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Morals of Fasting
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 10-04-2022

Morals of Fasting 

 

Almighty Allah made fasting an obligation and fasting the month of Ramadan as one of the five great pillars of Islam. He, The Almighty Says (What means): "O you who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as they were enjoined upon those before you, so that you may be God-fearing,"[Al-Baqarah/183].

Undoubtedly, there is a great wisdom, in this life or the next, behind every act of worship prescribed by Almighty Allah. Thus, one of the sublimest impacts for the acts worship is purifying self and elevating it to embrace the highest of ethics whereby an adherent Muslim becomes the noblest in character and this can be noticed in every Islamic ritual and pillar. Eventually, this produces a positive relationship between religion and life; body and soul; this worldly life and the Hereafter as well as society and the individual.

The greatness of fasting following the command of Allah crystalizes through its effects on the self and soul of the fasting Muslim and his/her societal attitude, in addition to realizing the objective stated in the Glorious Quran (so that you may be God-fearing). God-fearing encompasses all meanings of goodness that prevent a person from falling into sins since it disciplines the behavior, develops positive values, and helps one eschew lies and false conduct. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "If one does not eschew lies and false conduct, Allah has no need that he should abstain from his food and his drink." {Related by Bukhari}. Since God-fearing requires behaving decently towards people, the Prophet (PBUH) has brought them together. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Fear Allah wherever you are, do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter, and behave decently towards people". {Related by Atirmithi}.

Allah The Almighty has Favored A man with a high rank and honored him over other creatures, so through fasting, man resembles the state of the angels in terms of not eating, drinking, or breeding. Rather, they, as described by Allah, whereas it (The verse) states (What means): "Proclaim His purity night and day, never slackening." [Al-Anbiyaa`/20]. They also resemble the angels who are described as (What means): "who do not disobey Allah in what He orders them, and do whatever they are ordered to do." [At-Tahrim/6]. In addition, the fasting person who adheres to reciting the Quran during the blessed month of Ramadan is granted the highest ranks of the angels. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Qur'an will be with the honorable and obedient scribes (angels) and he who recites the Qur'an and finds it difficult to recite, doing his best to recite it in the best way possible, will have two rewards." [Agreed upon].

When Allah Prescribed fasting as means of curbing desires, He, The Most Exalted, Wanted to Raise the fasting person to the highest of ranks on the social, moral, and faith level. Abstaining from food and drink means experiencing the hunger and thirst of the poor and needy, and consequently embodying brotherhood of faith. The evidence on this is that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it." [Moslim]. In addition, fasting elevates a Muslim`s faith and grants him/her the attributes of the angels. Allah The Almighty Says [What means]: "And We bestowed dignity on the children of ’Adam." [Al-`Isra`/70].

Food and sex are the shortest way the devil takes to mislead a person. However, when Allah commanded quitting these at this particular time (Ramadan), He meant to be kind to us and teach us how to resist the evil suggestions of the devil.

Fasting also helps stop man`s soul from inciting him to evil; consequently, a person doesn`t transgress the limits set by Allah and avoids the destructive sins, such as envy, arrogance, gossip, backbiting, and showing-off (of good deeds). Rather, a person draws closer to Allah through voluntary acts of worship, acts of obedience, and reciting the Quran. Unfortunately, some Muslims observe fast but harm other Muslims with gossip, backbiting, and violating their honor. The Messenger of Allah said: "There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger." [An-Nasaa`i]. and he (PBUH) said: "The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe, and the believer is the one from whom the people's lives and wealth are safe." [An-Nasaa`i].

Moreover, the messenger teaches that a Muslim shouldn`t act obscenely and should avoid argument. He, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Fasting is a protection for you, so when you are fasting, do not behave obscenely or foolishly, and if any one argues with you or abuses you, say, 'I am fasting. I am fasting.' "

Shaddad bin Aus (RAA) narrated that The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) came across a man in Al-Baqi' (in Medina) who was having himself cupped in Ramadan., and said to him: "The one who cups and the one who is being cupped have both broken their fast." [Bukhari]. These two have broken their fast by backbiting another man, so their fast is unaccepted by Allah since they have transgressed His limits and violated His prohibitions.

Amongst the morals of fasting is when the heart of the fasting person is hanging between hope and fear. Al-Ahnaf was told: "You are an old man and fasting weakens you." He replied: "I`m preparing myself for a long journey, and observing patience in obeying Allah is easier than observing patience over His punishment."

These are the morals of fasting that a Muslim should be keen on observing. We pray that Allah accept our fasting, supplication, and night prayers. Indeed, He hears and responds. All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on the ablution of one who touches women prohibited to him by a temporary prohibition (mahram bi-hurma mu'aqqata)?

It is prohibited to touch a woman who is temporarily prohibited (meaning one whom it becomes permissible to marry after the impediment is removed, such as the wife of a brother or paternal uncle). Touching her without a barrier invalidates ablution. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no objection to participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers, provided that the buyer's intention in purchasing is not merely to enter the competition without any need for what is bought — rather, the purchase must be genuinely intended for the item itself, and one must not pay more than the item's fair market price. This is because paying an amount above the market price would effectively be paying a fee to enter the prize draw, which would render it a form of gambling (qimār).
These prizes are, in essence, gifts that businesses offer through a random drawing (qur'ah) to those who purchase from them, as a means of encouraging sales, without the customer bearing any additional monetary cost for participation. So long as the aforementioned conditions are met, there is no objection to benefiting from the prize offered by the store, as it is considered a lawful prize from the viewpoint of Islamic Law.
It is stated in the resolutions of the "Jordanian Iftaa' Board" (Resolution No. 47), in the context of outlining the conditions for permissible prizes: "The price of the ticket [or item purchased] for the sake of the prize must not exceed its original price, so that there is no payment of money in exchange for participation in the draw." And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What is the ruling on ablution without istinja' after sleep?

The sleep of one whose buttocks are not firmly seated on the ground invalidates ablution. Whoever wakes up and wants to pray must perform ablution only. Istinja' is not a condition for the validity of ablution, because it is for removing impurity from the private part. If there is no impurity on the private part, then istinja' is neither obligatory nor recommended. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible to agree with a butcher to purchase the meat of an animal after it has been slaughtered — for instance, by buying the meat of a sheep at a price determined by the weight of its meat following slaughter, at a fixed rate per kilogram? And what is the ruling if the animal is being purchased with the intention of it being an uḍḥiyyah (sacrificial offering)?

 
 
 
 
 

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is not permissible to sell livestock in the manner of pricing each kilogram of meat after slaughter at a fixed rate, because the meat within the animal prior to slaughter is unseen and unknown. This leads to jahālah (ignorance of the subject matter) and gharar (contractual uncertainty), both of which are among the invalidating factors in sales transactions.
However, it is permissible for the buyer to issue a promise to purchase the meat of the animal after slaughter at a specified price per kilogram, with the actual sale being concluded at the time of weighing the meat — at which point both the quantity of the goods and the total price become known. There is no Sharī'ah objection to this arrangement.
The jurists have stipulated that for a sale to be valid, both countervalues must be present and observable. Al-Khaṭīb al-Shirbīnī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states:
"It is valid to sell a heap of grain whose total measure is unknown to both contracting parties at a rate of one sā' per dirham. This sale is valid because the subject of sale is present and observable, and ignorance of the total price is not harmful since it is known in detail — and uncertainty is thereby lifted."— [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.355]
As for the uḍḥiyyah, the 'aqīqah, and vowed blood sacrifices (al-dam al-mandhūr) — full ownership of the animal must be established prior to slaughter. It is not valid for such animals to be slaughtered while still in the ownership of the butcher. Rather, the animal must be purchased alive and then slaughtered with the intention of uḍḥiyyah or the like. And Allah Almighty knows best.

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