•We should realize that Allah made Sawm (fasting) obligatory on us as a way for us to worship Him, For the fasting to be acceptable and beneficial, we should observe the following conditions:
•1. Guard the Salat. Unfortunately many fasting persons neglect Salat which is a pillar of the religion and abandoning it is a act of disbelief;
•2. Be well-mannered. Beware of disbelief, cursing the religion, treating people badly, and using the fast as an excuse. Fasting is to train the self, not to ruin the manners, and disbelief puts a Muslim outside of the religion.
•3. Do not use foul or harsh language, even while joking, as it will spoil (the reward of) the fast. Listen to the statement of the Prophet Peace Be Upon Him,
•إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُم فَلَا يَرفَتْ يَومَئِذٍ وَلَا يَصْحَبُ : فَإِنْ شَاتَمهُ أَحَدٌ أَو قَاتَلَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ إِنِّي صَائمُ إني صائم» . [متفق عليه].
•"If one of you is fasting, he should not use obscenity that day nor shout; and if someone speaks abusively or wants to fight with him, he should say: 'Verily I'm fasting, verily I'm fasting."" (Agreed upon)
•4. Take advantage of fasting to give up smoking, which causes cancer, high blood pressure and other diseases; try to make a firm conviction to leave it by night as you left it by day. Save your health and your money.
•5. Do not overeat at the time of breaking the fast, as the benefit of fasting is cancelled and it is not healthy.

6. Do not waste your time by going to movies or watching television.

7. Do not stay up so late at night that you are not able to wake up for Sahur (the predawn meal) or Salât-ul-Fajr, or go to work in the morning. The Prophet peace be upon him said:

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِك لأمتي في بكورها». [صحيح رواه أحمد الترمذي].

"Oh Allâh, bless my Ummah in their early mornings (acts)." (Ahmad and Tirmidhi, and it is authentic.)

[Ummah is sometimes translated as nation, or community of believers, or followers. Each Prophet had an Ummah that he was sent to. The word Ummah is usually used for the people who believed in the Prophet.]

8. Increase spending in charity on relatives and the needy. Visit your relatives, and make peace with those with whom you have had disputes.

9. Increase your remembrance of Allâh, recitation of Qur'ân, listening to it, and contemplation of its meanings. Act on it and attend the beneficial discussions in the mosques. Practise I'tikaf (secluding oneself for the purpose of worship) in the Masjid at the end of Ramadhan (this is Sunnah).

10. Read the pamphlets on fasting to learn its rules. For instance, if you ate or drank, forgetting that you were fasting, it doesn't break the fast (but you have to stop immediately as soon as you realize what you're doing). Another example: A person who became Junub at night (because of intercourse, for example), and he doesn't get a chance to perform a Ghusl (bath) before the appearance of dawn, that doesn't prevent him from fasting; he just has to perform the Ghusl and offer Salât and go ahead and observe Sawm (fast).

11. Be mindful of the fast of Ramadhân, and get your children used to it when they are able to endure it. Beware of breaking the fast without a valid excuse. Whoever does so must repent for that and make up for that day, and whoever has intercourse with his wife during the daytime of Ramadhan he has to expiate the sin. He must free a slave if he's able to do so. If not, he should fast two months continuously (60 days without missing a day); and if he can't do that, he should feed 60 poor persons one meal.

Key-Terms:

Religion; disbelief; self-restraint; cursing; obscenity; piety; breaking the fast; blessing; community of believers; charity; discussions; I’tikaf; sin; slave, servant;

Key-words

beneficial; well-mannered; manners; excuse; statement; conviction; predawn; relatives; dispute; recitation; contemplation; pamphlets; Intercourse; valid excuse;


آخر تعديل: Wednesday، 13 December 2023، 9:11 PM