Why Islam Rejects Pre-Islamic Superstitions

There is no safar. There are no owls. There is no contagion. This means that these things are not to be taken in the way that they were commonly understood and believed in the time of Jah in the time prior to the prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam's prior to his messengership Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent our prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam in a very dark time in human history. A time when the majority of humanity had fallen into the clutches of a shaitan and he came to release them from those clutches and to release them from the from the path of damnation that the majority of humanity was upon. And so there were certain beliefs at that time. There were certain things that were commonly known as kind of truisms or cultural idioms etc. And the prophet sallallah.aii Wasam and this narration and in others it is invalidating that perception not invalidating necessarily the actual physical thing that that perception or that superstition is attached to. So he says there is no ad meaning contagion and it doesn't mean that the prophet sallall.aii wasallam doesn't affirm that infectious diseases can't be transmitted and cannot be contagious. This is something that every person who observes an illness and observes it in any group of people will come to the conclusion that yes this is something that is contagious. If a person is ill with this particular illness and they interact physically with someone else who is healthy that they may that they may infect them that this illness may be contagious. However, the beliefs of the Mushri, the beliefs of the Jahidi Arabs at the time were a step beyond this amount or this portion of reason. It was a step beyond that. They believed in contagion so strongly, so earnestly that they did not believe that it was something to the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that it was something that once it had begun to spread that it will cause infection no matter what and that it is not something that is by the decree of Allah that it is by the will and permission of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and this is where the difference between the Muslim and the non really shows itself with respect to something a contagious illness. A believer understands that even if he is exposed to an illness, he can still not be harmed except by the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And that if a person has been willed by Allah to become ill that he doesn't need a contagion for that to happen that it will happen by the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala no matter how far away he may be from that particular illness. A man asked the prophet sallall.aii wasallam about this very thing. He said, and this is an extension of a narration similar to this where the prophet sallall.aii wasallam said that a contagion in that sense and in that way is a myth. Superstition largely superstitious. And so one of the companions said, "Oh messenger of Allah, we observe that if a man has a sick camel, a camel, that is a is a type of illness. it's kind of ringorm for for camels. then that if it is put into a pen with other healthy camels that they get sick. We observe this. We see this. The prophet sallall.aii Wasam said, "If that is the case and it is as believed at that time, then if it is not by the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, then how did the first camel get sick?" What we would refer to as patient zero. How did that happen? And so illness even though it has biological and physical contraptions that we can look at as cause and effect and can become contagious etc. This does not exempt it from the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It is still by the will of Allah. And a person will only be afflicted with that which Allah has written upon him. And a person who has not been willed by Allah to become ill will not become ill. Now this doesn't mean that a person is you know irresponsible. No, the companions observed great caution with respect to very contagious diseases because they knew that the prophet sallallah.aii alaihi wasallam told them that if you hear of a plague or a contagion in a land do not go to it and do not leave it if you are there at that land so as not to spread it. However, still a person believes in the decree of Allah. This does not inter interfere with the decree of Allah because also one of the beliefs even amongst some of the Muslim is that a person may be killed or may become ill or die in adolescence and that all children or all youth who die in adolescence or die in their youth that this somehow now was before Allah had willed for them to die. And so they still have time that they that Allah had written for them. And so they will do things like haunt the places where they were. Right? If a if a child dies in a in a particular home that now that child's soul will continue to haunt the hallways of that home right until its time is up that Allah had originally written of old age whatever 50 60 years and then it will die then the soul is taken as if we were created and our souls were created to hang out in you know people's basement and haunt them haunt the new homeowners until our time is up. Or if a person is murdered before their time or if a person is killed in some kind of horrific accident that this person's spirit will continue to haunt. And these are things that even I remember growing up that the elders back in back in in Palestine and Jordan, these places used to say and used to teach us. And these are nothing more than superstitions. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala takes this all back to the general statement of he says and there are no valid omens. There are no valid true omens. First of all, the idea of an omen is an indicator of something that is to occur in the future. Right? that if I'm leaving to go on a journey and a bird flies off and it takes a right, it banks right, okay, continue with my journey is going to be a good journey. And if it banks left, I better turn around and plan this for a different day because something very terrible is going to happen. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has said none knows what is in the future except for Allah. None in the heavens or the earth. And Allah has repeated throughout the Quran and indicated in no uncertain terms and said explicitly that only Allah knows what the future holds. Only Allah knows what the future holds and those whom Allah informs, those whom Allah makes privy to that knowledge. Therefore, these so-called omens of the behaviors of certain animals and that these animals are going to reflect something ominous to come or something good to come. This is pure fable. This is pure superstition. This is pure nonsense that a shaitan whispers into the hearts of men and into the minds of men in order to weaken their resolve and obstruct their relationship and path to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We will stop there for today. Inshallah we will continue this after Ramadan. during Ramadan and in the next week, inshallah, we will be dealing with some of the rulings of fasting and some of the of fasting, commonly asked questions, etc. Subhanahuaala. And.

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Allahbar Allah. I should.

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I don't know I.

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Don't Hallelujah. Honor.

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Allah. Allahbar.

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Alhamdulillah.

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Are you forch.

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Foram.

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Forch.

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Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala has mentioned in Bakar with respect to one of the greatest and most pertinent and one of the most dire pillars of the five pillars of Islam. the pillar of fasting of fasting the month of Ramadan. He says subhanahu wa ta'ala that which translates to oh you who have believed indeed fasting has been prescribed upon you all as it has upon those nations which have preceded you in order that you may obtain tawa in order that you may through this act of worship rise to the level of the mut and that through this act of worship you may use it as a means to shield and protect yourselves from the punishment of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in this life and in the hereafter which is the essence of tawa He tells us subhanahua fasting has been prescribed upon you all as it has upon those previous those prior nations before you. What do we understand from this? We understand that fasting and fasting this act of worship is so beloved to Allah is so integral to our journey to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that he has made it something that is a part of every single nations s worship of Allah that he has made it an obligatory factor, an obligatory element in their journey to Allah that every nation that has preceded us, every pro, every messenger who has come to his people, he has taught them some iteration of the five pillars of Islam and fasting is no different. It is a part and an integral part of every Muslim's journey to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It may not have been in the exact same way with the exact same rules and parameters that fasting is as we know it today as the of Muhammad Sam. Wasam, but no doubt similar. And the concept of fasting, refraining from certain things, food and drink, namely sexual pleasure during the daylight hours, to sacrifice this for the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is something that Allah loves dearly from his servant and he subhanahu wa ta'ala has obligated it upon every nation that has preceded us and he subhanahua has made it a prerequisite to tawa said in order that you may obtain tawa in order that you may shield yourselves successfully from the punishment of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala then and of course fasting can mean a lot of things and fasting at its face seems very impending something that is very difficult for people to do and so this verse may elicit some feelings of apprehension Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the following verse to quell any concerns that this fasting may be something that is too difficult for us to do that it is something too imposing. He says a number of days that are numbered. It's not most of the year, not most of the time, not even the majority of the time or even half or a substantial portion, merely a few days in the grand scheme of things. Contrasted with the rest of the year, it is a very small portion, but it is a very substantial portion. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has obligated fasting upon us and he has identified the month. He says, "Subhan Ramadan, this is the month of Ramadan in which the Quran was first revealed, in which the Quran was first sent down upon our messenger Muhammad sallall.aii wasallam." And so this month of Ramadan was something that is a known month from the lunar calendar that the Arabs of Jahedia considered the ninth month of the lunar calendar in that time and was hence affirmed by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and his messenger as the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and it was referred to as the month of Ramadan from Ramblah which is the desert sand when it bakes and becomes very hot. It's referred to as Ramadan in order to that the Arabs viewed it as a time of year that is usually a very hot very difficult time of year with respect to heat. And the thing that is most prominent, the most unanimous and ubiquitous of feelings and emotions during the month of Ramadan is one of thirst, one of heat. And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala named this month in the Quran. It's the only month that is named that is mentioned by name in the Quran which is interesting because not even the four sacred months are mentioned by name. They are alluded to. They are referred to as the sacred months. However, Ramadan is not one of those four sacred months. And so Allah mentioned it by name in the Quran in order to raise its level and make Ramadan as a prelude in order for us to prepare ourselves for the coming sacred months. And so the month of Ramadan is a month that was known to the Jahia Arabs in pre-Islamic times. It's not something new to them. And also the concept of fasting was not new to them either. And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala chose this month 112th of a person's entire year It is not too little to where it has no effect on a person's year. Nor is it too much to where it impedes a person's livelihood. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has made it consequential but not imposing. Allah tells us that he desires ease for us and does not desire difficulty for us. However, more important than our ease is our relationship with Allah and that it is built upon a level of sacrifice and that is what Ramadan really is about. However, Ramadan as we have heard is a beloved month to Allah. It is a month of great baraka, great blessings from Allah. It is a month that is given sacredness in its own right. It is a month that is to act as a prelude to the three consecutive sacred months that follow. And the month of Ramadan is a month in which we practice this act of worship, this fasting. Very important. Why is it so critical? Because the act of fasting is a worship that brings a person very near to Allah and acts as a stepping stone for a person to be elevated in his or her righteousness. Our prophet sallall.aii Wasam has said in the narration of Abi collected by both Bkari and Muslim. He said, he said that Allah himself has said all of the deeds of the human being are potentially for him except for fasting. It is only for me and I personally reward the servant for a successful fast. What does that mean? All of the deeds are for him except for fasting. Now the scholars of Islam have mentioned a couple of interpretations to this narration. All of them are correct. And one of those is that in any act of worship that a person does, the remaining four or remaining pillars of Islam, a person could potentially use these acts of worship to gain some kind of worldly notoriety. person may pray and show off in his prayer. A person may give generously in zak and in order to be praised as generous. A person may travel for Hajj and Omrah in order to be praised as a Hajj and someone who has made this very difficult and sacrificial pilgrimage except for fasting. Fasting is a secret between you and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. No one knows if you are truly fasting except for you and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Imagine person could eat a five course meal and then come out and be just as hungry as everyone else and be just as fasting as everyone else is. However, if a person observes his fast and refrains from those things which break a person's fast in private as he does in public, this is an indication that he truly believes in Allah. The only reason is because he understands that this is for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And so if a person truly is fasting privately as he is publicly, this is something which is very private between himself and Allah. And so Allah will maintain that privacy on the day of judgment and personally reward a person for his fasting. Except for fasting, it is for me and I personally will reward the servant for fasting. He will not commission an angel to reward the person for fasting. He himself will reward a person for fasting in order to maintain this secrecy and this privacy and this intimacy that the person had established in his life in the dunya. It is very similar to the prophet Sam said he said only a believer will maintain his woo. What does that mean? Meaning that who knows if you have wudoo or not? Who knows if your woo is valid or not? Who knows if you have broken your woo or not? There's no apparent physical difference between a person who is in a state of wuboo and a person who is not. And so if a person prays, hypocrites may pray. But only a believer will make wudoo. Only a believer will maintain his wudoo. A hypocrite will not. Someone who does not believe in Allah's observation will not. Only a believer. And so the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam made one of the strongest indicators of a person's e is his maintaining of wudoo. Likewise is the act of fasting Ramadan and fasting in general. This act of worship though it goes a lot further than just refraining from eating and drinking. I mean, when you think about it, not eating anything, not drinking anything during the daylight hours, it's something that maybe could be difficult. It's something that could be challenging, but not really. It's not really that challenging. As a matter of fact, most people can do it. Soccer moms do it so that they can trim down for the summer. It's not something particularly impressive that a person refrain from eating and drinking. What's impressive is that a person refrain from the prohibitions of Allah. That's really where the rubber meets the road. That's really the essence of fasting. Our prophet Sam has said he said true fasting is not that a person refrain from eating and drinking. True fasting is that a person refrain from that which is prohibited and refrain from that which wastes a person's time, that which is inconsequential, that which is unnecessary. That is true fasting. Imagine that. Imagine with me that during every moment of your daytime hours during the month of Ramadan, you didn't change anything about your life. The only thing you did was refrain during those hours from anything haram and anything that will not gain benefit in this life or the hereafter. And you do that for 30 days consecutively. Imagine how lifech changing, imagine how transformative that period will be if we JUST DO THAT. NOTHING ELSE. I know we all have Ramadan resolutions. Every Muslim does to the point that as SHAN USES IT AGAINST US, ANYTIME we consider doing something good, Shan comes and says, "Hey, just wait till Ramadan. do it then. Don't start now. Wait till Ramadan comes. Then you'll really do it. Enjoy it now. And then when Ramadan comes, you're going to be best. You're going to be awesome. Just New Year's resolutions. I'm going to start on the 1st of January. What's the difference between the 1st of January and the 15th of September? from the 10th of July, from the 4th of June, nothing at all. Zero. There is no difference. It is merely something in our minds. And so people to have a resolution this Ramadan. I am going to just I'm going to be amazing. Everything's going to change suddenly for me in Ramadan. I'm going to immediately as soon as the sun sets on the 29th or the 30th day of Shabban immediately I'm going to wake up out of bed the next day a completely changed person. This is not how change happens. No change worth having happens this way. Change is something that happens incrementally. Change is something that happens with discipline and over the passage of time. Doesn't happen overnight. Person doesn't suddenly wake up a different person. This is something that has to be practiced and worked towards. And a person has to trip and fall and stumble on the path of change before they are able to truly embrace it. And so the month of Ramadan is not for us to have all of these incredible lofty ideas that we're going to do and we want to wear 10 hats at the same time and we want to do everything everything perfect. And then the first day comes and the second day comes and our systems are shocked from the change and we want to try to maintain that and we're unable and then we stumble and we start to walk a little slower and we start to sweat a little bit and then the same was comes back and says hey you already ruined it man you already ruined this month okay next Ramadan inshallah And so we all just kind of regress back into what we were doing before. And then what happens? You wake up one day and you look in the mirror and 20 Ramadans have passed. Nothing has changed. 30 gray hair has filled your beard or your head. Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed. The same resolutions that you made 20 or 30 years ago. Why is that? Because the game that a shaitan plays is promise him today and he'll promise you tomorrow. That's the agreement. Give me today and I'll give you tomorrow. Tomorrow is neither yours or his. But somehow he promises it to you. And the only thing you really have is today and you give it away. And every day we do the same thing. That's not what the prophet sallallah.aii alaihi wasallam teaches us with respect to Ramadan. He doesn't teach us to come up with these amazing transformative wear 10 hats things overnight. No, he says he says true fasting is not that a person merely refrain from eating and drinking. True fasting is that a person refrain from that which is haram and that which is unnecessary, that which is inconsequential, that which is immaterial, that which is not beneficial. Killing time as we call it, something that will not benefit us in this life or the next. This is called and is anything of speech or action. If you just focus on that, if you just focus on that, by the end of Ramadan, you will be a new person looking back at yourself in the mirror.

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Alhamdulillah.

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And then the prophet sallall.aii Wasam said, "Whoever does not leave off impermissible and inconsequential statements and actions, then Allah has no use for this person to leave off his food and drink. That's the true essence of fasting. Islamus.

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Allah.

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Alhamdulillah.

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Oh,.

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The Lord. Stand shouldertosh shoulder. Close all of the gaps.

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Alhamdulillah.

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Fore.

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For.

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Me. Allah Allahbel Allahel.

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Alhamdulillah. for.

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Amen.

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Feed. All Allahel.

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All.

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Amum. Brothers and sisters, I have few very important announcements and please bear with me. first, as you announced last week, Imam Ali will be administering the Sunday program, Sunday school program and the youth programs inshallah. So in that vein there will be a this evening there is going to be a a lecture after Isha. This will be interactive and it is are you ready for the Ramadan?