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As we approach this month, our approaching it with all sorts of goals in mind and one of the things that we should be approaching it with is some sort of set of resolutions that something about me has to change.

And obviously you already know that the last Khutbaan Ramadan or the Khutba right after it is how do you maintain progress?

But if you don't already set in motion what that progress looks like before Ramadan starts, then afterwards the only thing that progress is going to mean to you is maintaining the feeling of Ramadan, which is a misguided notion because Ramadan is meant to bring about Takwa in our lives, meant to bring about God consciousness in our lives that allows us to sail with the example of the Prophet ﷺ ahead of us always guiding us throughout the entire year.

And we talked last week quite a bit about the tactics of the Shaitan and what we can take from that.

And of course, as I said, he's going to be extremely active before the start of Ramadan.

We know what the last few days look like before Ramadan.

All types of deflections, the most wild and bizarre and harsh tactics that you expect from the Shaitan right before Ramadan starts as they are about to be changed away.

Here's what I want to discuss today in inshaAllah to Allah in that regard.

When we talk about the way the Shaitan comes to a person, many of us are familiar with the story of Barsisa, the monk.

And I've spoken about this narration that comes from the books of Tefaseer in various iterations of a monk from Beni Israel that was known to be a righteous man.

And he was entrusted to take care of the young daughter of some man or the younger sister of some man as they went away.

And slowly, slowly, the Shaitan crept up on him and got him to commit Zinnah.

Got him to fall into a major sin, though it was something that was unimaginable to him at the time.

And in that narration, which I'm not going to go through in detail now, in that narration, if you pay attention, the way that it starts off with is a messaging of care, a messaging of good.

She's going to be all alone. You should take care of her. You know, you putting the food out there and not talking to her and giving her company is going to be a problem.

And all of that up until he falls into that major sin. So he uses the tactics of goodness. He prays on the man's good sentiments, his goodness, that he, you know, you should take care of her.

You should show her some kindness until he gets him to fall into that. And then you just see that narration take the turn where the Shaitan takes him from bad to worse and bad to significantly worse.

First, it is adultery, then a child, then murder her and murder the child, then lie about it to cover up your tracks.

And the entire time you can see the psychology of the Shaitan and the psychology that the Shaitan prays upon to take someone from a very bad situation to a situation of no return.

Up until the last part where he goes from being a lifelong worshiper to Allah to listening to the Shaitan who says to him that, look, I was the one who got you in this situation.

I'm the one who can get you out. And so he curses his Lord. He worships the Shaitan and he dies in that state.

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