Fasting in the Month of Ramadan - Part 1

The pillars of Islam by which Islam is identified and upheld are:

1.     The Declaration of Faith - Kalimah syahadah - to testify that there is no God except Allah and    Muhammad is His Messenger

2.       Performing the Daily Prayers - the five daily  Solah

3.       Paying the Zakah – obligatory welfare dues or alms

4.       Sawm - Fasting in the month of Ramadan

5.       Pilgrimage to  Makkah, for those who are able to do so.

  

Fasting is obligatory upon Muslims in the month of Ramadan every year.

What is fasting?

It means to avoid eating and drinking and to abstain all matters which nullifies the fast. Fasting begins  at dawn (Fajr) and ends at dusk (Maghrib). We make the intention to fast and to follow the rules of fasting. This is done for the sake of Allah only.

Conditions for fasting:

Fasting is in the lunar month of Ramadan. We have a clear intention and we abstain from food, drink, sex and matters which nullify fasting during the daytime. A fasting person should be of sound mind, of a mature age to be able to differentiate good and bad, a Muslim and for women are those  who are not in menstruation or childbirth.

Islam is a religion of conviction and purpose based on sincere intentions. A fasting person is required to make intention to fast by generally conforming to the following : "I intend to fast tomorrow in the month of Ramadan because of Allah”. The intention is made on the night before dawn.

When do we begin fasting in the month of Ramadan?

Ramadan starts following the appearance, the sighting of the new moon (Hilal). Calculations (hisab) of the lunar calendar are used for determining it, in place of the sighting. Fasting begins at dawn (fajr) and breaking the fast is at sunset (maghrib) . The meal to break the fast is called iftar.

Conditions that nullify fasting (during the daytime):

•  Eating or drinking intentionally even if it is just a little. Unintentional actions or forgetfulness is excused.
• Inserting anything into the body’s orifices
• Intentionally vomiting
• Menstruation and  childbirth
• Insanity and apostasy
• Sexual relations

Hadith - sayings of the Messenger of Allah - Rasulullah s.a.w.:

“Whoever eats or drinks because of forgetfulness, fasting is not nullified.  It is  a blessing from Allah..”

Sunat - The added benefits,  encouraged and supererogatory deeds to perform beyond the required and expected degree:

• Eat Sahur- the pre dawn meal and to delay it to as close as approaching dawn
• To promptly break fast and read a prayer - do'a
•  Performig extra worship, pray solat tarawih, read more do'a,  perform more prayers - solat sun
• Increase good deeds and welfare work
• Give charity and being kind and benevolent as much as possible
•  Read and study the Qur’an
• Perform group recitation of Qur’an – tadarrus – mutual checking of proper recitation
• Provide meals to others especially the needy for iftar (breaking of fast)
• Abstain from immoral deeds and behaviour
• Avoid gurgling and teeth brushing (during the  daytime)
• Undergo a religious retreat in a Masjid,  carrying out -  iktikaf - staying in a mosque for the last 10 days of Ramadan
• Controlling anger and steadfastly  being patient

On anger management, the Messenger of Allah s.a.w. has taught us:

If people bother us, scorn, scold or make fun of us, our patient response and reply is : “I am fasting”. It may be difficult in many circumstances but this is most noble, being God conscious and a sign of strong faith – iman. Allah loves those who are patient and can control their anger

The character of a person who fasts according to a Hadith of Rasulullah s.a.w.:

"If a person fasts but still engages in lying and doing bad deeds, Allah has no need of the person’s fasting."

Rasulullah's kindness and generosity:

Rasulullah s.a.w. is the most generous person and his generosity is even more becoming in Ramadan. Rasulullah s.a.w. carries out lots of charitable work and does it as fast and rapid as the blustery wind

The fasting person is special and exceptional beyond comprehension in the sight of Allah swt:

According to a Hadith of Rasulullah s.a.w.:  “The unpleasant breath of a fasting person’s mouth is more precious to Allah than rich perfume.”

Those who are exempted from fasting but must be restituted, to make up the missed days (qada):

• The sick, the ill
• The traveler , those on journeys – Musafir
• The pregnant woman – if she fears her health or for sake of the baby’s wellbeing
• The nursing mother
• Women during menstruation or childbirth

Those who are excused from fasting  and  need not make up the missed days but  pay alms, instead - fidyah:

• The chronically ill, permanently incarcerated
•  The very old, the elderly
• 
  

The Sanctuary called Ramadan

Ramadan brings us back from the mundane and the ordinary ritualistic life, a respite, a ‘meaningful rest’ from the hectic materialism, away from worldly affairs. It is an escape and a spiritual retreat but without actually leaving or shunning the world. Everyday life goes on except that worldly pleasures and selfish desires are curtailed conscientiously. Self discipline suddenly then becomes a normal way of life. There seems to be a surge, a rejuvenation of sincerity, patience, compassion and resolve.

How can this be so? For one thing, the evil Syaitan, our arch enemy is actually or metaphorically out of the picture, being restrained from bothering mankind for the rest of the sacred month. Then, there are blessings which grace forgiveness, multiple and abundant increase in rewards for good deeds and performance of ibadah - worship, conflagration of awareness, self reflection and internal motivation as well as the feeling of community togetherness in a unison of faith and piety to Allah almighty.

Ramadan is a religious sanctuary, a spiritual haven, without having to migrate or to travel far away. We need not leave our troubles behind. No, instead, it is Ramadan which replenishes our soul, our inner self, our natural being, our fitrah –our inherent and innate nature - to come back stronger than ever in faith, in character and in good deeds. With faith, with taqwa - God conscientiousness, with much stronger will power, boosting our inner strengths, we shall overcome our concerns and anxieties. By fasting and observing all the enjoined activities, the obligatory and the supererogatory; our nafs, our self returns to a more purified state. Fasting imbues in us, trains us, disciplines us to be spiritually enlightened throughout night and day, to be in constant awareness, in deep remembrance, contemplating, reflecting, accumulating good deeds, rewards and achieving the ultimate goal of taqwa, the highest form of God consciousness.

Yes, we do indeed face tribulations, personally and as a nation, as an ummah. We are assailed from all sides in all manners of aggression be it in the form of raw power, aggression and brute strength, be it in the form of social and economic encroachment, depravity or strangulation, and the subtle invasion of our hearts and minds, trying to conquer our thoughts. It needs strong faith, resilience and mujahaddah – strive and struggle in upholding to Islam’s principles and sustaining the ummah’s - the Islamic community's dignity and integrity. One of the lessons and wisdom of Ramadan is to make Muslims feel the misery of the poor and to reflect and act upon them, to be grateful to Allah s.w.t. for His benevolence and to use what is granted to us in His service and to help others in need. We remember the sufferings of the Palestinians starving from Gaza to the tormented cries for help and salvation from the incarcerated in Guantanamo. Fasting brings about such realization and awakens us to the bitter fact and binds our togetherness in facing the challenges in front of us.

Ramadan wakes us up, reminds us of the momentous Night of Power – laylatul qadr, where the highest truth was revealed to our noble and cherished Prophet, Muhammad, our beloved, our leader, our guide, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him – s.a.w. The al Qur’an was revealed and it totally transformed mankind by connecting it to the highest order. By revealing the guidance towards true faith, the criterion, the measure, the principle, the standard to distinguish between good and evil, between those who are on the right path and those who are damned and are astray; there can be no doubt, no scepticism or reservation of Allah’s revelation and Islam’s message as hope and blessings for mankind.

Indeed, there are even attempts and orchestrations to induce the faithful to leave the faith. Conspiracies and strategies abound by Islam’s detractors to distort the religion, hoping that Muslims themselves will somehow implode in the self destruction of their iman - their faith by being dazed and confused through incessant devious assaults either openly through media or subtlety through disinformation and cloaked crafty educational programs. Orientalist thought is being rekindled and refashioned, being spread and championed in what is simply  a futile attempt ‘to eliminate Islam from the realm of public space’, to quote renowned scholar Uthman al Muhammady.

But the sparkle of Ramadan, the surge in remembrance and the height of taqwa shall be triumphant and shall overcome. The people of faith cherish and treasure truth and are very lovingly jealous of the deen - religion of Islam. No one shall be able to treat it lightly. Yes there were people in the past and there maybe some too at present who wish to regard lightly of Ramadan and of the associated spiritual activities. Some just carry on as usual, conducting some mundane activities at whatever time of day, even though, it is better and proper to prize and revere the limited time available to perform tarawih - night prayers or the recite the Quran and experience more of the spiritual pleasures and significance of fasting. Some only wish to observe the fast and the breaking of the fast, relegating it just to a time table shift in daily affairs. There are many in this world who still let the Night of Power just pass by without feeling any loss or even realizing its existence or significance altogether.

It is hoped that with a community wide consciousness, counsel, close support and exhortations from family and friends, that this time, we shall with the help of Allah s.w.t. and to Him only we seek help, we perform the utmost in our fasting and observance of Ramadan so that we shall attain the highest level of taqwa.

4 September 2007