Articles

In order not to Regret the Passing of Ramadan
Author : Dr. Hassan Abu_Arqoub
Date Added : 09-01-2023

 

Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is decorated with lights and lanterns celebrating the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan. A sign of joy and pleasure for receiving this honorable guest who brought with it acts of devotion that bring a servant closer to His Lord. In this blessed month, Muslims observe fast following the command of Allah declaring their servitude to Him and attachment to His religion. Coming closer to Allah through observing this act is the true joy since this is what Ramadan represents in a Muslim`s mentality.

Unfortunately, some Muslims fail to grasp the true message of Ramadan by thinking that this month is all about food, drinks, feats, soap operas or Ramadan nights tents, and deviate from the straight path to that of worldly pleasures and desires. On the contrary, Ramadan comes to curb desires and pleasures; not to cause a Muslim to indulge in them. Being a season for obedience and worship, a Muslim should rejoice at its arrival and not have a sense of fear or discomfort for having to observe fast during the summer heat and long days nor complain from thirst or hunger. Rather, a Muslim should seize this golden opportunity that brings him/her closer to the Creator of the universe, Allah. This closeness is tantamount to food for the soul and tranquility for the heart. Allah Says {What means}: "Say: "In the bounty of God. And in His Mercy, - in that let them rejoice": that is better than the (wealth) they hoard." {Younis/58}. 

A Muslim should pray that Allah Lets him/her witness the blessed days of Ramadan in which good deeds are multiplied, evil deeds are erased, and people are pardoned and emancipated from Hell fire. In simple terms, Ramadan is a door for goodness that every Muslims wants to pass through. In addition, there is a great deal of recompense for supplication, which is an act of worship. It is also a means of asking Allah Who has the power to achieve anything; however, one should trust that Allah will answer his/her prayer. Allah The Almighty Says {What means}: "And your Lord says: "Call on Me; I will answer your (Prayer): but those who are too arrogant to serve Me will surely find themselves in Hell - in humiliation!" {Ghafir/ 60}.

Witnessing the blessed month of Ramadan is a great blessing that Allah bestows on His servants as they are given an extra opportunity to repent and multiply their balance of good deeds. It is unfortunate to say that many of our Muslim brothers passed away without having witnessed this month and received its great reward. Therefore, it is the duty of every servant to be grateful to Allah for this generous blessing and through this attitude; he/she becomes entitled to more and more blessings.

A Muslim should take advantage of this month successfully and a successful investment needs successful planning because the general rule says: "Failure to plan is planning to fail." Ramadan is very short for its days are numbered and some Muslims spend it sleeping, eating, drinking, working, and other commitments leaving no room for worship and obedience. Ramadan is like a spectrum; no sooner it arrives than it departs.

This blessed month needs a Muslim to arrange his/her time, divide duties, observe priorities and give precedence to the most important. Failing to do so means having missed a great opportunity to be emancipated from Hell fire and having a great sense of regret at a time when regret will be of no avail.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on forgiving a tenant next month's rent, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh al-māl?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It does not fulfill the obligation to count the rent owed on a house, or a portion of it, in lieu of zakāh. Rather, it is necessary to first transfer ownership of the zakāh amount to the poor person directly; only afterward may he be asked to pay the rent [from that money].
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik (p. 112): "If someone gives [money] to a poor person, stipulating that the recipient return it to him in payment of a debt owed to him, or says, 'I am making what you owe me into zakāh, so take it [as such]' — this is not valid. But if he gives it to him with the [unstated] intention that the recipient will use it to repay him, or says, 'Repay what you owe me, so that I may [then separately] give it to you as zakāh,' or the debtor himself says, 'Give it to me, so that I may [then] repay you with it' — this is valid, and there is no binding obligation for the recipient to actually fulfill this [informal understanding]."
We would also remind [the reader] of the ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ: "The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim: he does not wrong him, nor does he abandon him [to harm]. Whoever attends to the needs of his brother, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will attend to his needs. Whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever conceals [the faults of] a Muslim, Allah will conceal him on the Day of Resurrection." (Agreed upon). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the Islamic ruling on breaking the bones of the 'aqīqah?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is Sunnah not to break the bones of the 'aqīqah. Rather, each bone should be separated at its joint — as a good omen and expression of hope for the soundness and wholeness of the newborn's limbs. However, if one does break the bones, it is not considered disliked (makrūh) — it is simply regarded as contrary to what is preferable (khilāf al-awlā). And Allah Almighty knows best.

Why was the exact date of Laylat al-Qadr concealed?

The wisdom behind this is to encourage Muslims to strive in worship throughout all the nights of Ramadan, or at least in the last ten nights. By doing so, they will earn the reward of observing Laylat al-Qadr as well as the reward of worshiping on other blessed nights.

What is the ruling on purchasing sacrificial animals and authorizing their slaughter via telephone?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is preferable for the one offering a sacrifice (udhiyah) to slaughter the animal himself, in adherence to the Sunnah, or to be present at the slaughter if possible.
 
It is valid to authorize a butcher to purchase a sacrificial animal on his behalf and slaughter it, regardless of whether the animal is owned by the butcher or the butcher is acting as an agent in its sale—according to the Hanbali school—provided that the butcher specifically designates and purchases the animal for the person offering the sacrifice before slaughtering it. And Allah Almighty knows best.