Ramadan & fastingFrom the masjid's own video, Oct 10, 2014.
A true fast requires sincere worship and restraint
“We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make us among those who will be successful in fasting a true fast.”
In one sentence
A fast is spiritually successful only when performed sincerely for Allah and accompanied by abandoning false, harmful, and harsh behavior.
The khutbah in 5 steps
- Opens with standard exhortations to taqwa and Quranic reminders.
- Emphasizes the blessed season of fasting and multiplied reward.
- Urges sincerity in fasting and qiyam for Allah alone.
- Warns that false speech, harmful conduct, harshness, and ignorance can destroy fasting’s reward.
- Closes by asking Allah to grant an accepted, true fast.
Try this week
Guard speech, actions, eyes, ears, and conduct while fasting.
Abandon false or harmful talk, acting on it, harshness, and ignorance toward others.
Perform fasting and night prayer sincerely for Allah alone.
Sources the khateeb cited
Sahih al-BukhariThe Prophet is quoted warning that abandoning food and drink is insufficient without abandoning false and harmful conduct.
Quotes
In the khateeb's words
“a person may pass during the month of Allah and perform qiyam only to find it was no reward for him”
“we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make us among those who will be successful in fasting a true fast that will be accepted by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala”
Talk about it at home
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminds us that fasting is more than leaving food and drink. It asks us to guard our speech, actions, eyes, ears, and behavior, especially by leaving false or harmful talk and harshness. Worship such as qiyam should be done sincerely for Allah, because outward effort can lose its reward when our conduct contradicts it. We can ask Allah to help us make our fast a true, accepted fast.
- What is one kind of harmful speech we can avoid while fasting?
- How can we make our worship more sincere?
- What would a true fast look like in our home?
Keep listening
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