rAmAdAn At A glAnce

From the Quraan & the Sunnah

Nasrin As.Salafiyah

Why do we fast? o Because Allah says, O you who believe! Observing the fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become al-Muttaqoon (the pious). [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183] o And because the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Islaam is built upon five (pillars) [Sahih Al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim] and amongst them he mentioned the fast of Ramadhaan. Virtues of Ramadan and Fasting o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Whoever fasts during the month of Ramadhaan, out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allaah's rewards, then all his previous sins will be forgiven. [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, When the month of Ramadhaan starts, the gates of the Heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained. [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Fasting is a shield or protection from the fire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarrelling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, I am fasting. [Al-Bukhari] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, All the deeds of the son of Aadam are for for himself; a good deed is equal to ten times it's equivalent except fasting, for certainly it is for Me, and I will give the reward for it. He left his desires, his food, his drink for My sake. There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord. The unpleasant smell coming from the mouth of a fasting person is more pleasant to Allaah than the smell of musk. [Al- Bukhari & Muslim] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Whoever stands (in salah i.e. does the taraweeh prayer) during the night of Decree with perfect faith and seeking reward (from Allah) will have his past sins forgiven. [Al-Bukhari] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Came to you the month of Ramadan, A blessed month. [Shaykh Albanee authenticated it] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Whoever stands (in Taraweeh prayer) with perfect faith and seeking reward, he will have his previous sins forgiven. [Al- Bukhari & Muslim] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Whoever is from the people of the fast, he will be called from the gate of Ar-Rayyaan. [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Indeed, a Umrah in Ramadan is equal (in reward) of Hajj with me. [Al-Bukhari] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, (In the month of Ramadan) A caller would call out every night, O you who want good, proceed, and O you who want evil, stop. [Shaykh Albanee authenticated it] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Take to fasting, there is nothing like it. [Shaykh Albanee authenticated it] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Indeed in the Jannah, there is a gate, which is called Ar-Rayyan, through which only those who observed fasting will enter on the day of Resurrection. None else will enter through it. [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Fasting and the Quraan will intercede for the salve: Fasting will say: O my Lord, I forbade him from eating and drinking during the day, so let me intercede for him, and the Quraan will say: O my Lord, I deprived him from sleep during the night, so let me intercede for him. He then will say, So, they will intercede. [Shaykh Albanee authenticated it] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Three supplications are not rejected: The supplication of the parents, and the supplication of the fasting person, and the supplication of the traveler. [Shaykh Albanee authenticated it] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Allah frees (believers) from the hellfire and that is done during every night (in Ramadan). [Shaykh Albanee authenticated it] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, The five daily prayers, and the Jumuah to the Jumuah (Friday prayers) and Ramadan to Ramadan is expiations for that which is between them so long major sins are avoided. [Muslim] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Jibreel alayhe assalam came to me, and he said to me, O Muhammad! Whoever reached the month of Ramadan, then he died and he did not attain forgiveness for himself, thus he entered Hellfire and Allah distanced him from His Mercy, Say, May Allah accept, So, I said, May Allah accept. [Shaykh Albanee authenticated it] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Indeed this month that reached you, there is a night in it better than thousand months; whoever is withheld from it, then he is bereaved of all good, and no one is prevented from its good except a deprived one. [Shaykh Albanee graded it Hasan Sahih] Manners During Ramadan and Fasting o Abi Hurayrah Radi Allahu anhu said, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, "Perhaps a fasting person, his attainment from his fasting is just the hunger and the thirst, and perhaps a person doing the night salah (taraweeh), his attainment

o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, "The people will remain upon good so long they hasten to break the fast (i.e. as soon as its time starts)." [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Hasten to break (the fast), and delay the pre-dawn meal. [Shaykh Albanee authenticated it] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam was the most generous of people in good, and he was the most generous that could be during Ramadan. [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Read the Quraan for indeed it will come on the Day of Standing as interceder for its people. [Muslim] o The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, Whoever does not abandon the speaking of falsehood and acting in accordance with it, then Allah has no need of him giving up his food and drink. [Al-Bukhari] Some Wisdoms behind fasting o Fasting allows the body's digestive system and the stomach to rest allowing the body to recuperate and strengthen. This is beneficial for many ailments. Likewise, fasting allows the smoker to take a break from smoking and in doing so assists him in abandoning it. o Fasting is a purification of the soul, and accustoming it upon good, worship, patience and sincerity. o The fasting person feels a sense of equality with the rest of his fasting brothers (and sisters); So he fasts with them allowing for the feeling of sincere Islaamic brotherhood to be nurtured. Likewise, he feels hungry, as a result of which he gives charity to his hungry and needy brothers (and sisters).

from his standing is just the staying up the night." Imam Ahmed reported it, and Shaykh Muqbil said: this hadith is good (Hasan).

Certainly fasting has many wisdoms behind it, from the wisdoms is that it is a worship set as means of nearness to Allah, where the person abandons that which he naturally inclined to, like from food, drinks, sexual intercourse with the wife so that he attains the pleasure of Allah. So therefore, through this it becomes clear through the fasting that he abandons that which is beloved to him in this life and prefers over it and give precedence to that which is beloved to Allah and of great benefit in the hereafter. So therefore, he gives precedence to that which beloved by Allah over his own inclinations and desires. And from the wisdom of fasting that it is a cause for attainment of taqwah if the fasting person establishes what is obligated upon him. As Allah said in the previous verse in [Soorah al- Baqarah 002.183] O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqn (the pious). So the fasting person is commanded to have taqwa so

 This is the greatest objective behind fasting. And the objective is not to make the self suffer by abandonment of food, drinks, and sexual relationship between the wife and the husband, and thats why the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, the one who doesnt abandon saying of falsehood and acting on it What does saying falsehood mean? It means everything, which is haram from lying, backbiting, insult, and acting on falsehood: doing things that are haram, cheating, treachery, confiscating peoples wealth unjustly, and the like. Also, including in this is listening to that which is unlawful from music and so forth. And also the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said, wal jahl, and this is foolishness, which means not paying on soundness in saying and action. This is foolishness; this is which is referred in the hadith, al-jahl. Then the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam continued, the one who doesnt leave these things, then Allah is in no need for him to abandon his food and drink. So it is not a matter of making the self suffer, and therefore when the person acts according to what is truly the object of fasting as stated in the hadith and as stated earlier in the verse of suratul Baqarah then the fasting becomes a real educational and self discipline upon uprightness, such that the month of Ramadan would be a real turning point in ones life, affected by it himself, his manners, and in his character. And from the wisdoms of fasting is that the rich would know the favor of Allah upon him where Allah made it easy for him to attain what he likes from food and drinks and marriage etc.. Therefore, he gives thanks to Allah upon this favor and remembers the poor and thus would give from what Allah had bestowed upon him by way of charity and by way of goodness. And from the wisdom of fasting is the training upon self-discipline and control to lead ones life in a direction, which brings goodness and happiness for it in the life and in the hereafter. And therefore, distance himself from animalistic life whereby he cannot refrain himself from its enjoyment and desires. But rather he regulates this drive of the self, lest it gradually takes him to destruction. Therefore, he distance himself from an animalistic way animal like way of life, where by he cannot refrain himself from the enjoyment and self drives towards lust and desires. Also from the wisdom of fasting is that the fasting leads to health benefit where the food intake is minimized and brings rest to the stomach and relieves the body from toxic waste and poisonous matters. These are few wisdoms from the many wisdoms of fasting. So, Fasting is worshiping Allah by refraining from eating and drinking and legal sexual intercourse and from all the invalidators of fasting from dawn until sunset.

Question: What is Tawqa? Answer: Ascribing to the command of Allah and abstaining from His prohibition..