Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says: "Whoever believes should either speak good or remain silent." If someone has nothing good to say, it is better to remain silent. For often there are many people who speak without knowledge. When that happens, instead of good, only evil and mischief arise. Therefore, in some moments, it is better to remain silent. A person must always be aware of what he says. He must ask himself: "Am I speaking good or bad? Are my words good or evil?" About our present time, our Master Ali indeed once said: "Hādhā zamānu's-sukūt wa mulāzamati'l-buyūt." Even 1400 years ago, he was saying by this: "This is a time to remain silent and stay at home." Today we need this much more than back then. There is no reason to talk too much. One should only say what is good and useful. Because if you say something bad, it only harms you anyway. However, if you say something good, it brings blessings and benefit. But as already mentioned, the path of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is a beautiful path. What he taught serves the well-being of all humanity. So it is not only good for Muslims, but for all people. People must learn from our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) what they should do. Whoever seeks the good and the beautiful in this world must follow this path. All other paths end in disappointment; they never lead to a good end. May Allah make us steadfast on this path. May we not fall into disaster, inshaAllah. Not everything one sees is true, and not everything that is said is correct. So do not rack your brain over it unnecessarily. Whatever you do, follow the words of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). May Allah not lead us astray from this path. May Allah protect Islam and the Muslims. May He send us a protector. We are living in the end times. Certainly, there is only one solution to all these problems and difficulties: As our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) announced, there will be no more problems when the Mahdi appears, inshaAllah. May Allah help us and let him appear soon, inshaAllah.

Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever offers iftar to a fasting person will receive the same reward as the fasting person." In doing so, nothing is deducted from the fasting person's own reward. One of the blessed attributes of Allah is His generosity. He does not take from one to give to another; Allah gives from His own abundance. These opportunities are also among the blessings that Allah grants to the believers, saying in essence: "Take" and "Derive your benefit from it". The same is true for hosting iftar; every good deed is rewarded manifold. Today is now the tenth day of Ramadan. All praise belongs to Allah. Fasting is not difficult, even if people sometimes think so. This beauty cannot be found in anything else. The beauty of fasting can neither be known nor tasted by those who do not fast. As our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, the fasting person has two joys with Allah. At the time of iftar, everyone who fasts feels a great joy, inner peace, and beauty. The other joy is the reward granted for it in the Hereafter – and that is the real joy. But at least a small part of this joy is bestowed upon fasting Muslims already at iftar. Therefore, the fasting person is truly blessed with happiness. He did not let himself be deceived by Satan and did not follow his ego. The more a person stands against Satan and his ego, the better it is for him. If he gives in to them, he becomes their slave and is driven around aimlessly. He then constantly strives only to fulfill their desires. However, they should submit to you; your ego should bow to you, and Satan should stay away from you. That is exactly how it should be. If you do this, you attain happiness and peace in both this world and the Hereafter. The acts of worship and good deeds performed in this world bring a person great benefit, strength, and all that is good. Let us therefore gratefully accept the gifts that Allah has granted us. Let us perform our acts of worship with joy, inshaAllah. May Allah make us successful in this. May He also grant guidance to those who do not perform their acts of worship, so that these beauties may be bestowed upon them as well, inshaAllah.

Satan, the accursed, never rests; he strives ceaselessly. He does everything in his power to bring humanity to Hell; tirelessly and without hesitation, he constantly attacks people. Most people already follow him anyway and are with him. For those who are not with him, he has absolutely no tolerance; he wants to bring them all to Hell. May Allah protect us from this. Therefore, it is being with Allah that saves us. Nothing else will be of benefit to humanity. For it is Allah's dominion, it is Allah's will; to oppose Him is foolish. If Allah has given it, one must follow Him. One must follow the beautiful path He has given us. Do not keep company with the enemy. "إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا" says Allah. (35:6) The greatest enemy is Satan. Allah says: "Do not take him as a friend, do not take him as a companion, consider him an enemy." An enemy, meaning Satan, will never be a friend. How could he become a friend? Only if he came to the path of Allah would he become a friend. One does not make friends with someone who is not on the path of Allah and who is against Allah. One cannot be friends with Satan. He does not want what is good for you. He constantly wants evil. He constantly wants every kind of sorrow and torment; whatever evil there is, he wishes it upon you. If he sees even the slightest good in people, day or night, he tries to eliminate it. Therefore, be careful. Do not make friends with Satan. Do not follow his path. Stay away from him. Stay away from his soldiers as well. That is, he constantly thinks: "How can I corrupt these societies, how much mischief can I cause?" He has no other concern. He wishes nothing for the benefit of humanity... Let alone Muslims, he is an enemy to all of humanity. No matter how much evil people do, he wants them to do even more of it. May Allah protect us from their evil. Keep company with those who are on the path of Allah. Keep company with those who are on the path of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Do not just hold on to one of them, but hold on to both simultaneously. Because if you do not, Satan will snatch you. Those who ask, "What is the Tariqa?", also say, "The Tariqa is not necessary." The knowledge of those who say such a thing is of no use anyway. Even if they write thousands of books, even if they train as many students as they wish; without faith, they are all in the hands of Satan. May Allah protect us from their evil. May He not lead us astray from the right path, inshaAllah.

مَن يُضۡلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ (7:186) Who is the truly fortunate one? It is the person to whom Allah has granted guidance. For this happens by the will of Allah. The person who has attained guidance is saved. If, however, he lacks guidance, if Allah does not grant it to him, then he is a pitiable person. He could own the whole world. He may possess everything, but he has no share in the Hereafter. Losing the Hereafter is the worst thing that can happen to someone. In this world, he gives himself over to all possible pleasures and vices... He leaves out no indulgence. He simply tries everything. Yet in the end, nothing remains for him. That means, for the Hereafter, only his sins remain for him. That is truly the most unfortunate person. The fortunate one, on the other hand, is the one who is on the path of Allah, obeys Him, prays, fasts, pays the Zakat, and fulfills all his duties. For the Shaitan lurks behind him and wants to keep him from it. No matter what you do, the Shaitan will not leave you alone. Therefore, people on this path should be grateful to Allah and praise Him. We are on this path, yet outside we see: in the middle of Ramadan, some are eating in broad daylight. There is no reason to be angry with them because of this. Rather, one should feel pity for them. They are pitiable people. They have no share in the Hereafter, may Allah protect us from that. Therefore, we must be grateful to Allah. There is also no need to say: "I am better than him." Instead, one should say: "Thanks be to Allah, may Allah keep us steadfast on this path." We see it often, sometimes such complaints reach us: "My son used to pray five times a day, he was very pious; I do not understand what happened. Now he does nothing at all, hangs out with the wrong friends, has given up prayer, and has gotten involved in bad things." Therefore, the person on the path of Allah must always be grateful and ask Allah for help, so that we remain steadfast. May He not lead us astray from the path. This path is a beautiful path. May Allah also grant guidance to the others, so that they too can taste this beauty. For the beauty of faith is incomparable to anything else. We see, after all, the state the world is in. Worldly pleasures also have their limits. The desires of the ego seem endless, but they too eventually reach a limit. That means, from a certain point onwards, it goes no further; one feels no more joy. Therefore, they are constantly looking for new things to try. No matter what it is, whether good or bad, even with the worst, the ego chases after it. But as I said, there is a limit that cannot be crossed. Man can only experience this perfect beauty for eternity in Paradise. To achieve this beauty, one must follow the path of Allah in this world. May Allah grant guidance to people. May Allah protect us.

وَقُلِ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِن وَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ (18:29) Allah, the Exalted, commands: "Speak the truth." "Whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him reject it," speaks Allah, the Exalted. There is much that at first glance looks like the truth. Because Muslims show respect to these people, they believe their words. But mostly, what appears to be the truth is not the truth at all. Muslims are often trusting and are very easily deceived. There is great good-heartedness among Muslims, which is why they are so easily blinded. Ever since the time of our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam), there have been many who tried to destroy Islam. There has never been a lack of various intrigues. In the last two hundred years, they have overthrown the Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate. But how did they manage that? Through every kind of discord and corruption – and ultimately, they destroyed it from within. How exactly did they overthrow the Ottoman Empire? So-called scholars appeared, deceived the people with slander and lies against the sultans, and ultimately brought down the state. They brought the Caliphate and Islam into decline. How did this decline happen? It happened when there was no longer a Caliph. We can see it, this is the situation today. Therefore, there is a standard here that we must observe. What is this standard? The last ruling Caliph was His Highness Sultan Abdulhamid Han. Whoever opposed him, their words and deeds are unacceptable. No matter how good they appeared – whether as Muslims, patriots, or anything else – none of them have any value. After they turned against the Caliph and overthrew Islam, you can write as many books or claim as many titles as you want; it is all just empty talk. With them, there are many words, but few deeds. Sultan Abdulhamid, on the other hand, did not use many words, but accomplished an enormous amount. And that is exactly why his true value was not recognized. People preferred to follow those who only gave grand speeches. They found a pretext and overthrew him from the throne. The glorious Quran also says about this: وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ (26:224) And the poets, the smooth talkers, are followed only by the deceived, who let themselves be led like sheep. That is exactly the core of the matter. We must pay very close attention to this. May Allah protect us; many people whom we knew well and considered good were in reality not good at all. May Allah forgive us all. May Allah grant us vigilance and insight. May He grant us to clearly recognize good and evil, insha'Allah.

Thanks be to Allah that He created us as Muslims. Through this blessing that He has granted us, we have attained all that is good. The generosity of Allah, the Exalted, is boundless. As a further gift, He has enjoined upon us acts of worship for which there are fixed times. Worship in this month of Ramadan naturally consists of fasting and the Tarawih prayer. Reading the Quran completely and giving Zakat is always good, but in this month, the reward for it is all the greater. It is said that the reward is seven hundredfold, indeed even far more than that. Allah, the Exalted, says: "This month belongs to Me, and no one can question what I do." Through the wisdom of Allah, this Ramadan is a blessed month. "The reward for every good deed and every act of worship lies solely with Me." Allah, the Exalted, says: "It is indeed far more than seven hundredfold." His generosity is boundless, and we are in need. We are dependent on His generosity. No matter how much He gives us, we pray, insha'Allah, for even more. May He not diminish it, but increase it, insha'Allah; may He strengthen our good deeds and our faith. It is Allah who gives. Therefore, there is no reason to hold back. Some people hesitate, but do not hesitate. Ask Allah, the Exalted. Say: "O Allah, give me." Let us try in this month to do as much good and to help as much as possible. This is a blessed month. May Allah be pleased with you all. Fasting during the day, praying at night, the Tarawih – even the Iftar brings great reward with Allah. The Sahur also brings reward. Allah thus gives us every conceivable opportunity and says: "Gather rewards, take your share." "I give, so take it." Allah says: "You are in need; so ask Me, and take." May Allah make us steadfast and strengthen our faith. May this blessed month, insha'Allah, be full of goodness and blessings. May it also be of benefit to our fellow human beings. May He grant those who have strayed from the path a return to the right path. May they too, insha'Allah, taste this beauty.

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: في خمس من الإبل شاة، وفي عشر شاتان، وفي خمس عشرة ثلاث شياه، وفي عشرين أربع شياه، وفي خمس وعشرين ابنة مخاض إلى خمس وثلاثين۔ فإن زادت واحدة ففيها ابنة لبون إلى خمس وأربعين۔ فإذا زادت واحدة ففيها حقة إلى ستين۔ فإذا زادت واحدة ففيها جذعة إلى خمس وسبعين۔ فإن زادت واحدة ففيها ابنتا لبون إلى تسعين۔ فإذا زادت واحدة ففيهما حقتان إلى عشرين ومائة۔ فإذا كانت الإبل أكثر من ذلك ففي كل خمسين حقة، وفي كل أربعين بنت لبون۔ فإذا كانت إحدى وعشرين ومائة ففيها ثلاث بنات لبون حتى تبلغ تسعا وعشرين ومائة۔ فإذا كانت ثلاثين ومائة ففيها بنتا لبون وحقة حتى تبلغ تسعا وثلاثين ومائة۔ فإذا كانت أربعين ومائة ففيها حقتان وبنت لبون حتى تبلغ تسعا وأربعين ومائة۔ فإذا كانت خمسين ومائة ففيها ثلاث حقاق حتى تبلغ تسعا وخمسين ومائة۔ فإذا كانت ستين ومائة ففيها أربع بنات لبون حتى تبلغ تسعا وستين ومائة۔ فإذا كانت سبعين ومائة ففيها ثلاث بنات لبون وحقة حتى تبلغ تسعا وسبعين ومائة۔ فإذا كانت ثمانين ومائة ففيها حقتان وابنتا لبون حتى تبلغ تسعا وثمانين ومائة۔ فإذا كانت تسعين ومائة ففيها ثلاث حقاق وبنت لبون حتى تبلغ تسعا وتسعين ومائة۔ فإذا كانت مائتين ففيها أربع حقاق أو خمس بنات لبون، أي السنين وجدت أخذت۔ وفي سائمة الغنم في كل أربعين شاة شاة إلى عشرين ومائة۔ فإن زادت واحدة ففيها شاتان إلى مائتين۔ فإذا زادت على المائتين ففيها ثلاث إلى ثلاثمائة۔ فإن كانت الغنم أكثر من ذلك ففي كل مائة شاة شاة، ليس فيها شيء حتى تبلغ المائة۔ ولا يفرق بين مجتمع ولا يجمع بين متفرق مخافة الصدقة۔ وما كان من خليطين فإنهما يتراجعان بالسوية۔ ولا يؤخذ في الصدقة هرمة ولا ذات عوار من الغنم ولا تيس الغنم إلا أن يشاء المصدق۔ Now comes the chapter on Zakat. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: For camels, Zakat begins from five camels. For sheep, it begins from forty head. That does not mean that one camel is given for five camels. Today we will explain the details of this. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: For five camels, one sheep is given; for ten camels, two; for fifteen camels, three; and for twenty camels, four sheep. So no camel is given; sheep are always given, one for five camels, two for ten. Up to this number, sheep are given. From 25 to 35 camels, a female camel in its second year of life is given. That means, when the number gets larger, a camel is given thereafter. Whoever has 25 to 35 camels gives a female camel in its second year as Zakat. If there is one more than 35, up to reaching 45, a female camel in its third year is given. So one moves from a smaller to a larger camel, and this continues up to 45 camels. Up to 45, a female camel is given. If there is one more than 45, up to 60, a female camel in its fourth year is given. Camels become more valuable the older they get. That is why their Zakat is regulated like this. This applies up to 60, meaning a female camel in its fourth year. If there is one more than 60, the same applies up to 75; a female camel in its fifth year is given. If there is one more than 75, up to 90, two female camels in their third year are given. That is the amount up to 90. If there is one more than 90, up to 120, two female camels in their fourth year are given. If there are even more camels, for every 50 camels a female camel in its fourth year, and for every 40 camels a female camel in its third year is given. For 121 to 129 camels, three female camels in their third year are given. For 130 to 139 camels, two female camels in their third year and one female camel in its fourth year are given; so there are three again, but with different ages. For 140 to 149 camels, two female camels in their fourth year and one female camel in its third year are given. For 150 to 159 camels, three female camels in their fourth year are given. For 160 to 169 camels, four female camels in their third year are given. For 170 to 179 camels, three female camels in their third year and one female camel in its fourth year are given. For 180 to 189 camels, two female camels in their fourth year and two female camels in their third year are given. For 190 to 199 camels, three female camels in their fourth year and one female camel in its third year are given. For 200 camels, four female camels in their fourth year or five female camels in their third year are given. Depending on which of the two is available, you take that, says the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. These are the intricacies of Islam. It is true we do not have camels here, nor such possessions. Neither three-year-old nor five-year-old ones. But these blessed words of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, show how precise Islam is; at two years this, at three years that... So these are very important things. May Allah grant us to pay our Zakat completely. For sheep that graze on the pasture, from 40 to 120 one sheep is given, for one more than 120 up to 200 two sheep are given, and for one more than 200 up to 300 three sheep are given. If there are more sheep, one sheep is due as Zakat for every additional hundred sheep; before the hundred is reached, there is no Zakat for it. These are matters of Zakat; of course, one must ask someone who is knowledgeable about it. This directive of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, applies to grazing animals, meaning those that are not fed in the stable. Their Zakat is handled differently, Allah knows best. Normally it is one-fortieth, since most people care for their animals at home. For grazing animals, there is no Zakat as long as the hundred is not reached, says the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. It is not allowed to separate a united herd or unite separated herds out of fear of an increase or decrease in Zakat. The Zakat taken from the joint property of two people is divided equally (according to their shares) between them. When collecting the Zakat, no old, defective, or breeding animals may be taken. Only if the Zakat collector desires it, can he accept this, and the owners give their Zakat accordingly. One should nevertheless inquire about Zakat questions. Even though very few people have sheep or goats today, it still gives an idea of it. There is a pointer here; back then there was of course no cheating, but people today use something like 'legal tricks' (Hiyal). One mixes one's wealth with another's, adds foreign wealth to one's own, and separates it again. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, points out that it is not allowed to do this. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: قد عفوت عن الخيل والرقيق، فهاتوا صدقة الرقة من كل أربعين درهما درهم، وليس في تسعين ومائة شيء، فإذا بلغت مائتين ففيها خمسة دراهم، فما زاد فعلى حساب ذلك۔ وفي الغنم في كل أربعين شاة شاة، فإن لم تكن إلا تسع وثلاثين فليس عليك فيها شيء۔ وفي البقر في كل ثلاثين تبيع، وفي الأربعين مسنة، وليس في العوامل شيء۔ وفي خمس وعشرين من الإبل خمسة من الإبل، فإذا زادت واحدة ففيها ابنة مخاض، فإن لم تكن ابنة مخاض فابن لبون ذكر إلى خمسين۔ وإلى خمس وثلاثين، فإذا زادت واحدة ففيها بنت لبون إلى خمس وأربعين۔ فإذا زادت واحدة ففيها حقة طروقة الجمل إلى ستين۔ فإذا كانت إحدى وتسعين ففيهما حقتان طروقتا الجمل إلى عشرين ومائة۔ فإن كانت الإبل أكثر من ذلك ففي كل خمسين حقة، ولا يفرق بين مجتمع ولا يجمع بين متفرق خشية الصدقة۔ ولا يؤخذ في الصدقة هرمة ولا ذات عوار ولا تيس إلا أن يشاء المصدق۔ وفي النبات ما سقته الأنهار أو سقت السماء العشر، وما سقي بالغرب ففيه نصف العشر۔ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, explains the topic of Zakat again: I have exempted you from the Zakat on horses and slaves. That means, whoever has horses or slaves is exempted from the Zakat for them, no Zakat is demanded for them, says the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Bring however the Zakat for silver, namely one dirham for every forty dirhams. For one hundred and ninety dirhams, there is no Zakat. As long as one hundred and ninety are not exceeded, no Zakat is incurred; that is the Nisab (minimum amount). However, if it reaches two hundred dirhams, five dirhams are given. Beyond two hundred, the Zakat is calculated according to this ratio. So from two hundred onwards, the percentage for money is fixed, whereas with animals there are variations. For sheep kept on the pasture, up to one hundred and twenty sheep, one sheep is given for every forty sheep. If you have thirty-nine sheep, you do not have to give anything; if the number has not reached forty, meaning it is thirty-nine, the Zakat is not obligatory. For cattle, a "Tabi", meaning a one-year-old calf, is given for every thirty cattle. For every forty cattle, a "Musinna", meaning a two-year-old female cow, is given. For the first, a one-year-old calf is given, for the second, a two-year-old cow. For working camels used for irrigation or agriculture, nothing is given. That means, for non-commercial camels used at water mills or in fields for agriculture, there is no Zakat, says the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. For 25 camels, five sheep are given. If there is one more than 25, up to 35, a female camel in its second year is given. If no female camel in its second year is available, a male camel in its third year is given. If there is one more than 35, up to 45, a female camel in its third year is given. If there is one more than 45, up to 60, a female camel in its fourth year that is ready to mate is given. From 91 up to 120, two female camels in their fourth year that are ready to mate are given. If there are more camels, a female camel in its fourth year is given for every fifty camels. So from this number onwards, the calculation follows a fixed order. It is not permitted to separate combined herds or to combine separated ones out of fear of an increase or decrease in Zakat. So it is not permitted to evade Zakat through deception by saying, "Half belongs to me, half to you," says the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. For Zakat, old, sick, or animals kept for breeding are not taken. An animal that has been set aside for breeding must not be taken as Zakat by the Zakat collector, says the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. However, if the owner wishes to give it of his own free will, the Zakat collector can accept the breeding animal. As for the Zakat on plants, that is, the harvest: For yields irrigated by rivers or rain, the "Ushr," meaning one-tenth, is given. One sows; one has a stream or river in the garden and irrigates with it, or it rains. One does not pay for the water, there is no motor and no well, it irrigates itself. In this case, one-tenth of the harvest is the Zakat. For yields irrigated with buckets (or machines), half the Ushr is given. So if one irrigates with a motor, from a well, or with buckets, the portion is half of a tenth, meaning one-twentieth. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عفوت لكم عن صدقة الجبهة والكسعة والنخة۔ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: "I have exempted you from paying Zakat for working animals like horses and donkeys." There is no Zakat due on animals like horses and donkeys. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: العنبر ليس بركاز بل هو لمن وجده۔ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: "Ambergris is not considered a natural resource (Rikaz) from which a fifth is due as Zakat; rather, it belongs to the one who finds it." What we call ambergris comes from the whale. Whoever finds it in the sea or elsewhere, it belongs to them. It is not considered like Rikaz, that is, a treasure; there is no Zakat due on it. So a tax of one-fifth is not levied; but if he later sells it, he pays Zakat on that money. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ليس على المسلم في عبده ولا فرسه صدقة۔ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: "A Muslim does not have to pay Zakat for his slave nor for his horse." No Zakat is paid for them. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ليس على المؤمن زكاة في كرمه ولا في زرعه إذا كان أقل من خمسة أوسق۔ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: "If a Muslim has a yield of less than five Wasaq, meaning less than five camel loads, he does not have to pay Zakat for his vineyard nor for his harvest." This too has a limit; it is determined how much of everything must be given. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ليس على مستفاد مال زكاة حتى يحول عليه الحول۔ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: "There is no Zakat on wealth until a year has passed over it." قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ليس في الإبل العوامل صدقة۔ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: "There is no Zakat on working camels." That is, for camels with which you carry loads or use for daily work, there is no Zakat. However, if they are raised for trade or for breeding (pasturing), Zakat is due on them. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ليس في الأوقاص شيء۔ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: "There is no Zakat for the intermediate amounts (Awqas)." By intermediate amounts he means: For the wealth that lies between two Zakat thresholds, meaning for which a year has not yet passed, no additional Zakat is due. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ليس في الحلي زكاة۔ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: "There is no Zakat on jewelry." قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ليس في الخيل والرقيق زكاة، إلا زكاة الفطر في الرقيق۔ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: "Apart from the Fitr contribution (Zakat al-Fitr) for slaves, there is no Zakat on horses and slaves." For a slave, only the Fitr contribution is paid; no further Zakat is required.

قُلۡ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحۡيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ (6:162) لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُۥۖ وَبِذَٰلِكَ أُمِرۡتُ وَأَنَا۠ أَوَّلُ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ (6:163) Exactly this verse shows the meaning of our entire life. Actually, all verses show it: Our life and our death are for the pleasure of Allah. Man must align his life accordingly. For man was not created for this world. Allah wants people to serve Him both in this world and in the Hereafter for the sake of His pleasure. Most people are confused and struggle with the thought: "Why was I created, why am I in the world? I must achieve something to save my life." Yet the only thing that will truly save a person is being on the path of Allah. That means living the way Allah wants. And what is it that Allah wants? To perform the prescribed acts of worship – prayer, fasting, zakat, and hajj. How will you do this? You will do it every day. Until when? Until your death. After death, in the Hereafter, there is no prayer, no fasting, no zakat, or other acts of worship anyway. You will perform these acts of worship as long as you are in this world. But how should these acts of worship be performed? You must make them a fixed routine. You will perform your prayer five times a day. Nowadays, some people, believing they are bringing people closer to religion, give advice that actually drives them away from it. They say: "You must perform your prayer in complete humility, khushu, you must not make it a mere routine." But how is that supposed to be possible without making it a constant habit? Of course it will become an automatic reflex. You will pray five times a day; naturally, you make it a routine so that you do not miss the prayer. So that it distresses you and makes you restless when you miss it, and you only find peace again when you perform this prayer. That means you must not stray from the right path. Get used to this order and perform the five daily prayers every day. Continue praying your whole life. It is exactly the same with fasting. There is a very beautiful saying by Sayyidina Ali (karamAllahu wajhah): "Kalimatu haqqin urida bihal-batil." That means the statement itself is true, but a wrong goal is being pursued with it. Just do not let this mislead you. They say: "One does not pray hastily and carelessly; that way the prayer is not valid." They put pressure on people by saying: "If the five prayers are not performed in deep humility, khushu, they will not be accepted." As if you were the one demanding accountability for the prayer! Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, says: "Do not make it difficult, perform your prayer." He says: "Perform your five obligatory prayers, give your zakat, and fast." The times of the acts of worship are fixed; there is no reason to pressure people so much. Our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to the companions in his time: "If you do not do one hundred percent of what has been commanded, your acts of worship will not be accepted." Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said that the acts of worship must be fulfilled without flaws, at one hundred percent. Yet he also said: "If the people of the end times do even one percent of what is commanded, their acts of worship will be accepted." Nowadays, there are many imams, pilgrims, and the like, who believe they are doing good but do not know what they are saying or doing, and thus alienate people from religion. They stand in the mosque, observe how people pray, and criticize them. The person then endures this once or twice, but then stops coming to the mosque, and by the third time, they do not even pray at home anymore. With this kind of interference, they cause great harm! Perform your prayer; Allah will accept it. People already struggle more than enough with whispers and doubts. Through such criticism, they only make their situation worse. May Allah accept the acts of worship of us all. Do not be afraid; as long as we perform our prayer and our intention is the pleasure of Allah, then, inshaAllah, as mentioned in the verse, our life, our death, and all our actions will be for the pleasure of Allah.

Our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to the effect: "The best in all things is the middle path." By this, our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, meant that it is better not to fall into extremes in any matter. "To choose the middle path in all things is the best," said our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. "Do not leave the reins too loose, nor pull them too tight," he said. This applies to every area of life: be it in worship, in dealing with other people, family, or children – this is the best way to behave. Nowadays, people are often either far too strict or far too lenient. Such is human nature: the more freedom you give someone, the more they demand – it never ends. So, in order to appreciate the value of things, there must be limits. However, this should not be done with harshness, but in a gentle and careful manner. One must learn this approach. Nowadays, this is called "diplomacy". How does that work? You achieve your goal entirely without coercion: the other person does what you want, but believes they are doing it of their own accord. In doing so, you have merely subtly conveyed to the person how they should behave, or shaped the general conditions accordingly. Exactly the same should apply in the family, among siblings, and in dealing with other people. If you constantly approach others with harshness, no one will accept you. Even if they remain silent at first, they will turn against you at the next opportunity, and all your efforts will have been in vain. That is why relationships with one's own family and children are so enormously important. Often brothers come to me and complain: "My son or my daughter is now 14 or 15 years old and extremely rebellious and disobedient." That is the wisdom of Allah: at this age they enter puberty and the body changes. They are going through the transition from childhood to youth. In the past, at 15 years old, they were already grown men and women and provided for families – that is no longer the case today. But purely physically, they still go through the same development. Through the wisdom of Allah, a person experiences a massive change upon reaching puberty. Therefore, one must proceed particularly carefully during this phase. Some parents look at their child and panic: "What happened? Are they possessed? Has a jinn entered the child?" Yet nothing extraordinary has happened at all; merely the body is changing, exactly as Allah intended in His wisdom. They are leaving childhood behind and becoming young women and men. One must guide this process well and treat them correctly. You learn that little by little. You must neither be too strict, nor must you leave them entirely to their own devices. You must guide them with great tact and help them get through this phase well. May Allah grant them a long and blessed life. Because our children are the most important thing; they are the most valuable treasure for humanity and Islam. We must not allow them to perish. May Allah protect us from that. Our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was always merciful. And his companions were also full of mercy. He taught us to be merciful and how to deal with other people – we too must take this to heart. May Allah support us and protect our children. May He protect the children of all Muslims and also grant guidance to all other people, insha'Allah.

شَهۡرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدٗى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَٰتٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِۚ (2:185) The blessed month of Ramadan is a month that Allah loves. Its virtue is truly great; the reward for acts of worship performed is immeasurable with Allah. Truly immeasurable. Therefore, one should do as much good and perform as many acts of worship as one possibly can. And even if one is not able to do so, one should at least form the intention: "I intend to spend the entire Ramadan in a way that pleases Allah, Azza wa Jalla." Our shortcomings are numerous. Let us do what is in our power, and may Allah reward us according to our intention. For that is the most important thing. Some people perform many acts of worship, others fewer. The most important thing in this is to attain the pleasure of Allah, Azza wa Jalla. If in everything you do, you have the intention of attaining Allah's pleasure, you will be fully rewarded by Him thanks to this intention – even if your deed was only small. Allah, Azza wa Jalla, is Akram al-Akramin, the Most Generous of the generous; He overlooks small mistakes. Nevertheless, there are some points that one must absolutely pay attention to. There are people who confuse others with questions like: "When should the fast begin, when should it be broken?" We have even heard of people claiming: "You are allowed to eat until the sun rises." They cause confusion with statements like: "The Imsak time is such and such." Therefore, caution is advised on this topic. After the Imsak time has entered, absolutely nothing more may be eaten. They claim that one may eat until sunrise, and even act like scholars while doing so. But they are not; they are ignorant. There is absolutely no reason to risk or nullify the fast of an entire month of Ramadan for the sake of five or ten minutes. The command of Allah, Azza wa Jalla, is clear: We must adhere to the path and the limits that He has set. That is the crucial point. Deficiencies in other acts of worship can be compensated for by the right intention, but with these times, one must be very precise. The Sahur time, meaning Imsak, normally lasts until the Adhan. After that, no more eating is allowed. However, to be on the safe side, it is best to stop eating and drinking 5 to 15 minutes before the Adhan. This way, you protect your fast and play it safe. In the past, there were so-called "Muwaqqit" who determined the times. A Muwaqqit is someone who precisely sets and calculates the prayer times. They calculated when Sahur ends and Imsak begins. Imsak actually means that from this moment on, eating and drinking must be stopped. All prayer times – be it for the morning, noon, or afternoon – were calculated by the Muwaqqit. Today, this profession hardly exists anymore, but instead, we now have our calendars. The times are based on them. It would, of course, be nicer to have a real Muwaqqit, but since that is no longer common nowadays, we rely on the calendar, insha'Allah. But as I said: Whoever wants to have a clear conscience should, to be safe, form the intention to fast and stop eating 5 to 10 minutes beforehand. You lose nothing by stopping eating five minutes earlier for the sake of Allah. One should really pay attention to this. Otherwise, what has already been said applies: As long as one adheres to the times, the acts of worship performed will be accepted. They will be accepted as valid acts of worship, and you will attain the pleasure of Allah. Allah has set a specific term and time for everything. There is a time for Ramadan and a time for the festival; likewise, there is a time for the morning and the noon prayer. The morning prayer, for example, cannot be performed before its time has entered. It is exactly the same with the noon prayer: It cannot be prayed before its designated time. With the afternoon prayer (Asr), it is a little more flexible. Here we have the times Asr-i Awwal and Asr-i Thani, so it can be prayed a little earlier or later. The time for the evening prayer, on the other hand, is strictly set; it too cannot be prayed ahead of time. With the night prayer, the time frame is again somewhat more generous. It can be prayed earlier or later, as long as it remains within the given time span. Generally, however, one must strictly observe the prayer times and pay attention to them. However, it is particularly important to pay very close attention to the times for Iftar and Sahur. May Allah accept it. May Allah accept our acts of worship. If there are people who have unknowingly fallen for such false statements, they should ask for forgiveness. May Allah forgive them, insha'Allah.