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* Forgiveness of sins
THE Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) urged that
one fasts in Ramadan, explaining its excellence and
high station, such that if the fasting person had
sins as many as the foam upon the sea, then they
would be forgiven for him through this pure and
blessed act of worship. From Abu Hurairah,
radiyallaahu anhu, from the Prophet who said: He who
fasts Ramadan, due to eemaan and hoping for reward
(from Allah) then his previous sins are forgiven.
From Abu Hurairah, radiyallaahu anhu, that the
Prophet climbed upon the mimbar (pulpit) and said:
Aameen [O Allah grant it], aameen, aameen. So it was
said, O Messenger of Allah, you climbed upon the
mimbar and said, aameen, aameen, aameen? So he said:
Indeed Jibraaeel, alayhis salaam, came to me and
said, Whoever reaches the month of Ramadan and does
not have [his sins] forgiven and so enters the Fire,
then may Allah distance him, say aameen So I said:
aameen ...
* That supplication (duaa) is answered and freedom
from the Fire is granted
He (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: 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 .
* He will be amongst the true followers of the
prophets and the martyrs
From Amr ibn Murrah al-Juhanee, radiyallaahu anhu,
who said: A man came to the Prophet and said: O
Messenger of Allah what if I testify that none has
the right to be worshipped but Allah and that you
are the Messenger of Allah, and I observe the five
daily prayers, and I pay the Zakat, and I fast and
stand in prayer in Ramadan, then amongst whom shall
I be? He said: Amongst the true followers of the
prophets and the martyrs.
* Warning Against Failing to Fast in Ramadan
Abu Umaamah al-Baahilee, radiyallaahu anhu, said: I
heard Allahs Messenger say: Whilst I was sleeping
two men came to me and took hold of my arms and
brought me to a steep mountain and said: climb so I
said: I am not able to. So they said: We will make
it easy for you. So I climbed until came to the
summit of the mountain where I heard terrible cries,
so I said: what are these cries? They said: That is
the howling of the people of the Fire. Then they
took me further on until came to a people who were
strung up by their hamstrings, with their jawbones
torn and flowing with blood, so I
said: who are these. He said: Those who break their
fast before the time at which they may do so.
As for what is reported that the Prophet said: He
who deliberately fails to fast a day of Ramadan even
if he were to fast forever it would not make up for
it.
* The Intention (An-Niyyah)
The obligation to have intention for the obligatory
fast before the appearance of the true dawn
When it is confirmed that the month of Ramadan has
commenced, then it is obligatory upon every Muslim
upon whom the Shariah rulings are binding to intend
to fast until the night, as the Prophet said: He who
does not resolve to fast before it is Fajr, then
there is no fast for him.
He also said: He who does not intend during the
night to fast, then there is no fast for him.
The place for the intention is the heart, to
pronounce it upon the tongue is an innovation (bidah)
and misguidance - even if the people think it to be
good. The necessity of having intention from the
night is particular to obligatory fasts since the
Messenger used to come to Aaisha, radiyallaahu anhaa,
at times other than Ramadan and say, Do you have any
food? If not, then I am fasting.
The like of this is reported from the practice of
the Companion: Abud-Dardaa, Abu Talhah, Abu Hurairah,
Ibn Abbaas and Hudaifah ibn al-Yamaan, radiyallaahu
anhum, and may Allah raise us up amongst them
beneath the flag of the nobles of the children of
Aadam.
So this refers to the optional fast and shows that
the obligation of having intention before the
appearance of the true drawn is for the obligatory
fast - and Allah the Most High knows best.
TIME FOR BEGINNING AND ENDING THE FAST
When the Companions of the unlettered Prophet
Muhammad (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) fasted and
the time for breaking the fast came, then they would
eat, drink and cohabit with their wives as long as
they didnt fall asleep. If one of them fell asleep
before eating the evening meal then it was not
permissible to do any of that until the next
evening. Then the Mercy of their Lord, the
All-Powerful, the Bestower, enveloped them and
allowance was made for them, and they were overjoyed
this is explained in the following hadith:
From al-Baraa, radiyallaahu anhu, who said: When the
companions of the Prophet fasted and it became time
to break the fast, if one of them slept before
eating, then he would not eat that night, nor the
next day until evening. Once Qays ibn Sirmah al-Ansaaree
was fasting, so when it was time to break the fast
he came to his wife and said to her, Do you have any
food? She said: No, but I will go and seek some for
you. He used to work during the day so sleep
overtook him, then his wife came and when she saw
him she said, You have missed it. Then in the middle
of the next day he fainted, and that was mentioned
to the Prophet, so this Aayah was sent down (which
means):
It is made lawful for you to have sexual relations
with your wives on the night of the fasts. So they
were overjoyed, and eat and drink until the white
thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from
the black thread (darkness of night).
was also sent down.
This is the cherishing mercy which the Most Kind and
Most Merciful gives abundantly to His humble
servants who say: We hear and we obey, we ask for
Your forgiveness our Lord, and to you we return.
The fast has a specified time - with specified
beginning and end and is from the appearance of Fajr
until the daytime ends, the night begins and the
suns disc is hidden by the horizon.
* The white thread and the black thread
When the aforementioned Aayah was sent down, some of
the Companions of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa
sallam) took black camel tethers and white ones and
placed them beneath their pillows, or (one) tied
them to his footand would continue eating and
drinking until he could distinguish them.
From Adiyy ibn Haatim, radiyallaahu anhu, who said:
When, Until the white thread appears to you distinct
from the black thread.
was sent down I took a black and a white camel
tether and placed them beneath my pillow, and during
the night I would look to see but they didnt appear
any different to each other, so in the morning I
went to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam)
and informed him, so he said: Rather it is the
blackness of night and the whiteness of dawn.
[Reported by al-Bukhaaree (4/11) and Muslim (no
1090). The narration apparently shows that Adiyy was
present when this Aayah was sent down, which means
that he was a Muslim at the time. However, this is
not the case, since fasting was made obligatory in
the second year after the Hijrah, and Adiyy accepted
Islam in the ninth or tenth year as occurs in
al-Isaabah (2/468). So either we say that the Aayah
was sent down very much later on and this is very
unlikely, or that explain the saying of Adiyy: When
it was sent down, to mean When I accepted Islam and
this Aayah was recited to me. And this is what is
correct due to the narration of Ahmad in his Musnad
(4/377): Allahs Messenger taught me the prayer and
fasting, he said: Pray such and such, and fast and
when the sun sets then eat and drink until the white
thread is clear to you from the black thread, and
fast for 30 days unless you see the new moon before
that so I took two threads of wool, one black and
one white ... (the hadith). abridged from
Fathul-Baaree (4/132-133).]
(*Taken from Fasting in Ramadan as observed by the
Prophet, by Shaikh
Saleem al-Hilaalee and Shaikh Alee Hasan Alee
Abdul-Hameed) |
