Prelude to Ramadān 02: Ahkām (Rulings) of the Blessed Month of Ramadān

🕌 HALQAH SESSION

*PRELUDE TO RAMADĀN 2*

* Ahkām of the blessed month of Ramadān**

الحمد ﻟﻠﻪ ﺍﻟﻤﻠﻚ ﺍﻟﺪﻳﺎﻥ، ﻭﺍﻟﺼﻼﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﺴﻼﻡ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺣﺒﻴﺒﻨﺎ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺳﻴﺪ ﻭﻟﺪ ﻋﺪﻧﺎﻥ ﻭﻋﻠﻰ ﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺻﺤﺒﻪ ﺍﻷﻃﻬﺎﺭ ﻭﺷﻤﻮﺱ ﺍﻟﺰﻣﺎﻥ.

Honored brothers and sisters on this blessed platform! You are all welcome to this session of today’s halqah. May Allāh make it weigh on our scale on the Day of Qiyāmah. Amin.

Today, in shā Allāh, we will like to discuss on bounties and Ahkām of the blessed month which is the month of Ramadān.

The virtues of  fasting in the month of Ramadān and its Ahkām are well known and acquainted to most Muslims. But this shall serve as a remembrance and preparation for the blessed month ahead.

That said. Know verily, – may the blessings of Allāh Ta’āla be upon you – that, the linguistic meaning of As-sawm(fasting) is *Al-imsāk*(I.e to refrain or to withhold from a thing). In this context, Allāh says:

فَقُولِي إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ *صَوْمًا* فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ الْيَوْمَ إِنسِيًّا

say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent Allah, so I shall not speak to any man today.

That’s she vowed to remain silent and not to speak.

Ibn Hajar Al-‘asqalānī Rahimahullāhu said:

As-sawm(fasting) in it’s linguistic meaning is to withhold from a thing and to avoid other things for it.

Abū ‘Umar Ibn ‘Abdil-Barr said:

Fasting in the sharī’a is to abstain from eating, drinking, marital relationship in the day in order to seek the pleasure of Allāh Ta’āla, and this is the meaning of fasting in the sharī’a in the sight of all the ‘Ulamah of this ummah.

Al-Ijmā’a,(pg 125).

That said. Know that, fasting the month of Ramadān is obligatory upon every Muslim who is matured, capable of fasting and has sanity.

Allāh says:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

O you who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain At-taqwah.

Ibn Kathīr said regarding the above verse:

This is because, fasting cleanses the body and narrows the ways of shaitān, in the Sahīhayn it was reported that the Messenger salallāhu ālayhi wasallam said:

ﻳَﺎ ﻣَﻌْﺸَﺮَ ﺍﻟﺸَّﺒَﺎﺏِ ﻣَﻦْ ﺍﺳْﺘَﻄَﺎﻉَ ﻣﻨﻜُﻢ ﺍﻟْﺒَﺎﺀَﺓَ ﻓَﻠْﻴَﺘَﺰَﻭَّﺝْ ، ﻓَﺈِﻧَّﻪُ ﺃَﻏَﺾُّ ﻟِﻠْﺒَﺼَﺮِ ، ﻭَﺃَﺣْﺼَﻦُ ﻟِﻠْﻔَﺮْﺝِ ، ﻭَﻣَﻦْ ﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﺴْﺘَﻄِﻊْ ﻓَﻌَﻠَﻴْﻪِ ﺑِﺎﻟﺼَّﻮْﻡِ ﻓَﺈِﻧَّﻪُ ﻟَﻪُ ﻭِﺟَﺎﺀٌ.

O young men, whoever amongst you can afford to get married, let him do so, and whoever cannot afford it, let him fast, for that will be a shield for him.

The polymath Shaykh the Hanafi jurist, Imām Al-Kasānī Rahimahullāhu said:

Verily, the ummah has reached a consensus upon the obligatory of fasting the month of Ramadān and none will deny that except a kāfir.

Badāi’u As-sanāi’u fi tartību Ash-sharāi’u.(2/975).

Ibn Qudāmah Al-Maqdisi Rahimahullāhu also said:

The Muslims have reached a consensus upon the obligatory of fasting the month of Ramadān.
Al-Mughnī(4/324).

Imām Al-At-tabī also said:

The ummah has reached a consensus on the obligation of fasting the month of Ramadān, thus, whoever denies it is obligatory becomes an apostate, and whoever abstains from fasting it while acknowledging it is obligatory should be sentenced to death based on Hadd upon the majority opinion amongst the madhab of Imām Mālik.

Imām Abī Al-walīd lMuhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Rushd Al-Qurtabī Rahimahullāhu said:

As for fasting the month of Ramadān, it is wājib by the Kitāb, Sunnah and the Ijma’
“Bidāyatu Al-Mujtahid”

The ulama have made ittifāq that the main pillar of fasting is to abstain from those things that annul the fast from dawn time ( Fajr) till sunset ( Maghrīb.)

Thus, they have unanimously agreed on these two pillars which are:

1). Abstaining from those things that annul the fast.
2). Time frame( which is from down time for Fajr till sunset for Maghrīb).

And they used as evidence the verse where Allāh says:

_وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ_

….and eat and drink until the whiteness of the day becomes distinct from the blackness of the night at dawn, then complete the fast till night,..

While the ulama differed on third pillar which is intention. Though, some opinions amongst the madhab of Mālikiyya took*”intention”  as the second pillar in the place of the time frame. While in the madh’ab of shāfi’iyah, they considered the whole three pillars which are:

1). Abstaining from those things that annul fasting
2). Intention.
3). Time frame. Which is between the dawn time for Fajr till the sunset for Maghrīb.

But other ulama amongst the fuqahah upheld that Intention, the Time frame are both conditions for fasting not pillars.

That said. Know that, there are three basic ways to determine the beginning of the month Ramadān:

1). When the crescent moon of Ramadān is sighted plainly without the sky overcasting.

2). The witness upon the sighting of the crescent moon of Ramadān by a just person.

3). Completing the days of the month of sha’bān as thirty days when the sky is overcast and the moon cannot be sighted.

Moreover, it is wājib for one to have proper intention before commencing the fasting. And this is applicable for every action in Islām.

The Messenger salallāhu ālayhi wasallam was reported to have said:

ﺇِﻧَّﻤَﺎ ﺍﻷَﻋْﻤَﺎﻝُ ﺑِﺎﻟﻨِّﻴَّﺎﺕِ..

Actions are but by intentions

Transmitted by Imām Al-Bukhārī#1.

The intention for fasting the month of Ramadān must be made at night, before the dawn comes. Not like the supererogatory fasting which the intention could be made within the day. The Messenger salallāhu ālayhi wasallam said:

ﻣَﻦْ ﻟَﻢْ ﻳُﺠْﻤِﻊْ ﺍﻟﺼِّﻴَﺎﻡَ ﻗَﺒْﻞَ ﺍﻟْﻔَﺠْﺮِ ﻓَﻼ ﺻِﻴَﺎﻡَ ﻟَﻪُ,

Whoever does not intend to fast before dawn, there is no fast for him.

Transmitted by At-Tirmidhi,#730.

In another Hadīth, the Messenger salallāhu ālayhi wasallam said:

ﻣَﻦْ ﻟَﻢْ ﻳُﺒَﻴِّﺖْ ﺍﻟﺼِّﻴَﺎﻡَ ﻣِﻦْ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻴْﻞِ ﻓَﻼ ﺻِﻴَﺎﻡَ ﻟَﻪُ

Whoever does not intend to fast from the night before, there is no fast for him.

Transmitted by Imām At-tirmidhi. Shaykh Al-Albānī declared it as Sahīh in ‘Sahīhu At-tirmidhī’#583.

Also, one is highly recommended to avoid all sins while fasting. This is done by protecting the organs from sins and destructive flaws. For Allāh doesn’t need the fasting of the one who doesn’t leave false speeches. In this regard, the Messenger salallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam was reported to have said:

ﻣَﻦْ ﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﺪَﻉْ ﻗَﻮْﻝَ ﺍﻟﺰُّﻭﺭِ ﻭَﺍﻟْﻌَﻤَﻞَ ﺑِﻪِ ﻓَﻠَﻴْﺲَ ﻟِﻠَّﻪِ ﺣَﺎﺟَﺔٌ ﻓِﻲ ﺃَﻥْ ﻳَﺪَﻉَ ﻃَﻌَﺎﻣَﻪُ ﻭَﺷَﺮَﺍﺑَﻪُ

Whoever does not abandon false speech and acting upon it, then Allāh Has no need that he should leave his food and drink.

Transmitted by Imām Al-Bukhārī#1903.

Due to time, we shall stop here for today. And in shā Allāh, in the next halqah, we will  discuss the bounties in the month of Ramadān. And we pray May Allāh spare our life till then, āmīn.

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلهَ إِلَاَّ أَنْتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ

Bārakallāhu fīkum.

Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!

19th Shâban 1439H
(06/05/2018)

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