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The Importance of Time during Ramadan
Author : Dr. Mufti AbdulHakim Tawfeeq
Date Added : 18-03-2024

The Importance of Time during Ramadan

 

 

Time is one of the rarest and most precious resources. While some say "time is gold," this phrase actually undervalues the true worth of time. Time is much more precious than gold because once it is lost, it cannot be recovered. Every moment of time is invaluable and cannot be replaced with all the gold in the world.

Human life is but a few days, and with each passing day, a part of it is gone. It is said that every day that breaks its dawn calls out to humanity, saying implicitly: "O son of Adam, I am a new creation, and your deeds bear witness; so take advantage of me, for I do not return until the Day of Judgment."

Time is life itself; it is the material from which life is made. Human beings are connected to time from their birth - even from the time they were fetuses in their mother's womb - until their passing.

Our noble religion has emphasized the importance of time, as highlighted in several verses of the Holy Quran, such as Allah's Statement (What means): "And He subjected for you the night and day" [Ibrahim/33]. Furthermore, Allah swears by time in the Quran, as in the verse: " By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss," [Al-Asr/1-2], which clearly indicates the immense importance of time.

Likewise, the noble Sunna of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) also emphasized the value of time. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "There are two blessings which many people waste: health and free time." [Al-Bukhari].

The righteous predecessors [the Salaf] also valued time greatly. Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I do not regret anything as much as I regret a day whose sun sets while my lifespan decreases, yet my deeds do not increase." Al-Hasan Al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I have seen people who were more diligent in preserving their time than you are in preserving your wealth and dinars." Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Wasting time is worse than death because wasting time separates you from Allah and the Hereafter, while death separates you from this world and its inhabitants."

Indeed, if time holds such a precious value, its worth increases during specific seasons compared to the rest of the year. One of the greatest of these seasons is the month of Ramadan. During this month, the market of good deeds is open, profits are abundant, and rewards are multiplied. It is the best of months, and within it lies Laylat Al-Qadr (the Night of Decree), which is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its goodness is truly deprived. Additionally, Allah Almighty grants emancipation from Hellfire to a believer every night during Ramadan. Therefore, it is incumbent upon every Muslim, male or female, to invest each minute, indeed every moment, of this blessed month wisely.

Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, described in "Zaad Al-Ma'ad" how the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was during the month of Ramadan. The Prophet (peace be upon him) would increase in various forms of worship, and Gabriel (peace be upon him) would review the Quran with him during Ramadan. Whenever Gabriel met him, he would be more generous in goodness than the sent wind, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) would devote to Ramadan acts of worship that were not specific to other months.

 

In the month of Ramadan, a person finds a great opportunity to discipline their time, where they allocate the day for fasting, await the time for breaking the fast at sunset, engage in night prayers and supplications, and have the pre-dawn meal and seek forgiveness before dawn.

 

And to you, dear reader, here are some acts of worship that we hope will help you manage your time effectively in Ramadan, so that you can make the best use of it:

 

1. Maintaining congregational prayers at all times in the house of Allah.             

2. Completing the recitation and reflection on the Quran at least once.

3. Performing the Taraweeh prayers.                                                                        

4. Observing Iʿtikaf during the last ten nights in mosques                                       

5. Reviewing the jurisprudence and etiquette of fasting.                                       

6. Maintaining family ties.                                                                                         

7. Providing Iftar for fasting individuals.                                                                       

8. Giving charity                                                                                                         

9. Adhering to the etiquette of fasting.                                                                      

10. Increasing remembrance of Allah, supplication, and seeking forgiveness.

 

Here are some things that can help a person make good use of their time, especially during Ramadan:

 

1- Fear of Allah, reverence for Him, and being mindful of Him; these qualities prompt a person to spend their time in acts of obedience and refrain from prohibited actions. This is because among the names and attributes of Allah are Al-Alim (the All-Knowing), Al-Khabir (the All-Aware), and Ar-Raqib (the Watchful). This fills the heart with a sense of being constantly observed by Allah in all actions and stillness. When a believer senses that they are being watched by Allah, it is incumbent upon them not to disobey His commands and to avoid what He has prohibited.

2- Remembering death; when a person remembers death, unaware of the time and place it will surprise them, it urges them to be more diligent in seeking a good end. This motivates them to occupy their time with righteous deeds.

3- Keeping the company of righteous individuals with sound minds, high aspirations, and wisely utilized time. They remind you of Allah when you see them, increase your knowledge with their logic, and remind you of the Hereafter with their actions. Their remembrance enlivens hearts even if they are deceased, unlike those whose company deadens hearts even though they are alive.

4- Recognizing the value and importance of time, knowing that one will be held accountable for it. The Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said: "The feet of a servant will not move on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about his life and how he spent it, his knowledge and how he utilized it, his wealth and how he acquired it and how he spent it, and his body and how he wore it out." This hadith is reported by Imam At-Tirmidhi and he classified it as Hasan Sahih.

 

There are precautions that should be taken into consideration to avoid hindering us from effectively managing our time and making the most of it for our benefit. Some of these precautions include:

 

1- Procrastination, because procrastination is one of the devil's tactics. It is important to strive and take initiative to accomplish tasks that draw us closer to Allah before they become barriers between us and Him.

 

2- Satellite channels that have invaded our homes, broadcasting many programs specifically tailored for Ramadan under the pretext of entertaining fasting individuals. However, most of these programs actually steal away good deeds and time. Therefore, let us make sure to benefit from the informative content provided by purposeful satellite channels and follow beneficial religious programs.

 

3- Spending long hours in front of a computer screen, especially on the internet, in activities that are neither beneficial nor productive.

 

4- Devoting and consuming many hours, especially by women, in preparing multiple-course meals, knowing that Ramadan is a month of patience and deeds with multiplied rewards. It is advisable to limit meals to one or two dishes, saving time, effort, and money.

 

5- Wasting time in shopping, while it is more beneficial to utilize this time in worship and seclusion. Preparing for Eid and purchasing necessities can be done before Ramadan begins.

 

In conclusion, this world is fleeting, so let us make it a time of obedience, seeking knowledge, performing righteous deeds, enjoining good, forbidding evil, reading books, or taking steps towards goodness for people. Let us hasten to do good deeds and strive to make the best use of our time.

 

I ask Almighty Allah, The Lord of The Mighty Throne, to bless our time and make our actions dedicated to please Him.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on performing Tarawih in sets of four rak‘ahs with only one Tasleem?

It is not permissible to combine more than two rak‘ahs with a single Tasleem in Tarawih prayer. Whoever does so, their prayer is invalid. Shaykh al-Islam Imam Muhammad al-Ramli (may Allah have mercy on him) stated: "If a person prays four rak‘ahs of the Tarawih prayer with a single Tasleem, it is not valid if they did so intentionally and with knowledge [of the prohibition]. Otherwise, it becomes an 'absolute voluntary prayer' (nafl mutlaq); because it is contrary to what has been prescribed." [Nihayat al-Muhtaj, Vol.2/P.127].

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.

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on someone who eats or drinks thinking that the night is still present, then realizes that dawn has broken?

Whoever eats or drinks thinking that the night is still present, then later discovers that dawn has broken, must refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day out of respect for the sacred month. However, they must make up that day after Ramadan, and there is no sin upon them.

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