     MUSLIMsista | Unrecorded Date
RAMADAN
WHAT IS RAMADAN?
Ramadan is a special month of the year for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. Ramadan is also a time for the intensive worship, reading of the Qur'an, give charity, purifying one's behavior, and doing good deeds.
Who has to fast?
While voluntary fasting recommended for Muslims, during the Ramadan fasting becomes obligatory. Sick people, travelers, and women in certain conditions are exempted from the fast but they must make it up, as they are able. Perhaps fasting in Ramadan is the most widely practiced of all the Muslim forms of worship.
In today society people often wondering why Muslims fast?
What turns out now to be a compulsory annual event started in the early years of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) in medina, precisely in the second year of Hijra. Prior to his flight to medina, the prophet (s.a.w) was in the habit of fasting three time per month (this gives 36 days in a year) when he was in Mecca and to a great extent when he settle in Medina. Not long, the prophet (s.a.w) soon discovered that the Jews in Medina used to set aside one special day for fasting. By Islamic lunar calendar the day used to be the 10th Muharram, often called yawmu: ashura. The prophet (s.a.w) felt that musa (a.s) was nearer to him as prophet (as well as to the Muslims) than to the Jews. To this end, he ordered his companions to fast along with him that day. Narrated Ibn'Abbas (r.a) when Allah's Aspostled (s.a) arrived at Medina, he found the Jews fasting on the day of 'Ashura. The prophet (s.w) asked (about it) and they replied: "this is the day when Moses (a.s) became victorious over fir'aon" The Prophet (s.a.w) said (to the Muslims) we are nearer to Moses than they, so fast on this day.
The All-knowing Allah formally revealed two verses regarding fasting in the second years Hijra: the verses spelt out reasons for fasting, when to do so, and who should be exempted.
Things that break the fast:
1) Intention of breaking the fasting
If one has the intention, while he is fasting, to break his fast before sunset, he is effect has voided his fast even if he doe not actually eat anything after having made his intention. This because the intention is one of the pillars of fasting
2) Sexual intercourse:
When a fasting person perform sexual intercourse with his spouse during the day, his fast is not just invalidated but atonement is imposed on him. In such a case the atonement is one of the following things with give order of priority:
a) He should first free a Muslim slave
b) If that is not possible then she should fast tow consecutive month with out interruption
c) If he cannot do this, then he should feed sixty poor people
d) If he cannot do this, because his poor, then he is exempt from the atonement.
3) Intentional eating or drinking
The intake of any kind of food or drink that reaches that stomach invalidated the fast. If one eats due to forgetfulness, a mistake, or coercion, then his fast is still valid.
5) Intentional intake of anything that has the same effect as eating or drinking:
Everything that plays the same role as eating or drinking invalidated the fast for example, any injection that has nourishment in it and acts like food would break one's fast. Other types of injections that do not contain nourishing agents do not invalidate the fast eve if they are taken through the veins.
6) Hijamah
Hijamah is the removing a blood by scarification or by opening a vein. Hijiamah invalidates the fast because taking out blood by any other means invalidates the fast if it cause weakness of the body. Otherwise, the little blood that comes out due to teeth brushing, or teeth removal or the blood that comes out of the nose does not invalidate the fast.
7) Intentional vomiting
Whoever is overcome and vomit is not to make up the day. Whoever vomits intentionally must make the up the day.
8) The menses and post-childbirth bleeding
Appearance of menstruation or post-childbirth blood invalidates the fast even if such bleeding beings just before sunset.
PREREQUISITE CONDITIONS:
The first types of actions mentioned will invalidate the fast only in the case that the following three conditions are satisfied:
1) The fasting person should be aware of the rule at the time. Therefore, if a fasting person vomits intentionally believing that this does not break his fasting, his fast will not be broken, because he did not know the rule. Similarly, if the fasting person eats or drinks after dawn, believing that it is not dawn yet his, fast will.
2) The fasting person should be aware of what he is doing, but if he acts out of forgetfulness then his fast is not broken. For example, if a person eats or drinks forgetting that he is fasting, then his fast is will not be broken.
3) The fasting person should not be acting against his free will. If he is forced to do such an action then his fast is not broken. For example, if fasting person forced to eat or drink, then his fast is not broken.
The fast is broken at sunset, and it is termed in Arabic iftar. It is a time of happiness and refreshment after experiencing that pangs of hunger and thirst. It is usually broken with dates and in many cultures light soup with bread or small side dishes. Breaking the fast is followed immediately by the evening obligatory prayer. In many parts of the world, including the US, breaking fast is observed in congregation in mosques and homes. |
