Spiritual

Detox Talk by Sheikh Rafat May 19, 2017

Introduction

- There is an interconnection between the body, mind, soul and heart.

- IF there is a disconnect it leads to problems
- Example
o The house and the tenant
The house is the body, and the tenant is the soul. If the house is leaking the
tenant will not be happy
- We should think of the soul as the real being the body is a temporary creation the soul is
the eternal creation.
- AS human beings, we have a higher status, but this shouldn't mean we can abuse the other
creations of Allah (SWT). Our environment should also be treated well

Signs of the need for a spiritual detox

- Enjoying other peoples pain and difficulty

- A focus on negativity, and avoiding positivity
- Your friends don't like to be around you. Not just one, but the majority of them
- Successful people make you angry
o Instead of being jealous of them, we should turn back to Allah, and seek success for
Him
- When you feel bored all the time. It is okay to feel bored sometimes but not all the time
- You cant remember the last time you returned to nature, and connected to nature. When
was the last time you went for a walk without your mobile. Listen to nature to the point
where you don't wish to be distracted by other material things such as mobile phones etc.

Practical Measures to Spiritual Detox

- This will be a practical talk that will attempt to give us direction in how to practically change
ourselves
- At times the body needs a detox the spirit also needs a detox
o They are interconnected at times, because what you eat affects you too
- Fasting is a good physical way by which to assist a spiritual detox. Fasting is a corner stone of
a spiritual detox

Fasting

- Fasting is a physical and a spiritual act in Islam

o It is not just about abstaining from food and drink etc.
o When fasting you are not allowed to lie or backbite etc. They are forbidden in Islam
anyway, but they gain greater importance when fasting because when fasting, your
fating will become nullified. You will need to fast another day if you nullify your fast
for one day.
o Fasting allows you to control your soul. If you are not in control of your soul, you are
in control of yourself. To be in control, you need to know yourself.
- By fasting you will strengthen your self-control. This is because you have whatever you have
around you, and you are able to say no
Spiritual Detox Talk by Sheikh Rafat May 19, 2017

- Fasting is about discipline.

- We should refrain from indulging in too much food when we break our fast. If we do this, we
will not be able to enjoy our prayer after eating too much. We need a balance.
- The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said humans should have 1/3 for the drink, 1/3 for the food
and 1/3 for the air.
- You can also fast the 13th, 14th and 15th of every lunar month. You can also fast Mondays and
Thursdays. This is from the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
- You should not skip suhoor if you are going to be fasting during the day
- From the time that you break your fast to when you start fasting again if fasting consecutive
days you should drink lots of water.
- In

Self-Check

- You should spend 5-10 minutes every day for a self-check. This is where you review the past
24 hours to evaluate what you have done.
- You need to be aware of why you felt the way you felt
- By doing this you will enable yourself as to what is happening.
- You should add remembrance of Allah to this process

Reading the Quran

- This is very important

- You should start reading at least 5 minutes a day
- You may come across a verse in the Quran that puts things in your life in perspective
- Talking to another person about your problems will not have the same impact as reading the
Quran and taking advice directly from the Quran, which is the word of Allah.

Repentance

- When you repent, keep the bad stuff behind you and put good stuff in front of you
- Choose your friends wisely. Sometimes you need to leave bad friends behind.
- By seeking forgiveness, you are making a decision that today is going to better than yesterday
- A self-check is required for identifying things that you need to repent for

Selflessness

- To care about other people, regardless of their background Muslim and non-Muslim alike.
- Giving charity assists in spiritually cleansing you from being a miser

Positive Self-Talk

- This can be quite good

- In the Quran, the last page of Surah al Bakarah, in a way refers to self-talk. Allah is telling us
that he is aware of our thoughts, and we need to be aware of our thoughts as well.
- Sometimes we cannot control our thoughts, and this can lead to a form of sickness
- It is important to practice positive self-talk and not negative self-talk. If you keep blaming
yourself for things, you are punishing yourself.
Spiritual Detox Talk by Sheikh Rafat May 19, 2017

- This voice is called the inner voice.

- If we engage in positive self-talk, we are able to be more aware of ourselves and our
weaknesses. If we are aware of this, we can follow it up with the practical steps outlined
above.

Conclusion

- It is important to have the remembrance of God. The impacts of remembering the names of
Allah can have a huge impact
- We need to seek forgiveness
- We need to talk to Allah this is supplication but there are several ways to talk to Allah. You
can talk to Allah loudly, but you can also talk to Allah is a silent way, without moving your
tongue. Sometimes this can allow you to be more focussed, and more conscious of what you
are actually saying. Silence has a power. When you are silent, your energy is focussed.
- It is interesting to note that we have 2 silent prayers in the middle of the day. This is when the
world is busy. When the world is silent, we become loud in prayer (Fajr, Maghrib, Isha).
- By being silent, this can also be a way to train yourself to listen to you inner-self.
- By being silent, it can also help you connect with your soul
- There are 3 levels of dhikr (remembrance of Allah)
o Dhikr with your tongue
o Dhikr with your heart
o The highest level is Dhikr with your tongue and heart, when you are not distracted by
your tongue