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Ramadan is the Month of Patience
Author : Mufti Anas Khasasbeh
Date Added : 30-08-2023

Ramadan is the Month of Patience

 

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah say: "The month of patience (Ramadan) and three days of each month is fasting for a lifetime." (Transmitted by Ahmad).

The Prophet, peace be upon him, described Ramadan as the month of patience because it encompasses various forms of patience:

Patience in obeying Allah, patience in abstaining from what Allah has prohibited, and patience in enduring the painful decrees of Allah. Fasting in this month involves patience in obeying Allah through acts of worship such as prayer, remembrance, recitation of the Quran, and other forms of obedience. It also entails patience in refraining from the prohibited desires. Additionally, there is patience in enduring the hardships of hunger, thirst, weakness of the self and body that the fasting person experiences during Ramadan. The fasting person is rewarded for such patience.

Since fasting is the crucible, workshop, origin, and source of patience, we can understand what is confirmed in the authentic Hadith collections and others when the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except fasting, for it is for Me and I shall reward for it. He gives up his desires and his food for My sake... There are two occasions of joy for one who fasts: joy when he breaks his fast, and joy when he meets his Lord. The smell that comes from the mouth of a fasting person is better with Allah than the scent of musk." This narration emphasizes the reward of fasting because fasting embodies the essence of the worship of patience. Allah the Almighty has also mentioned the reward of the patient in the Quran where He says {What means}: "those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!"  (Az-Zumar, 10).

Indeed, fasting is exempt from the multiplication by a known measure that applies to other deeds. All deeds are multiplied by ten to seven hundred times their value, except for fasting. Its reward is not limited to this specific number; rather, Allah, the Almighty, multiplies its reward with numerous increments beyond enumeration.

 Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: "One of the best forms of patience is fasting. This is because it encompasses patience in the three types: patience in obeying Allah, patience in refraining from disobeying Allah, as the servant abandons their desires for the sake of Allah, even though their soul might urge them towards those desires." [Jāmi' al-ʿUlūm wal-Ḥikam Vol. 2, Page 649].

It can be deduced from the profound wisdom of the act of fasting that this great religion came to instill in human beings the strength of will, sincere determination, steadfastness in adversity, and patience in the face of hardships. A person who can endure abstaining from the necessities of food and drink, which are essential for their survival and well-being, throughout the daylight hours of a whole month every year, is certainly capable of controlling their desires and curbing unnecessary cravings. This reflects their mastery over their own impulses and inclinations, which go beyond their basic needs.

Indeed, Ramadan becomes a catalyst for raising one's aspirations and elevating one's soul. How many are there who stand in devotion reciting the verses of Allah? How many are there who generously give from their wealth? How many are there whose tongues remain moist with the remembrance of Allah? And how many are there who spend hours assisting widows and orphans?

Let us approach this blessed month with sincere intention and strong determination, seizing the divine blessings within it. Just as Ramadan is like a rainfall, it requires a fertile ground to receive it. When the rain combines with good soil, good crops grow by the permission of Allah. May Allah make fasting easy for us and include us among those who fulfill this obligation in a manner that pleases Him. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on obtaining financing from Islamic banks by bringing invoices in prior arrangement with the seller, then taking the cash after the financing is approved — with the purpose of settling debts and buying a car?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It appears from the transaction described that its underlying purpose is to obtain cash through resorting to a legal artifice (ḥīlah/tawarruq-style trick), and it is not permissible to engage in such trickery or to coordinate with the various parties merely to obtain liquidity. This is because such artifices bring the sale closer in reality to a ribā-based (usurious) transaction, even if it outwardly appears otherwise.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not commit what the Jews committed, thereby making lawful what Allah has made unlawful through the flimsiest of tricks." This was related by Ibn Baṭṭah in his book Ibṭāl al-Ḥiyal (p. 47), and many scholars have graded it as ḥasan (sound/acceptable).
We have already explained the impermissibility of engaging in such deceptive dealings with Islamic banks in Fatwa No. 516, so please refer to it. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on a young man and a young woman having a love relation for the purpose of getting married?

It is forbidden for a man and a woman to have any kind of relation whether for marriage, or not because it leads to committing sin. Such relations include: private meetings, mixing, gazing, and seclusion (Khulwa). Accordingly, one who is sincere in his intentions should go to the woman`s guardian and ask for her hand in marriage.

A man led the people in prayer as imam, and at the end of the prayer he performed a prostration of forgetfulness (*sujūd al-sahw*) because he had omitted a short *sūrah* after al-Fātiḥah. What is the ruling on his prayer and that of those praying behind him?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
According to the Shāfiʿī school, it is sunnah to recite a sūrah after al-Fātiḥah in the prayer. One who omits it has a valid prayer, and no prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw) is prescribed for omitting it. If someone performs sujūd al-sahw for its omission while knowing the ruling and remembering it, his prayer is invalidated. But one who is ignorant of the ruling, or who did so out of forgetfulness, his prayer is not invalidated, because this is among the matters that are obscure to people, and ignorance of it is not restricted to those who recently entered Islam.
Shaykh al-Islām al-Shams al-Ramlī said in Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj ilā Sharḥ al-Minhāj (Vol.2/p.70): “The remaining sunnahs are not compensated for by prostration, such as the remembrances (adhkār) of bowing and prostration, that is, the opening supplication (duʿāʾ al-iftitāḥ) and the sūrah, in accordance with the base rule, because they are not of the same nature as what has been reported [as compensable]. If one prostrates for any of them deliberately, his prayer is invalidated, unless he is excused due to ignorance. As for the objection raised that the ignorant person does not know that sujūd al-sahw is prescribed, and whoever knows it knows its place, this is refuted by denying such a necessary connection, for the ignorant person may hear only that sujūd al-sahw is prescribed before the salām, and so assume that it applies to every sunnah and is not restricted to its prescribed place.”
This is among the matters that are obscure, in which the mukallaf is excused for ignorance, as stated by al-Shabrāmallisī in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.70).
However, if the imam prostrates, and the follower (maʾmūm) presumes that his imam’s prostration is for a reason for which one does not prostrate, it is not permissible to follow him in it, so long as the follower knows the ruling.
Accordingly, the prayer of one who did not recite a sūrah after al-Fātiḥah is valid, and sujūd al-sahw is not prescribed for it. Whoever prostrates out of ignorance or forgetfulness, his prayer is valid, because this is among the issues hidden from the general public. But whoever prostrates while knowing the ruling and remembering it, his prayer is invalidated. And Allah Almighty knows best.

How is the Night Prayer (Qiyam al-Layl) performed?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Night Prayer (Qiyam al-Layl) refers to the voluntary (Nafl) prayers performed by a person after the Sunset prayer (Maghrib) and before the Dawn prayer (Fajr). As for Tahajjud, it is the voluntary prayer performed during the night specifically after waking up from sleep, as an act of devotion to Allah. Allah the Exalted says {what means}: "And from [part of] the night, pray with it [i.e., recitation] as additional worship for you." (Al-Isra/79). Thus, in terms of reward,Tahajjud is superior to voluntary prayers performed before sleeping. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

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