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Ramadan’s Indispensable Blessings
Author : Dr. Abdallah Rabab'ah
Date Added : 09-11-2026

Ramadan’s Indispensable Blessings

Every year Ramadan arrives, and the sincere believer and the devoted Muslim greet it with high resolve and overflowing joy. In the hearts of the righteous, it holds a special place and a distinguished rank. It is the most blessed of months, the richest in goodness, the widest in benefit, and the highest in station. Allah honored it with the goodness He placed in it, and His Messenger magnified and blessed it, calling it “the month of Allah.” It is the month of obedience and worship, of goodness and blessing, the month in which Allah revealed the Qur’an as guidance for mankind and as clear proofs of guidance and criterion. If only Muslims would give it its due, honor its rank, and seize its hours and moments.

-The believer welcomes it with sincere repentance, by which Allah erases sins, raises ranks, and turns evil deeds into good ones: “O you who believe, turn to Allah in sincere repentance” [al-Taḥrīm/8].

-The believer welcomes Ramadan by guarding the prayers and their times and keeping up the congregation. One prayer to the next is an expiation for what lies between them, and whoever guards the prayer will find in it light, deliverance, and proof on the Day of Resurrection.

-The Muslim welcomes Ramadan with the resolve to fast. Fasting purifies souls of their wrongdoing, frees them from sins, and trains them in patience, which is half of faith, the secret of a person’s happiness, and the believer’s provision when trials grow severe and distress deepens.

-The believer welcomes Ramadan with the resolve to recite the Qur’an, to reflect on its verses, and to learn its rulings on the lawful and the unlawful. The Qur’an is what sets right people’s beliefs, straightens their character, purifies their souls, and refines their minds, as Allah says {what means}: “There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book” [al-Māʾidah/15].

-The Muslim welcomes Ramadan with the resolve to keep up the Tarāwīḥ prayer and the night prayer, for this is the habit of the righteous and the way of the God-conscious. Allah says {what means}: “They used to sleep but little of the night, and before dawn they would seek forgiveness” [al-Dhāriyāt/17-18]. He also says of the believers {what means}: “Their sides forsake their beds, calling upon their Lord in fear and hope” [al-Sajdah/16]. The commentators said this refers to the night prayer, in which the worshipper leaves his bed and his family, forgoes sleep and comfort, and turns to Allah the Exalted in fear and hope, out of faith and seeking reward. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever stands in prayer during Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward will have his previous sins forgiven.” {Related by Bukhari & Muslim}. The Muslim should therefore prepare himself to receive this noble guest and great month.

-Allah made the fast of this noble month obligatory upon Muslims, made it a pillar of the religion, and recorded its obligation in several verses of the Qur’an, so that its ruling would endure as long as the Qur’an endures. Allah the Exalted says {what means}: “O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain God-consciousness” [al-Baqarah/183]. In addition, He says {what means}: “The month of Ramadan is that in which the Qur’an was revealed as guidance for mankind and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever witnesses the month, let him fast it” [al-Baqarah/185]. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) counted the fast of Ramadan as a pillar of Islam, a foundation of the religion, and one of the greatest means of drawing near to the Lord of the worlds. He said: “Islam is built upon five: the testimony that there is no god but Allah, establishing the prayer, giving zakāh, Ḥajj to the House, and fasting Ramadan.” In another ḥadīth: “The bonds of Islam and the foundations of the religion are three, upon which Islam is established. Whoever abandons one of them is a disbeliever on that account, his blood lawful: the testimony that there is no god but Allah, the obligatory prayer, and the fast of Ramadan.” [Musnad Abī Yaʿlā al-Mawṣilī]

-The Muslims are unanimously agreed on the obligation of fasting Ramadan and regard it as known from the religion by necessity (Basics of the religion of Islam known to everyone). The worker in his factory, the merchant in his shop, and the soldier in his barracks all know it, and its obligation is known to everyone.

-Allah gathered a great deal of goodness in the month of Ramadan. It is reported of its virtue: “Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward will have his previous sins forgiven, and whoever stands in prayer during Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward will have his previous sins forgiven.” It is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is emancipation from the Fire. It is reported that Allah the Exalted frees a number of people from the Fire every night at the time of breaking the fast, and on the last night He frees as many as He freed on all the other nights. We ask Allah the Exalted to let us reach Ramadan, to grant us success in making the most of it, and to free our necks from the Fire.

-Ramadan in the minds of Muslims is not Ramadan in the lives of Muslims. In the lives of Muslims it is bloated stomachs and endless TV serials. In their minds, it is bound to momentous events that changed the course of history and left the deepest mark on the history of humanity. The greatest of these Ramadan events is the descent of revelation upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). While he was worshipping in the cave of Ḥirāʾ, the trustworthy Jibrīl came down to him with the first verses of the Noble Qur’an: “Read in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from a clinging clot” [al-ʿAlaq/1-2]. The days passed until Ramadan of the second year after the Hijrah arrived, and in it occurred the Great Battle of Badr, the first battle in which Allah gave Islam honor and the Muslims victory, and defeated the disbelievers and polytheists. He reminded the believers of this favor, saying: “And Allah had already given you victory at Badr while you were weak, so fear Allah that you may be grateful” [Āl ʿImrān/123]. The days passed again until Ramadan of the eighth year after the Hijrah arrived, when Allah gave the believers a far greater victory and defeated idolatry and the idolaters.

-Every Ramadan, Muslims enter the school of fasting, where they learn the foundations of noble character, refined manners, and honorable conduct. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Ramadan, a month of blessing, has come to you. In it, there is goodness with which Allah envelops you: He sends down mercy, wipes away sins, and answers prayers. Allah looks upon your striving with one another and boasts of you before His angels. So show Allah good from yourselves, for the wretched one is he who is deprived of Allah’s mercy in it.” Narrated by al-Ṭabarānī.

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible to sacrifice imported livestock (Such as Romanian, Australian, etc.)?

 

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
As long as the sheep meets the prescribed Sharia age and is free from disqualifying defects, it is valid for sacrifice regardless of its country of origin. Therefore, it is permissible to offer sacrifices from various sources, such as: Romanian, Australian, Spanish, Indian, Sudanese, local (Baladi) livestock, and others. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on reciting the Noble Qur’an during menstruation?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is impermissible for a woman in menses, a woman in postnatal bleeding, or a person in a state of major ritual impurity to recite any part of the Noble Qur’an with the intention of recitation, even from a mobile phone or a computer, and even if the recitation is from memory. It is narrated on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) “was not prevented, or he said kept back, from the Qur’an by anything except janābah (major ritual impurity).” It was narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who said: “Ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.”
Janābah and menstruation are one and the same in that both constitute a major ritual impurity. Just as a woman is commanded by Allah Almighty to pray, fast, and recite the Noble Qur’an during her period of purity, she is likewise commanded to refrain from these during the period of her excuse.
For further reference, see the fatwas: (Fatwas of Shaykh Nūḥ, Fatwa no. 27) and (248). And Allah Almighty knows best.

What are the conditions for a valid Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
First: The age of the animal must meet the Sharia requirements. These requirements vary depending on the type of sacrifice:
 
Camels: Must have completed five years and entered their sixth.
 
Cows: Must have completed two years and entered their third.
 
Goats: Must have completed two years and entered their third. As for Sheep, they must have completed one year and entered their second.
 
Some scholars have permitted goats that have completed one year and entered their second.
 
The Hanafi school, along with an opinion in the Maliki school, permits sacrificing sheep that are at least six months old, provided they are healthy and physically substantial. According to the Shafi’i school, it is permissible if the sheep sheds its front teeth (ajdha') before reaching one year [Al-Iqna’, by Al-Shirbini (Vol.2/P.588)].
 
Second: Soundness and freedom from defects. The animal must be free from any defect that causes a decrease in its meat or market value. This is based on the hadith narrated by Al-Bara' bin 'Azib, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
 
"Four [defects] are not permissible in sacrifices: A one-eyed animal whose blindness is evident, a sick animal whose illness is evident, a lame animal whose lameness is evident, and an emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones." [Reported by Abu Dawood and Al-Tirmidhi, who graded it as authentic].
 
These defects are detailed as follows:
 
Evident Lameness: It is not permissible to sacrifice a lame animal if the lameness is severe enough to prevent it from walking to the pasture or seeking food, as this leads to a decrease in its meat. However, slight lameness that does not hinder its grazing is overlooked.
 
Evident Blindness (One-eyed): It is not permissible to sacrifice a sheep, cow, or camel that has a white film over its eye blocking light, or one that has lost an eye entirely. Weak vision that does not affect its ability to eat does not prevent the sacrifice from being valid.
 
Evident Illness: An animal with a clear sickness that prevents it from eating or moving is not valid. This includes severe mange (Jarab) that spoils the meat.
 
Extreme Emaciation: An animal so thin that there is no marrow left in its bones is invalid. The standard for emaciation that invalidates the sacrifice is that which spoils the quality of the meat to the point that people would find it undesirable even in times of plenty.
 
Additional Considerations:
These are the defects mentioned in the Prophetic tradition, and any defect that causes emaciation or reduces the meat or value is compared to them by analogy. This includes animals that are mentally unstable (diseased), those with mange, or those with a missing ear. In contrast, a slit or pierced ear does not affect the validity of the sacrifice. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible to pay the Fitr Zakah (obligatory charity) of Ramadan on behalf of a dead person?

The Fitr Zakah of Ramadhaan isn`t due on one who had passed away before the sunset of the last day of Ramadan. And Allah Knows Best.

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