Forward:

Husam (the interviewer):

Praise be to Allah, the Lord (the One and Only) of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon the Seal of Prophets, Prophet Muhammad and upon all His Folks and Companions.

Dear listeners, welcome to this new episode of our program "Will you not then see?" Please, allow me to welcome my guest for today, the Islamic Dai'yah (Caller to Allah) Dr. Muhammad Rateb An-Nabulsi. Welcome Dr. Rateb, this might be the last episode of this program, if tomorrow is the first day of Eid ul-Fitr insha' Allah. I make Du'a to Allah that He may accept your, our and all Muslims' acts of worship, and may Allah make us from those that He has freed from Hellfire in this blessed month.

We have discussed throughout this blessed month Allah's Signs in the horizons and in man, in your opinion, how can we conclude these issues in our last episode?

The believer is the one who acts according to Allah's Method:

Dr. Rateb:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord (the One and Only) of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad and upon His good and purified Folks.

Man sometimes asks himself this serious question, why am I here in this worldly life? In fact man is a mobile creature not a static one, but how is he motivated? He is motivated by his need for food and drink, marriage and self-esteem, which are the essential needs in his life. He needs food and drink to stay alive, he needs to get married to preserve the human race and he needs to have self-esteem in order to leave behind a good reputation after his death.

These needs motivate him and make him act. If his actions are in accord with the Method of Allah, he will be a true believer, and he will be granted happiness in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. Observing Sawm (fasting) is a training course through which man spends thirty days in obeying Allah, in offering Fajr Salah in Masjid, in praying Taraweeh (extra prayers performed by Muslims at night in the Islamic month of Ramadan), in perfecting the performance of his prayers, in lowering his gaze and in controlling his tongue. This is how man can apply the well-known Du'a that is reauthord in Ramadan:

((O Allah help us fast, perform night prayers, lower our gaze and control our the tongue.))

Therefore, if man implements Allah's Method in these thirty days devotedly, accurately, purposefully and with a present heart, he will understand the full sense of Eid and will be happy (because of the real achievements he makes in Ramadan). This explains why people say Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest) in Eid. What does Allahu Akbar mean in this occasion? It means being extremely happy about the guidance which man accomplishes during Ramadan.

Imam Ash-Shafi'i said, "The acts of worship are justified by people's best interests". I can't believe that there is a Muslim who fasts then breaks his fasting without knowing why he fasts or why he breaks his fasting. If there is such a person, then he looks like a camel that has no idea why it is tied and why it is set free.

When you fast, you should know the wisdom behind your Sawm, for Allah intends to make this month an intensive training course and to be a qualitative leap in your relation with Allah; during this month you are supposed to offer Fajr Salah in Masjid, pray Taraweeh, lower your gaze, hold your tongue, perfect the performance of your Salah each in its time, donate money and reauthor the Quran. Ramadan is the month of the Quran, the month of giving Sadaqah and the month of disciplining. All these deeds in this month make it a training period for obeying Al-Wahid (the One) and Ad-Dayyan (the Judge).
I would like to tell you that whatever has been achieved in Ramadan should be maintained for the rest of the year. Thus, after Ramadan one breaks his fast (refraining from eating and drinking), but he shouldn't change the habits he used to do, such as holding his tongue, controlling his limbs, offering his prayers perfectly and being upright on the Path of Allah. He should keep performing these deeds all year round, and whoever gets back after Ramadan to the bad habits he quits during Ramadan does not get the wisdom behind Sawm.

Ramadan is the month of worshipping and disciplining:

Mr. Husam, the wisdom behind Sawm is that you should be exalted to a higher rank that is expected to be maintained all year round. Thus, when the next Ramadan comes, you move to another higher rank which should be again maintained all year round and so forth. As if every Ramadan is but a step that leads you to a higher step. However, most people after Ramadan go back to the bad deeds they use to do before Ramadan, and so Ramadan has become but social folklore.

What I fear most is that this great month may be turned into folklore, traditions, a habitual activity, banquets and evening gatherings which last till dawn. This kind of fasting is not the one meant by the Almighty Allah, for this month is meant to be a month of worshipping, disciplining, donating, making Munajat (talking secretly with the Almighty Allah), reconciling with Allah. In other words, it is meant to be the month of a qualitative leap. Hence, man should know that this month which is fasted perfectly and completely should be made use of for the rest of the year.

Husam:

May Allah reward you Dr. Nabulis. In previous episodes we discussed in this program "Will you not then see?" whose tilted is derived from the Ayah "

And also in your ownselves. Will you not then see?"

[Adh-Dhariyat, 21]

﴾Does man think that he will be left Suda [neglected without being punished or rewarded for the obligatory duties enjoined by his Lord (Allah) on him]?* Was he not a Nutfah (mixed male and female discharge of semen) poured forth?﴿

[Al-Qiyamah, 36-37]

In another Ayah, the Lord of Glory says:

﴾So let man see from what he is created!﴿

[At-Tariq, 5]

﴾Then let man look at his food,﴿

[Abasa, 24]

What does this dialogical style through which the Almighty Allah addresses tell us?

Quran addresses both the reason and the heart:

Dr. Rateb:
It tells us that the human being is a cognitive reason, a loving heart and a moving body. The Quran addresses man's reason in many occasions:

﴾And by the sun and its brightness* And by the moon as it follows it (the sun);﴿

[Ash-Shams, 1-2]

﴾By the dawn* By the ten nights (i.e. the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah)﴿

[Al-Fajr, 1-2]

The Quran addresses the heart as well:

﴾Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) to be affected by Allah's Reminder (this Qur'an)﴿

[Al-Hadid, 16]

The Quran addresses both the heart and the reason of mankind in so many Ayat, and this marks the greatness of the Quran. Man takes decision through his mind, but he puts this decision into action through his heart. As I've just said man is a cognitive reason and a loving heart, so when both his reason and heart are addressed he will be able to fulfill the purpose he was created for. Addressing the reason only or the heart only makes Ad-Da'wah (call people unto Allah) imperfect, but the Quran addresses the reason through the dialogical and the interrogative styles:

Husam:

This style is used in the matters related to inimitability, isn't it?

Inimitability is the only way to get acquainted with the Almighty Allah:

Dr. Rateb:

Inimitability is the only way to get acquainted with Allah and the proof is in the following Ayah:

﴾ Then in which speech after Allah and His Ayat will they believe?﴿

[Al-Jathiyah, 6]

Believing in Allah can only be achieved through Allah's Signs in the universe, Actions and Quran. As for the Signs in the universe, they are manifested in Allah's creations. Allah says:

﴾Say: "Behold all that is in the heavens and the earth﴿

[Yunus, 101]

Concerning the Signs in Allah's Actions, the Almighty Allah says:

﴾Say (O Muhammad, peace be upon him): "Travel in the land and see what was the end of those who rejected truth."﴿

[Al-An'am, 11]

Regarding the Quranic Signs (Ayat), they are the Words of Allah. Therefore Allah's Signs in His creations, Actions and Quran are the path of getting acquainted with Him, and when man knows his Lord, he will know everything else.

Conclusion and farewell:

Husam:

May Allah reward you Dr. Muhammad Rateb An-Nabulsi, the Islamic Dai'yah, and if this will be the last episode let me tell you the following: Kul 'am wa anta bikhair (May you be well every year), and may Allah accept your acts of worship and the ones of the listeners, but if tomorrow is the last day of Ramadan, then we will meet you tomorrow insha' Allah.