Articles

Negative Aspects Emanating from some Fasting Individuals during the Holy Month of Ramadan
Author : Dr. Mahmoud Muhaidat
Date Added : 22-08-2023

Negative Aspects Emanating from some Fasting Individuals during the Holy Month of Ramadan

 

 

Many negative aspects emanate from some of the fasting individuals during the holy month of Ramadan. These can prevent them from achieving the ultimate goal for which fasting was prescribed in the first place: piety. Allah, the Almighty, says {What means}: "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,- "{Al-Baqarah, 183}. Therefore, it is essential to avoid these negative aspects so as not to miss out on attaining piety. Here, dear fasting brothers, are some of these aspects:

 

Firstly, neglecting the mosques in the Maghrib prayer:

 

Many of our mosques lament the fact that their attendees abandon them during the Maghrib prayer, using the excuse of breaking their fast with their families, impatience of the young ones, the presence of guests, and other justifications that do not render the congregational prayer invalid. This leads them to neglect the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

 

Secondly, being oblivious to following the Mu'adhin during the Maghrib adhan and becoming preoccupied with Iftar:

 

The fasting person deprives himself or herself of this great virtue. Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "When you hear the call to prayer, repeat what the Mu'adhin says." {Transmitted by Bukhari}. Jabir ibn Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "When you hear the call to prayer, say, 'O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and established prayer, grant Mohammad the intercession and favor, and raise him to the honored station You have promised him. It will be a means of mediation for him on the Day of Resurrection." {Transmitted by Bukhari}.

 

Thirdly, delaying the breaking of the fast until the Adhan is finished:

 

This practice stems from excessive caution to ensure the sunset and it falls under the category of religious extremism. Abdullah bin Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Those who are extreme have perished." He repeated it three times. {Transmitted by Muslim}.

 

Fourthly, a decrease in enthusiasm after a few days of Ramadan:

 

Some worshippers exert very little effort. You might find them attending Taraweeh prayers for a day or two, or perhaps a single week at the beginning of Ramadan. However, their zeal dwindles, their determination wanes, and they stop praying Taraweeh for the remainder of the month. Had they focused on performing Taraweeh prayers more towards the end of the month than at the beginning, it would have been closer to the Sunnah, and they might have caught the virtue of Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree). Allah, the Exalted, says {What means}: "The Night of Power is better than a thousand months." {Al-Qadr, 3). The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Search for the Night of Decree in the last ten nights of Ramadan." {Transmitted by Bukhari & Muslim}.

 

Narrated by Aisha, the Mother of the Believers: "The Messenger of Allah used to strive [in worship] during Ramadan more than he strove [in worship] at any other time, and he would exert himself in worship during the last ten nights of Ramadan more than he would at any other time."{Transmitted by Muslim}.

 

Fifthly, breaking the fast while engaging in sin:

 

One of the trials we face during Ramadan is the spread of forbidden programs in the media, such as prohibited quizzes and degrading TV series. Adding to this are the mixed-gender Ramadan tents. Many fasting individuals break their fast either while watching these forbidden programs or in these mixed tents; fasting from what Allah has permitted and breaking their fast with what Allah has forbidden.

Moreover, many people mistakenly think that Ramadan is only during the daytime. They somewhat adhere to the ethics of fasting by lowering their gaze, refraining from backbiting and gossip, and increasing their worship during the day by reading the Quran and reciting supplications. However, once the Maghrib call to prayer is heard, they revert to their earlier habits of watching movies, TV series, and inappropriate programs, even the religious channels don't interest them except during the day. They believe that Ramadan is only during the daytime, as if there is no Ramadan at night.

 

This misconception needs to be corrected. Ramadan is a complete month, day and night. It is not restricted to the daytime alone; rather, Ramadan encompasses both day and night. It is essential for a Muslim to engage in obedience and avoid sin during Ramadan and beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

Article Number [ Previous | Next ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

How is the niṣāb (minimum threshold) of gold calculated when one owns gold of multiple different karats?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Zakāh is obligatory on cash and on gold designated for saving or for trade, provided the total reaches the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for Zakah), and a full ḥawl (lunar year) has elapsed over it. The niṣāb is (85) grams of 24-karat gold; for 21-karat gold, the niṣāb equals (97) grams; and for 18-karat gold, it equals (113) grams.
If one owns gold of multiple different karats, the person paying zakāh should calculate the monetary value of all the gold he owns, combining these values together to determine whether the total reaches the niṣāb. He then pays zakāh on this combined monetary value, once the total reaches the niṣāb. The relied-upon position is to calculate the zakāh based on the buying price [i.e., the price the gold merchant would pay the owner to purchase the gold from him] on the day the zakāh obligation is due. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

The imam recited a verse containing a prostration of recitation (*sajdat al-tilāwah*) but did not prostrate. After the imam's *salām*, a follower (*maʾmūm*) performed a prostration of forgetfulness (*sujūd al-sahw*) because the imam had not performed the prostration of recitation. Is it permissible to go against the imam in this way?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no sin on the imam if he omits the prostration of recitation (sujūd al-tilāwah), even deliberately. The maʾmūm (the one following the imam) is obliged to follow the imam in the prayer, so if the imam does not perform the prostration of recitation, it is not permissible for the follower to prostrate, because the imam is appointed only to be followed.
If the follower introduces a prostration after the imam’s salām but before his own salām, in a case where there is no prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw), his prayer is invalidated if he knew it to be prohibited. Otherwise, he is excused on account of his ignorance and his prayer is not invalidated.
It is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Imām al-Jamal ʿalā Fatḥ al-Wahhāb: “His statement: ‘So the omission of the hayʾāt (the non-essential sunnahs of the prayer) is not compensated for by prostration; if one prostrates for any of them deliberately, his prayer is invalidated, unless he is excused due to his ignorance.’”
Since this issue is one that is hidden from the laymen, as it is among the subtleties of knowledge, and the laymen are excused for ignorance of whatever is of such a nature, and their act of obedience is not invalidated because of it, it may be said that the prayer of one who has not acquired knowledge of this issue is not invalidated, with the necessity of learning the rulings remaining. As for after knowing it, the prayer is invalidated. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on the cessation of blood after (40) days from delivery, but later continued sporadically during two days of Ramadan?

Once postpartum bleeding (Nifas) ceases, and the woman is certain that it won`t reoccur, then she becomes ritually pure and so she is free to make Ghusl (purificatory bath), pray, and fast. If the bleeding reoccurs before fifteen days from its cessation, and before the end of (60) days after delivery, then the ruling on postpartum bleeding is effective, and her fasting and prayer are null and void, thus she must make up the fasting that she missed and not the prayer during those particular days.

When does the time for Udhiyah begin?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The permissible timeframe for Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) begins on the day of Eid al-Adha—the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah—once the sun has risen and a period of time sufficient to perform two brief prayer units (Rak'ahs) and two short sermons (Khutbahs) has passed. This window remains open until the sun sets on the final day of Tashreeq, which is the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
Our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), said: "Every valley of Mina is a place of sacrifice, and slaughtering may be done throughout all the days of Tashreeq." (Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi and Ibn Hibban)
 
The days of Tashreeq refer to the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
The most virtuous time to perform the sacrifice is immediately after concluding the Eid prayer, based on the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The first thing we do on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and offer our sacrifice. Whoever does that has acted in accordance with our Sunnah (tradition), and whoever slaughters before that, it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it has nothing to do with the ritual sacrifice." (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
 
What is meant here is an estimation of time rather than the actual performance of the prayer itself, as our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), used to offer the Eid al-Adha prayer immediately after sunrise.
 
The sacrifice is valid if performed at any time during these designated days, whether by day or by night, though slaughtering at night is considered disliked (Makruh). And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.