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When is Ramadan?
On the 29th of Shabaan ( ie 8th month of the Islamic
calendar. Shabaan is the month that comes before Ramadan) Muslims will start
looking in the sky for the New moon. If a Muslim sees the
New moon at Maghrib time or after Maghrib he will inform others
and the start of Ramadan will be announced and the special Taraweeh
prayers will be prayed after the Isha prayer of that night. When dawn
comes the Muslims who are required to fast will observe abstinence
from food,
drink and sex until the sun sets.
RAMADAN 2009 SPECIAL
Ramadan 2009 will start on
Saturday 22nd August.
The first Taraweeh prayers will be after Isha of Friday night.
And you must start fasting from Dawn of Saturday morning
till Sunset of Saturday
Along with the Ramadan step by step guide below we also have for you Ramadan
pages.
Ramadan pages will consist of a different page every day to help you learn Islam
and increase your Iman.
Click here for
daily Ramadan pages
The Ramadan Guide Below will explain what Ramadan
is, how to fast in Ramadan, who can fast, who is exempt from fasting, medical
and health advice and all the rules of fasting and what
other things to to do and not to do in Ramadan
The Month of
Ramadan
The month of
Ramadan is a great
month. It is the month in which Allah revealed the Quran as a guidance
for the whole of mankind. It is the month in which Allah gave the Muslims
victory in their first and greatest battle at Badr. It is the month
which has Laylat al-Qadr, a night which is better than a thousand
months.
In Ramadan the gates of heaven are opened and the
gates of Hell are shut, and the shayaateen (devils) are tied up and the
reward for good deeds, acts of charity and acts of worship are
multiplied in this month.
Definition of
Fasting
Fasting means abstaining from several things, from just before the starting of
dawn (i.e. just before the start of Fajr) until sunset, with the
intention of fasting.
A Muslim fasting must abstain from the following
- Food and Drink
- Sexual intercourse
- masturbation (most scholars say this not allowed even when
not fasting)
If these three things listed above are done deliberately
a persons fast will be broken.
Who Must
Fast?
Allah has made fasting the month of Ramadan obligatory
upon every adult, sane, settled (i.e., not travelling)
Muslim who is able to fast and has nothing such as hayd
[menstruation] or nifaas [postnatal bleeding] to prevent him or
her from doing so.
Why Do Muslims Fast In Ramadan?
It has been enjoined on us so that we may become
pious. A pious Muslim and Muslimah does whatever Allah and His
Messenger have told them to do. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who
believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as
it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become
Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)? [al-Baqarah 2:183]
And Allah says in a hadeeth qudsi:
"Fasting is for Me and I will reward for
it. He gives up his desire and his food and drink for My sake."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7492; Muslim,
1151.
The
purpose of fasting is not to just get hungry and thirsty but it is
to become pious. So one should stay away from Un-Islamic
things such as:
- Getting angry
- Using Bad language
- Back biting and gossip
- Arguing and fighting with Muslims.
- Being rude and impolite
- Looking, touching , flirting with non-mehrems
of the opposite sex.
- lying and cheating
- Engaging in riba (interest, usury)
- women non wearing Hijab
- men shaving beards and having cloths below ankles
- allying with the enemies of Islam against the
Muslims
- promoting Un-Islamic ideologies such as democracy
and socialism.
- basically staying away from
anything that is Haram.
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever does
not give up false speech and false actions and ignorance, Allah
has no need of his giving up his food and drink." Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 6057.
He
also
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "A fasting
person may get nothing from his fast except hunger and the one who
prays at night may get nothing from his qiyaam but a sleepless
night." Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1690; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.
- The reward for fasting is immense, as mentioned in the following
Hadeeth
:
"Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward,
each good deed receiving then times its like, up to seven hundred
times. Allah the Most High said, 'Except for fasting, for it is
for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his
desires and his food for Me.' for the fasting person there are two
times of joy; a time when he breaks his fast and a time of joy
when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth of the
fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk."
[al-Bukhaaree]
Also, Sahl ibn Sa`d said that the Prophet (peace be upon him.) said:
"Indeed there is a gate of Paradise called ar-Rayyaan. On the
day of Resurrection those who fast will enter through it; no one
enters it except for them, and when they have entered, it is
closed so that no one enters it, so when the last of them enters
it, it is closed, and whoever enters it drinks, and whoever drinks
never becomes thirsty." [Ibn Khuzaimah, Saheeh].
- Fasting is a shield against the Fire:
"Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself
from the Fire." [Ahmad, Saheeh]
- On the Day of Judgment, "Fasting will say: O My Lord I
prevented him from food and desires so accept my intercession for
him." [Ahmad, al-Haakim and Abu Nu'aim, Hasan]
- Fasting
is a means for one's sins to be forgiven. The Prophet (peace be upon
him.) said: "He who fasts Ramadan, due to Iman and hoping for reward
(from Allah) then his past sins are forgiven." [al-Bukhaaree,
Muslim]
- The
supplication of the fasting person is answered:
"There are in the month of Ramadan in every day and
night those to whom Allah grants freedom from the Fire, and there
is for every Muslim a supplication which he can make and will be
granted." [al-Bazzaar, Ahmad, Saheeh]
If you
have a medical problem and are worried about fasting
please
click here...
How to Fast and
rulings regarding fasting
1 The Intention
It is
obligatory for the fasting person to confirm his/her intention
before the appearance of fajr. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said
"He who does not
resolve to fast before it is fajr, then there is no fast for him"
(Abu Dawood)
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "Whoever does not intend to fast before dawn, there
is no fast for him." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 730. According to a
version narrated by al-Nasaa�i (2334): "Whoever does not intend to
fast from the night before, there is no fast for him." Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 573.
The place of intention is the heart and to utter
it verbally is not established from the Prophet (peace be upon
him) or his companions, may Allah be pleased with them. Thus one
should make intention in ones heart before going to sleep.
2 The time for
beginning and ending the fast.
i ) There are two types of fajr:
-False fajr and True fajr
a) False
Fajr, At this time it is unlawful to pray
fajr prayer but it is permissible to eat for the one intending to
fast. The false fajr is distinguished by a rising vertical column
of whiteness which appears like the tail of a wolf
b) True
fajr. At this time it is lawful to pray the fajr
pray but is it unlawful to eat for one who is fasting. It is
distinguished by a white light coming across the horizon in the
East ,
Thus one should stop all
eating and drinking before the True fajr.
ii) The
meal that is taken before the fajr is called Suhoor (predawn
meal)
We should make sure that we eat and drink
something at Suhoor, and that we delay it until just before the
adhaan of Fajr.
The Prophet [an error occurred while processing this directive]
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said "The
distinction between our fasting and the fasting of the people of
the book is the taking of the pre -dawn meal (Suhoor)"
(Muslim)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "
Have Suhoor,
for in Suhoor there is blessing (barakah)."
(Reported by
al-Bukhaari, Fath, 4/139)
"Suhoor is blessed food, and it involves
being different from the people of the Book. What a good Suhoor
for the believer is dates." (Reported by Abu Dawood, no.
2345; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/448).
He (peace be upon him) also said "The Suhoor is a meal of blessings, so do not
leave it, even if one of you takes just a gulp of water, since Allah
sends mercy and His angels seek forgiveness for those who take
Suhoor" (Ahmad)
It is also guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
to delay the Suhoor meal until just before the true fajr. (note
along with no eating or drinking whilst fasting. one can not have
sexual intercourse with spouse. kissing and hugging is allowed but
if such close contact causes ejaculation then this will break the
fast. Also swallowing saliva of some one else invalidates the
fast.
3 The time to breaking the fast (Iftar).
This time is as soon as Maghrib Starts (after sun has set).
If you are in the Masjid or close by and hear the Athan for
Maghrib prayer then it means you can now break your fast.
One should hasten to break the fast because
the (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The people
will be fine so long as they do not delay iftaar." (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 4/198). He (peace be
upon him) also said "My Ummah will not cease to be upon my
Sunnah as long as they do not await the stars when breaking the
fast" (Ibn Hibban). So as soon as Maghrib begins (i.e. if you are in
the Masjid and Athan is said) one should start to break the fast
immediately.
Break the fast in the manner described in the
hadeeth narrated by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): "The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to break his fast
with fresh dates before praying; if fresh dates were not
available, he would eat (dried) dates; if dried dates were not
available, he would have a few sips of water."
(Reported
by al-Tirmidhi, 3/79 and others. He said it is a ghareeb hasan
hadeeth. Classed as saheeh in al-Irwa?, no. 922).
Dua
said when Breaking the fast
Following is dua to recited.
Thahaba th-thama o wabtallatil-Aaurooq, wathabatal ajru
in shaal-lah
(The thirst has gone and the veins are quenched, and reward
is confirmed, if Allah wills.)
5 Things that break the
fast
There are certain things that break the fast and some things that
do not break the fast
6a Special
circumstances for Women
6b Special
circumstances for all
7 Special Night Prayer during Ramadan(
Taraweeh)
8
Importance of last 10 Nights of Ramadan
Whilst
seeking Laylat al Qadr say
"Allahumma
innaka 'afuwwun tuhibb ul-afwa fa'fu 'annii
( O
Allah, You are Forgiving and Generous, and you love forgiveness,
so forgive me.?) (Narrated by Imam Ahmad,
al-Tirmidhi (3515) and Ibn Maajah (3850). Its isnaad is saheeh).
9 Zakaat Al-Fitr
11 Eid Al Fitr
12 Fasting 6 days in
the month after Ramadan
13 Optional fasts in other months of the year
Listen to Quran
Radio Station
Umar ibn al-Khattaab and Ali ibn Abi Taalib
(may Allah be pleased with them) said: Fasting does not just mean
giving up food and drink; it also means giving up lies, falsehood
and idle talk.
Jaabir ibn
Abd-Allaah said: If you fast, then block your ears, eyes and tongue
from lies and sin; do not abuse your servants; be tranquil and
dignified on the day of your fast; do not let the day when you do
not fast and the day when you fast be the
same.
It was
narrated that Taleeq ibn Qays said: Abu Dharr said: When you fast
then be careful as much as you can. When Taleeq was fasting he would
enter his house and only come out to
pray.
When Abu Hurayrah and his
companions (may Allah be pleased with them) fasted, they would stay in the
mosque and say, "We are keeping our fast pure."
Combining fasting with feeding the poor is
one of the means of reaching Paradise
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "In Paradise
there are rooms whose outside can be seen from the inside and the
inside can be seen from the outside. Allah has prepared them for
those who feed the poor, who are gentle in speech, who fast
regularly and who pray at night when people are asleep."
(Reported by Ahmad 5/343; Ibn Khuzaymah, no. 2137. Al-Albaani said
in his footnote, its isnaad is hasan because of other
corroborating reports).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever gives
food to a fasting person with which to break his fast, will have a
reward equal to his, without it detracting in the slightest from
the reward of the fasting person." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi,
3/171; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/451). Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn
Taymiyah] (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "What is meant is
that he should feed him until he is satisfied."(Al-Ikhtiyaaraat
al-Fiqhiyyah, p. 109).
It was narrated that Ibn
Abbaas said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) was the most generous of people, and h was at his
most generous during Ramadan when Jibreel met him. He would meet him
each night and revise the Quran with him. The Messenger of
Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was more generous
than the blowing wind. " (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6; Muslim, 2308. )
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