life We need to have that value placed upon losing weight getting healthier being fitter You know getting what do you think Ben? What do you think about? I mean, absolutely just blindly following a diet isn't going to get you anywhere. You have to know why you're doing it um You know know the nutrition you have to really do your research on it. Otherwise You might do it for a day or two and then Just stop doing it because you haven't got that knowledge of why you're doing it and um Sort of yeah, where it's where it's actually going to get you. Yeah. So yeah, you have to forward forward thinking Is that is that it's not ready yet? It's almost ready. I mean More than the preparation. That's it few more blitzes And that should be fine. Really simple. It looks uh pretty pink That's the strawberries dominating it dominating the sphere. That's it Okay, so i've got these really cool little glass mugs I actually like the color A little bit feminine. I wasn't saying pink isn't my you know, then again. I have a few odd pink shirts I mean, I can I can I can carry off pink. I'm one of those guys that can carry a real man can wear a pink Yeah, my my dude my dude There we go plop these on the drum roll the intensity Increases you guys ready? Definitely. There we go Hope you enjoy it guys. Oh, I mean, um, yeah. Yeah, is it okay? As long as you don't have a peanut allergy you're you're good to go No Well, let's see that yeah I can actually taste almost all the ingredients in there, which is quite strange because normally I taste the peanuts Yes, that's quite strong But I can actually taste all of them because normally when you have a smoothie one sort of overpowers the other Yeah, but this actually has the real combination of what you've actually put in there, which is great It's all about balance with these kinds of things you have to get the right balance Just use your eye really. I mean Recipes are great, but as long as you use your eye and taste as you go You should you should get great results and such a spiritual Ramadan is a month of spirituality And with food there's a connection with the spirituality, you know in the Quran it talks about these various fruits outlines bananas and You know Different fruits, which was we implemented today. So it's always good to keep that in mind the blessings and the barakah from Allah, you know Even though it's got bananas in there normally it could be really heavy feeling. Yeah, but this is actually still quite light Yes, I mean adding that water or if you're at home, you can you can add ice adding that water will Thin it out a little bit and make it more palatable and easy to Digest at the end of the day exactly And there's no need to add an extra spoon of sugar or anything on that? No, you got natural sugars here. I mean this this has come From nature itself. Why would you need to add anything else? You know So It's pretty much All you need in in in the morning I think for those who are addicted to the simple sugars or the unhealthy sugars It might be a way of You know working through their addiction or the You know the compulsiveness, you know, like it's a way to come off of those processed sugars It's much more natural but it really the nice flavor Really nice flavor glad you enjoy it guys glad you enjoyed it We're approaching the end you don't go so quick when we we get to discuss but for him and your last word This is a beautiful Recipe which we will find most of the ingredients in the house Which I think is perfect to have a difference of you know Ingredients blend mixed together which will actually add whatever we require Maybe separately but put together and actually create an amazing Smoothie which is actually really light and it will actually help you with you know with your energy levels With with your health generally. So I think it's definitely recommended and it tastes delicious No, absolutely. Absolutely. That was that was perfect. We had more time I would one of the wax lyrical about the nutritious elements of this but we've run out of time unfortunately But it's always a pleasure. Thank you. Up next system Masoomajafa remnant etiquette Well, certainly that peanut butter smoothie will help a lot of us who have long days ahead and in shallow We'll be benefiting from that Thank you, brother Bilal and with your guest the chef Ben and sister Fahima So now we have Ramadan etiquette and a very crucial topic We're going to discuss this system Masoomajafa. Salamu alaikum. How are you my dear sister? Alhamdulillah. Thank you. How about yourself? Good. Alhamdulillah. Thank you with your dolls. So we're going to talk about manners And how to perfect our manners manners in this holy month. And as we know Ahubed al perfect role models Allah has said you know He sent the holy prophet as a mercy to mankind to perfect animals So how would you? Guide us and you know interpret to us How best is it that we we make the most of this month and really perfect ourselves and do the best that we can to be better human beings First and foremost, I think it's Knowing that the mission statement of the holy prophet like you said was I have only come to perfect the distinction of your ahlak Okay, so your manners So he was he you know when he was asked what was the Reason for bringing Islam. He didn't say it's to come and teach you how to pray or fast or Or even to teach you about God. He said it's to perfect the distinction of your ahlak So It's important to realize that that is the fruits of the tree of the tree Okay, so To have a tree you need the roots the branches and the fruit So the roots are the actual guide the the belief system Knowing that there is a god. He's just and so forth. The branches are all the rules that we have so salah Fasting zaka homes all of that and then the fruits is the ahlak So without the roots and the branches, you can't get the fruits So we do need the aqaya than the fig But we shouldn't just stop there. That should lead us to ahlak. That should lead us to better The best manners possible Um, how do we make that? transition because It's You know, all of us have that we're not perfect. We're not infallible We have so many sins that we you know, we commit on a daily basis our manners can be you know surprises ourselves Um, you know, we can go to ziyara. We can go to hajj We can see people, you know doing the actual physical Performance of hajj and then perhaps coming back and hurting their roommates How do we understand that sort of how important is to get the flowers from our from the other tree? How can we go from that? So I think um, a lot of the times we behave in a certain way Because that's what's expected from us. So we're very aware of everyone else watching us Um, so we'll behave in a certain way because I know someone's watching me Take a mother who's telling her child off When she's telling her child off in front of others, she'll be very sort of polite So, you know, oh, you know, you shouldn't be doing that. That wasn't you know, not the right thing to do We've talked about this Whereas when she's telling him off at home where no one else is watching Then it's a totally different scenario to transfer to her own native language and give him Give the child exactly exactly. Um, so I think it's realizing that My true achlark is my immediate First initial without putting my brain into gear reaction to a situation. It's the true self is in it It's not the pretentious self exactly because a lot of the times when I think of my achlark I think about how I behave around others But i'm putting my achlark on for others. That's not my true achlark So realization of my true achlark will tell me how close or far away I am from Allah Because the closer I get to The most perfect As I move on my spiritual path towards Allah the closer I will get to having better achlark So is it like thinking always reminding yourself that Allah is always watching us and we are doing it for him Exactly, so when we're sort of like behind, you know, when we people roll their eyes behind someone We should remember that Allah can yeah, I can see yes, and it's not just actions. It's thoughts as well Yeah Because a lot of the times again, we we will refrain from actions But our thoughts will will allow them to go wild So it's again being aware of my thoughts. So when something happens, am I making those 70 excuses? Like the holy prophet said, am I giving them the benefit of doubt? Am I looking at it positively or am I looking at it negatively? That's so important, isn't it that we You know, we do look at things quite, you know, can't go. Oh, yeah, no, it must have been it's just how It's like what right do I have make to make an assumption on someone else's actions? Well, I don't know where that action came from. I don't know the need behind that action Only God knows so it's always thinking positively and thinking the best for others and giving them a 70 excuse And 70 excuses are a lot. Yes, exactly. You think about five you think I don't think we even go past one We just jump to that assumption straight away and it's getting into that habit I think you know if we started getting into that habit by the time you get to 10 I think it's not worth it. It's not worth it. Yeah, you move on and it's also You know, you're talking about you know How we are is showing ourselves in front of others and it's almost like we care more about what others even Whether it's what they think of us or whether we're thinking of well What are you doing or look at her behavior and we're focusing on someone else's Behaviors and etiquettes whereas really when you look inside it's really difficult to see isn't it within yourself And perhaps that's why we just switch it off and all and let me just tell you but When it's inside it can get quite scary. Can't it and then it but that's that's the first step of changing yourself And I think you know The other maybe um thing to realize is when I notice something in someone else There's a reason I've noticed that thing. Yeah guaranteed that's in me as well And I'm trying to make myself feel better about it So a lot of the times it's it's important to actually look at what you're noticing in others Yeah, and then self reflect on why did I pick up on that one thing? And do you think with the because often scholars will say that you know when you think about something in a certain way That's actually showing Your way of thinking isn't it more than what's reflecting on that person? So if I am assuming that a work assisted Muscle met said this or thought this or did this It's actually showing more reflection of myself that I'm actually going down a quite negative pathway if I'm thinking So it's it's stopping those thoughts and it's tracking changing them Not even I think a lot of the times we can't stop our thoughts as such But we can change them So if you're noticing that you're constantly thinking negatively about other things and about situations actually stop yourself Stop what you're doing and actually change that negative thought into a positive thought Initially, it's it's you know, it's something that you have to Consciously do but if you know if you keep doing that Eventually you get to a stage where it becomes who you are And you'll only notice the positives then and so this month is a brilliant time to start You've got 30 days of self purification And then hopefully add another 10 towards the end and 40 days. They say a habit Something becomes a permanent So when we're talking I remember when Recently we were in this class and somebody said well, I you know much. I'm really highest family Husband and wife and then genuinely asked like how can we make ourselves better? I don't understand what the self reflection is So how would so say we've got some viewers that have the same sort of mindset and they don't know how to start How how would I start? How would you say? Where's the best part to start? Is it one habit? Is it sitting down and really writing a whole list and thinking this is about you know, that would be quite a real bonus How would you recommend I think um Initially you need to just start take small small steps because you know if you take huge steps What usually happens is it's um, you know, it's like a you know a fizzy bottle of Drink, you know when you open it up, it's sort of yeah, and then it sort of dies down And that's how it is You know we start off with the greatest of intentions and we want to change the you know our whole life and we want to change the path But then it sort of dies down very quickly Whereas if we do small small things and we can then see those changes happening It motivates us to do the next small thing and then the next thing and slowly slowly those small small things become big Big things because they add up Okay So it's just sort of maybe picking on one thing at a time and concentrating on that one thing So if I know i'm someone who constantly thinks negatively Being aware of my thoughts and changing my negative thoughts into positive. If I know for example There is not there's a wajibad that i'm not fulfilling This is the month where I need to change that because as we said the fic helps with the manners Yeah, so if I can sort out the aqai then the fic the manners will automatically come But it's when I don't have that sorted then the manners don't come Because the aqai then fic will help my connection with Allah and as I said as we get closer to Allah Automatically our aqa gets better. But what about those people that have Really beautiful hearts But they are struggling with this a lot. They are struggling with the wajibad and you think Isn't that a heart that can be where they can learn about their fic They can actually adapt that rather than having someone who does all of their wajibad and is amazing on every tick box But the heart has not been refined. So so how no and this month is a brilliant time to start for anybody So I think when you said tick box that that's exactly what it is for those people who are doing all the wajibads And yet their aqa is still not very good. That means they're not Actually, there's something lacking in the way they're doing it So they may be tick boxing it in like they're fulfilling the wajibad, but they're not actually present in that way So I could be praying Salah So I've done the wajibad, but my my heart wasn't there. I wasn't present I it was just literally just a tick box exercise where I did it now. That's not going to have an effect on my heart So I will not become better as a human being better as a muslim So understanding what you're doing there understanding having presence of heart Ensuring that I'm actually there in the moment Rather than doing it as a tick box exercise because I have to I need to just get it over and done with and then move on to the next stage A lot of the times when we're doing something we're thinking about the next thing that we need to be doing So again being mindful and being actually present in the moment So that I'm actually making making the most of the thing that I'm doing Each ibadah has an effect on our heart if it's done properly So it's ensuring that I'm and and you know my Ramzan is the best time because you're actually more focused You know a lot of the times, you know, you're told not to go to your Salah when you're full. Yeah. So again You're hungry and it's it's beautiful because you actually can concentrate more I mean, you know people say oh when they've got exams a lot of people say oh, I can't fast because I've got exams First and foremost you have to there's not a reason not to fast But psychologically it's like a psychologist have told us that your brain actually works better When your stomach's not full It's because we've made ourselves make this luggage doesn't it the whole the food actually And it's because we've made ourselves think we can't yeah concentrate Then we don't concentrate So again changing our mindset and making ourselves realize that this is the month where if I want to make those changes Um, you know, whether it's ensuring that I'm doing all the wajibats Whether it's ensuring that I'm not doing any haraam action Whether it's ensuring, you know looking at my Akhlaak and think picking on one thing that I want to change This is the month in which to do it because it is so much easier because the baraka and the blessings are so much more Because the connection to all lies so much easier to focus on in this month. Shaytan is locked up this month So there's you know, it's good opportunities. Yeah, this is the best isn't it the best of this month to try changing things in your life How would you recommend to somebody who's um, what you know, we said do it in small bits What would you say fundamentally is the most Important thing one of the few of the important things that are important to Really try to start perfecting because it's obviously a journey, isn't it? So like you said you were saying earlier that you know little habits And you think gosh if you have like 10 habits and by the time you've actually embedded them in you and improved them as time's gone You know, we've spent time so but again my ramzan is it's just the beginning Yeah, it's not supposed to be the all no So you start off in my ramzan and then you're supposed to continue throughout the year The problem is we do we do it all in my ramzan And then once it comes it's like oh, okay now I can go back to where I was It's not meant to be like that. It's supposed to be whatever I'm doing in my ramzan. It's supposed to continue So, you know, if if I believe if I stop watching tv In the in the month of ramadan because I feel like I'm wasting too much time on tv or social media Yeah, also. Yeah, all social media then At least I should cut it down outside of my ramzan. I shouldn't just go back to how it was before If I'm reciting the holy Quran and I'm finishing the holy Quran in the month of ramadan That means I'm doing one juz a day Surely I could pick it up throughout the rest of the month and do one page a day. Yeah Yeah, so it's about this is where the lesson start. This is the training ground in order to continue For the rest of the 11 months. It's not supposed to be okay. I've done it now. That's it. Yeah tick box exercise Let's move on So someone could start like he said was um, I mean obviously it's such a blessing in ramadan that We might you recite with one verse and how many rewards you get for it and outside the month It's not the same. So but in terms of sort of like how you treat other people I mean our morals our etiquettes. They're all sort of like, you know, as a social How we treat one another a family. So how would you say, you know, we have Family that may trouble us. We have friends and neighbors that are troubling. How would you say What would be the best way somebody could improve that sort of relationship? So first and foremost, I think maybe sort of realize That as a human being you have manners. So if you've got generally good manners You can call yourself a human being. Yeah, true. If you have better manners, then you can call yourself a muslim To call yourself a sheer you have to have the best of manners I don't think we have the right to call ourselves shears unless we have the best of manners Because that's what we have been taught through role modeling through from the aim and themselves. Okay Um So knowing that I have to have the best of manners now I need to think about I need to bring that in A lot of the times when I'm trying when I'm, you know, when it comes to me and God It's much easier when it comes to me and other people. It's much much more difficult But if I can understand that I'm doing this For the sake of Allah in the way he wants me to do it Then whatever I give into It's not for that person It's for Allah If I have to if I apologize Even if I don't feel I've done anything wrong. I'm apologizing in order to keep that relationship going Then I am doing it for the sake of Allah not for that person. It doesn't matter what the other person thinks It's what Allah thinks that matters And if I'm doing it for his pleasure in the way he wants me to do it then one it is ibadah Two it is benefiting me and my soul and my connection with Allah And I will be rewarded in this world and the hereafter and it's not about the outcome is it's not measuring well Did they appreciate my no it's all because it's it's once I've done A lot of the times we concentrate on the results. Yeah, the results are on on Allah I need to just make sure I do whatever is right exactly as long as I'm doing what's right Then the results don't matter that person, you know I might go up to that person and apologize and they might turn around and say I'm not going to forgive you Fine their problem their journey nothing to do with me. I've done my bit I've asked for the apology. I've asked for the forgiveness. Yeah So it's understanding that a lot of the times we don't give in because we feel like The other person's going to think that they won the other person's going to think that they were right It doesn't matter what they're thinking. Don't worry about it. You know, it's about me and my journey and my My relationship with God and that's what I'm doing it for and if I can understand that I'm benefiting myself By doing the humility isn't it and this month is about humility. I'm breaking that ego that we all have Gosh, that is yeah, it's like I said a mama lilai salam says that it's like riding a wild horse Taming the evening. So it's no easy Even if it yeah, for sure. And even if you look at the tashahood, it's like, what do we say? He couldn't have become rasul before he became up to become an up to become a slave you have to break the ego Oh sister muslim we could just talk for ages. Thank you so much for another very very enlightening discussion and inshallah we will see you soon very Soon again and inshallah. Please keep us in your doors. Inshallah you too, please and inshallah And now we have our lovely adorable brother boss. Um, and he's going to be giving us a daily hadith Asalaamu alaikum, my name is Abbas and I'm here to bring you the daily hadith from Ehlebe peace be upon them Today's hadith is from Imam Raza and explains the benefits and importance of reading the Quran in the holy month of ramadan reading one verse Of the Quran and the holy month of ramadan is like reading the whole Quran This hadith shows that we should read the holy Quran as much as we can in ramadan Inshallah, I'll see you next time. Bye morning barakah Ramadan special your questions answers fake. Salaamu alaikum sheikh. You smile. You smile. Alhamdulillah. Good to see you Nice to see you too. Lovely morning. How's your fast going? Good What did you eat today then? Today Last night, what did you have? I had cake Cream cake a bit cream cake very nice Not mentioning the baker, but it's very nice. Very nice. Mashallah. No product placement here. No, no Well, it's giving you energy to answer this question from a concerned wife in the uk And she says salaamu alaikum. I'm a mother. I'm happy married However, my husband has a very stressful government job and therefore likes to unwind with an alcoholic beverage Excuse me. What alcoholic beverage? So and she says that he it does not change his behavior for the worse It calms him and helps to make him mellow So she said I do try to encourage him to stop during the holy month, but he finds it too hard Is this going to affect his fasts? So I'm assuming From the question that he fasts from alcohol during the daylight hours Yeah, he fasts. Yeah, and then he continues to when he opens his fast to drink alcohol I presume to sahur and then Okay, so let's first discuss alcohol itself. It's totally forbidden Haram, there's no excuses to drink alcohol except if a doctor prescribes you to and nine times out at 10 There is an alternative Medication just as effective without the alcohol, which you are non-intoxicant Alternative alternative, which you probably could take You know as a substitute in terms of fasting The akam says that you are not allowed to enter the fast in the state of intoxication It doesn't say anything in regards to that if you drink alcohol during Ramadan, you're not allowed to fast So from iftar to sahur if one God forbid if one is drinking alcohol But it's not the level of intoxication Or is the alcohol's gone in and it's come out as well. So maybe he had it very early Just after iftar and coming up to sahur time. It's out of his system. He's drinking loads of water or you know, whatever But he's not showing any of the the outward effects. Yeah, it's not any of the outward effects And then it's totally out of his body Then that person can continue his fast can continue to keep a fast Would it be similar with other intoxicating substances? So some people got as you said, God forbid But they may have a you know heroine addiction of so a mild cracker. You know, whatever they may I mean, I mean, there's a take other substances There's a problem alcoholism also cannabis use in our community is a big big problem Because they're very social Intoxicants and it's socially acceptable to the West. So therefore they don't see it as Although illegal you said they're fashionable in some quarters. Unfortunately, unfortunately, so when if God forbid one was to take such a substance after the iftar time Um, hopefully before sahur Before fudger alvan that the effects of that Drug or that substance is out of the body and they may proceed to keep Proceed with their fast. I know you I mean, I know Zara mentioned about this person Um, it would a letter, you know, reads that they he uses it because he's stressful and he's he uses it After work to unwind and what's unfortunate is that you know, um Stress is real stress is a real mental health concern And it leads on to a lot of other it's kind of adjacent to other mental health problems like depression and anxiety disorders and there's so much available In terms of dealing with stress mindfulness If it's severe stress, there's there's a medication possibly. There's psychotherapy. There's counseling is self-help Books and apps and all sorts to address memories, uh, anxiety stress depression, whatever, but sometimes people do self-medicate with prohibited un-islamic substance I just wanted to mention that because it's just something that I find so heartbreaking I would like to discuss it quickly is that yeah, you know, we do have stressful lives sometimes Yeah, um, and you know, there are a lot options and a lot Alternatives and I'll you can say medication You know for this Me personally when I get stressed up, I like to take out on a punch bag You know, it's really good. Some people like to go to the gym some people go for a run Some people like to talk to council experts and things like that. There are a lot of alternatives to deal with stress Even our spirituality some people say, you know, if you sit in a quiet room a dark room And you play like you're seen on certain specific servers and just and just breathe and just take a minute to breathe Like an islamic mindfulness. It seems like there's such a Contradiction, isn't it because there's such a harm. There's just no justification for the alcohol is it's and there's I think Rarely if you come across a Muslim that doesn't know alcohol is forbidden And yet the obedience to fast is there So it seems like somebody is struggling because if you're really outright a sinner you'd be like one drinking I'm not fast. I made a mind. The glass is half full In this case, unfortunately, I made a mind. I'm like he's a scholar as well I'll have to say what he said to me was in the ramadan shaitan is locked up locked away But the believers still go to him As in shaitan doesn't come to us, but we go to shaitan in ramadan You know, it's really deep as in that, you know, you are attached to to this sin or this habit It's become habitual. It's become part of your characteristic So And let's be real and let's be honest with ourselves, you know, alcoholism and drugism. There's always a root problem You know, there's something there that has caused you To to to go down that road and it's normally normally the people that I've I've spoken to who have issues like this is they want to try and You know, numb the pain and and and hide away And distract themselves. Yeah, that's what we use the term self-medicating. Yeah There's something that they're really dealing with some real big issue And to hide the pain or to distract themselves that they find to silence the demons in the inner demon sometimes Yeah, but there's other a lot of ways about people Getting a wrong habit and you said once it's habitual Becomes part of the character becomes part of destiny. Unfortunately if we don't change Ramadan is the perfect time though to change Ramadan helps an individual become more disciplined because if you can give up eating and drinking From you know throughout the day something so simple but so necessary for human life You can give that up Then, you know, you can always give up anything habitual The fact that he gives he gives it up throughout the day Shows the brother and we pray for him We pray for him and pray for his wife to be patient and be able to to give him good advice and give him support That would help him to stop but it show he's telling him that's the template that you can actually do this You don't actually need this stuff because you've come you've called for so many hours throughout the day Now it's only out of habit that you're using it You could tolerate the Discomfort that may initially cause by not turning to it and over a period of time Allah will strengthen you and then it would change your habits Change your character change your destiny And if this person persists to drink then we know This alcoholism and this person needs help That even during Ramadan I've stayed from alcohol for so long They feel a need and an urge that they need alcohol in their system Then I think I am not an expert on alcoholism, but I would diagnose this person as okay. You need to see someone special How does Allah see How is that person judged by God says okay, it's it's haram, but you've got an addiction you've got this dependency on it And obviously we we are not someone to say judge that person and you know condemn them or anything But what about how how how if that was me for instance, that's all I remember ever in that situation But if that was me, how could I see that Allah would I could still hope for that mercy? Couldn't either he will help me overcome this indeed. I mean we we do not know why people turn to it's haram Maybe it's love of dunya Maybe it's the hate of dunya as in like you said silencing demons and things like that What we what we do know is that Allah swt is the most merciful And we do know that Islam is a guide to how to live our lives To get the best potential for us in dunya and in akhira to be the perfect human body And human person and also the perfect spirit And uh, we can never ever lose faith in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala while we're on that journey And Ramadan is the best time It seems this person still guided aren't they? Fasting not sure they're not they're not the spirit. The soul isn't dead. You know when there's no There's no resistance to sin But I wanted to ask a question about addictions in general then how does How does it work according to sharia to the akham? With people who are addicted because for some people their level of for example alcohol addiction If they were if you said, you know alcohol's haram says chew and I stopped drinking today. They might die Because it's so severe. They would need some kind of chemical intervention You're not wheeling them wheeling them up wheeling them up for example. Yeah I mean, I mean, you're right even with people who are on heroin You need some kind of substitute but morphine is another is another thing in itself Yeah, yeah, I mean if you if you're on heroin you should you go call turkey as they say You you have potential to die. Yeah, because your organs could fail. Yeah, yeah So, yeah, you do need professional help. You do need to go seek medical advice And also we live in England in the west and there's plenty You know, there's there's the I'm not going to mention names, but there's famous charities organizations out there. Yeah help and also You know your your GP and your hospital the NHS service can direct you to a professional To help you with these issues and to help with these problems and the important thing is to try, isn't it? I mean, you may be drinking a glass of wine a night But at the end if you reduce that eventually and your intention is okay, god in this holy month I am going to try to weed myself off whether that weaning takes you another six months However long it might take at least you're making the effort Are you if you rather than say well, I'm going to continue because I'm addicted. So that's it Is there's just, you know, I think the effort has to be there, doesn't it? Definitely 100% I mean, you know, you don't you know get from A to B without taking a third, you know steps Yeah, yeah, so inshallah Ramadan can be the first step for you It can be a great exercise And let's be honest like you can go to the mosque You don't need to stay at home Go to the mosque have you start at the mosque the whole community is there There'll be to either be a real spiritual awakening and spiritual exercises for you to really for you to reap the benefits of Ramadan and then create that connection with Allah And improve yourself and with respect to the weed enough do you feel like it's something that is potentially A strange isn't it because it's almost like you're still doing that thing But you're making a jihad against the negative. So would you be possibly rewarded for saving example? This man used to drink A whole glass of wine, you know half a whatever Keg glass of wine a day But because he really wants to stop and it's so hard for him But he's struggling he's down to drinking half that amount over a 30 day period And then over the 60 day period he half that again Is that like something that he might He or she could receive rewards for because they're weaning themselves Definitely with the reward But obviously belongs to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala And he knows the real intentions and he knows the real efforts they will struggle at people. Yeah, yeah And definitely, you know, it's it's not Give it giving up a habit even something which is which is not haram from like smoking You know most of the maraja having having said it's haram and even to give that up. It's very very difficult Let's not take that out of the equation You know to change your habits and your lifestyle is very very difficult. Yeah nicotine. We're talking nicotine We're talking drugs and alcohol take that away. What about, you know diet, you know speak for myself Eating healthy You know, how many of us go for the easy option the cheaper option fried chicken or chips For you know and and and things like that. Why not use Ramadan as a a basis for you for a new And improved self where we can give up habits Not just that are haram but also makarul or habits that are not benefiting us and in a way, you know stopping us from getting More benefits and more closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala So what's your um Resolution Ramadan resolution our fruit and yogurt at the moment and I had cakes so You know, it's okay little stambles. All right. The effort is important and definitely no And so with this quite person that's fasting and drinking at night Are there fasts accepted? There's nothing to say that the fast is not accepted in terms of is it valid or not valid Accepted next. I mean we could we could fast and then and then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala could tell us that No, I'm not keeping your intentions wrong or you know, you had this and that in your heart I'm not accepting this. You know that belongs to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala alone from a thick and a calm point of view um At the time of fajr if you are not intoxicated You may continue And proceed quick question before we finish is what if these substance is halal But it does have a like it's many, you know over the counter or prescribed medication But it does have that um that kind of uh intoxicating effect Because there are some strong painkillers and medications that nature that when you take them you You kind of get a bit zoned by them There's a difference between nijasa Okay, an intoxicant Something may not be nijas Not medication, but it can intoxicate you right So the ruling is you are not allowed to be intoxicated when entering the fast at fajr time. Okay now Is that drug similar intoxication to alcohol and other drugs Or do you still have your senses? Can you distinguish right from wrong? I mean you're not going to take drugs and then you're you're feeling a bit you can't find your balance. Yeah That's obviously a bit too strong. It makes you woozy. Yeah a bit. You know, that's that's not ideal Uh, but maybe you wanted to have a cough syrup or something that makes you a bit sleepy You know before the fast that's that's okay. You know if it makes you feel a bit tired or a bit, you know drowsy Uh, that that that's that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about proper intoxication We're talking about, you know, you can't tell left from your right or you can't actually Tree paralytic buzzing And whatever yeah, yeah, that's what we're talking about. So if in that state you cannot enter the fast, it's not bad Thank you so much. No worries. Inshallah your cake and your fruit and yoghurt helps you through the day. Inshallah Look to see again soon. Say it hope to see you again Take care And that's all we've got time for this morning. Enjoy your sahur and keep us in your doors You