(4) There is much wisdom and many benefits in fasting, which have to do
with the taqwa mentioned by Allaah in the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning):
“… that you may become al-muttaqoon (the pious).” [al-Baqarah 2:183]
The interpretation of this is that if a person refrains from halaal things
hoping to earn the pleasure of Allaah and out of fear of His punishment, it
will be easier for him to refrain from doing haraam things.
If a person’s stomach is hungry, this will keep many of his other faculties
from feeling hunger or desires; but if his stomach is satisfied, his tongue,
eye, hand and private parts will start to feel hungry. Fasting leads to the
defeat of Shaytaan; it controls desires and protects one’s faculties.
When the fasting person feels the pangs of hunger, he experiences how
the poor feel, so he has compassion towards them and gives them
something to ward off their hunger. Hearing about them is not the same
as sharing their suffering, just as a rider does not understand the hardship
of walking unless he gets down and walks.
Fasting trains the will to avoid desires and keep away from sin; it helps a
person to overcome his own nature and to wean himself away from his
habits. It also trains a person to get used to being organized and punctual,
which will solve the problem that many people have of being
disorganized, if only they realized.
Fasting is also a demonstration of the unity of the Muslims, as the ummah
fasts and breaks its fast at the same time.
Fasting also provides a great opportunity for those who are calling others
to Allaah. In this month many people come to the mosque who are
coming for the first time, or who have not been to the mosque for a long
time, and their hearts are open, so we must make the most of this
opportunity by preaching in a gentle manner, teaching appropriate lessons
and speaking beneficial words, whilst co -operating in righteousness and
good deeds. The dai’yah should not be so preoccupied with others that he
forgets his own soul and becomes like a wick that lights the way for
others while it is itself consumed.
Some aspects are obligatory (waajib) and others are recommended
(mustahabb).
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 (peace and
blessings of Allaah 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).
Not delaying iftaar, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “The people will be fine so long as they do not delay
iftaar.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 4/198).
Breaking one's fast in the manner described in the hadeeth narrated by
Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah 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).
After iftaar, reciting the words reported in the hadeeth narrated by Ibn
‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both), according to which the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when he broke his
fast, would say: “Dhahaba al-zama’, wa’btallat al-‘urooq, wa thabat al
ajru in sha Allaah (Thirst is gone, veins are flowing again, and the reward
is certain, in sha Allaah).” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 2/765; its isnaad
wasclassed as hasan by al-Daaraqutni, 2/185).
Keeping away from sin, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “When any of you is fasting, let him not
commit sin…” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 1904). The Prophet
(peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does not
stop speaking falsehood and acting in accordance with it, Allaah has no
need of him giving up his food and drink.” (Al -Bukhaari, al-Fath, no.
1903). The person who is fasting should avoid all ki nds of haraam
actions, such as backbiting, obscenity and lies, otherwise his reward may
all be lost. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“It may be that a fasting person gets nothing from his fast except hunger.”
(Reported by Ibn Maajah, 1/539; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/453).
Among the things that can destroy one’s hasanaat (good deeds) and bring
sayi’aat (bad deeds) is allowing oneself to be distracted by quiz -shows,
soap operas, movies and sports matches, idle gatherings, hanging about in
the streets with evil people and time -wasters, driving around for no
purpose, and crowding the streets and sidewalks, so that the months of
tahajjud, dhikr and worship, for many people, becomes the month of
sleeping in the day so as to avoid feeling hungry, thus missing their
prayers and the opportunity to pray them in congregation, then spending
their nights in entertainment and indulging their desires. Some people
even greet the month with feelings of annoyance, thinking only of the
pleasures they will miss out on. In Ramadaan, some people travel to
kaafir lands to enjoy a holiday! Even the mosques are not free from such
evils as the appearance of women wearing makeup and perfume, and
even the Sacred House of Allaah is not free of these ills. Some pe ople
make the month a season for begging, even though they are not in need.
Some of them entertain themselves with dangerous fireworks and the
like, and some of them waste their time in the markets, wandering around
the shops, or sewing and following fashi ons. Some of them put new
products and new styles in their stores during the last ten days of the
month, to keep people away from earning rewards and hasanaat.
Not allowing oneself to be provoked, because the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If someone fights him or insults
him, he should say, ‘I am fasting, I am fasting.’” (Reported by al
Bukhaari and others. Al-Fath, no. 1894) One reason for this is to remind
himself, and another reason is to remind his adversary. But anyone who
looks at the conduct of many of those who fast will see something quite
different. It is essential to exercise self -control and be calm, but we see
the opposite among crazy drivers who speed up when they hear the
adhaan for Maghrib.
(*) Not eating too much , because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “The son of Adam fills no worse vessel than
his stomach.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2380; he said, this is a hasan
saheeh hadeeth). The wise person wants to eat to live, not live t o eat. The
best type of food is that which is there to be used, not that which is there
to be served. But people indulge in making all kinds of food (during
Ramadaan) and treating food preparation as a virtual art form, so that
housewives and servants spend all their time on making food, and this
keeps them away from worship, and people spend far more on food
during Ramadaan than they do ordinarily. Thus the month becomes the
month of indigestion, fatness and gastric illness, where people eat like
gluttons and drink like thirsty camels, and when they get up to pray
Taraaweeh, they do so reluctantly, and some of them leave after the first
two rak’ahs.
(*) Being generous by sharing knowledge, giving money, using one’s
position of authority or physical strength to help others, and having a
good attitude. Al-Bukhaari and Muslim reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most generous of people [in
doing good], and he was most generous of all in Ramadaan when Jibreel
met with him, and he used to meet him every night in Ramadaan and
teach him the Qur’aan. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was more generous in doing good than a blowing
wind.” (Reported by al -Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 6). How can people
exchange generosity for stinginess and action for laziness, to the extent
that they do not do their work properly and do not treat one another
properly, and they use fasting as an excuse for all this.
Combining fasting with feeding the poor is one of the means of reaching
Paradise, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “In Paradise there are rooms whose outside can be seen from the
inside and the inside can be seen f rom the outside. Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“What is meant is that he should feed him until he is satisfied.” (Al
Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah, p. 109).
A number of the Salaf (may Allaah have mercy on them) preferred the
poor over themselves when feeding them at the time of iftaar. Among
these were ‘Abd -Allaah ibn ‘Umar, Maalik ibn Deenaar, Ahmad ibn
Hanbal and others. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar would not break his fast
unless there were orphans and poor people with him.
with the taqwa mentioned by Allaah in the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning):
“… that you may become al-muttaqoon (the pious).” [al-Baqarah 2:183]
The interpretation of this is that if a person refrains from halaal things
hoping to earn the pleasure of Allaah and out of fear of His punishment, it
will be easier for him to refrain from doing haraam things.
If a person’s stomach is hungry, this will keep many of his other faculties
from feeling hunger or desires; but if his stomach is satisfied, his tongue,
eye, hand and private parts will start to feel hungry. Fasting leads to the
defeat of Shaytaan; it controls desires and protects one’s faculties.
When the fasting person feels the pangs of hunger, he experiences how
the poor feel, so he has compassion towards them and gives them
something to ward off their hunger. Hearing about them is not the same
as sharing their suffering, just as a rider does not understand the hardship
of walking unless he gets down and walks.
Fasting trains the will to avoid desires and keep away from sin; it helps a
person to overcome his own nature and to wean himself away from his
habits. It also trains a person to get used to being organized and punctual,
which will solve the problem that many people have of being
disorganized, if only they realized.
Fasting is also a demonstration of the unity of the Muslims, as the ummah
fasts and breaks its fast at the same time.
Fasting also provides a great opportunity for those who are calling others
to Allaah. In this month many people come to the mosque who are
coming for the first time, or who have not been to the mosque for a long
time, and their hearts are open, so we must make the most of this
opportunity by preaching in a gentle manner, teaching appropriate lessons
and speaking beneficial words, whilst co -operating in righteousness and
good deeds. The dai’yah should not be so preoccupied with others that he
forgets his own soul and becomes like a wick that lights the way for
others while it is itself consumed.
Some aspects are obligatory (waajib) and others are recommended
(mustahabb).
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 (peace and
blessings of Allaah 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).
Not delaying iftaar, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “The people will be fine so long as they do not delay
iftaar.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 4/198).
Breaking one's fast in the manner described in the hadeeth narrated by
Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah 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).
After iftaar, reciting the words reported in the hadeeth narrated by Ibn
‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both), according to which the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when he broke his
fast, would say: “Dhahaba al-zama’, wa’btallat al-‘urooq, wa thabat al
ajru in sha Allaah (Thirst is gone, veins are flowing again, and the reward
is certain, in sha Allaah).” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 2/765; its isnaad
wasclassed as hasan by al-Daaraqutni, 2/185).
Keeping away from sin, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “When any of you is fasting, let him not
commit sin…” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 1904). The Prophet
(peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does not
stop speaking falsehood and acting in accordance with it, Allaah has no
need of him giving up his food and drink.” (Al -Bukhaari, al-Fath, no.
1903). The person who is fasting should avoid all ki nds of haraam
actions, such as backbiting, obscenity and lies, otherwise his reward may
all be lost. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“It may be that a fasting person gets nothing from his fast except hunger.”
(Reported by Ibn Maajah, 1/539; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/453).
Among the things that can destroy one’s hasanaat (good deeds) and bring
sayi’aat (bad deeds) is allowing oneself to be distracted by quiz -shows,
soap operas, movies and sports matches, idle gatherings, hanging about in
the streets with evil people and time -wasters, driving around for no
purpose, and crowding the streets and sidewalks, so that the months of
tahajjud, dhikr and worship, for many people, becomes the month of
sleeping in the day so as to avoid feeling hungry, thus missing their
prayers and the opportunity to pray them in congregation, then spending
their nights in entertainment and indulging their desires. Some people
even greet the month with feelings of annoyance, thinking only of the
pleasures they will miss out on. In Ramadaan, some people travel to
kaafir lands to enjoy a holiday! Even the mosques are not free from such
evils as the appearance of women wearing makeup and perfume, and
even the Sacred House of Allaah is not free of these ills. Some pe ople
make the month a season for begging, even though they are not in need.
Some of them entertain themselves with dangerous fireworks and the
like, and some of them waste their time in the markets, wandering around
the shops, or sewing and following fashi ons. Some of them put new
products and new styles in their stores during the last ten days of the
month, to keep people away from earning rewards and hasanaat.
Not allowing oneself to be provoked, because the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If someone fights him or insults
him, he should say, ‘I am fasting, I am fasting.’” (Reported by al
Bukhaari and others. Al-Fath, no. 1894) One reason for this is to remind
himself, and another reason is to remind his adversary. But anyone who
looks at the conduct of many of those who fast will see something quite
different. It is essential to exercise self -control and be calm, but we see
the opposite among crazy drivers who speed up when they hear the
adhaan for Maghrib.
(*) Not eating too much , because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “The son of Adam fills no worse vessel than
his stomach.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2380; he said, this is a hasan
saheeh hadeeth). The wise person wants to eat to live, not live t o eat. The
best type of food is that which is there to be used, not that which is there
to be served. But people indulge in making all kinds of food (during
Ramadaan) and treating food preparation as a virtual art form, so that
housewives and servants spend all their time on making food, and this
keeps them away from worship, and people spend far more on food
during Ramadaan than they do ordinarily. Thus the month becomes the
month of indigestion, fatness and gastric illness, where people eat like
gluttons and drink like thirsty camels, and when they get up to pray
Taraaweeh, they do so reluctantly, and some of them leave after the first
two rak’ahs.
(*) Being generous by sharing knowledge, giving money, using one’s
position of authority or physical strength to help others, and having a
good attitude. Al-Bukhaari and Muslim reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most generous of people [in
doing good], and he was most generous of all in Ramadaan when Jibreel
met with him, and he used to meet him every night in Ramadaan and
teach him the Qur’aan. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was more generous in doing good than a blowing
wind.” (Reported by al -Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 6). How can people
exchange generosity for stinginess and action for laziness, to the extent
that they do not do their work properly and do not treat one another
properly, and they use fasting as an excuse for all this.
Combining fasting with feeding the poor is one of the means of reaching
Paradise, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “In Paradise there are rooms whose outside can be seen from the
inside and the inside can be seen f rom the outside. Allaah 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 Allaah 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 Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“What is meant is that he should feed him until he is satisfied.” (Al
Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah, p. 109).
A number of the Salaf (may Allaah have mercy on them) preferred the
poor over themselves when feeding them at the time of iftaar. Among
these were ‘Abd -Allaah ibn ‘Umar, Maalik ibn Deenaar, Ahmad ibn
Hanbal and others. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar would not break his fast
unless there were orphans and poor people with him.
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