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In welcoming Ramadan
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 26-07-2023

In welcoming Ramadan

 

 

The month of Ramadan has returned, and the wheel of time has completed its usual cycle. The hearts of Muslims rejoiced at its return, illuminated by the lights of worship and obedience. They remembered the Prophet's joy in welcoming this noble guest, as he used to say: "O Allah, let this month come upon us with safety, faith, peace, and Islam. Our Lord and your Lord is Allah." [At-Tabarani].

 

Ramadan arrives as a noble guest, bringing with it its lights and blessings. It is incumbent upon Muslims to recognize its value and honor its arrival. Allah has designated a caller who announces at the beginning of its first night: "O seeker of goodness, come forward. O seeker of evil, retreat." Therefore, a pleasant encounter between the Muslim and Ramadan takes place, becoming an opportunity for repentance, returning to the straight path, resuming righteous deeds, and seeking forgiveness for past sins and the mischievous whispers of the devils. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than one of you who finds his lost camel in the desert." [Agreed upon].

 

Taking advantage of this blessed time and seizing the opportunity of this noble month, a person can rectify their situation, make up for losses, and rid themselves of past sins. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Indeed, Allah extends His Hand during the night so that the one who sinned during the day can repent, and extends His Hand during the day so that the one who sinned during the night can repent, until the sun rises from its place of setting." [Moslim]. The fasting person can elevate their status and attain emancipation from their sins, becoming one of the successful ones.

 

Ramadan is a rare opportunity bestowed upon humanity by Allah, offering a chance for a fresh start in their faith, a new way of life. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "The Gates of Paradise are opened, the Gates of Hellfire are closed, and the devils are chained." During this month, there is the Night of Decree, better than a thousand months, in which angels descend to the Earth by the permission of their Lord...

 

The joy of fasting lies in meeting one's Lord, as the Prophet (PBUH) said: "There are two joys for the fasting person: one joy when they break their fast, and another joy when they meet their Lord due to their fasting." [Agreed upon].

 

Therefore, whoever misses goodness during this month has indeed missed a great benefit and abundant blessings. The Prophet (PBUH) said: Gabriel (PBUH) told me: "Woe to the one who witnessed Ramadan and was not forgiven. Say, 'Amen." [At-Tirmithi].

 

Hence, one should seize this opportunity, filling their heart with love, mercy, faith, and seeking proximity to Allah through repentance, forgiveness, and acts of kindness. Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against celebrating the praises of God! they are manifestly wandering (in error)!" [Az-Zumar/22].

 

Praise be to Allah, the good in our society is great. Many people resume their virtuous lives during Ramadan, renew their repentance to Almighty Allah, abandon sins and resolve not to return to them. They train themselves in this blessed month to do-good deeds and practice acts of obedience. It gives them an opportunity for correction, self-evaluation, and hope to attain the greatest reward, which is Paradise. Allah, The Exalted, Says (What means): "That is the great attainment." [At-Tawbah/72]. It is the ultimate victory, as it leads to eternal happiness in the Hereafter. Allah, The Exalted, also Says (What means): "Its mixture is of musk. And for this, let the competitors compete." [Al-Mutaffifin/26].

 

Al-Tabari said: "Al-Tanafus (competition) is derived from something precious that people eagerly desire, seek, and their souls long for. The meaning is: Let them hasten in seeking this bliss, and let their souls be eager for it.

 

Undoubtedly, whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, and uses this month to practice acts of obedience and offer assistance, while reading the Quran and controlling their tongue, is capable of being productive and restraining their desires and pleasures. The fasting person sets forth towards goodness and virtue. This challenge faces the Islamic nation in every time and place. Allah, The Most Exalted Says (What means): "By the soul and He who proportioned it, and inspired it with discernment of its wickedness and its righteousness." [Ash-Shams/7-8], meaning, purifying the soul through obedience to Allah. That is why Allah, the Exalted, has designated great rewards for sincere fasting. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward, all his past sins will be forgiven." [Al-Bukhari].

 

The obedient person fasting for the sake of Allah the Almighty senses the constant surveillance of Allah in all aspects of their life and holds themselves accountable for their actions. By doing so, they have embarked on the initial stages of self-reformation and the treatment of their soul and desires.

 

Fasting has an important ethical and educational role in changing a person's behavior, leading to a true and genuine transformation. The physical changes associated with meal and drink timings require us to reflect on their implications and understand the purpose and objectives behind them. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, Allah has no need of his giving up his food and drink." [Al-Bukhari].

 

Just as the fasting person should feel and embody this positive change, they should also make others aware of it. He (PBUH) said: "If one of you is fasting, let him neither indulge in obscene language nor raise his voice in anger. If someone curses him or fights with him, he should respond by saying: 'I am fasting, I am fasting." [An-Nasa'i].

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on discharging one's zakāh obligation through the provision of a specific benefit (manfa‘ah) — such as performing a surgical operation for a patient, or providing housing to a tenant, and counting the value of this service as zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is obligatory to pay zakāh from the actual asset (‘ayn al-māl) upon which zakāh is due, except in the case of zakāh on trade goods ('urūḍ at-tijārah), which is paid based on their monetary value. In all cases, zakāh must be given in the form of tamlīk (a full transfer of ownership), based on the words of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic (which mean): "Zakāh expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy, and for those employed to collect [zakāh], and for bringing hearts together [for Islam], and for freeing captives [or slaves], and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the [stranded] traveler — an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise" [at-Tawbah/60]. The letter "lām" (لِ) in this verse — as in "lil-fuqarā'" ("for the poor") — indicates possession/ownership (lām al-milk).
It is not permissible to fulfill one's zakāh obligation by providing a benefit or service (manfa‘ah) — such as housing, education, or medical treatment — in place of the zakāh itself. This is because zakāh must be paid as wealth (māl) that is transferred into the ownership of the poor recipient, whereas such services are intangible benefits that are not, in themselves, capable of being formally transferred in ownership (ghayr qābilah lit-tamlīk). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law regarding one who purchases a sacrificial animal (uḍḥiyah) and it then develops a defect before slaughter?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If a defect that invalidates the sacrifice (uḍḥiyah) arises after its purchase — for example, if one purchased a sound, defect-free animal, and it then developed a limp, blindness in one eye, or a similar defect before slaughter — it does not fulfill the requirement of a valid uḍḥiyah, according to the Shāfi'ī school.
It is stated in Asnā al-Maṭālib fī Sharḥ Rawḍ al-Ṭālib (Vol.1/P.535): "Even if the limp develops [in the animal] while the knife is upon it, it still does not fulfill the requirement, because it is lame at the moment of slaughter — this is analogous to a case where a sheep's leg breaks and one hastens to slaughter it [in that condition]."
The Ḥanbalī school, however, held that if the one offering the sacrifice purchased the animal while it was sound and defect-free, and a defect then befell it afterward, the sacrifice remains valid and there is no obligation to replace it.
It is stated in Masā'il al-Imām Aḥmad, one of the Ḥanbalī reference works (Vol.8/P.4021): "I said: If a person purchases the sacrificial animal while it is sound, and it is then afflicted with illness, blindness in one eye, or a broken limb [before slaughter]? He [Imam Aḥmad] said: It is said that it still fulfills the requirement. Isḥāq said likewise, because he purchased it while sound, and the defect befell it only afterward, so it remains sufficient on his behalf." [End of quote]
Accordingly, a sheep afflicted with a defect that invalidates the sacrifice does not fulfill the requirement of a valid uḍḥiyah — whether the defect arose after purchase or during the slaughter itself — according to the Shāfi'ī school. However, there is no objection to following the Ḥanbalī position on this matter [as a valid alternative]. And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

A pregnant woman has iron deficiency. When she showers, she becomes very tired and feels cold. What is the ruling on tayammum in this situation?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
One should not resort to tayammum (dry ablution) as a substitute for the obligatory ghusl (ritual bathing) so long as it remains possible to use water — for example, by heating the water, warming the place where the bathing takes place, or taking other similar precautions. However, if such measures prove ineffective, or are simply not possible to carry out, and performing ghusl [with cold water] would result in severe harm, then tayammum becomes permissible in that case, due to genuine inability to use water on account of the harm that would result, as described in the question. That said, she must make up (qaḍā') the prayers she performed using this tayammum.
It is stated in Bushrā al-Karīm: "One should not perform tayammum on account of cold unless warming the limbs fails to remove the aforementioned harm, and no means are available to heat the water — such as a vessel, firewood, or fire — and one fears [that using cold water would result in] any of the harms mentioned earlier in the discussion on illness: danger to life, loss of function in a limb, the onset or worsening of an illness, delayed recovery, or the [visible bodily] blemish mentioned in that discussion on illness. In such a case, tayammum becomes permissible due to the harm involved, but the prayer must still be made up afterward (qaḍā'). If, however, warming the body proves effective, or the means to heat the water are available, or none of the aforementioned harms are feared — then tayammum is not permissible, even if using the water causes some degree of discomfort or pain, since mere discomfort alone does not permit resorting to tayammum." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on kissing while fasting?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is prohibitively disliked (makrūh taḥrīman) for a husband to engage in foreplay with or kiss his wife during the daylight hours of Ramaḍān if doing so stirs his desire. If pre-seminal fluid (madhī) is released as a result, the fast is not invalidated; however, if seminal fluid (manī) is released, the fast is broken.
Imām al-Khaṭīb al-Sharbīnī, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated: "It is prohibitively disliked to kiss — whether on the mouth or elsewhere — for one whose desire is stirred, whether man or woman, to the extent that he fears it may lead to intercourse or ejaculation. Embracing, touching, and similar acts without a barrier carry the same ruling as kissing in this regard, because such acts expose the act of worship to being corrupted — and as the two Ṣaḥīḥs record: 'Whoever circles around a protected boundary is liable to fall into it.'"
He further added: "It is preferable for one whose desire is not stirred — even if he is a young man — to refrain from such acts as well, so as to close the door entirely. For he may believe his desire has not been aroused when in fact it has. Moreover, it is Sunnah for the fasting person to abstain from all desires without exception." — Summarised with minor adaptation from [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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