Rules Related to Fasting

Rules Related to Fasting

THE OBLIGATION OF FASTING

a) The time for fasting is from the rising of the second dawn until the setting of the sun.

b) Fasting is: abstention from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse by day with the intention. THE INTENTION The fasting is valid with an intention from the night, but if one did not intend until the morning, the intention suffices him between [dawn] and {the middle of the day}.

1. Things which invalidates fasting and requires full recompense

1.1 If someone intentionally does one of the following without any valid excuse (see 6 below)

a) Does not fast at all

b) Breaks fast by eating, drinking and sexual activities

c) Assuming that cupping has broken one's fast thus quit fasting for the day.

1.2 Expiation for the above is to

a) Fast unceasingly for two months (60 days), if one breaks fasts during this one has to start a new.

b) If unable to do so, it is to feed 60 needy persons two full meal

c) If unable to do so, it is to free one slave.

1.3 Things that break fast and requires one to fast similar numbers of days in recompense

a) If something is entered into the body during the hours when one is supposed to fast, irrelevant of how it entered into the body.(see 5)

· To eat something which is not food such as stone particle or smoking anything.

· When water enters stomach while gargling

· When one is fed by force even when one is sleeping or unconscious

· Inject medicine, place them on wounds which eventually gets in.

· Eating by mistake thinking it is still night or iftar time is due while it is not.

· Involuntary full mouth vomiting and subsequent swallowing of it or part of it.

· When one is force into sexual intercourse or when one is sleeping or unconscious

b) Fasting without intention

c) Breaking (iftar) fast without the intention of doing so.

d) Lustful kissing of ones spouse

e) Emission of semen due to touching, kissing, masturbation.

f) Intentional vomiting.

2. Offensive acts during fasting

· Backbiting, slander

· To lie or deceive

· To use abusive language

· Not having iftar

· Taste a food without swallowing it, using toothpaste.

· Gurgling water due to thirsts or hot weather.

· Wrapping oneself with wet clothes.

· Throwing up intentionally · Weakening the body ( e.g. strenuous sport) · Gathering saliva and swallowing it;

3. Days when fasting is forbidden

· Day of Eid al Fitr (Eid of Ramadan) · During Eid al ADHa 10, 11, 12 and 13 of month of Dhul Hijjah

4. Events when it is allowed to break the fast and fast later the similar number of days

· If fasting aggravates health-condition ·

Snake biting · Thirsts due to newly developed disease

· Genuine danger for a pregnant mother, or for her fetus.

· Genuine fear for the life of a suckling infant

· Reason to fear death

· Menstruation

· If one is a traveller

5. Things that do not break fast

a) Those things which would otherwise break fast does not do so when one is unaware of the fact that one is fasting (complete forgetfulness of fasting).

b) Entrance of insects (i.e mosquitos), smoke and dust from natural environment does not break fast.

c) Wet dream, swallowing ones own saliva when still in the mouth, brushing teeth, smearing oil, ointment on unwounded body do not break fast. or used antimony [in his eyes],

d) If one is overcome by vomiting, his fast is not broken.

6. Etiquettes and desirable practices

· Preparing for the month.

· Bringing to mind the bounty of Allah.

· Purifying one 's intention

· Pre-dawn meal (suhur) as late as safely possible.

· Not unnecessarily delaying the breakingof the fast.

· Performing salat al-Maghrib soon after breakign the fast, then returning to eat.

· Making du`a at the time of breaking the fast.

· Enabling others to break their fasts.

· Abstaining from all forbidden deeds.

· Maintaining a pleasant disposition.

· Abundant reciting of the Qur 'an.

· Abundant charity.

· Performing tarawih prayers.

7. Miscellaneous

a) The intention of fasting can be made as late as just before noon, if one forgets to do so during the previous night. If one passes noon without making the intention ones fasting is invalid. ( 1.3b)

b) One should eat before the day breaks even when one is not hungry. c) For a woman whenever during the day menstruation stops she should be observing fasting even though it is not a fast for her. She should fast if it happens just before morning and did not have enough time to take shower and eat.

d) If a woman menstruates, she stops fasting and makes up [fasting for the days of menstruation] .

e) Someone who lost consciousness in Ramadan does not make up the day on which the loss of consciousness occurred, but he makes up that which came after it.

f) If a traveller arrives, or a [menstruating] woman attains purity with part of the day [remaining], they abstain [from those things which invaliate fasting] for the rest of that day. May Allah keep us on the Straight Path. AameenCompiled from various sources. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications. Note that an English translation of the Qur' an is an interpretation of the Qur' an, and does not have the perfect status as the Qur' an in its original Arabic form.Some Weak AHadith Attributed to RamadanPublished: Friday, 6 October, 2006 , 01:22 PM Doha Timehttp://www.gulf- times.com/ site/topics/ article.asp? cu_no=2&item_no=111309&version=1&template_id= 47&parent_id=27The weak ahadith which have become widespread amongst the people, at every level, are very many, to the point that very few manage to mention anything authentic – despite its being plentiful also. May Allah have mercy upon the Imaam 'Abdullah Ibn al-Mubarak who said: "There is sufficiency in the authentic ahadith so there is no need for what is weak." So let this imaam be our example, and let us stick to the authentic and pure knowledge. From the weak ahadith which people commonly quote concerning Ramadan are: 1. "If the servants knew how great Ramadan was, then they would wish that Ramadan lasted all year. Indeed Paradise is decorated for Ramadan from the start of the year till the next year..." and it is a long hadith.2. "O people a very great month has come upon you, a month containing a night better than a thousand months. Allah has made it an obligation to fast in it, and standing in prayer in its night is a superogatory action. Whoever seeks nearness to Him with a good deed in it will be like one performing an obligatory action in other months... It is a month the beginning of which is a mercy, the middle is forgiveness, and its end is a granting of freedom from the Fire..." It is also a long hadith and we have quoted the most well-known parts of it. 3. "Fast and you will be healthy." 4. "He who abandons fasting during a day of Ramadan without a valid excuse, or illness - then even if he were to fast for ever it would not make up for it." These are four ahadith which have been declared weak and unreliable by the scholars, yet we still hear them and see them every day in the blessed month of Ramadan in particular, and at other times. It is apparent that some of these ahadith contain parts whose meaning is correct and established in our Shari'ah in the Book and Sunnah. However, this on its own does not allow us to attribute to Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) that which is not established authentically from him. (*Taken from Fasting in Ramadan as observed by the Prophet, by Shaikh Saleem al-Hilaalee and Shaikh 'Alee Hasan 'Alee Abdul-Hameed) "16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:16-18)__._,_.___
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