Can you spare a khutbah tomorrow to bring awareness to the case of the innocent and oppressed people of Syria, Homs and Baba Amr?

Here are some talking points:

1-How Muslims should be like one strong structure helping each other.
2-The obligation of Muwala' (assisting and sympathizing)
3-The role of the Muslims in helping the oppressed.
4-The virtue of shafa'ah- interceding for the week with those who have the power.
5-The responsibility to enjoin good and forbid evil.
6-The Messenger of Allah and his example in supporting the week.
7-The concern of the Prophet for the Ummah.
8-The du'a of the Prophet for the oppressed.
9-Bring examples from the sahaba and history of Islam.

Action items:

1-Make thorough dua' for Syria and Homs.
2-Do dua' nawazil in the fard salat or in public qiyam.
3-Encourage donation for the help of Syria.
4-Encourage people to write and blog about it.
5-Help college students to bring this case to their campus.
6-Call people to speak to politicians.
7-Encourage people to contact Russian and Chinese embassies to condemn their support to the oppressive regime of Syria.
8-Show passion in condemning this greatest injustice.
9-Speak about it regularly in the masjid.

My dear Imam and Khateeb, by the time you read this perhaps another 10 more innocent lives have already perished in Syria.
Do your part. Take an action. Tomorrow.

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said,
“The best ṣalāh after the obligatory/farḍ ṣalāh is the qiyām'l-layl.“

“Good Sleep, Good Health, and Tahajjud” In 3 Minutes!! By Shaykh Yaser Birjas

Click here to view the embedded video.

But we might be thinking, “Who am I to make qiyām'l-layl?  I haven't memorized nearly enough to do that on my own!”

I took Fiqh of Salah in SoCal with Shaykh Yaser Birjas last year, and a convert asked the question, “How can I make qiyām'l-layl when I only know one or two sūrahs?” His response was, “Stand there and read 'Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad' 50 times in one rak'ah if you have to.”

We shouldn't let the amount of Qurʾān we've memorized keep us from making tahajjud /qiyām'l-layl / night prayer. The important thing to remember is that with making qiyām, we are supposed to stand for a long time and recite whatever we know, even if it's just a few sūrahs on repeat. Imagine how much Allāh would love for us to be so excited to make qiyām and to stand there in front of Him, even if it means that we just end up reading that sūrah (or any other sūrah) over and over again!!

Bilāl (raḍyAllāhu 'anhu) was asked by one of the ṣaḥābi, “When you were being tortured, why did you keep saying 'aḥadun, aḥadun (one, one)'?”  He responded by saying, “If I had known anything else at the time, I would have said it.“

Bilāl (raḍyAllāhu 'anhu) was one of the greatest companions of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) and one of the men who left behind one of his own practices in ṣalāh that earned him a special place in Jannah and one that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) himself asked him about and accepted into his own Prophetic Sunnah that we still follow today (making 2 rak'ah ṣalāh every time after making wuḍū'.)

If Bilāl (raḍyAllāhu 'anhu) had to put to use what little he had at the beginnings of his growth in Islam, who are we to feel too insignificant or not good enough or not qualified enough and not use what we've got? And who are we to not continue to keep growing, to not want to grow into the kind of Muslim that Bilāl (raḍyAllāhu 'anhu) was?

Don't forget! Short days. Long nights. We all have something to pray for.

Shaykh Yaser Birjas urges us to make the best of these 10 Blessed Days in his Friday Khutbah at the Irving Masjid.

[audio http://irvingmasjid.org/Audio/Jumah/ICI-Jumua-October-28-2011-ShYaserBirjas-DhulHijjah.mp3]

Ramadan Around the Globe Series:

Bosnia 2010 | Egypt 2010 |  Qatar 2010, 2009 | Saudi (Makkah) 2010 | Sweden 2010

SAUDI (MAKKAH) 2010

There is no better place for I'tikaaf during the last ten days of Ramadan than the Haram in Makkah. I truly miss those days. What better place do you need more than the hometown of Islam where the Qur'an was first revealed? The emotions and ecstasy experienced there are indescribable. It is one of those beautiful feelings which you cannot describe with words; you have to live it in order to see it and feel it. Although I have done many I'tikaafs, alhamdulillah, in many different masajid in different places in the world, including the masjid of my beloved Rasulullah, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam in Madinah, there were none like the experience of al-Masjid al-Haram, the Grand Masjid in Makkah, may Allah preserve it and protect it. The ambience there is just amazingly sensational.

As a student of the Islamic University of Madinah back in the early 1990′s, my colleagues and I were privileged to live in the city of Rasulullah salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam for a number of years. We were also privileged to only be four hours away from Makkah. Alhamdulillah, consequently we were able to visit Makkah for Umrah frequently, and enjoy the sight of the Ka'bah every chance we could catch outside of school days. I can never forget the sight of the beautiful sacred house, the Ka'bah and the enormous number of people of all colors and all walks of life going in circles around it. It was breathtaking.

One of the privileges we had back then was to take the last ten days of Ramadan off, and with an extra few days for the Eid we ended up with almost two weeks off. I remember how we used to start our planning ahead of time, because we knew that we would be leaving Madinah to go to Makkah. We used to spend most of the Ramadan hours, days and nights in the Masjid of Rasulullah salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam. Just thinking of who used to walk around in this same area 1400 years ago, and who used to spend his time in this place was electrifying.

When the last day of school was over, we rushed straight to Makkah for Umrah in order to make sure that we entered the Haram and our I'tikaaf before sunset. If you want your I'tikaaf of the last ten days of Ramadan to be counted for you, then you should be in the masjid right before the first night of the last ten nights start. That means just before sunset on the 20th day of Ramadan.

Regulations in the Haram in Makkah prohibit keeping any kind of luggage, suitcases, clothes or anything of the sort a traveler might need during his stay in the Masjid for I'tikaaf. You have to keep everything outside. This prohibition put a limit on what we could really carry with us for the I'tikaaf. So we carried just two or three thoubs, the traditional Arab garb, a shimagh or head cover which we also used as an eye cover so that we could get the feeling of dark night, one casual short sleeved thoub for the daily activities which also served as our pajamas, few number of underwear and t-shirts, general hygiene stuff and of course books to read. In the I'tikaaf in Makkah, you need to forget about the luxury of pillows and blankets, let alone a mattress or bed. You use the carpet as your bed and the ceiling as your cover. Well, we still used the stuff we had with us, we would pile them up to make a pillow, and then use the Ihram, the two white sheets, one for a mattress (or a mat to be precise) and one for a blanket.

With no lockers anywhere to keep your belongings safe and with millions of people, commuters and travelers from all over the world who come to visit for Umrah, keeping our stuff outside in the open was impossible for us, as there would be no way to keep all of your things for the duration of the I'tikaaf without losing them. So we had to smuggle them in, yes, smuggle them.

We would first go back to the Haram right after we are done with our Umrah, as early as possible, to look around for a prime location. The Haram during the I'tikaaf season would be divided, unofficially of course, into small lots the size of a twin mattress each, just enough for you to lay down and get some sleep.  A prime location meant a place in the corner far away from the traffic. Getting close to the balcony so you could overlook the beautiful sight of the Ka'bah and the Tawaf court, was nice in the beginning, but then as people start jumping all over you to enjoy watching the sight themselves, the location was no longer so prime.

If you couldn't get a corner location, which was almost impossible - how many corners are there in a masjid anyways - then you would look for the wall. Taking a wall site is good because it traps your items by the wall so they won't go anywhere, and it also limits the traffic in that area. The third in the line of favorite locations was the side of one of the main and humongous pillars of the masjid. Although you would be surrounded by others all around you, having one side of the cubic shaped pillars gives you the base of one side all for you. If you were unable to get any of these spots then you risk ending up in the middle of the crowd, and that was never a good place to be during a long I'tikaaf.

It was like an 'urf, or common law, among the dwellers of the Haram, that once you settle and unload your stuff in one location it becomes yours until the end of the I'tikaaf, unless you abandon it and take your things out of that location. Everybody respected that. Well, almost. Some visitors, as they looked for a place to get their nap, acted like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”  They just didn't care and would go ahead and violate the rule. They would find themselves a comfy place that did not belong to them and go to sleep. It was not that big of a deal to us but overall, people still honored the rule and respected the privacy of others.

One more thing about prime locations at the Haram is that it's better to stay on the first floor than the ground floor where most of the heavy traffic exists. You should also stay away from the escalators and the stairways which feed the area with more visitors. And last but not least, stay in a location where you can easily have an access to the bathrooms outside, believe me its one of the most important criteria of your search. It's not easy to remember your location when the Haram looks so symmetrical and sometimes confusing, but after getting lost a few times, you'll get there. GPS won't work there either, therefore you have to rely on your photographic memory, if you have one of course.

Now, how did we get our stuff in? Well, we used to take turns in getting our things through the doors. One would be outside keeping all our stuff with him, another would stay at the location to make sure it is reserved and then the third would be making trips going back and forth to get his things carried in. We would stuff the small things in our pockets, clothes under the books and look for a diversion by going through the most crowded doors. And even if you get caught with your clothes hidden between the books, you could still look for another gate and get through. The funny part was carrying the thoubs in. Some of us used to put them on one on top of another and then take them off as we entered the Haram.

Of course, we do understand why the authorities didn't allow clothes and luggage to be brought into the masjid because if this was allowed people would abuse the system. Nevertheless, during the last ten days of Ramadan there should be some tolerance because this is temporary and for I'tikaaf purposes only. These items are very important to help those who are in I'tikaaf to stay in good health and good shape. Before we left our spot, we would make sure to fold up our stuff and squeeze them towards the wall so that they would not get messed up while people were praying Taraweeh.

After we hadtaken care of our accommodations, we began searching around to locate two things. First, where the scholars would be giving their daily and evening classes, and second, where the food spreads were over which some scholars and students of knowledge, especially coming from other countries, would be breaking their fast. We later learned that most of these food spreads were located on the top level of the Haram facing the gutter of the Ka'bah known as “al-Mizaab.” Every time you go there, you will be blessed with one or two or even more scholars coming from different places around the world. On these food spreads, I had the opportunity to meet scholars from Egypt, ash-Sham, India, N. Africa and other areas as well.

On the sunset of the first night of the I'tikaaf, we would already be on the top level asking around to find out who was coming and where they would be breaking their fast. If we received the news about some scholars coming over, we would make sure the others got to know about it as well.

Iftar is usually made of the magnificent, lightly roasted Arabic coffee cooked with cardamom and some other flavors, served with fresh “rutab,” the moist and early stage of the dates. Dates come in different shapes and tastes and it would be a blessing if you were served some of the most expensive Qaseemi dates that grows in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula, such as sukkari, maktoomi and khalas. With that comes yogurt and freshly baked bread. Now, Bismillah.

After Maghrib prayer, we go back to congregate around the shuyukh and scholars, to listen, learn, take notes and drink a fresh cup of tea made with 'hasawi' mint. That tea used to give the session a whole different flavor, literally.

Later on, we would start getting ready for Isha prayer and Taraweeh afterwards. The prayer in the Tawaf court would have been the best place to stand in salat. However, since we loved to attend the sessions of Sh. al-Uthaymeen rahimahullah after Taraweeh, we had to stay on the top floor and pray right next to his official seat. If you wanted to benefit from the Ilm of the sheikh, you would need to sit as close to him as possible. Thousands attended his sessions and coming after salat to look for a space meant that you would be sitting at least a hundred yards away from him. The place would be crowded with waves of people. I have seen some very dedicated students who would preserve their spot from Asr time, and I really admire them for their devotion to the knowledge.

In the early years, the sheikh used to start right after Taraweeh and finish when they start the Tahajjud at night, that was more than four hours. SubhanaAllah, I have no idea how he was able to keep his energy level  during this time for the entire ten nights. In the later years, the sessions where cut short and lasted until one hour before the Tahajjud, and even then, it was still a very long session.

The sheikh used to start by commenting on some of the ayat recited in Salat at-Taraweeh that night for about 20-25 minutes, and then the session would be opened to Q & A. SubhanaAllah, the amount of Ilm one was exposed to in such a short time was amazing. Even today, I still have some of the original notes that I'd taken over the years from these sessions.

When we finished the session, we would go out to get some food for our main Iftar meal. You know the custom there was to delay the main course until after Taraweeh, which I love and enjoy. The initial Iftar was nutritious, easy and not overwhelming so that you can survive during  Salat at-Taraweeh, and once you've finished your salat, you get to eat your main meal.

Right after that, we used to start our own personal night activities which included reading and reviewing the Qur'an, praying more qiyam, reading books using this time for devotion and meditation and the best of all doing Tawaf, as many times as we were able, around the Ka'bah. There was no way you would get bored at the Haram because every second the scene changes and the experience is different.

We stayed up during the night waiting for Salat at-Tahajjud where eight more rak'as would be performed at a slower pace than the Taraweeh, until it was finished about an hour or so before Fajr time. After that, we would go to eat our modest suhoor which we had purchased earlier when we had our Iftaar. Then we prepared ourselves for Fajr prayer.

Right after Fajr, Sheikh al-Uthaymeen rahimahullah used to have another session on the ground level for almost two hours. I sometimes felt extremely tired and very sleepy, but subhanaAllah, seeing the energy of the sheikh, who was at my grandfather's age, doing what he was doing would empower me again to stay until the end of the session.

Thereafter, we used to get back to our hiding places, our sleeping spots, and drop down like dead bodies. We stayed asleep for the rest of the morning until Dhuhr time when we awoke for Salat. We stayed up for a while and then went back to sleep taking a power nap so that we could stay up all night again. After all, there wouldn't be much going on during that time, anyway. Even the halaqat and sessions of knowledge were scarce and didn't start until after Asr. Sometimes we seized the opportunity to make a relatively easier Tawaf before we head to bed.

Once Asr time starts, our day officially starts with it. We joined the few halaqat scattered around and then it would be time to get ready for Maghrib. Sometimes, we did Tawaf  before we went to the top level and other times, we just went into seclusion for reading and reviewing the Qur'an. As the time of Iftar approaches, our preparation for the night increased. Once the adhan for Maghrib is announced, a new evening begins.

The program continues the same for the rest of the month except for some occasional changes based on rising opportunities such as receiving guests or family and sometimes meeting new people and old friends. Subhana'Allah, even though the space in the Haram is so huge, and the number of people is so great, but it is still a small world. You always meet some old acquaintance, as if they fell from the sky. One year, I even met my own mother who decided at the last minute to come for Umrah with my father! We didn't have cell phones back then and there was no way to send me a message about their arrival. It was a friend of mine who met my father and sent me to him.

The entire season is special, but two nights were the most special nights in the entire month of Ramadan: the night of the 27th and the 29th. At least that's how people behaved on these two nights. The 27th is regarded as Laylatul Qadr, and the 29th is the night of Khatmul Qur'an, the completion of the recitation of the Qur'an. I remember when Sheikh as-Sudays used to pray the witr after finishing the Taraweeh and then he would pray the witr again after the Tahajjud, but then it was announced that the witr in the last ten nights would be performed only once after Tahajjud. And even this, was later changed to only after Taraweeh. Another year, the sheikh did not pray the Tahajjud and it was left for other shuyukh to lead but without praying witr at the end.

One of the most dramatic changes that I witnessed during those years of I'tikaaf was moving the Khatmul Qur'an to the night of the 27th. The Imam of al-Haram, announced using the loud speakers, which was unusual, that in order to receive the blessings of that night in particular they wanted to join the Khatmul Qur'an with what is regarded as Laylatul Qadr.  Another reason for this change, was in order to help people, and the visitors in particular, to attend the completion of the Qur'an and then get a chance to travel back home and attend Eid day with their families.

This change created a very dangerous and hazardous situation in the Haram. After the change was announced, people came from all over the country and from the surrounding countries as well, just to witness that night. It was within driving distance for the most of them. The Haram, as huge as it appears, was overpopulated to the extent where people started praying on top of the walls on the top level exposing themselves to an extremely perilous situation. People filled every space you can think of and spaces you cannot even think of. The escalators crashed and the stairways were closed because people were trying to get to the upper levels as the gates to the lower levels were closed. The authorities tried to keep people out but visitors would push their way through. It was a very dangerous situation. In addition to this, once the Imam finished, people were trying to leave as early as possible and the situation almost caused stampedes all over the area of the Haram. The Imams of the Haram, realizing the danger, announced the following night that this combining of events would not happen again next year and that the Khatmul Qur'an would be restored back to the night of the 29th.

That year, when they moved the Khatmul Qur'an to the night of the 27th, the following two or three nights left of the month of Ramadan were the most peaceful nights of the month. Most of the visitors left and the Haram became almost empty. Overall, it was a one-of-a-kind experience that I was able to attend and witness.

I still remember one night when I had to leave quickly with a guest, a friend who was visiting with his mother for Umrah, and we had to go after Maghrib to get ourselves and his mother some food, it was impossible. People were like in a disaster zone, they were all trying to buy food. We didn't know why it was so different that night but it appeared that they were getting ready for their journey after the Salat. We couldn't get anything, neither for his mother nor for ourselves, and when we tried to get back to the Haram the guards were already closing the doors to the upper levels and the escalators were all closed. I had to take him to some unknown paths, at least unknown to the common visitors, and then find our way up. To our surprise, there was no space at all. We had to wait until the Iqama was called and struggle to squeeze ourselves into the line even if we were standing somewhat sideways. It was an amazing and unforgettable night, which not too many people have had the good fortune to experience.

The blessings of the I'tikaaf are so many, and some of the lessons Imam Ibnul Qayyim, rahimahullah, suggested  we learn from this experience are:

1. It is a form of 'Khalwa' that is living in seclusion – to a certain extent – where you can focus on your nafs and personal Ibadah and worship.
2. It is a chance to connect with the Divine subhanahu wa ta'ala because your focus is solely on pleasing Him and Him alone.
3. It is a spiritual rehab and escape from the pressure of this life. You live a stress-free life for few days only for the sake of Allah.
4. You learn to limit your interaction with people and increase your interaction with your own self. It is like a moment of 'muhasaba' were you review your 'amal, or work, and check and balance your book of deeds.
5. It is a chance to explore your potential and an opportunity to see how much you can really bear of the different acts of Ibadah you expose yourself to in such a very short time.

The last part of this experience for us was witnessing the Eid day. During the last night of Ramadan, everyone is in a high level of excitement in anticipation for the Eid announcement. If the next day was still Ramadan, then alhamdulillah, we would get to pray one more night of Taraweeh and Tahajjud. If Eid was the next day, then there would be an important thing to do before anything else. You had to run to your sleeping space and pick everything up with you, otherwise it would be swept out with everything on the floor. You see, during the last ten nights of Ramadan, other than the vacuum cleaners, the janitorial work would stop temporarily until the night of Eid. So right after Isha, in preparation for the Eid salat, the workers would start to take everything off the floor. Literally, everything. They sweep and wash and mop the floor of the entire Grand Masjid, and then they lay down new carpet. Whatever is left down there will be piled up in one corner and you would be blessed if you can find anything of your own belongings.

SubhanaAllah, that night was one of the most depressing nights for us. After living for ten nights in the Haram, when it was full with people and full with duroos and activities, suddenly the hustle and bustle is gone and you are back to the reality of life. The place would be empty, absolutely empty. A temporary feeling of void would fill your heart and you would suddenly break into tears. At the end, you realize that you're once again back on your own.

Once Salatul Eid is performed in the majestic ambience and atmosphere of the Grand Masjid in Makkah, we headed straight to the bus station. We took a bus ride back to Madinah and returned with some unforgettable memories of I'tikaaf.

Yaser Birjas

Ramadan 26, 1431 H.

September 5, 2010

In ḥadīth Abu Hurayrah, raḍyAllāhu 'anhu, the Messenger of Allāh, ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: “Whoever spends Laylat'l-Qadr in night prayer, out of belief and expecting his reward from Allāh, his previous sins will be forgiven.” [Bukhāri and Muslim]

This is the Night of Power:

“The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.” [al-Qadr 97:3]

In this night:

1. The Qur'ān is celebrated as it was revealed as guidance to mankind.
2. Good deeds are multiplied by one thousand months worth of worship.
3. The angels will descend to the first heaven in a beautiful procession.
4. Jibrīl, the Archangel and the leader of the angels, will lead the procession.
5. Tranquility will surround people and peace will fill their hearts until the rise of morning.
6. No one really knows the exact bargain and the immense reward Allāh is giving the worshipers during this night.

This night is for sure one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan; the exact one was hidden from us to motivate us to do excellence throughout the entire season. It is a very short season but the most powerful of the entire year. Now, shouldn't you get well prepared for it?

Here are ten tips to help you keep Ramadan momentum running through the last ten nights of Ramadan and beyond. Bismillāh.

1.  Keeping momentum means to start one first.

Obviously, if you want to keep a momentum running for the last ten nights of Ramadan, you need to have an existing one first. What have you done so far to gain momentum? Allāh subḥānahu wa ta'āla says:

“And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths:
For verily Allāh is with those who do right.” [al-'Ankabūt 29:69]

This āyah explains your role in getting what you ask from Allāh, you start the effort and Allāh will make the path easier. In Ramadan you should have started a path of devotion that would result in a great momentum to help you get through the last ten nights. If you haven't started yet, then you better begin with it right away. Establish the 'ibādah that you want to continue during the last ten nights. Start this now.

2.  Remember that yesterday ended last night. Period.

What you have done in Ramadan so far has already been registered in your book of deeds. But every day is unique; it's a new day and a new opportunity. Ma'qil ibn Yasar reported the Messenger of Allāh ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said: “There is no day that comes upon the son of Ādam that does not call: O son of Ādam! I'm a new creation, and will be a witness to your deeds, so make sure you do good, because when I'm gone, I will never return back.” And the night will say the same thing. (Abu Nu'aym)

Therefore, treat every single day as if it was the only day of Ramadan and make sure to fill it with the best acts of goodness.

3. Never be satisfied. You can always do better.

Challenge your growth and keep it continuous. Keep looking ahead and it will motivate you to practice what your goal deserves. If you have done well, then you can do better, and if you have done better, then you can still do that which is best. Allāh subḥānahu wa ta'āla says:

“The Day that He assembles you (all) for a Day of Assembly,- that will be
a Day of mutual loss and gain (among you)…” [Al-Taghābūn 64:9]

In explanation of this āyah Imām al-Qurtubi, raḥimahullāh, reported the ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allāh, ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam, who said: “No one shall meet Allāh except with a feeling of regret. The wrongdoer for not doing good, and the good for not doing better.”

Never think that you have done enough. The last ten nights are yet to come.

4.  Don't make your success a one time hit. Make it a journey and make it a story.

What got you thus far in Ramadan, in regard to your excellent work, won't keep you there if you stop taking action. Don't just live on the success you have already achieved, don't do this forever. Remember that you cannot freeze the moment of success, and if you stop where you are, you will end up falling behind because time will not wait for you. So don't just depend on your success, build on it.

When Ibn ʿAbbās, raḍyAllāhu 'anhu, was asked about the secret of his success and how in such a short time he was able to gather so much knowledge at such a young age he said: “With inquisitive tongue and a comprehensive heart.” Ramadan is a journey of 29 or 30 days; therefore, walk through it steadily until the end.

5. Look for balance, set it up and keep it up.

In the process of achieving excellence in the last ten nights of Ramadan the nafs (your conscious self) gets tired and exhausted. Spiritual recreation is as important as spiritual development. 'Ali, raḍyAllāhu 'anhu, said, “These hearts get fatigued just like the body. Therefore, rejuvenate by seeking enjoyable acts of wisdom for it.” It is crucial to diversify your program for the last ten nights. Read the Qur'ān, pray qiyām, make lots of du'ā', engage in dhikr and then read nice books or just exercise. Keep a balance, a good balance.

6. Perform a self evaluation. Revisit your intentions, revisit your deeds.

Allāh subḥānahu wa ta'āla says:

“O ye who believe! Fear Allāh, and let every soul look to what (provision) He has sent forth for tomorrow.
Yea, fear Allāh: for Allāh is well-acquainted with (all) that ye do.” [al-Ḥashr 59:18]

You need to be aware of your investments for the ākhirah. It is important to check your balance every now and then. In Ramadan, revisit your program, check your progress, see what worked for you and what didn't work and then make reasonable adjustments. The last ten nights of Ramadan are a season that deserves special attention, so make sure to give it the attention it deserves.

7. Make your goals public. Thrive under pressure.

When you plan for the last ten nights of Ramadan; try to share your plans and thoughts with someone you trust. This way you put yourself under pressure and force yourself into achieving what you have already announced. Set a goal for i'tikāf or for a longer qiyām at night for instance. Your goals are like non-official nadhr you vow to take on. You vow to do something to Allāh, so do it. Failing to fulfill a nadhr results in a penalty in this dunya but failing to fulfill your goals result in a painful feeling of guilt and regret.

Allāh subḥānahu wa ta'āla says about the people of the ākhirah:

“Lest the soul should (then) say: 'Ah! Woe is me!- In that I neglected (my duty) towards Allāh.'” [al-Zumar 39:56]

8. Focus on benefits and reward. Allāh is Most Generous.

Don't focus too much on the effort exerted to achieve an act of worship; this will cause negative feelings towards it. Instead, focus on the reward you will receive for achieving this goal and fulfilling your vows to Allāh. Stop thinking how difficult it is to stay in the masjid for ten nights away from everything; think how rewarding that is for you, by gaining peace in seclusion and witnessing the last ten nights of Ramadan and possibly Laylat'l-qadr while engaged in full acts of worship.

When 'Ā'ishah raḍyAllāhu 'anha complained to the Prophet, ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam, about the difficulty of Ḥajj, he replied: “Your reward is as great as your suffering.” That does not mean to expose yourself to difficulties and hardships in order to get greater reward.  On the contrary, you should avoid excessive hardships. However, if while doing something things become harder, then you should show patience.

9. Do your deeds with iḥsān (excellence). Do not cut corners.

Allāh subḥānahu wa ta'āla says:

“He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is (aḥsanu) best in deed:
and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.” [al-Mulk 67:2]

This āyah clarifies the meaning of excellence and success. The purpose of creating this life and death is to try people to see who will act in the best way and who will be excellent in his or her deeds.

In ḥadīth Shaddad ibn Aws, raḍyAllāhu 'anhu, the Messenger of Allāh, ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: “Allāh ordained iḥsān (perfection) to be observed in everything.” [Muslim]

When you offer something, offer it with excellence as much as you can. Cutting corners might please you, but it won't please Allāh subḥānahu wa ta'āla. Start an act of worship with excellence; start it right and finish it right.

10. Follow the rule of the snowball. Roll it down a hill, start small and end great with full force.

Little good deeds that are continuous are better than great deeds that are temporary and interrupted. Abu Hurayrah, raḍyAllāhu 'anhu, reported the Messenger of Allāh, ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam, said, “The most beloved deeds to Allāh are the most continuous even if they were little.” [Bukhāri]

Start with one thing at a time and then with little of everything and then build on it. Diversify your acts of worship and make the little things grow big over time.

Follow this recipe for the last ten nights of Ramadan and by the end of the month you will have great momentum that will keep you rolling past the month of Ramadan for the rest of the year inshā'Allāh.

Yaser Birjas
Ramadan 19th, 1432 H.
August 19th, 2011C.E.

My dear brothers and sisters everywhere, assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, and Ramadan Mubarak to all of you.  Alhamdulillah, I’m honored to be a part of this beautiful program.

My message is very simple and that is to remember that you will never be too ready for the month of Ramadan.  No matter how much you try and how much you think you have done, Ramadan deserves much more, so always remember that you are never too ready for the month of Ramadan.

Alhamdulillah, Ramadan is an annual opportunity to review our goals in life.  We adjust our schedules and know we will spend longer hours in the masajid and exhausted during the days.  It is an exclusive opportunity for Muslims every year.  As Muslims, we always feel that we are under achieving what we should be doing in Ramadan, and we all have the feeling that we could have done better and should have done more.  At the end of the month, we regret so much of the time we spent wasted.  There is always a chance for improvement every single Ramadan.

My talk this evening is on the art of excelling in Ramadan and how we cannot repeat the same mistakes.  Don’t expect me to give you a full program of waking up at such and such time and suhur and fajr in the masjid.  Each person has different responsibilities and circumstances and you can write your own schedule.

I’m going to share with you ten points to help you reach excellence in Ramadan.  Insha’Allah I will share with you principles on how to reach success in the month of Ramadan.

1. Have the Hunger for Success:

Imam Al-Bukhari was one day asked about the medicine that would help people memorize, and he said, “I have nothing except for the ardent desire.”  If you truly and really have the ardent and burning desire and hunger to succeed, then you will achieve it.  The ulema said that whatever expectations you have, you will achieve at least 80%.  Imam Al-Bukhari excelled in that field because he had the ardent desire and hunger for success.  Ibn Abbas was a young man when the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) passed away, but the amount of knowledge he collected made him the top of his field and he was an expert in the interpretation of the Qur’an.  He was once asked, “How were you able to collect all this knowledge in such a short time?”  He said, “I had an inquisitive tongue and the heart that comprehends.”  He had the ardent desire and didn’t waste his time.  Don’t make failure an option in Ramadan.  Don’t give yourself an exit.  Many people start making excuses, and once you give yourself and excuse to fail, you will lose success.  Never give yourself that excuse and always have that hunger to succeed.

2. Set Your Goals.  Make sure that these goals are very high:

Fear Allah (subhanahu wata’ala).  In order to help us achieve the path of success, he gave us the ultimate goal:  to reach Al-Firdaws Al-‘Ala.  In many ayat, Allah says to race and rush.  Allah is helping us set our goals and making our goal Jannat Al-Fridaws Al-‘Ala.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) when he met the ansar at bayat al-‘aqabah, ….  The muhajirin asked him, “Ya Rasulullah, what do we expect out of this?”  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Jannah.”  That is the ultimate goal and should be a very high and lofty goal.

When you start Ramadan, set your goals as high as you can.  If you want to do khatm’l-Qur’an, set a higher goal of two, three, or five.  If part of your goals is to achieve righteousness and taqwa, then you have to start making plans on how to do so by adding more good deeds to your schedule.  If part of your goals is to pray qiyam’l-layl every night in the masjid, then commit yourself.  If you fall short a little from achieving these lofty goals, insha’Allah they will still be higher than what you did last year.

3. Build Confidence in the Month of Ramadan:

Some people come with high expectations for themselves such as finishing the Qur’an ten times and praying night prayer every night and not missing takbirat al-ihram.  Build confidence that you can achieve these goals.  Set a plan and strategy on how to achieve these goals and build confidence that you can do that.  Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-‘As was a young man at the time of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).  He used to finish the Qur’an every single night, and the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was surprised.  He (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) came to him and told him it was a righteous and good deed, but he should recite the Qur’an in one month (this is besides Ramadan, by the way, and Ramadan is a special occasion when you can do more).  He (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Try to finish the Qur’an once every month.”  He said, “Ya Rasulullah, I can achieve more than this.”  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do it in one week.”  He said, “Ya Rasulullah, I can achieve more than this.”  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do it in every three days.”  He said, “Ya Rasulullah, I can achieve more than this.”    The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “There is nothing better than this.”  If it is done more often than three nights, then it may be rushed and you will not benefit a lot.  This hadith applies outside of Ramadan, and in Ramadan you can do more.

Abdullah ibn Abbas (radhi Allahu 'anhu) after the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) passed away was still a teenager.  He had an ansari companion he would seek knowledge with.  His companion said, “This is going to be a far journey.  Who is going to waste his time and come listen to someone like you?”  Abdullah ibn Abbas said, “I left him and continued my journey seeking knowledge.”  Eventually, he became the great scholar we all know.  His friend later saw hundreds of people at the masjid and said, “That young man was much smarter than me and knew that one day this would happen.”  Have the confidence that you will achieve your goals and have a strategy and plan.

4. Do What You Love to Do in Ramadan:

There are so many good deeds that you can do.  Some people love to feed the poor and cook food and give to others.  Others invite a lot of people to their house or take food to the masjid.  Other people love to read the Qur’an a lot and dedicate more time.  Other people love to do salah and qiyam’l-layl. Some people love spending more time in the masjid and others love to spend more time in seclusion.  Some people push themselves so hard in what is not what they enjoy in acts of ibaadat and may force themselves to read the Qur’an more and are too exhausted to do adkhaar or tarawih, and this is not a smart plan.  Do what you really love to do.  Choose and select the good deeds you enjoy doing and increase them more and more.  Make your plan around these deeds that you love and enjoy doing.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) recommended us to achieve that which is little but continuous.  Many people love to start Ramadan with as many good deeds as they can, which may be too much.  Take it easy and start with what you enjoy.  As you build momentum, add more.  The whole point is to be proactive, so start your plan and choose the good deeds you enjoy and start working on it.

5. Study the Successful & Learn From the Best:

Experts in the field of success teach this to people.  Why is our ibaadah less when it comes to studying from the experts and learning from the best and successful?  What do we mean by this?  The ulema say, “Stories at tales are like the gems of Paradise.”  When you hear a story, you enjoy it so much because you can relate to it.  Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) says, “We sent you the best of stories…”  At the end of the story of Yusuf, Allah said, “There is in the stories instructions for men of understanding.”   When you learn from the successful and from the best, it will encourage you and raise your morale.  Achieving all of these great goals has been done by the people before you.

The sahabah were the best examples after the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).  Check the stories of the successful in Ramadan – How did they succeed?  What did they do?  Read some of the biographies of the people and the great scholars and how they spent their time in Ramadan.

Remember, keep these stories with you throughout the month of Ramadan, and when you feel weaker and weaker, go back to the stories and remind yourself.

6. Be in the Company of the Successful Ones:

The previous point was about people you learn about in history:  the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), the sahabah.  Many people say that this is theoretical.  Look for people around you in your own community who can help you achieve these lofty goals.  You will definitely find one or two people around you.  You should go and look for those people.  Remember that your companions in Ramadan can help you go higher in goals or can pull you down.  Habits are contagious.  Look for high achievers in the month of Ramadan.  If you always associate yourself with high achievers, bi’idhnillah you will go higher in your goals.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The example of the good and bad companion is the example of the one who sells perfume and the blacksmith.  He may give you something good for free or you may buy something, but at least you will get a nice smell from him.  The blacksmith will blow smoke and he may burn your clothes or at least you will smell something bad.”  The same is with those you associate with during Ramadan.  Are you going to associate with those who will encourage you to watch TV or play cards?  Or will you associate with those who will help you go higher?  Look for those who are high achievers and associate with them throughout the month of Ramadan as much as you can.

7. Go All Out & Work Hard:

When you set your goals, don’t just set them to achieve them at your convenience or when you have spare time.  If you are serious about achieving these goals, make them a priority.  Go all out to achieve these goals.  Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) reminded the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam):  When he (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) would go out for da’wah he would invite as many as he could.  No one can achieve more than the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), but when he came home, you would expect him to take rest, but the instruction that came from Allah was the opposite.  Allah told him:  “When you are done, put yourself in worship and ibaadah until you get tired.”  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) always maintained qiyam’l-layl every single night.  With all of the work he did during the day, he did more at night to get to the next level.

People who go to the gym know that once they have achieved the ten reps, they have to add one more.  They are excited that they have passed their regular achievement.

Put priorities during the day and night.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) is reminding us all the time how to move on from one level to the next.  One time the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “There is one night that is laylat’l-qadr which is better than the worship of 1,000 months.”  The sahabah were worshipping in the hope of achieving this night.  Then the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) told them to look for it in the last ten nights.  The sahabah became more focused.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) instructed them that the night is in the last ten nights of Ramadan.  Some of them became tired and a little lazy, and to help them achieve more, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) told them it was in the odd number of the last ten nights.  They would then focus on five nights.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said it may be the 27^th, 25^th, or 23^rd.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) sees the momentum going down and helped them become more focused.  Go all out and work so hard.  It happens only once a year.  Only Allah knows if you will even survive today.  Make this coming Ramadan the best Ramadan by being more focused and put so much effort in achieving better goals.

8. Be Prepared & Adaptable:

Be prepared to change your schedule.  Many people are effective the first few days but then feel that they are losing it and then lose momentum completely and say they can’t do it.  Instead of slightly changing their schedule, they try to start over with a completely new schedule and then they quit.  Expect yourself to change plans.  It may not be a dramatic change, but you need to adapt.  It is better for you than completely quitting the program over and over again.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) started his days with plans and changed them.  One time he entered the house of one of his wives and asked if there was any food, and if there wasn’t, then he would say he would fast.  He could have gone out and looked for food somewhere else, but he took the opportunity to fast.

Never put your programs back to back and make them so crowded.  When there is an emergency, the whole program will be broken up.  Expect yourself to do some changes, which will make it less stressful for you.  If you start reading five juz every single night and then realize that they are too much and then decrease to three juz and then you are short two juz.  As you try to make up and do seven, you start to lose hope.  Expect yourself to adapt and change.  Do something reasonable every single night like reading three juz and move on with your schedule.  Don’t simply cancel the good deeds you have started just because you think you are falling behind.

You may fall sick or have an emergency to travel or relatives may come to visit.  Expect to change some of your plans.

9. Remind Yourself of the Virtue of What You are Doing:

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) says in the Qur’an:  “Reminders benefit the believers.”  During the month of Ramadan, you are going to feel a little tired and exhausted.  Go to someone who you think can help you remind yourself.  Ask them for advice.  Remind yourself by spending a few minutes each night in dhikr and du’a.  Read about the virtues of fasting every now and then.  For many people it becomes a cliché, but the reminder definitely benefits the believers.  Keep Riyadh Al-Saaliheen handy and the ahadith about the virtues of Ramadan handy.  Hopefully it will rejuvenate your spirit.  If that doesn’t work, then have someone else give you advice.  If that doesn’t help, attend a program in the masjid.  Revisit your goals.

10. Never Give Up!

If the Shaytan wants anything from us, it is for us to give up on ourselves.  The Shaytan whispers that you can’t do it and that you aren’t the person to achieve the good deeds and you give up on doing them.  How many times have you vowed after Ramadan to wake up for qiyam’l-layl after Ramadan and you never achieve it?  How many times have you wanted to fast Mondays and Thursdays after Ramadan?  Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) says in Surah Yusuf:  “Never give up hope of Allah’s Mercy.  Truly no one despairs of Allah’s Mercy except those who have no faith.”  Never cancel your plans in the month of Ramadan simply because you fell a little short or a little weak.  Even until your last breath and last seconds in this word, you are required and asked to do something that is good.  In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said in a hadith of Anas: “If the Day of Judgment is established and you have a plant in your hand, if you are able to put it in the earth before the Day of Judgment completely starts, then do it.”  With Allah (subhanahu wata'ala), you will benefit.  Even if it is the last second of the month of Ramadan.  What were you doing last year?  People were getting ready to finish and prepare for Eid.  It is one of the blessed moments.  Focus on du’a and dhikr and give charity.  Once Ramadan is over, what was multiplied in Ramadan will no longer be multiplied.  Never give up even if you fall short and behind.  Continue doing good deeds until the end of the month, even if it is the last night.  Even if it is the last hour and you still haven’t finished khatm’l-Qur’an, still continue reading.  Falling short one juz is better than falling short 15 juz.  Remember that you are dealing with Allah, and Allah is the One who rewards.  With Allah, it is absolutely worth every effort that you are doing.

Recap:

It is never too late to prepare for Ramadan.  You will never be too ready for the month.  Plant some principles in your mind and heart so that you have something to achieve.  Have the hunger of success.  Have the ardent desire to succeed in Ramadan.  Do you have that or do you think that you are not a strong achiever?  Expect to succeed more insha’Allah and have a hunger for success.

Set your goals very high.  Allah has set your goals higher than you can imagine and is helping you set your goals high.  Go and try to achieve these goals.  Build confidence that you can achieve these goals.  Don’t beat yourself down.  If you fail once, it does not mean you are a failure.

Do what you love in Ramadan.  You may not be able to achieve anything, but start by achieving that which you like.  If you like giving charity, then give more.  If you like to read the Qur’an or spend more time in the masjid, do what you love the most.

Study the successful and learn from the best.  Read the stories of the sahabah and the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and how much they achieved in Ramadan.  Learn from them and learn their techniques.

Be in the company of the successful ones.  Associate yourself with good company.  Pick one or two people who are high achievers.   Habits are contagious.  If you associate yourself with low achievers, most likely that is what you will achieve.

Go all out and work so hard.  It is once in perhaps your lifetime.  It could be your last Ramadan.  Only Allah knows.  Make this opportunity like your first and last opportunity.  You will definitely do your best and put every single effort to make it successful, particularly in the last ten nights.

Be adaptable and expect changes in plans.  As you try to achieve your plans, some emergencies may come up, but it doesn’t mean you should quit.  Adapt and move on based on the new change.  Never cancel the schedule or program.

Remind yourself of the virtue of what you are doing.  Keep handy the books on the virtues of fasting.  Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) says in a Hadith qudsi:  “All the good deeds of the son of Adam are for himself except for fasting which is exclusively for Me, and I shall reward for it.”  If you know that Allah is giving the reward, you know that it will be beyond your imagination.

Never ever give up, even if it is the last hour in the month of Ramadan.  Make sure to use it wisely.

These are ten points on how you can excel in the month of Ramadan insha’Allah.  I wish all of you a successful Ramadan this year and ask Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) to make this Ramadan the best Ramadan for all of you.  I ask Allah to help us all to live to this Ramadan, to make the fasts our best fasts, and the qiyam our best qiyam and to help us become more generous in the month of Ramadan.  I ask Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) to help us all achieve some of the i’tikaf during the last few nights of Ramadan.  I ask Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) to help us be of those who will survive and live and worship Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) on laylat’l-qadr.  I ask Allah to make us among those who will learn beneficial knowledge and benefit others.

From Day 4 @ RamadanPrep.com

[audio: http://muslimmatters.org/audio/2011031_khutbah_yaserbirjas.mp3 ]
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Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.  This is Yasir Qadhi welcoming you to the muslimmatters.org podcast.  For more quality media, be sure to subscribe to our podcast wa jazakum Allahu khayran wassalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah.

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[The following is transcript of Shaykh Yaser Birjas's khutbah on Civic Engagement, which includes slight modifications for the sake of readability and clarity, from the muslimmatters.org podcast.]

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My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, the hearing that took place yesterday in the capital, Thursday, March 10, 2011, was a historic event for the Muslim community in America regardless of the purpose of it and regardless of the outcome that is going to come out of it.  And sometimes, w'Allahi, I wonder how many Muslims in America are even aware of the hearing and if they even heard about it or what was the whole purpose of it to begin with.  Talking to so many Muslims around in different communities, many of them are unaware of the surroundings, let alone to even pay attention to what is going on in the local news.  Most of their focus goes internationally.  They focus on other things; they do not even know what is going on and what is being actually planned for them in their own neighborhoods.

You see, for those who didn’t pay attention, the committee on Homeland Security was holding a hearing yesterday, one of maybe many to come.   When holding that hearing titled ‘The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response’, they are basically talking about you.  Whether you like it or not and whether it is your business or not, they are talking about you.  They now base this on an assumption as if the Muslim community is responsible for every single radical who walks on earth that happened to be a Muslim.  Based on this, the hearing is asking what this Muslim community living in America did to counter that kind of radicalization in the community and what is the response, as if we are responsible for it to begin with.

Regardless of the outcome of it and the purpose of it, which was attended by so many representatives and many of them were also against it and even criticized it and others were supportive of this, if you were listening and if you have been watching it and even read the texts of all these testimonies and witnesses and what they said, you should as a Muslim be concerned.  You should pay attention to that.  You should focus on what is really more important to you, which is the welfare and well-being of your community that is being part of this whole fabric of the society.

It is very crucial for you as a Muslim to see and hear and learn what exactly is going on around you.  Now, again, regardless of all this criticism, which unfortunately we believe has been going on because of the fear-mongers and hate groups and those who always try to just find an excuse to criticize and attack the Muslim community, regardless of whether we accept this or not, it just happened and took place.  Many people went out and expressed their concerns, and they tried to reason with the head of these committees and others, but unfortunately it just kept going on and it happened just yesterday.

It is so sad, w'Allahi, that in the ten years from the tragic day of September 11^th, the Muslims have tried their best, and being a very young community compared to the other communities that have arrived to this country – the Muslim community is a very young community – it is a heavily immigrant based community, particularly in the leadership positions, and other aspects of the community are still heavily based on first generation of Muslims, which means regardless of what you do and how you try to do it, in the eyes of the average American citizen, you still look and even sound foreign to them.  Unfortunately because of that, many people were hearing and paying attention to all of these fear-mongers and hate groups because they definitely believe that these people must be foreigners because they speak differently and have an accent or they look different.  It is unfortunate that they were targeting one group, basically a faith-based community.  In this society, this hasn’t happened since back in 1941 in the Second World War with the Japanese community.  Since then, it never happened again to a single community whether based on ethnicity, background or faith until this age and time, and we are now going back into that same circle.

Alhamdulillah, many people actually stood against these kinds of approaches and trends in our society, but when you think about it and when you check the Muslim community from within – being an imam for many years in this society and visiting so many Muslim communities, I honestly sometimes cannot really put the blame on anyone but the Muslim community.  Why is that?  Because the Muslim community up to this day is not yet up to the level where you expect them to be engaged in the civil society in the best way possible.

How is that?  I go and do so many open houses in so many Muslim communities and Islamic centers, and I remember after the many years I spent in West Texas, I then moved to the Midwest for one year.   In my first open house in the new center I used to serve in the Midwest after giving a presentation about Islam and Muslims in general, one of the attendees asked the question:  “This is all beautiful [which means amazing information].  This looks so nice and so beautiful.  But what does this community [talking about the exact Islamic center itself and the community that built that magnificent building and center] doing for the local community and area that they live in?  What activities do you guys do?”  I just stood there and honestly I didn’t have an answer, first of all because I was new and had just been there for a few weeks in the community.  My answer was, “I am still new in the area, but I’m sure our community has their own records on their participation in their own local communities.”  Checking afterward, there were not so many, even though there were, but not so many.

I’m asking you the question:  Check for yourself and your own record.  Forget about the Muslim community or the Islamic centers.  Look at your individual and personal records.  How many times do you volunteer in the community whether in the library or public event or something that is beneficial for the community and society?  How many rallies have the Muslims been doing in this community?  I have been here for just about seven or eight months now, and I have heard of maybe four or five or more rallies happening in this community.  Almost every weekend there is a rally going on downtown.  But for what?  For a legitimate cause:  for Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, for Gaza, and so on.  But then I asked the Muslim community:  How many times have you walked in a rally in order to help promote things very, very close to you such as health reform in your own community?  How about the public school system, the schools and education of your own children?  What about other things very important to your own community?  How many of us have done that?  I’m asking around, and unfortunately I cannot really find many people who are doing these things.  So because of that, we have always been looked at as foreigners or a strange community until this day.

The reason I’m saying that is because I believe that if the Muslims want to have a future for themselves in this society, then it is in their hands to make these kinds of hearings look ridiculous in the eyes of the average American citizen because they know who the Muslims are.  When things like this happen and they already have so many encounters with beautiful people masha’Allah from the Muslim community on almost every level:  schools, education, and the city, and when they see this kind of engagement everywhere and then they hear about these kinds of hearings happening, they would laugh at it.  Why?  Because they know that it is all wrong.  How can you do that when we know these people and they are always around us?  I know we have, alhamdulillahi rabbi'l-‘alameen, amazing individual success stories in the Muslim community.  We have successful doctors, successful engineers, successful teachers, alhamdulillah, and are successful in almost every aspect and walk of life.  We have so many successful business people in this society, but they are all individual success stories, and you cannot put them together in order to serve as a Muslim community except for a few, and may Allah reward them for everything they are doing.  We have so many success stories, but they cannot be put together as a collective success story for the Muslim community.  So when tomorrow someone talks about what the Muslim community contributed to the local community, you will say we have a wonderful record that we can bring to you.

I’m not talking about PR records just to do some activities here and there to show that we have done something.  I’m talking about sincere, genuine participation to bring benefit to this society.  And again, the reason I’m saying that is because we believe as Muslims that it is our responsibility, not just because we live here as a minority, but because it is our duty in life as Muslims to bring this civil life to the world, and that was the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).  In these few minutes, I would like to share with you some of the examples of the Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in civil engagement in society, and we shall see how amazing that involvement was in all aspects of life.  Some of the engagements of Rasulullah (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in civil society were even before the establishment of the community of Madinah.

Here is Rasulullah (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam):  First of all, before he (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) went to Madinah, he met a group of people who came from Madinah itself, and he had that deal with them we call Bayah Al-‘Aqaba Al-Kubra and Bayah Al-‘Aqaba Al-Sughra.  The minor ‘Aqaba was a meeting at a bridge during the Hajj season where the Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) met with the people and made a contract with them that he would move to their area, and in return, they would support that cause and society and establish with them based on the principles that he brought to them.  They gave him their pledge even before the establishment of the state.  To have a civil engagement and a civil society, you don’t have to have a state to begin with.  People can do that even in times of crisis.  Look at Egypt.  Look at Libya.  Look at a country like Tunisia.  During the time of crisis, many people establish their own civil communities and institutes to serve their local people.  Look at Afghanistan and Iraq and other places.  Everyday when there is a crisis, there are people stepping up to serve others.  That is a sign of a healthy civil community.  Rasulullah (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) established that way even before the establishment of the state of Madinah.

When he went to Madinah, the Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) started organizing the efforts.  He made it obligatory upon every Muslim to leave the state of badawa, which means to leave being a bedouin in the desert and come and live in that civil society in Madinah and make hijrah until the conquest of Makkah.  The society was expanding out instead of just being introverted into one local city like Madinah or Yathrib.

The Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was calling people together to establish a society.   Come together so we can build a community all together.  Even Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) speaks about the bedouins and those who do not live in these kinds of organized, civilized societies.  “The bedouins / desert people / nomads are more prone to kufr (disbelief) and hypocrisy.”  Why is that?  Because they don’t believe in an organized system.  Many people, not just Muslims, today even though they live in cities and urban areas, they live like bedouins and nomads and don’t believe in organization and believe in anarchy as a society.  The Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) promote civil society and civil engagement.

Rasulullah (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) once he arrived in Madinah established a very important principle that they had never heard before the Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam):  shurah.  It is the principle of counseling one another.  Based on what?  Based on the validity of the opinion and not the power and strength of the lobby promoting the cause.  Here is Rasulullah (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) giving that command even when he was in Makkah.

In Surah Al-Shurah, Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) says describing the people of Islam, the followers of Muhammad (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam):  “Their affair amongst themselves is based on shurah (counseling one another, advising one another).”  Even though they were still in Madinah and there were no traces of society whatsoever and they were oppressed and chased, still Allah made it obligatory upon them that no one was allowed to make an individual decision that would affect the livelihood of the entire community and society.  When they went to Madinah, Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) revealed the ayah in Surah Ale-‘Imran: “And always consult them in these affairs.”  Even Muhammad (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) who had divine guidance from Allah ‘azza wa jall, and if anyone can be a talent in terms of making decision, it would be him because he had that power from Allah ‘azza wa jall, but he was instructed to be the person who consulted and counseled with others to show the superiority of that principle that you always ask and always take opinions from the people around you.

When the Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) came to Madinah, one of the principles of civil society is the establishment of institutions and things that people can be proud of that serve the community.  The moment he (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) arrived, he stayed in a house as a guest for some time with Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (radhiyAllahu 'anhu) and then ordered the establishment of the first institution in the history of Islam:  Masjid An-Nabi (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam),  the masjid of Rasulullah (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

For us, the masajid is serve only for salah unfortunately in many Muslim societies, but  here in America, it is closer to be like the masjid of Rasulullah (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in terms of role and function than being a masjid in any other Muslim community because in these masajid, there are so many things happening.  It is a place for education and a place for service and like a second home for people.  People always find comfort when they come to these places because there is always something going on all the time for them.  Even if they have disputes, they will come and ask our opinion and for our vocational help.  That was the role of the institution at the time of Rasulullah (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).  Today, living in a society like ours, all of these institutions become independent right now, but still, at least, you as a Muslim believe in the role of these institutions.

Now Rep. Peter King, the head of the Senate committee, in 2007 was complaining that there are too many masjids in America.  He is bothered by that, subhanAllah, thinking that this is another source of radicalization.  But me and you, we know the what the purpose of the masajid are; it is to bring the principle of civilization and civil life to the community.  How many masajid have you visited in your life outside of your city and they all have the same beautiful function of reaching out to the community, helping out, becoming like a home for other people?  It is an amazing thing how they misinterpret the growth of these Islamic institutions.

The Messenger (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made also part of these individual roles of every Muslim that you make sure that you follow the rules.  You follow the rules and make everybody else also follow the rules.  The Nabiyy (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The deen is sincerity.”  It is not just giving advice, but it is to be sincere when it comes to interaction with people.  They said, “To whom, ya Rasulullah?”  “First of all to Allah (subhanahu wata'ala).”  This means that when you believe in Allah ‘azza wa jall, sincerely believe in Allah (subhanahu wata'ala).  “For His Messenger.”  When you are sincere about following the example of Muhammad (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and you believe in him.  “…and the leaders of your own community and the average person.”  We recommend as individuals to make sure that you have that sincerity when you deal with people.

The Nabiyy (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) taught one man who was complaining to people that they always deceived him because they think of him as easy going and they can get away with things with him.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) told him whenever he deals with people to tell them, “There may be no deceit.”  Remind them to fear Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) and deal with him honestly and sincerely.  As Muslims, this is our responsibility not just with the Muslim community but also with everybody.  When you know something is wrong, you stand up and relieve and alleviate the suffering of others.  Whenever something is good, you go and you thank and promote that which is good.  This is one of the base principles of Islam:  enjoin good and forbid evil.  What is that other than always engaging in civil society?  When there is a grievance or complaint, you go and be the first person to stand up for your rights in the proper way.  It is not just only complaining about that which is bad.  Where are you when there are many good things to be praised and recommended for your local community?  When you have this ‘enjoin the good and forbid the evil’, don’t think of it only as an Islamic principle among the Muslims but even outside you can be the person who can promote something that is good for the whole community and society.

You know, one of the reasons I came to this community here in Irving is that I was told that this whole area is a dry area that does not sell alcohol.  When I arrived, they said that unfortunately they started last year.  I was shocked.  I said, “Why is that?”  It seems that when they passed the bill, the Muslims were minding their own business as usual and didn’t even care about it.  When I was in the Midwest, they were about to bring gambling machines in the area and entire faith groups of the community – the Muslims, the Christians, and the Jews – were going and recruiting the faith-based groups to go and sign a petition to not allow this to happen in our community, and we won, all of us.  Had it only been just a group from the community and the Muslims were just spectators watching, perhaps maybe one-third or one-fourth and only Allah knows best how many would have actually participated in the actual petition.  But you will never make a big difference in the proper way.  You could have done something about it as a Muslim community.

Allah says about enjoining the good and forbidding the evil that it is a part of the rule of law.  We believe in it.  That is why the society at the time of Rasulullah (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was based on that and the whole principle of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil is to make sure that there are always people who are monitoring and watching the fulfillment of these obligations.  It is a rule of law.  You organize the system and whole society.  Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) preferred this ummah because of that quality.

Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) said, “Let there be an ummah, a group of you among yourselves that call people to goodness.  They will enjoin good and forbid evil.”  This is one of the qualities of the muslimeen and the Muslim ummah.  It is wherever you are.  You are responsible as an individual and as a community to promote what is good and forbid evil in the best way possible.  Dealing with a diverse community like ours here is one of the greatest principles in Islam.  You know, one of the beautiful principles of this deen is when the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) came to the ummah, he brought them this beautiful principle of accepting diversity, meaning tolerating colors, ethnicities, tribal differences, and all of these issues and overlooking all of these issues for the bigger principle.

The strength of the Muslim ummah was through its diversity.  It was a very dynamic community.  SubhanAllah America is closer to the early Muslim community of Madinah than perhaps many Muslim communities today.  It is very diverse.  You as a Muslim community can play a major role in strengthening the society and this community as well.

Volunteerism:  When the sahabah (radhiyAllahu 'anhum) embraced Islam, they became the first volunteers in the history of Islam and Muslims.  They sacrificed their time, their wealth, their money and everything even in dire necessities when they needed the money the most, they gave it fisabilillah.  Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) says about them:  “They prefer others over their needs even though they themselves are in dire need for it.”  Why?   Because they volunteer.  They could get this insha’Allah ta’ala later, but for now, they needed it more, so they give, and that is a beautiful principle.

They volunteered their time, their efforts, and many things they can afford.  If they can afford volunteering, how many of you are volunteers first of all for your own Muslim community and center.  How much do you volunteer for your center let alone for the public library, hospital, or anywhere else that needs volunteers in this community?  If we don’t do that, then we are lacking so much in proving that this community can really be one of the most civilized, one of the most beautiful, organized communities in this entire society.  You see, alhamdulillahi rabbi’l-‘alameen, the Muslim community doesn’t really lack any kind of energy, resources, enthusiasm, principles, loyalties, …you name it, they don’t lack that.  But they unfortunately lack direction.  You have it, you know where to go, and all that you need to do is just come and ask.  Ask and we will help and assist insha’Allah tabaraka wa ta’ala to prove it to the world that the Muslim community is definitely a great asset to every civilization and every area where they land.

SubhanAllah things happen w'Allahi for a reason.  I mean, if this hearing didn’t happen, perhaps you would never hear about this khutbah.  And if a hearing like that didn’t happen in the community or in this society, perhaps you would just continue in the same way that you were doing things.  But Allah (subhanahu wata'ala) chose people to stir some dust for you to go and see through and make sure you do the right thing bi’idhnillahi ‘azza wa jall.  From this minbar, as an imam and as a member of this community, I advise every individual, man or woman, to take their part in this society, first of all within your own community and own Islamic center, your own family, and then the entire society.

I encourage people to go and try to volunteer their time, and when I say ‘volunteer’, it doesn’t have to compromise your deen just in order to make sure that they see some Muslims around.  You can be who you are, but you can still volunteer and help and assist others.  You don’t have to change the way you look in order to be accepted.  You can be the same person and who you are, but with your spirit, akhlaq and manners they can see a big difference between what they hear about and what they see in your akhlaq and your practice.

So I encourage all of you to find ways of volunteering.  Let’s begin with something very simple.  If your children go to a school (and I’m sure if you have children, they go to school), volunteer at their school as a parent.  If you have time, and I’m sure you can make time and you can give time, you go and you volunteer.  For what?  Go and ask them.  Tell them, “I know you guys need volunteers so what do I need to do?  I can come one hour a week, two hours a week, or more or less.”  Just go, and if you feel embarrassed that you are alone, ask other parents you know who send their kids to the same school and volunteer there.  Slowly and gradually you may become part of the board and the council.  Bi’idhnillah you bring khayr and good policies to the community.

And if you have some time, there is a public place like the public library where many people from the whole neighborhood will go and attend there.  Every now and again on the weekend, it would be good and healthy if some Muslims went and participate and go and volunteer.  Hospitals also need volunteers.  Eventually every aspect of your community may need volunteers.  Even the city, if you go and ask, you will find some specifically if you have spare time alhamdulillahi rabbi’l-‘alameen that you can help with, go to your Muslim community and go to the local community.  Go there and be proud of who you are as a Muslim.

W’Allahi if you do that, I guarantee you will not hear anything about hearings on the radicalization of Muslims and the community’s response to it because people know that it is not the responsibility of the Muslims; it is the responsibility of the whole society.  But targeting one particular group for that is definitely a preposterous and unacceptable suggestion.  So as a Muslim community through your action you can make a big difference bi’idhnillahi tabaraka wa ta’ala.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Friday was the last day of Hajj. Mina the tent city, which came to life only during the days of Hajj is now suddenly empty, again. The Hajj season is officially over.

While you read through this article, the hujjaj will be wrapping up their things and folding their mats and tents to head toward their hotels in Makkah or perhaps to the airport to return home. For some, they’re getting ready for the next leg of their spiritual journey, going to Madinah.

On the last day of Hajj, the hujjaj who stayed two days in Mina or chose to stay the extra day on Friday, were obligated to continue the same rites of Ayyam-ut-tashreeq, explained in a pervious post. They were required to throw stones at the three posts of jamarat, seven pebbles each, before they leave Mina.

The sight of an empty Mina is really depressing, especially after getting used to the hustle and bustle and the hectic schedule of Hajj and life in Mina. Now they’re all gone, the people whom they met for the first time in their lives and made friends with and perhaps this will be their last time to see them again.

During their final stay in Makkah, the hujjaj make sure nothing of their obligations is left without being fulfilled or compensated for. So if there was any violation committed during their Ihram or stay in Mina, they make sure to amend it in the proper way. In some cases, the hujjaj are required to pay ransom for some of these mistakes. The ransom can be paid in the form of fasting, feeding the poor or offering a sacrificial animal. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala said:

“And complete the Hajj or 'umra in the service of Allah. But if you are prevented (from completing it), send an offering for sacrifice, such as you may find, and do not shave your heads until the offering reaches the place of sacrifice. And if any of you is ill, or has an ailment in his scalp, (necessitating shaving), (he should) in compensation either fast, or feed the poor, or offer sacrifice;…” al-Baqara 2:196

And in another scenario in Hajj, Allah says:

“O you who believe! Kill not game while in the sacred precincts or in pilgrim garb. If any of you does so intentionally, the compensation is an offering, brought to the Ka'ba, of a domestic animal equivalent to the one he killed, as adjudged by two just men among you; or by way of atonement, the feeding of the indigent; or its equivalent in fasts: that he may taste of the penalty of his deed. Allah forgives what is past: for repetition Allah will exact from him the penalty. For Allah is Exalted, and Lord of Retribution.” al-Ma’edah 5:95

Once the hujjaj have taken care of all the essentials of Hajj, they prepare themselves for their departure from Makkah. The sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) is to perform Tawaf al-Wadaa’ or the Farewell Tawaf right before the departure from Makkah. It is considered wajib or obligatory to perform this Tawaf for those who are physically fit. In case of woman whose menstruating period already started, according to the majority of Muslim jurists she is not obligated to perform that Tawaf nor is she obligated to have someone do it on her behalf. This is according to hadith of Aisha (radiyallahu anha) who reported that Safiyyah the wife the Prophet had her period right before they were about to leave Makkah, and when the Messenger of Allah heard the news he said in awe and shock: “Is she going to hold us all back?” Speaking of the entire Hajj congregation, but then he asked if she has already done her Tawaf al-Ifaada, which is the major Tawaf of Hajj. Upon learning that she had already done it, he ordered all to depart (Bukhari and Muslim).

Some of the hujjaj who were unable to perform Tawaf al-Ifaada earlier due to their legal excuses, would do that Tawaf in place of Tawaf al-Wadaa’. They perform their Tawaf around the Ka’bah and then do the Sa’i between the hills of Safa and Marwa, if needed.

The best scenario for the hujjaj is to take care of their last minute shopping before they do their Tawaf, for it's better to keep the last memories in Makkah around the Ka’bah instead of the market place. There is no harm in getting anything from the market on the way back to the hotel as long as the hujjaj are still in transit awaiting their final departure. If they decide to stay longer, such as spending the night in Makkah, in this case another Tawaf should be performed because the previous one is no longer considered a Farewell Tawaf anymore.

Many of the hujjaj depart from Makkah with sorrow and grief, and just as they arrived with tears and joy, they are now leaving with tears and a mixture of perplexing sadness and happiness. Nevertheless, they all leave with hope that their Hajj was Mabroor or faultless and that Allah has accepted their offerings during these days of great sacrifice. They all leave with hope that this experience was a true redemption from sin and an emancipation from the snares of this dunya.

And here are some signs, among others, of a successful Hajj experience:

A great feeling of comfort and relief.

Experiencing overwhelming peace and tranquility.

Being grateful and full with gratitude.

Repenting to Allah and showing remorse.

Committing one's life afterwards to the worship of Allah.

Overwhelming feeling of kindness and generosity.

To return back to normal life but with a completely different perspective.

May Allah accept the Hajj of hujjaj, make it Mabroor and faultless and bring them all back home safe and sound, with their sins forgiven just like the day when they were born. Ameen

The Three days of Tashreeq: 11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul Hijjah

The days of Tashreeq are the days following the Eid day. These are the appointed days Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) mentioned in Surat al-Baqara:

“Celebrate the praises of Allah during the Appointed Days. But if anyone hastens to leave in two days, there is no blame on him, and if anyone stays on, there is no blame on him, if his aim is to do right. Then fear Allah, and know that ye will surely be gathered unto Him.” [al-Baqara 2:203]

The strongest opinion on why they are called Ayyam-ut-tashreeq or the days of Tashreeq is because prior to the invention of the refrigeration system, the hujjaj used to slice the meat they acquired from the udhiya and qurbani, season it with salt and then let it dry in the sun in an early and traditional style of food preservation. The dehydrating of the meat allowed the hujjaj to preserve it and carry it with them on their long journey back from wherever they came.

This process in itself is called tashreeq, and it was derived from the the Arabic word شروق or إشراق which means sunrise or sunshine.  The process entails the exposure of the meat to the sun for a long time. And although most of the hujjaj don’t practice this anymore, if you look carefully in the camps of Mina, perhaps you will see some people still practice the tradition, and you might see the meat “jerky” already hung on ropes and on different sides of their tents.

These days are considered days of celebration and worship. It is not recommended for the hujjaj to fast on these days, rather they should enjoy the celebration of the Eid by feasting, eating and drinking. The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The days of Tashreeq are days of eating and drinking (i.e. feasting)” (Muslim).

The wisdom behind these days is to allow the hujjaj to celebrate the season and encourage them to eat from the meat they have offered for the sake of Allah.  The hujjaj in the past used to come from far distances, and meat for them was a very precious meal.  Now that they have plenty of it, they were given the incentive and encouragement to consume it during the days of Eid without any feeling of guilt.  It was normal during these days to walk around the camps of Mina seeing smoke all over the place and smelling nothing but barbecue. Today things are different, and pre-catered meals are becoming the standard.  Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) said:

“The sacrificial camels We have made for you as among the symbols from Allah: in them is (much) good for you: then pronounce the name of Allah over them as they line up (for sacrifice): when they are down on their sides (after slaughter), eat you thereof, and feed such as (beg not but) live in contentment, and such as beg with due humility: thus have We made animals subject to you, that you may be grateful.” [al-Hajj 22:36]

It is only permissible to fast these days for the hujjaj if they were unable to offer the had’y or the sacrificial animal, and therefore these hujjaj become obligated to fast three days during the Hajj and seven when they arrive home. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) said:

“…and when ye are in peaceful conditions (again), if any one wishes to continue the 'umra on to the Hajj, he must make an offering, such as he can afford, but if he cannot afford it, he should fast three days during the Hajj and seven days on his return, making ten days in all…” [al-Baqara 2:196]

The days of Tashreeq are minimum of two: the 11th and the 12th; the 13th is an optional day for those who desire to stay longer, as Allah mentioned in the ayah previously quoted:

“But if any one hastens to leave in two days, there is no blame on him, and if any one stays on, there is no blame on him, if his aim is to do right.” [al-Baqara 2:203]

The routine of these days which the hujjaj will continue to follow for the two upcoming days and the optional extra day as well until the end of the Hajj season is as follows:

1. The hujjaj are required to spend most of the night, preferably the entire night, of the days of Tashreeq in Mina. During the Eid day at night, the hujjaj should have already been in Mina and after Fajr they will be allowed to move out to Makkah whether to go to the hotel or go to the Haram for prayer and worship. Some hujjaj, if not even most of them, don’t have hotels anymore, and therefore they spend their days and nights in Mina and that is also valid, and as a matter of fact that was the practice of the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam).

2. During these days the hujjaj continue to offer their udhiya and had’y if they haven’t done so yet. They pray every fard salat in the shortened format just like the traveler but performed in its time without the need to combine between them. They also continue their recitation of the Takbeer until the end of the season. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says:

“It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that you may glorify Allah (takbeer) for His Guidance to you and proclaim the good news to all who do right.” [al-Hajj 22:37]

Abdullah ibn Umar (radiya Allahu anhu) used to raise his voice with Takbeer while staying in Mina in his camp, and the people would follow his lead and recite their Takbeer until the entire camp resounded with their voices. (Bukhari)

3. The most important practice of these days is the throwing of stones رمي الجمرات at the jamarat site (singular: jamra جمرة the place where the pebbles are thrown and collected). Some call it rajmu-sh-shaytan or the stoning of the devil after the incident of Ibrahim (alayhi salam) with the shaytan or the devil. According to some Muslim scholars and historians, when the shaytan appeared to Ibrahim, he tried to tempt him three times on these sites, and Ibrahim had to cast him away by throwing stones on him.

4. The jamarat are three, located on the northern boundaries of Mina east from Makkah. The closest one from Mina is called al-jamra as-sughra or the minor jamra, then al-wus’ta or the middle one and then the farthest and closest to Makkah al-kubra or the major.

Just few hundred yards away, northeast from the major jamra, a small old masjid is found indicating the location where the early pledge of allegiance known in seerah as bay’ah-tul-aqaba, was given to the Messenger (salla Allahu alayhi was sallam). This was the pledge the people of Yathrib, later known as Madinah and its people the Ansar, had given to the Messenger of Allah to protect him and support his message. This incident prompted the hijra or immigration to Madinah afterwards, marking a new milestone in the history of Islam.

5. With seven pebbles, the hujjaj throw at each and every one of the three jamarat. The pebbles should not be too large, rather each should be as small as a chickpea, and they can be collected from anywhere, even from Makkah itself. The pebbles don’t have to be washed or perfumed as some hujjaj might do, after all it will be thrown at the devil, anyway, according to some. The hujjaj are required to make sure the pebbles land in the pool of stones not outside, and with each stone they say Allahu Akbar. It is disrespectful to the ritual to throw whatever someone might have in his or her hand such as slippers or umbrellas, and it should be treated with full respect for it is the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi was sallam).

6. The timing of this rite of Hajj is critical. The standard opinion is that this should be performed after the time of zawal or when the time of dhuhr is already in until right before sunset. In modern times, due to the size of the Hajj congregation, the limited time window allocated to perform the ritual has created hazardous conditions and a situation prone to disaster. Therefore, to preserve human life, Muslim scholars have made a concession for the hujjaj to use anytime of the day or night to perform this rite.

7. After finishing throwing the stones at each station the hujjaj stand on the side away from the traffic, facing Makkah and raise their hands with du’a and praise and then move on to the next station starting from the minor, the middle and then the major one for last.

8. Once the hujjaj are done, they move on to Makkah if it is still daylight or go to their camps in Mina if it is already night. Because they need to spend the night in Mina anyway, many hujjaj delay this practice until close to time of sunset so they come from their hotels in Makkah in the last hour of the day, perform the jamarat rites and head to the camps right away all in one trip.

9. The fifth day of Hajj is the 12th of Dhul Hijjah. Any pilgrim who desires to hasten and leave early can end his or her Hajj after they perform the throwing of the stones on that day, and they have to be out of Mina before sunset. If they stayed in Mina after sunset then they are required to remain there for the extra day, the 13th, which is the last and final day of Ayyam-ut-tashreeq.

10. It is during this beautiful time the hujjaj get to connect with each other, learn about different cultures, meet scholars from different parts of the world and also make business and trade with each other among many other things they do there. Ironically, it is a time to celebrate the diversity and yet the unity of the whole Muslim Ummah.