Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Ramadan Duties
Ramadan, the month “in which the Holy Qur’an was sent down as a guide to mankind and as clear (signs) for guidance and judgment between right and wrong.” This month calls upon us, yet again, to reflect on our lives and judge for ourselves to what extent we have lived, and live, by the Divine Guidance.
True, we observe fast and attend night prayers. But do we, in the 11 interposing months, remember that while the fasting is “for a fixed number of days,” the spirit of self-discipline and the sense of mission that it is meant to instill in us are for the lifetime? And are we looking forward to this Ramadan as a new opportunity to recommit ourselves to a meaningful life, or as another yearly opportunity to relapse into a month of zombie days and gastronomic nights while deluding ourselves that we are pious?The Qur’an is quite specific about what fasting is for. It is neither to punish the body with thirst and hunger nor to indulge it with fat and sloth. “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may have taqwa.” Authentic commentators have translated the comprehensive word “taqwa” as “self-restraint” in its widest sense of guarding one’s tongue, hand and heart from evil and, hence it denotes righteousness, piety and good conduct.
Fasting and special prayers are an important part of Ramadan, defined as they are as our obligations to our Creator and Sustainer. Equally important are the duties He has placed on us as obligations to our fellow men and other living beings that share this planet with us and to the planet itself — the environment, water, air, vegetation and other bounties of nature. Ramadan is the time when we must rededicate ourselves to one of the basic principles of Islam — “Render unto each his due”: To the One God His due — worship to Him alone, and to His creations their due — their rights.
The test is: Have we been becoming, with every passing Ramadan, more conscious of our obligations to render these dues? Living in a society we acquire obligations — as parents or children, wives or husbands, neighbors or colleagues, employers or employees, rulers or ruled, compatriots or aliens, superiors or subordinates.
Beginning a verse with “It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces toward East or West,” the Qur’an defines righteousness as, among others, “... to spend your sustenance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask and for the freedom of slaves” and closes it with “(and) fulfill the contracts which ye have made.... Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing.”
An honest review will tell most of us that, the worst of our failures in every Ramadan have been our failure to “fulfill the contracts we have made” — specifically or by assumption — as citizens, public officials, employers, employed, or ordinary men and women.
We should remember that for the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions, Ramadan was a month of action, of fulfilling obligations — to their Lord and to their fellow creations. It cannot be anything less for us, if we hope to be “the People of Truth, the God-fearing.”
May Allah help us make it so.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
'Abdullah b. Amr b. al-As reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: When you hear the Mu'adhdhin, repeat what he says, then invoke a blessing on me, for everyone who invokes a blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allah; then beg from Allah al-Wasila for me, which is a rank in Paradise fitting for only one of Allah's servants, and I hope that I may be that one. If anyone who asks that I be given the Wasila, he will be assured of my intercession.
Muslim :: Book 4 : Hadith 747, The Book of Prayers (Kitab Al-Salat)
Muslim :: Book 4 : Hadith 747, The Book of Prayers (Kitab Al-Salat)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Ramadan Resources
Make this the best Ramadan you have ever had insha'Allaah!
This "Ramadan Resource" contain Important articles, lectures, book, website link and other resourceful information to prepare you for Ramadan so you are able to take maximum benefit from this Mubarak month. Please read the notes to gain more knowledge about Ramadan. InshaAllaah!Start Preparing for Ramadan! :D
"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious)." [Soorah al-Baqarah (2):183]
Source: http://blog.iloveallaah.com/2010/06/ramadan-resources/
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Fasting in Sha'baan
Shabaan :
Eighth Month of the Hijri Calendar
Aaishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: "The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allaah fasting for an entire month except in Ramadaan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Shabaan."(1)
"He used to fast all of Shabaan, he used to fast all but a little of Shabaan."(2)
A group of scholars, including Ibn al-Mubaarak and others, thought that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast all of Shabaan, but he fasted most of it. This is supported by a report narrated from Aaishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: "I never knew of him – meaning the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – fasting for any entire month apart from Ramadaan."(3)
Ibn Abbaas said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast any entire month apart from Ramadaan."(4)
Usaamah ibn Zayd (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: "I said, O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting in any other month like you fast in Shabaan.
He said, 'That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan, and it is a month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.'" (5)
Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "Fasting in Shabaan is better than fasting in the Sacred Months, and the best of voluntary fasts are those that are (observed in the months) closest to Ramadaan, before or after. The status of these fasts is like that of al-Sunan al-Rawaatib which are done before and after fard (prayers) and which make up for any shortfall in the number of obliagtory prayers. The same applies to fasts observed before and after Ramadaan. Just as al-Sunan al-Rawaatib are better than other kinds of voluntary prayers, so fasts observed (in the months) before and after Ramadaan are better than fasts at other times.
The phrase "Shabaan is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadaan" indicates that because it comes between two important months, the Sacred Month of Rajab and the month of fasting, people are preoccupied with those two months and they do not pay attention to Shabaan. Many people think that fasting in Rajab is better than fasting in Shabaan, because Rajab is one of the Sacred Months, but this is not the case.
Another benefit of fasting in Shabaan is that it is a kind of training for the Ramadaan fast, in case a person finds it difficult to fast when Ramadaan starts; if he fasts in Shabaan he will have gotten used to fasting and he will feel strong and energetic when Ramadaan comes.
Shabaan is like an introduction to Ramadaan and it has some things in common with Ramadaan, such as fasting, reciting Quraan and giving in charity.
Salamah ibn Suhayl used to say: "The month of Shabaan is the month of reciters (of the Quraan)."
Habeeb ibn Abi Thaabit used to say, when Shabaan came, "This is the month of reciters (of the Quraan)."
When Shabaan came, Amr ibn Qays al-Malaai used to close his store and devote his time to reading the Quraan.
Fasting at the end of Shabaan
It is makrooh to observe a voluntary fast one or two days before Ramadaan for those who do not habitually fast on those days and who have not previously fasted until the end of Shabaan.
It may be asked: why is it makrooh to fast just before Ramadaan (for those who do not have a prior habit of fasting)? The answer is that there are a number of reasons why this is so, such as:
Firstly: lest extra days be added to the fast of Ramadaan that are not part of it. Fasting on the day of Eid is prohibited for the same reason. For the same reason it is also forbidden to fast on the "day of doubt". Ammaar said: whoever fasts on this day has disobeyed Abul-Qaasim (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
The "day of doubt" is a day when people are not sure whether it is Ramadaan or not, when news of the sighting of the crescent moon comes from one whose word cannot be accepted. As for a cloudy day, some of the ulamaa said that this was also a "day of doubt" and said that fasting was not allowed on this day. This is the view of the majority.
Secondly: to make a distinction between fard (obligatory) fasts and naafil (supererogatory) fasts, because making a clear distinction between fard actions and naafil actions is prescribed in Islam. Hence it is haraam to fast on the day of Eid, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade following an obligatory prayer immediately with another prayer unless they are separated by saying salaam or speaking, especially in the case of the Sunnah prayer performed just before Fajr.
Some ignorant people may think that the reason why we do not fast just before Ramadaan is so that we can make the most of eating and have our fill of our desires before we have to deny ourselves by fasting. This is an ignorant mistake on the part of those who think this.
And Allaah knows best.
References:
Lataaif al-Ma'aarif fimaa li Mawaasim al-'Aam min al-Wazaa'if, by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali
Al-Ilmaan bi shay'in min Ahkaam al-Siyaam, by 'Abd al-'Azeez al-Raajihi
(1) Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1833; Muslim, 1956.
(2) Report narrated by Muslim (no. 1957).
(3) Saheeh Muslim (no. 1954).
(4) Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 1971, and Muslim, no. 1157.
(5) Narrated by al-Nasaa'i, see Saheeh al-Targheeb wa'l-Tarheeb, page 425.
(6) Narrated by al-Nasaa'i, see Saheeh al-Targheeb wa'l-Tarheeb, p. 425
By Shaykh Salih Munajjid
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