Which choice is more important? Where to go on a vacation or what career to enter? Which choice is more important? Who to employ or who to marry? Why? A wrong vacation choice means some money and maybe two weeks gone down the drain. But a wrong career choice means what? You can employ someone and regret that and you can fire them. But if you marry the wrong person then what? Yes, you can divorce them, but what is the price of that? The importance of the choice depends on the consequences of it. What will be the payoff or price of the choice and how long will that last? I remind myself and you to choose wisely because the choice that I am going to talk to you about is forever. Diamonds are not forever, our choices are. So, choose wisely.

Choosing well is so critical that Allahﷻ didn’t leave us to do it on our own. He didn’t force us but He guided us and said:

لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَىِّ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَا وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Baqara 2: 256    There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

Islam is an active choice that we need to make. You don’t become Muslim because of your race, color, nationality, tribe, or name. We become Muslim when we choose obedience to Allahﷻ over obedience to our desires. It is really as simple as that. Islam teaches us that success is proportional to obedience. Obedience to the orders of Allahﷻ in the way that His Messenger Muhammadﷺ  showed us. The best example of that is Salah. Allahﷻ ordered us to establish Salah. Rasoolullahﷺ showed us how to do that. This is the fundamental connection between the Qur’an and Sunnah and the way in which the Sunnah supports the Qur’an. The Sunnah is the Field Book for the Qur’an. That is why Allahﷻ caused it to be protected and its ways to be practiced in the world generation after generation.

The fundamental principle in Islam is Taqwa. Taqwa is the result of a process which begins with enquiry. We ask, ‘Who is Allahﷻ?’ Then when we learn about Allahﷻ, our hearts fill with His Glory and Magnificence (Khashiyya) and with gratitude (Shukr). This is the meter. If you think you know Allahﷻ see what is in your heart with respect to Allahﷻ. This will be reflected in our actions. Those who have Khashiyyatullah automatically obey Allahﷻ. They don’t make excuses, they don’t try to find loopholes, they don’t go Fatwa shopping. They ask, ‘What did Rasoolullahﷺ do in this case?’ And they do the same. This condition, where we obey Allahﷻ because we are in His awe and we love Him more than anyone and anything else, is Taqwa. For the one who has it, Allahﷻ promised guidance, protection, and support. Taqwa is a condition of Hidaya. Allahﷻ called His Book – Guidance for the Muttaqoon. We are coming to a month that is dedicated to making us Muttaqoon.

We ask Allahﷻ to give us Ramadan Al-Mubarak in good health, Iman and with time to maximize its benefits. It is the framework of the relationship of the believer with Allahﷻ, which is based on knowing His Rabb, feeling the awe of His Majesty and Grace, and so fearing His displeasure and hoping for His forgiveness; being grateful to Him for His blessings (Shukr) and therefore loving Him. This is the relationship between the “head” (information, rules, laws) and the “heart’ (awe, gratitude, love). It is the relationship between Ilm (Knowledge) and Ifraan (Understanding). It is the relationship between knowing about and knowing.