Prepare for Ramadan by cleansing your heart
“The Quran does not just talk about people from the outside.”
Preparing for Ramadan requires examining and cleansing the heart of hypocrisy rather than judging others.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Connects Ramadan preparation with removing spiritual illnesses from the heart.
- Introduces the Battle of Ahzab and explains why Quranic warnings about hypocrites require self-examination.
- Explains doubting Allah and His Messenger when prayers are not answered on one's timetable as a sign of hypocrisy.
- Describes spreading fear while undermining trust in Allah as another sign.
- Covers excuse-making and faith that collapses under pressure as further signs.
- Closes by warning against labeling others and recommending daily supplications for protection from hypocrisy.
In the khateeb's words
“The Quran does not just talk about people from the outside. It talks about the people outside so that you and I, we take a lesson from this.”
“Allah is telling us, you make dua, I will decide when to accept your dua.”
“When you come under pressure, that really shows Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala what kind of a believer you are.”
For the dinner table
The khutbah says Ramadan preparation begins before Ramadan by cleaning the heart of spiritual illnesses, especially hypocrisy. It describes hypocrisy through four warning signs: doubting Allah when prayers are not answered on our timetable, spreading fear without trust in Allah, making excuses to avoid responsibility, and losing faith under pressure. The speaker urges us to examine ourselves rather than label other people. He recommends memorizing the supplication from Surah Ali-Imran 8 and reciting a short prayer seeking refuge from hypocrisy each day. The goal is to meet Ramadan with a heart ready to receive the Quran.
- What helps you keep trust in Allah when an answer to a prayer takes time?
- What good responsibility could you stop making excuses about this week?
- What might self-examination look like before we judge someone else?
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