In the next
48 hours, we would have been in the month of ramadan, Insha
Allah.
The following
are necessary points you need to know before Ramadan starts. Take your time to
study them carefully. May both the writer and the readers benefit in this work
here on earth and in the hereafter. amin
Supplication
at the Sight of the Crescent (At the outset of Every Lunar Month)
Talhah bin
Ubaidullah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: At the sight of the new
moon (of the lunar month), the Prophet (PBUH) used to
supplicate:
اللَّهُمَّ أَهِلَّهُ علَيْنَا بِالأَمْنِ والإِيمَانِ وَالسَّلامَةِ
والإِسْلامِ رَبِّي ورَبُّكَ اللَّه هِلالُ رُشْدٍ
"Allahumma ahillahu
`alaina bil-amni wal-iman, was-salamati wal- Islam, Rabbi wa
Rabbuk-Allah, Hilalu rushdin wa khairin (O Allah, let this moon appear on us
with security and Iman; with safety and Islam. (O moon!) Your Rubb and mine is
Allah. May this moon be bringing guidance and good).''
[At-Tirmidhi].
Commentary:
After sighting
the moon, one should recite the prayer which
was recited by the Prophet (PBUH).
was recited by the Prophet (PBUH).
Merit of
Suhur (Predawn meal in Ramadan) and the Excellence of Delaying having it till
before Dawn
Anas (May Allah
be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Eat Suhur (predawn
meal). Surely, there is a blessing in Suhur.''
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
Commentary:
This Hadith tells
us that Suhur is Masnun (Sunnah of the
Prophet (PBUH)), even if one
takes a small quantity of food. This meal is blessed and maintains one's energy
and vitality during Saum. Against this, if a person goes to sleep after taking
his dinner to save himself from the inconvenience of getting up before dawn or
takes Suhur early will be, on one side, disobeying Messenger of Allah (PBUH),
while on the other side, he will be feeling hunger and thirst very early and
very much as he himself has increased the period of fasting by not taking the
Suhur. Subhanaallah! How the weaknesses of man have been taken into account in
the teachings of Islam while suitable provision has been provided to overcome
them!
`Amr bin Al-`As
(May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,
"The
difference between our observance of Saum (fasting) and that of the people of
the Scriptures is Suhur (predawn meal in
Ramadan).''
[Muslim].
Commentary:
We learn from
this Hadith that Suhur is a distinctive mark with which Allah has blessed the
Muslim Ummah.
The time between
suhur and fajr
Zaid bin Thabit
(May Allah be pleased with him) reported: We took Suhur
(predawn meal) with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and then we stood up for
(Fajr) Salat (prayer). It was asked:
"How long was
the gap between the two?'' He replied:
"The time
required for the recitation of fifty Ayat.''
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim].
Commentary:
We learn from
this Hadith that Suhur should be taken towards the end of its timing. This is
the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). One should, however, take care that it is done
before dawn.
Ibn `Umar (May
Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) had two
Mu'adhdhin: Bilal and Ibn Umm Maktum (May Allah be pleased with them). The
Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Bilal proclaims Adhan
[call to Salat (prayer)] at fag end of night, so eat and drink till Ibn Umm
Maktum pronounces Adhan.'' Ibn `Umar (May
Allah be pleased with them) added: And the gap between their Adhan was not more
than the time spent in one's getting down and the other's climbing (the
minaret).
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
Commentary:
We learn from
this Hadith that in the days of the Prophet (PBUH) there used to be two
Mu'adhdhin and two Adhan in the morning. The first Adhan was meant to warn the
people who were taking the Suhur meals that the time for the Suhur was about to
finish and they should make preparation for Fajr prayer. Soon after that there
was a second Adhan by another Mu'adhdhin which signified that the time for food
was finished and people should attend to Salat. This practice was, however,
terminated later so much so that we do not find it even in the times of the
Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) and that of At-Tabi`un (the successors
of the Prophet's Companions) and
Tabi`ut-Tabi`in (the followers of the Successors). In any case, this practice
can be revived. So far, the question of time between the two Adhan is concerned,
`Ulama' have stated that after announcing the
Adhan, Bilal used to be engaged in prayer, etc., and waited for the
daybreak. When the time for the daybreak drew near, he would then come down and
inform Ibn Umm Maktum who would then make Wudu', and then proceed to call the
Adhan at the beginning of the daybreak. (Ibn
Allan).
The
Superiority of Hastening to Break the Fast, and the supplication to say upon Breaking
it
Sahl bin Sa`d
(May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,
"People will
continue to adhere to good as long as they hasten to break the Saum
(fasting).''
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
Commentary:
"Adhere to
good'' here means
welfare of the religion as well as that of this world. Breaking the Saum early
does not mean that it is terminated before the prescribed time. What it really
means is without any delay after the sunset. One should not delay it for the
mere reason that the rigour one has gone through in the Saum should be enhanced
further, as is done by some Sufi. There is no merit in such things because the
real merit lies in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). Welfare of the
Muslims will, therefore, come in the share of the Muslims because of their
following the Prophet's Sunnah of breaking the Saum in the early moments of the
prescribed time.
Abu Atiyyah (May
Allah be pleased with him) reported: Masruq and I visited `Aishah (May Allah be
pleased with her) and said: "O Mother of the
Believers! There are two Companions of Muhammad (PBUH) and neither
of them holds back from doing good acts; but one
of them hastens to break Saum (fasting) and hastens to perform the Maghrib
prayer, while the other delays breaking Saum and delays performing Salat
(prayer).'' She asked, "Who is the one who hastens to break Saum and perform the
Maghrib prayer?'' Masruq said, "It is `Abdullah (meaning `Abdullah bin
Mas`ud).'' She said, "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to do so.''
[Muslim]
Commentary:
This
Hadith points out the practice of the Prophet (PBUH) of breaking the Saum and
performing the Maghrib prayer in the early moments of the prescribed
time.
Abu Hurairah (May
Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,
"Allah the Most
High says: `From amongst my slaves, the quicker the one is in breaking the Saum
(fasting), the dearer is he to me.'''
[At-Tirmidhi]
Commentary:
The
person who breaks the Saum in its early time is best loved by Allah because he
is a true follower of the Prophet (PBUH)
`Umar bin
Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah
(PBUH) said:
"When the night
approaches from this side (i.e., the east) and the day retreats from that side
(i.e., west) and the sunsets, then it is time for a person observing Saum
(fasting) to break his fast.''
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
Commentary:
The
words "break his
fast'' can be
interpreted in two ways. First, it is time to break the
Saum.
Second, the Saum
has reached its end. Whether one eats or not the Saum is over because it comes
to a close with sunset. Thus, the time for Saum has been determined that it
begins with the daybreak and ends at sunset. Any increase in this time is
exaggeration which is disliked by Allah.
Abu Ibrahim
`Abdullah bin Abu Aufa (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: We were with
the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) on a journey and he was observing Saum (fasting).
When the sun set, he (PBUH) said to a person, "Dismount and
prepare the ground roasted barley drink for us.'' Upon this
he replied, "O Messenger of Allah, there is daylight still.'' The Messenger of
Allah (PBUH) said, "Get down and
prepare barley drink for us.'' He said,
"But it is still daytime.'' The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) again said to him,
"Get
down and prepare barely drink for
us.'' So he got
down and prepared a barley liquid meal for him. The Prophet (PBUH) drank that
and then said, "When you perceive
the night approaching from that side, a person observing Saum (fasting) should
break the fast.'' And he
(PBUH) pointed towards the east with his hand.
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
Commentary:
This Hadith
stresses that Saum must be broken soon after sunset and without
delay.
What is good to
break fast with
Salman bin
`Amir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (PBUH)
saying, "When one of you
breaks his Saum (fasting), let him break it on dates; if he does not have any,
break his fast with water for it is pure.''
[Abu
Dawud].
Anas (May Allah
be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to break his
Saum (fasting) before performing Maghrib prayer with three fresh date-fruits; if
there were no fresh date-fruits, he will eat three dry dates; and if there were
no dry date-fruits; he would take three draughts of
water.
[At-Tirmidhi].
Commentary:
It
is well to keep the priorities of things mentioned in the Hadith as one gets the
reward of following the Sunnah in breaking his Saum.
Safeguarding
As-Saum (The Fast)
Abu Hurairah
(May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,
"When
any one of you is observing Saum (fasting) on a day, he should neither indulge
in obscene language nor should he raise the voice; and if anyone reviles him or
tries to quarrel with him he should say: `I am observing fast.'''
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
Commentary:
This Hadith has
already been mentioned and is repeated here for its being relevant to this
chapter. We learn from it that during Saum not only food, drink and sex are
prohibited but the improper use of the tongue and the other organs of the body
as well. When one is observing Saum, he should neither use abusive language nor
talk foolishly nor tell lies nor make obscene conversation nor indulge in
backbiting nor quarrel with anyone. If someone provokes him, he should keep
himself quiet and remember that he is observing Saum and he has to abstain from
such things. As far as possible, he should keep his tongue engaged in the
remembrance of Allah and recitation of the Qur'an.
Abu Hurairah
(May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "If one does not
eschew lies and false conduct, Allah has no need that he should abstain from his
food and his drink.''
[Al-Bukhari]
Commentary:
This Hadith
exhorts those observing Saum to fulfill all the requirements of fasting. One
should not conduct himself in such a manner that on the one side he observes
Saum and on the other he is fearless of Allah. To save himself from Allah's
Wrath and to get the reward of the fasts, one must abstain from all sorts of
vices, such as cheating, lying, backbiting, and using obscene language. The
threat held against such people in this Hadith should make them fear that their
Saum will go waste and they would be deprived of its reward. It does not mean
that such people should start eating and drinking during Saum but what is
intended is that they should save themselves from all kinds of sins so that they
may earn the reward of Saum.
Matters
relating to As-Saum (Fasting)
Abu Hurairah
(May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "If any one of you
forgetfully eats or drinks (while observing fasting) he should complete his Saum
(fasting), for Allah has fed him and given him to drink.''
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
Commentary:
This Hadith
tells us of a kindness and convenience of Islam that during the Saum if a person
inadvertently does any such thing which destroys his Saum, i.e., eating,
drinking, cohabitation with wife, etc., his Saum will remain intact due to
forgetfulness, provided one abandons the act as soon as he remembers that he is
observing Saum . He needs not make any expiation for such a
Saum.
Laqit bin
Sabirah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I requested the Messenger of
Allah (PBUH) to talk to me about ablution. He said, "Perform the Wudu'
well (by washing those parts of the body, such as the face,
hands and feet
beyond what is required, like washing the hands up to the upper-arm instead of
the elbow). Cleanse the base of your fingers and sniff water deep into the nose
except when you are observing fast.''
[Abu Dawud and
At-Tirmidhi]
Commentary:
Ordinarily, it
is necessary for Wudu' that one should pass water through the nose and rinse
mouth thoroughly. But when one is observing Saum, he has to take care that water
does not go down the throat through the nose as this nullifies the
Saum.
`Aishah (May
Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) would wake up
at Fajr time in a state of Janabah; so he would take bath before dawn and
observe fasting.
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
`Aishah, and
Umm Salamah (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah
(PBUH) would wake during Ramadan (fasting) in a state of major impurity without
a wet dream, but on account of sexual intercourse and he would take a bath
before dawn.
[Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
Commentary:
This Hadith
sometimes and the one preceding it inform us that when the Prophet (PBUH) would
awake in the morning and was in need of bath as a result of coition with his
wife, he would take Sahur in that condition and then take a bath and perform
Fajr prayer, because purification is essential for Salaat. This condition of
Janabah (impurity) occurred
without Ihtilam (wet
dream) and its cause
was coitus with his wife because, according
to a well-known saying, Ihtilam is the result of Satan's
suggestions from
which Prophets are safe.
may Allah accept all our
worship.
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