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Virtues of the Month of Ramadan
Author : His Eminence the Grand Mufti
Date Added : 25-07-2013

 

In the Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, the Compassionate

His Eminence the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abd Al-Karim Al-Khasawneh

 

 

Muslims rejoice at the approach of the month of Ramadan, and announce their joy and happiness at its arrival, because it is a month replete with benefits, full of acts of obedience; good deeds in it are doubled, standings in it are elevated, and hearts in it are filled with piety; spirits are purified; he who is fasting does not commit any obscenity, and does not shout, and does not meet bad deeds with bad deeds; rather she/he forgives and pardons, and stops her/his tongue from backbiting and lying and quarrelling, and stops his body organs from committing acts of disobedience and sin.

 

Al-Baydawi said: "The validity of fasting does not mean only hunger and thirst, but rather the breaking of appetites which follows, and the subjugation of the spirit which is inclined towards evil; for if one does not attain this, Allah will not look upon him with acceptance, and this is the meaning of the saying of the Prophet (PBUH): "Anyone who does not forsake false speech (lying, ignorance, and foolishness), then Allah has no desire for him to forsake his food and drink." [Bukhari].

In order to achieve that, we must be cognizant of the virtues of the month of Ramadan:

First: The blessed month of Ramadan is considered one of the best months of the year, because in it Allah sent down the Quran. Allah Said (What means): "The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion." [Al-Baqarah/185].  So Allah, The Exalted singled out this month for this act of worship (reading the Quran), just as He singled it out by revealing the Quran during it as a guide for the people.

 

Second: In it is the Night of Power (Laylat-Al Qadr), which is a blessed night which Allah has preferred over all other days and months, because of the lights and sacred manifestations it contains, and the divine gifts, which Allah bestows upon his faithful worshippers, in honor of the revelation of the Quran. Gabriel and other angels descend to the Earth by order of their Lord, for the sake of every matter Allah has ordained and predetermined for that year until the next, and this is the second aspect of its preference. In addition, the third aspect is in The Words of Allah, the verse reads (What means): "Peace it is until the emergence of dawn." [Al-Qadr/5].  Which means: it is peace from its first day hours until the emergence of dawn.

 

Third: In Ramadan, the gates of Heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are shut.  The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: "When Ramadan comes, the gates of Jannah are opened, and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils (Shayateen) are chained up." [Agreed upon.]  The Qadi Ayyad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It seems likely that it is, at face value and in reality, and that all of this is a sign for the angels of the beginning of the month and for the glorification of its sanctity, and to prevent the devils from harming the faithful, and it seems likely that it could be a reference to the great amount of penitence and pardon, and that the devils reduce their temptations and become like the trustworthy ones."

Fourth: Fasting is a bodily act of worship connected to Allah; because of this, Allah has dedicated himself to recompense for this act of worship.  Abu Hureyra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: "Allah The Almighty Said: "Every act of a son of Adam is for himself, except for fasting, which is for Me, and I shall reward him for it."  [Agreed upon].  Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It is said that the reason it (fasting) is connected to Allah is that no one but him is worshipped through it; the disbelievers (Kuffaar) in the ages before Islam did not glorify any of their objects of worship by fasting, but they did worship them (their idols and deities) by means of prayer (Salaat) and prostration (Sujood) and charity and remembrance (Thikr) and other means."  It is also said: because fasting is distanced from showing off and insincerity due to the fact, it is hidden, unlike prayer, Hajj (Offering pilgrimage to The House of Allah, Kaaba'), Jihad, charity and other visible acts of worship.

Fifth: One of the gates of Heaven is reserved for those who fast; Heaven has eight gates, one of which is called Al-Rayyan, and no one enters it except for those who fasted, as shown by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him): (There is a gate in Jannah called Al-Rayyan, through which those who fasted will enter on the Day of Judgement (Yawm Al-Qiyamah), and no one will enter with them who is not one of them, and someone said: Where are those who fast? And they enter by that gate, and when the last of them enters it is locked and no Al-Rey (quenching of thirst), which is appropriate for the situation of those who are fasting. 

Al-Qurtubi said: "Content yourself with the remembrance of the quenching of thirst instead of eating your fill, because it is evidenced by it insofar as it makes it necessary, or because it is more difficult for the fasting person than hunger."

Sixth: In this blessed month gifts abound, and charity increases, following the example of the Prophet (PBUH).  Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated: "The Messenger (PBUH) was the most generous of people, and he was the most generous of all in Ramadan, when Gabriel met him; he would meet him (the Prophet) every night in Ramadan and teach him the Quran, and indeed the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was more generous than the blowing wind." [Agreed upon].  This hadith contains numerous points of interest, among them: the desirability of increased generosity in Ramadan; increasing generosity and good works when meeting the righteous and the result of parting from them because of the influence of encountering them; and the desirability of studying the Quran in this month.

Seventh: People frequently perform the Night Prayer (Qiyaam Al-Layl) in this blessed month: they pray Taraweeh, which jurists agree is a confirmed act of Prophetic Sunnah for men and women alike.  Abu Hureyra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, liked to make night prayers in Ramadan (and for others to do the same), but he did not command them to do it as a duty, and he said: (Whoever prays the night prayers in Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven).  Then the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, died, and the matter remained there." [Moslim].

 

The meaning of ( من غير ان يأمرهم بعزيمة Min Ghayr an Ya'muruhum Bi 'Azeemah), translated here as "without commanding them to do it as a duty." is: he did not give them a command that was obligatory and unavoidable, but rather a command that could be followed as desired.

The meaning of (ايمانا Imaanan), translated here as "out of faith" is: believing in the promise of Allah that there will be a reward for it.

The meaning of ( احتسابا Ihtisaaban), translated here as 'in the hope of reward,' is: requesting reward ( اجر Ajr) and not for the purpose of pretension or dissimulation and the like. [Kindly refer to: Al-Nawawi's explanation of the Sahih Moslim]. 

 

And all perfect praise is be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.

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Summarized Fatawaa

How to perform the witr prayer in terms of connection (wasl) and separation (fasl)?

 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The Witr prayer has several forms that vary in terms of virtue:
 
The First Form: Separating every two units (rak‘ah) with a Tashahhud and a Taslim (salutation). This is superior to connecting the units, even if it is only a single rak‘ah. This is based on the Hadith of ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray eleven units between the end of the ‘Isha prayer and dawn, performing the Taslim after every two units and performing Witr with a single unit.' (Related by al-Bukhari & Muslim).
 
The Second Form: Connecting the units with only one final Tashahhud at the very end.
 
The Third Form: Connecting with two Tashahhuds—meaning reciting the Tashahhud before the final unit without performing the Taslim, then standing to complete the final unit. This form is considered the lowest in rank so that the Witr prayer remains distinct from the obligatory Maghrib prayer, as stated in the Hadith: 'Do not make the Witr resemble the Maghrib prayer.' (Narrated by Al-Daraqutni, who stated its narrators are trustworthy).
 
It is stated in Bushra al-Karim Sharh al-Muqaddimah al-Hadramiyyah: 'It is permissible to connect [the Witr] with one Tashahhud in the final unit—which is better—or with two Tashahhuds in the last two units, as both methods are established in Sahih Muslim from the actions of the Prophet ﷺ. In the connected method, more than two Tashahhuds are prohibited. Furthermore, separating (al-Fasl) is better than connecting (al-Wasl) if the number of units is the same, because the Hadiths supporting it are more numerous and it involves more devotional actions.' And Allah the Exalted knows best."

What are the Sunnahs and etiquettes related to the slaughtering of an animal?

 

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
1-Avoid terrifying the animal before it is slaughtered.
 
2-Do not slaughter the animal in front of others of its kind.
 
3-Offer water to the animal before the sacrifice.
 
4-Sharpen the knife thoroughly prior to slaughtering to ensure the cut is made as quickly and cleanly as possible. This is in accordance with the statement of our Master, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, has prescribed excellence (Ihsan) in all things. So when you kill, kill well; and when you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each of you sharpen his blade, and let him put his sacrificial animal at ease." (Narrated by Muslim)
 
Do not begin skinning the carcass until you are absolutely certain that the animal has completely passed away.
 
Slaughter cattle, sheep, and goats while they are lying down on their left side, facing the Qiblah (direction of prayer). Leave the right leg untied so the animal can move it, helping it rest more easily during its final moments. For camels, however, the preferred method (Nahr) is to slaughter them while they are standing up, with their left knee tied. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

Is it permissible to slaughter a single sheep with the combined intention of both the uḍḥiyyah and the 'aqīqah?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
According to Shaykh al-Islām Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, it is not permissible to combine the intention of the uḍḥiyyah and the 'aqīqah in a single animal, as each of the two has a distinct and separate cause that differs from the other.
However, Shaykh al-Islām Imam al-Ramlī permitted the combining of both intentions in a single animal — and this position offers a degree of latitude and ease. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is the Saying "Whatever is Taken by the Sword of Shyness is Forbidden" an Authentic Ḥadīth?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The saying "Whatever is taken by the sword of shyness is forbidden" is not an authentic ḥadīth, though its underlying meaning is sound. The established sharʿī principle is that a Muslim's wealth is not lawful for anyone to take except with his wholehearted consent, as Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent." [Al-Nisā/ 29] And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Listen to me and you will live well: do not wrong others, do not wrong others, do not wrong others. Indeed, a man's wealth is not lawful except with his full, willing consent." (Reported by Aḥmad in his Musnad.) Whatever is taken through the pressure of shyness or social embarrassment runs directly counter to genuine, wholehearted consent.
The jurists have explicitly stated that whatever is taken by means of the "sword of shyness" carries the same ruling as that which is taken by coercion — it must be returned to its rightful owner.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states in al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā (Vol.3/P.30): "Do you not see the reported scholarly consensus that whoever has something taken from him purely out of shyness, without his genuine consent, does not pass ownership of it to the one who took it? They reasoned that this constitutes a form of coercion through the 'sword of shyness,' comparable to coercion at the point of an actual sword. Indeed, many people would rather submit to the literal sword and endure the pain of its wound than submit to this first kind of coercion, out of fear for their dignity and standing — which people of sound judgment hold dear and guard most fiercely." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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