Mosque for the Praising of Allah

When to stop fasting

Once the entire disk of the sun has disappeared, the fasting person should break his fast, and not pay any attention to the red glow that remains on the horizon, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Once night comes from there and the day disappears from there, and the sun has set, the fasting person should break his fast.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 1954; the issue is also mentioned in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 25/216).

The Sunnah is to hasten in breaking the fast. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would not pray Maghrib until he had broken his fast, if only with a sip of water. (Reported by al-Haakim, 1/432; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 2110). If a fasting person cannot find anything with which to break his fast, he should have the intention in his heart to break his fast, and he should not suck his finger, as some of the common people do. He should beware of breaking the fast before the correct time, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw some people hanging from their hamstrings with blood pouring from the corners of their mouths, and when he asked about them, he was told that they were people who broke their fast before it was time to do so.” (The hadeth is in Saheeh Ibn Khuzaymah, no. 1986, and in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/420). If a person is certain, or thinks it most likely, or is not sure whether he broke the fast before the proper time, he should make up the fast later on, because the basic principle is that the day is still there and has not ended. (Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 10/287). He should beware of relying on the word of small children or untrustworthy sources, and he should also beware of the time differences between different cities and villages when he hears the adhaan on the radio and so on.
When to start fasting

When the dawn comes – which is the white light coming across the horizon in the East – the fasting person must stop eating and drinking straightaway, whether he hears the adhaan or not. If he knows that the muezzin calls the adhaan at dawn, he has to stop eating and drinking as soon as he hears his adhaan, but if the muezzin calls the adhaan before Fajr, he does not have to stop eating and drinking when he hears it. If he does not know the muezzin’s usual practice, or there are differences among the muezzins, and he cannot determine the time of dawn for himself – as is usually the case in cities because of lighting and buildings – he should take the precaution of referring to a printed timetable, so long as he is sure that the calculations on which it is based are not incorrect.

The idea of being on the safe side by stopping eating and drinking a certain time before Fajr, such as ten minutes before, is bid’ah. On some timetables you can see one heading for “imsaak” (stopping eating and drinking) and another for Fajr; this is something that is contrary to Islam.

The Muslims living in cities where there is a distinct alternation of night and day in every twenty-four hour period are obliged to fast, no matter how long the day is, so long as that distinction between night and day is there. In some places there is no such distinction between night and day; Muslims in these places should fast according to the times in the nearest city in which there is a distinct alternation of night and day.

Dr. Zakir Naik explains in the light of Qur’an, Hadith and Scientific knowledge if astronomical evidence be used to sight the new moon. As shown on Peace TV, part of the series of Ramadan – A Date with Dr. Zakir Episode 28 – Sighting of the Moon.

How the onset of Ramadaan is determined

The onset of Ramadan is confirmed by the sighting of the new moon, or by the completion of thirty days of Shabaan. 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 Ramadan is bidah, because the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah 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).

In the program ‘Ramadhan – A Date with Zakir Naik’ of Peace TV, Dr Zakir Naik tells about the reason why Ramadhan is called the Month of Supplication(dua).

Allah ’s Apostle said, “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” [Bukhari] …

Narrated Abu Huraira(r.a): The Prophet said:”… whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah ’s rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari).

“…whoever witnesses the Month of Ramadan should fast through it…” (Quran 2:185)

“Ramadan is the (month) in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind and a clear guidance and judgment (so that mankind will distinguish from right and wrong)..” (Quran 2:183)

“Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you many learn piety and rightousness” (Quran, al-Baqarah, 2:183)

“…And it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only knew.” (Quran 2:184)

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) addressed his companions on the last day of Sha`ban, saying, “Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah ) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer’s sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all.” [Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah]

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Ask not what Islam can do for you, but what you can do for Islam. This is the month of Ramadan, in which we should help and think about the community and others in need. This is the time in which we bring everyone together and there shouldn’t be anyone in the community who is in need what so ever. This is how we should be in this blessed month of Ramadan. Quit blaming the community, and start being proactive, join the community, build love, work together and help each other.

“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” – Prophet Muhammad (saws)

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Ramadan (also written Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan, Ramdan, Ramadaan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, that is in excess or ill-natured; from dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality. Ramadan is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of Allah and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds. As compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards about ten days each year as it is a moving holiday depending on the moon. Ramadan was the month in which the first verses of the Quran were said to be revealed to the Prophet Muhammad .

The name “Ramadan” derived from an Arabic root denoting intense heat, scorched ground and shortness of rations. In the Quran, Allah proclaims that “fasting has been written down (as obligatory) upon you, as it was upon those before you”.

Dr. Bilal – series of session on how to prepare for Ramadan and take the full benefit out of it.

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Fasting During the Month of Shawwal

Abu Ayub al-Ansari narrated: Allah ’s Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said:

“He who fasts Ramadan, and six days of Shawwaal, it will be (in terms of rewards) as if he fasted a whole year.”  [Reported by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ahmad, Ibn Majah]

We encourage everyone that can, to take advantage of the extra blessings that can be gained by following this Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (SaW)

In commenting on the above mentioned hadeeth, As-San`ani said in Subul us-Salaam: “If the thirty days of Ramadan fasting are assimilated with the six days of fasting in Shawwaal, it altogether makes 36 days. According to Shariah, each virtue is rewarded ten times. Therefore, if we multiply 36 with 10, it makes 360, a number which equals the days of a year. Some scholars are of the opinion that these six days of fasting in Shawwaal must be completed in a continuous order right after the end of Ramadan. Some believe that is enough to merely complete six days of fasting in Shawwaal (in any order, either successive or with intervals), an opinion which is deemed to be correct.”

Perhaps it is proper for us to pray these days on Mondays and Thursdays, as in that case we would be following another Sunnah: `Aisha, radhiallaahu `anhaa, narrated: “The Messenger of Allah , sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, used to fast Mondays and Thursdays”. [an-Nasa'i, Saheeh]

If it is easier for one to fast on weekends, then in that case one would still be following another Sunnah at the same time: Umm Salama, radhiallaahu `anhaa, narrated: Allah ’s Messenger used to fast mostly on Saturday and Sunday, and he used to say: “They are the festival days for the mushrikeen, and I like to act contrary to them.” [an-Nasa’i, Ibn Khuzaimah, who graded it Saheeh, and Ibn Hajar agreed]

But, again, this fast is not obligatory, rather only recommended. There is reward for whoever does it, and no blame upon anyone who doesn’t.