What should be done during this great month (*) Preparing oneself and one’s environment for worship, hastening to repent and turn back to Allaah, rejoicing at the onset of the month, fasting properly, having the right frame of mind and fearing Allaah when praying Taraaweeh, not feeling tired during the middle ten days of the month, seeking Laylat al-Qadr, reading the entire Qur’aan time after time, trying to weep and trying to understand what you are reading. ‘Umrah during Ramadaan is equivalent to Hajj, and charity given during this virtuous time is multiplied, and I’tikaaf (retreat in the mosque for worship) is confirmed (as part of the Sunnah).
(*) There is nothing wrong with congratulating one another at the
beginning of the
month. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
tell his
Companions the good news of the onset of Ramadaan, and urge them to make
the
most of it. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The
Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘There has
come to you
Ramadaan, a blessed month. Allaah has made it obligatory on you to fast
(this
month). During it the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell
are locked,
and the devils are chained up. In it there is a night that is better
than a thousand
months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is deprived indeed.’”
(Reported by
al-Nisaa'i, 4/129; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/490)
[ Table of Contents ]
Some of the ahkaam (rulings) on fasting
(6) There is the kind of fasting that must be done on consecutive days,
like fasting
in Ramadaan, or fasting to expiate for killing someone by mistake,
divorcing one’s
wife by zihaar [a jaahili form of divorce in which a man says to his
wife, “You are to me as the
back of my mother” – Translator], or having intercourse during the day
in Ramadaan.
Also, one who makes a vow to fast consecutive days must fulfil it.
There is also the other kind of fasting which does not have to be done
on
consecutive days, such as making up days missed in Ramadaan, fasting ten
days if
one does not have a sacrifice, fasting for kafaarat yameen (according to
the
majority), fasting to compensate for violating the conditions of ihraam
(according to
the most correct opinion), and fasting in fulfilment of a vow in cases
where one did
not have the intention of fasting consecutive days.
(7) Voluntary fasts make up for any shortfall in obligatory fasts.
Examples of
voluntary fasts include ‘Aashooraa, ‘Arafaah, Ayyaam al-Beed [the 13th,
14th and 15th
of the hijri months – Translator], Mondays and Thursdays, six days of
Shawwaal, and
fasting more during Muharram and Sha’baan.
(8) It is not permitted to single out a Friday for fasting (al-Bukhaari,
Fath al-Baari, no.
1985), or to fast on a Saturday, unless it is an obligatory fast
(reported and classed as
hasan by al-Tirmidhi, 3/111) – what is meant is singling it out without
a reason. It is not
permitted to fast for an entire lifetime, or to fast for two days or
more without a
break, i.e., to fast two or three days without a break in between.
It is haraam to fast on the two Eid days, or on the Ayyaam al-Tashreeq,
which are
the 11th, 12th and 13th of Dhoo’l-Hijjah, because these are the days of
eating and
drinking and remembering Allaah, but it is permissible for the one who
does not
have a sacrifice to fast them (Ayyaam al-Tashreeq) in Mina.
[ Table of Contents ]
How the onset of Ramadaan is determined
(9) The onset of Ramadaan is confirmed by the sighting of the new moon,
or by
the completion of thirty days of Sha’baan. Whoever sees the crescent of
the new
moon or hears about it from a trustworthy source is obliged to fast.
Using calculations to determine the onset of Ramadaan is bid’ah, because
the
hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
clearly states:
“Fast when you see it (the new moon) and break your fast when you see
it.” If an
adult, sane, trustworthy, reliable Muslim who has good eyesight says
that he has
seen the crescent with his own eyes, then we should take his word for it
and act
accordingly (i.e., start fasting).
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