By Imam(Prof) Taofiq Adesina Azeez

 TAQWAH IN PLEASURE AND PRESSURE

 Muqadimah

Alhamdulillaahi Lathee …

Rabul Arbaab, wa Musabib al asbaab… Qodiirun…

Aal-e-Imran 3:102

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

An-Nisa’ 4:1

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَٰحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَآءًۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلْأَرْحَامَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا

Al-Ahzab 33:70

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُوا۟ قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا

Al-Ahzab 33:71

يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَٰلَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا

Al-Baqarah 2:187

أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ ٱلصِّيَامِ ٱلرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَآئِكُمْۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَّكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَّهُنَّۗ عَلِمَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنكُمْۖ فَٱلْـَٰٔنَ بَٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَٱبْتَغُوا۟ مَا كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْۚ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ ٱلْخَيْطُ ٱلْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ ٱلْخَيْطِ ٱلْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ ٱلْفَجْرِۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا۟ ٱلصِّيَامَ إِلَى ٱلَّيْلِۚ وَلَا تُبَٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمْ عَٰكِفُونَ فِى ٱلْمَسَٰجِدِۗ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَاۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

Al-Baqarah 2:223

نِسَآؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَّكُمْ فَأْتُوا۟ حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّىٰ شِئْتُمْۖ وَقَدِّمُوا۟ لِأَنفُسِكُمْۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّكُم مُّلَٰقُوهُۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

At-Talaq 65:1

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِعِدَّتِهِنَّ وَأَحْصُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّكُمْۖ لَا تُخْرِجُوهُنَّ مِنۢ بُيُوتِهِنَّ وَلَا يَخْرُجْنَ إِلَّآ أَن يَأْتِينَ بِفَٰحِشَةٍ مُّبَيِّنَةٍۚ وَتِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِۚ وَمَن يَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَ ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُۥۚ لَا تَدْرِى لَعَلَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحْدِثُ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ أَمْرًا

At-Talaq 65:2

فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ فَارِقُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَأَشْهِدُوا۟ ذَوَىْ عَدْلٍ مِّنكُمْ وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلشَّهَٰدَةَ لِلَّهِۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ يُوعَظُ بِهِۦ مَن كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِۚ وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مَخْرَجًا

At-Talaq 65:3

وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُۥٓۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَٰلِغُ أَمْرِهِۦۚ قَدْ جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدْرًا

An-Nahl 16:90

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْعَدْلِ وَٱلْإِحْسَٰنِ وَإِيتَآئِ ذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱلْبَغْىِۚ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

We thank Allaah for making us see the beginning and end of Ramadhan. We ask Allaah to grant us all the Month’s successes as He accepts all our Acts of Ibaadah and sacrifices.

We have entitled this Khutbah appropriately as HARVESTING THE FRUITS OF TAQWAH PLANTED IN RAMADHAN 1: TAQWAH IN PLEASURE AND PRESSURE because of the need to understand the great Task we just embarked on and the benefits derivable from it. Ramadhan is like a planting season for the fruits of TAQWAH to be harvested and enjoyed for the rest of the year and or for life.

Welcome to the Month of the harvest of the fruits of TAQWAH planted in Ramadhan.The tree of TAQWAH was planted in RAMADHAN to connect the Month with the QURA’N. HIDAYAH that the Qur’an is essentially meant to provide for mankind and FASTING that will produce the TAQWAH which will qualify the believing FASTING Muslims for the HIDAYAH of the Qur’an.

We wish to take the following tips home for keeps:

1. Allaah knows what He creates in us and how we, naturally,  live in denial of our nature. That is why He openly allows us to enjoy intimacy in the night of Ramadhan after making us deceive ourselves in thinking that we can’t combine the spirit with the flesh: Al-Baqarah 2:187

It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are a clothing for you and you are a clothing for them. Allāh knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allāh has decreed for you [i.e., offspring]. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the night [i.e., sunset]. And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques. These are the limits [set by] Allāh, so do not approach them. Thus does Allāh make clear His verses [i.e., ordinances] to the people that they may become righteous.

2. Allaah, similarly, factors TAQWAH into intimacy on ordinary days to create a harmonious relationship in our married life and know that every pleasure is an act of Ibaadah as the contrast is a sin: Al-Baqarah 2:223

Your wives are a place of cultivation [i.e., sowing of seed] for you, so come to your place of cultivation however you wish and put forth [righteousness] for yourselves. And fear Allāh and know that you will meet Him. And give good tidings to the believers.

This will increase pleasure, especially if we combine it with the prophetic teachings on ROMANCE in a marriage relationship (Hadith).

3. Allaah, also, factors TAQWAH into the necessary anger that may be fuelled by SHAYTAN who will turn the pleasure previously enjoyed into pressure and push for DIVORCE.

 While Allaah is not saying don’t divorce, He is saying do it with TAQWAH and you will reap the fruits of TAQWAH: At-Talaq 65:1

O Prophet, when you [Muslims] divorce women, divorce them for [the commencement of] their waiting period and keep count of the waiting period, and fear Allāh, your Lord. Do not turn them out of their [husbands’] houses, nor should they [themselves] leave [during that period] unless they are committing a clear immorality. And those are the limits [set by] Allāh. And whoever transgresses the limits of Allāh has certainly wronged himself. You know not; perhaps Allāh will bring about after that a [different] matter.

At-Talaq 65:2

And when they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or part with them according to acceptable terms. And bring to witness two just men from among you and establish the testimony for [the acceptance of] Allāh. That is instructed to whoever should believe in Allāh and the Last Day. And whoever fears Allāh – *He will 1.  make for him MAKHARAJ a way out.

At-Talaq 65:3

وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُۥٓۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَٰلِغُ أَمْرِهِۦۚ قَدْ جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدْرًا

And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allāh – then He is sufficient for him*. Indeed, Allāh will accomplish His purpose. Allāh has already set for everything a [decreed] extent.

4. The take home are, therefore, that TAQWAH increases the pleasures of life just as it relieves the mutaqi of the pressures of life. When we have TAQWAH, we live a wholesome life of PLEASURE from everything we do and gain from everything we lose(money etc from sadaqah, spouses and other members of the family and loved ones etc) like Musa’s mother who got paid for breastfeeding her lost son unknown to the enemy of Allaah and Musa(Firaun).

5. TAQWAH, ultimately, means knowing and abiding by the WILL of Allaah by being conscious of His presence in private and public as we kept away from food, drink and intimacy in private while fasting. We should, therefore, be Rabbaniyyun who are, forever, conscious of the presence of Allaah in whatever they do in every place and at every time. We should avoid being Ramadhaniyyun who are only pious in Ramadhan and righteous do-gooders in Ramadhan only.

I ask Allaah to make us achieve the purpose of our ONE MONTH SPIRITUAL TRAINING AND MAKE US HARVEST AND ENJOY THE FRUITS OF ITS TAQWAH