Category: Ramadhaan Lessons 2018

Ramadhaan Lesson 2: The Many ways of Earning Hasanaat

Sat 10th Ramadhaan 1439/26th May 2018

  • The virtue of Ramadhaan:
    • Allah has made Ramadhaan more blessed than other months
    • This is therefore an opportunity to do good acts, leave sins and become a better Muslim
    • Every Muslim should thank Allah that he has allowed us to be alive and see this month
    • The Salaf would make dua 6 months before Ramadhaan for Allah to allow them to see the coming Ramadhaan
  • Acts of worship that every Muslim should strive in if he/she wants to become better
    • The Prayer
      • We should rectify our prayer, make sure it is done 5 times a day, in the correct times and upon the way the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) taught us
      • The first thing that servant will be asked about in the day of Judgment is the prayer
      • Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, “I have heard that the first of the actions of a slave to be considered on the day of rising is the prayer. If it is accepted from him, the rest of his actions will be considered, and if it is not accepted from him, none of his actions will be considered.” [Muwatta Malik]
      • If you’re your prayer is deficient, then it is likely that other aspects of your deeds are also deficient, therefore guard your prayer and rectify it
      • ‘Abdullah bin Buraidah narrated that his father said: “The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: ‘The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is prayer; so whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.’” [Sunan Ibn Majah]
      • The optional prayers such as the Taraweeh and the night prayer are also sources of great virtue
      • Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying regarding Ramadan, “Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
      • ISSUE: how many Rak’ah should there be in Taraweeh?
      • ISSUE: Can one pray Taraweeh outside of Ramadhaan?
    • Fasting in Ramadhaan
      • It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:”The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, he will be forgivenhis previous sins.” ‘ [Sunan an-Nasa’i]
      • How does one fast properly?
        • To stop eating, drinking and marital relations. Doing any of these breaks one’s fast
        • To stop bad and haraam actions such as lying, deceiving, backbiting, cheating, slander etc. Doing these decreases your reward such that a person may fast the whole month and end up with no reward and NOTHING but having been hungry for the month
      • Fasting was prescribed for those who came before us too
      • Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as saying: Every (good) deed of the son of Adam would be multiplied, a good deed receiving a tenfold to seven hundredfold reward. Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has said: With the exception of fasting, for it is done for Me and I will give a reward for it, for one abandons his passion and food for My sake. There are two occasions of joy for one who fasts, joy when he breaks it, and joy when he meets his Lord, and the breath (of an observer of fast) is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk. [Sahih Muslim]
      • Sahl b. Sa’d (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as saying: In Paradise there is a gate which is called Rayyan through which only the people who fast would enter on the Day on Resurrection. None else would enter along with them. It would be proclaimed: Where are the people who fast that they should be admitted into it? And when the last of them would enter, it would be closed and no one would enter it. [Sahih Muslim]
    • The Qur’an
      • Ramadhaan is the month of the Qurn’an
      • verseWe must strive to recite it, understand it, memorise it and act upon it
      • Narrated Muhammad bin Ka’b Al-Qurazi: “I heard ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud saying: ‘The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “[Whoever recites a letter] from Allah’s Book, then he receives the reward from it, and the reward of ten the like of it. I do not say that Alif Lam Mim is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi]
      • The Salaf used to complete the Qur’an in Ramadhaan several times
      • On the authority of Tameem ibn Aus ad-Daree (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “The deen (religion) is naseehah(advice, sincerity).” We said, “To whom?” He (saws) said, “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.” [Muslim]
      • NOTE: “Naseehah” means purity and sincerity
      • How does a Muslim have purity and sincerity towards the Qur’an?
      • Shaikh Al Fawzaan said there is 5 things:
        • To believe it is the speech of Allah, uncreated
        • That you recite it
        • That you understand the meaning of what you are reciting
        • That you memorise it
        • That you act on the Qur’an
      • Charity
        • The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), when he would go to the cave Hira, he would take with him provisions for a few days, and if he came across a needy person he would give them that provision
        • Ibn Mas’ud narrated that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “The feet of the son of Adam shall not move from before his Lord on the Day of Judgement, until he is asked about five things: about his life and what he did with it, about his youth and what he wore it out in, about his wealth and how he earned it and spent it upon, and what he did with what he knew.”
          • How you earned it
          • How you spent it
        • Allah has blessed us with wealth in various forms. This is not something which we have earned, rather it is Allah who has given this to us
        • Therefore giving this wealth for the sake of Allah
        • From the best ways of spending this wealth is in that which helps in the cause of Allah such as the Masaajid.
        • Spending on the MAsaajid is a form of sadaqah Jaariayah
        • It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:”When a man dies all his good deeds come to an end except three: Ongoing charity (Sadaqah Jariyah), beneficial knowledge and a righteous son who prays for him.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i]
        • It was narrated from Jabir bin ‘Abdullah that:The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever builds a mosque for the sake of Allah, like a sparrow’s nest for Allah or even smaller, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise.” [Sunan Ibn Majah]

 

Fiqh of Ramadhaan (Part 1)

19 May 2018

Fiqh of Ramadhaan: Rulings on Fasting and Taraweeh (Part 1)

The Day of doubt

  • ’Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, ‘Whoever fasts the day of doubt he has then disobeyed Abu al-Qasim (the Prophet).’ [Related by the five Imams, and Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibban graded it as Sahih]
    • What is the “day of doubt”?
    • Issue: if the people try to sight the moon on the 29th of Sha’baan but cannot see it due to weather, should the next day be considered the first day of Ramadhaan or should they complete 30 days of Sha’baan?
    • This hadith indicates that it is impermissible to fast on the day following the day of doubt
  • Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) made a mention of the new moon and (in this connection) said: “Observe fast when you see it (the new moon) and break fast when you see it (the new moon of Shawwal), but when (the actual position of the month is) concealed from you(on account of cloudy sky), then count thirty days. [Sahih Muslim]
    • What does it mean to “count” or in other narrations to “estimate” 30 days
  • According to these two narrations, then
  • Ibn’Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, ‘The people were trying to sight the new moon (of Ramadan.) and when I reported to the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that I had seen it, he fasted and commanded people to fast.’ [Related by Abu Dawud, and Al-Hakim and Ibn Hibban graded it as Sahih.]
  • Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: A bedouin came to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and said: I have sighted the moon. Al-Hasan added in his version: that is, of Ramadan. He asked: Do you testify that there is no god but Allah? He replied: Yes. He again asked: Do you testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah? He replied: Yes. and he testified that he had sighted the moon. He said: “Bilal, announce to the people that they must fast tomorrow”. [Abu Dawud]
    • This hadith shows us that one person, one witness who sees the moon who is Muslim is enough for the rest to start fasting the next day
    • Shayh Fawzaan says it can be either a man or a woman, other scholars have differing opinions on that specific issue.
  • How many ways to tell if Ramadhaan has started?
    • Seeing the new moon
    • 30 days of Sha’baan being completed, then next day will be Ramadhaan
    • These are the only two ways
    • Astronomic/mathematical Calculations etc are impermissible

The intention for Ramadhaan

  • The mother of the believers, Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Whoever does not form his intention to fast before to fajr, his fasting will not be accepted.” Related by the five Imams, but At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i consider it to be related by Hafsah and not connected to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Imam Ad-Daraqutni transmitted, “No fasting is accepted for one who does not form the intention (to fast) the night before.”
    • This hadith applies to the obligatory fast and shows us that if one has not made intention before the Fajr time starts
  • It was narrated that ‘Aishah said:“The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would enter upon me and say: ‘Do you have anything (any food)?’ If we said: ‘No,’ he would say: ‘Then I am fasting.’ So he would continue fasting, then it we were given some food, he would break his fast.” She said: “Sometimes he would fast and (then) break fast (i.e., combine fasting and breaking fast in one day).” I said: “How is that?” She said: “Like the one who goes out with charity (i.e., something to give in charity),and he gives some away and keeps some.” [Ibn Maajah]
    • This hadith applies to the optional fasts and indicates that one can start a fast midway through the day if one has not eaten anything rpiort ot it
Continue reading Fiqh of Ramadhaan (Part 1)