FASTING IN RAMADAN

                                  FASTING IN RAMADAN

The fourth of the five principles of Islam is to fast every day in the blessed month of Ramadân. The fast became fard on the tenth day of the month of Sha’bân eighteen months after the Hegira and a month before the Ghazâ (Holy War) of Bedr. Ramadân means to burn. Sins of those who fast and beg Allâhu ta’âlâ for forgiveness in this month, will burn and perish.

It is declared in a hadîth-i-sherîf, which is quoted from Jâbir ibn Abdullah ’radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ by Abdul’azîm Munzirî, who was a hâfiz [savant of hadîth], in his book Etterghîb wetterhîb, and by hâfiz Ahmad Bayhakî in his book Sunan: “In Ramadân-i-sherîf Allâhu ta’âlâ bestows five gifts on my Umma, which He has not given to any other Prophet:

 1 – The first night of Ramadân Allâhu ta’âlâ regards the Believers with Compassion. He never torments a born slave of His whom He regards with Compassion.

 2 – At the time of iftâr the fasting person’s breath smells to Allâhu ta’âlâ more fragrant than any scent

3 – During Ramadân angels pray day and night so that those who fast will be forgiven for their sins.

4 – In Ramadân Allâhu ta’âlâ allots a place in Paradise to give to those who fast.

5 – On the last day of Ramadân-i-sherîf He forgives the sins of all the Believers who have fasted.”

THE FAST HAS THREE FARDS:

1 – Niyya (to intend);

2 – To know the earliest time of the niyya, as well as its latest time;

3 – To fend off the things that will break the fast starting from dawn (fajr sâdiq) up to sunset, [that is, within the shar’î day].

THERE ARE EIGHT KINDS OF FAST:

1 – The fasts that are fard. Fard fasts also have two kinds: the one which is performed at a certain time, fasting during Ramadâni-sherîf.

2 – The fast that is fard and yet which is not performed at a certain time. Examples of this are the fasts of qadâ and kaffârat. But the fast of kaffârat is fard-i-’amalî. That is, he who denies it does not become a disbeliever.

3 – The fast that is wâjib and which is performed at a certain time, too, such as vowing to fast on a certain day or on certain days.

4 – The fast which is performed at haphazard times.[1]

5 – The fast that is sunna, e.g. fasting on the ninth and tenth days of Muharram.

6 – The fast that is mustahab, examples of which are fasting on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth days of every Arabic month, fasting only on Fridays, fasting on the day of ’Arafa, which is the day previous to the ’Iyd of Qurbân. It is also said (by some savants) that it is makrûh to fast only on Fridays. A person who wants to fast on Friday had better fast on Thursday or Saturday, too. For, it is better to avoid doing something which is said to be sunnat or makrûh.

7 – The fast that is harâm. It is harâm to fast on the first day of the ’Iyd of Fitra and on any of all four days of the ’Iyd of Qurbân.

8 – The fast that is makrûh: to fast only on the tenth day of Muharram, only on Saturdays, on the days of Nawruz and Mihrijan, [which are the twentieth days of March and September, respectively], to fast every day throughout the year, and to fast without talking at all

 

 

 

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