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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

A person prays in a certain spot within the rows of the mosque, and gets angry if someone else prayed at his spot. What is the ruling on this behavior?

All Perfect Praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds and may His Peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) make it prohibited for a Muslim from having/taking a certain spot in the mosque when performing prayers if they arrived and find it occupied, furthermore; it is the religious duty on others (praying people) to offer a piece of advice to alert the ones who don't know, that whoever reaches a spot first at the mosque having a priority/privilege upon others in that spot. And Allah Knows Best.

What is the ruling on using the *subḥah* (prayer beads) to count during *tasbīḥ* and *dhikr*?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is recommended to use the ordinary or electronic subḥah (prayer beads or counter) to count tasbīḥ, dhikr, and istighfār, because it helps one to remember Allah. Many reports have been transmitted from the Companions and the Followers (tābiʿūn) showing that they continued to use strings of date pits as an aid to dhikr and tasbīḥ.
It is one of the lawful means of worship. Indeed, what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), namely that he counted tasbīḥ on his right hand, shows that it is permissible to count tasbīḥ with whatever helps a Muslim keep track of the number. There is therefore no basis for calling it an innovation (bidʿah), and we know of no jurist who said so.
Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a dedicated treatise on the subject titled al-Minḥah fī al-Subḥah, printed within al-Ḥāwī li’l-Fatāwī (vol. 4–6).
Shaykh al-Islām Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Does the subḥah have a basis in the Sunnah? He replied: “Yes, and al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī wrote on this. Among the evidence is what is authentically reported from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both): ‘I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) counting tasbīḥ on his hand.’ Ibn Abī Shaybah, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī also narrated: ‘Hold fast to tasbīḥ, tahlīl, and taqdīs, and do not be heedless, lest you forget the affirmation of Allah’s oneness (tawḥīd). Count them on the fingertips, for they will be questioned and made to speak.’ Counting tasbīḥ with pebbles, date pits, and a knotted string has also been reported from a group of the Companions and those after them. Some scholars held that counting on the fingertips is better than the subḥah, based on the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar. Others distinguished, saying: if the one reciting is safe from miscounting, counting on the fingertips is better; otherwise the subḥah is better.” [al-Fatāwā al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubrā, Vol.1/p.152]. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no objection to participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers, provided that the buyer's intention in purchasing is not merely to enter the competition without any need for what is bought — rather, the purchase must be genuinely intended for the item itself, and one must not pay more than the item's fair market price. This is because paying an amount above the market price would effectively be paying a fee to enter the prize draw, which would render it a form of gambling (qimār).
These prizes are, in essence, gifts that businesses offer through a random drawing (qur'ah) to those who purchase from them, as a means of encouraging sales, without the customer bearing any additional monetary cost for participation. So long as the aforementioned conditions are met, there is no objection to benefiting from the prize offered by the store, as it is considered a lawful prize from the viewpoint of Islamic Law.
It is stated in the resolutions of the "Jordanian Iftaa' Board" (Resolution No. 47), in the context of outlining the conditions for permissible prizes: "The price of the ticket [or item purchased] for the sake of the prize must not exceed its original price, so that there is no payment of money in exchange for participation in the draw." And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What are the legal and religious consequences for a charitable organization in the event that a sacrificial animal is damaged or spoiled after slaughter?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
Charitable organizations entrusted with slaughtering sacrificial animals (uḍḥiyyah) and distributing their meat on behalf of their owners are obligated to safeguard the meat from spoilage, damage, theft, and any other harm. This is because such organizations act as agents (wukalā') on behalf of those offering the sacrifice, and an agent holds what is entrusted to them in trust (amānah) — whether they receive a wage for their work or act on a voluntary basis.
If the sacrificial animal is damaged after slaughter during the processes of packaging, transportation, or storage due to negligence or oversight — whether on the part of the organization's own staff overseeing the operation, or on the part of third parties contracted by the organization such as transport or shipping companies — then liability falls upon the negligent party, who is required to compensate for the value of the sacrifice. It is not permissible to cover such compensation from the organization's other donor funds.
However, if the damage to the sacrificial animal occurs without any negligence in its preservation and storage on the part of any party involved in the transportation, shipping, or storage process, and is instead attributable to force majeure circumstances beyond their control, then no financial liability is borne by any party in such a case. And Allah Almighty knows best.

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