by
Istafiah Is'harc
In
the Qu'ran, the month of Ramadan is described as, 'that
in which the Qu'ran was revealed as a guidance for people'.
The ayah {verse} goes on to explain who should fast, and
who is allowed to not fast. Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He,
then explains that:
Ramadan
is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar when all Muslims - with
a few exceptions - have to fast during the hours of daylight.
The first day of the fast is authorised by the Amir who has authenticated
a sighting of the new moon. This is a very important moment when
people often gather outside with great excitement. Each person
hopes to be the first to see it. The lunar month can be 29 or
30 days long, so they look for the new moon on the 29th day of
Sha'ban, which is the month before Ramadan. If on the first evening
the Amir is not satisfied that the new moon has been seen, Ramadan
will begin on the following evening. {Regretful to say that
the excitement of this practice has been abandoned in modern times.
We should try to adopt this method once more insh'Allah.}
Once everyone knows that the month of Ramadan has started, they
begin preperations. Early in the morning, each family gets up
before dawn to eat a meal {called suhur}. It is dark and
sometimes it is very difficult to get up, so parents try to encourage
the children so that they don't miss their suhur or breakfast.
{This is normally a very exciting time for both kids and adults.
The children particularly like the idea of getting up in the night
to eat something, and to fast during the day.} After eating
on the first morning, they then resolve on their intention to
fast that month 'for the sake of Allah (swt)', and each day people
similarly renew their intention to fast that day. From this moment
their fast begins. They then perform their Fajr prayers.
During
the day they must not eat, drink, have sexual relations or smoke.
Even more important - they must try not to get angry or think
bad thoughts, because this would also cancel out any good things
they might recieve from Allah (swt) through fasting. Many people
find that because they are fasting they lose their tempers more
quickly. So one of the first things that the fast teaches is self-control
and patience.
The
moment to break fast arrives as soon as the sun sets. Those who
are fasting gather togeths and usually break their fast with a
date and a glass of water. Sometimes they might have other snacks
as well. The meal that you break fast with is called iftar. {Whilst
having iftar, one realises the value of food and drink which far
exceeds the cost paid for it.}
After
their Maghreb prayers, they sit down to eat a proper meal. The
ritual of breaking the fast with dates is said to go back to the
time when Prophet 'Isa - Jesus (as) was a baby, when he and his
parents were fleeing to Egypt. On the journey they had nothing
to eat. The first food that they were able to find was dates.
So the baby 'Isa (as) broke his fast with dates. Later, the Prophet
Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wassalam) also broke his fast with
dates and in this way it became a custom. When fasting it is very
important to eat healthy food so that you will have strength to
fast the next day. Sometimes people cook enormous meals and this
can mean throwing food away if it is not all eaten. Food should
never be wasted - especially during Ramadan. The Prophet (sallallahu
alaihi wassalam) also advised that it is better never to eat too
much. {According to a hadith, a third of your stomach is for
food, a third for liquid, and a third so you can breathe easily.}
After
their meal, many Muslims go to the Mosque to do the Tarawih prayers
after the night prayers called 'Isha. Tarawih are special prayers
which are done every night at the Mosque, only during Ramadan.
Sometimes people do them at home. During the prayers, many people
will try to complete the reading of the whole Qu'ran at least
once in that month. For the 29 or 30 days of the fast, Muslims
will repeat this routine each day.
A
few people are excused from fasting. Children under the age of
puberty - though many start fasting much younger {to participate
in the excitement of Ramadan of their own free will ! Subhan'Allah!}.
They usually start by fasting just half a day. As they grow older
they fast for longer periods, until they are able to complete
the whole month. Women who have their periods or who have just
given birth do not fast. If they are pregnant or breast-feeding
they do not have to fast if they fear for the baby's health. The
sick, the old and the traveller, are also excused from fasting.
In all cases when people are not able to fast, they have to fast
the number of days they have missed, at some other time. If they
are not able to do this because of bad health, for instance, they
must feed a poor person for the same number of days. This is only
if they can afford it.
--
This article has been taken from the book titled "Islam and its festivals" by Istafiah Is'harc.
This article has been taken from the book titled "Islam and its festivals" by Istafiah Is'harc.
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