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The Fasting Person and the Love of Allah
Author : Dr. Mufti Sa`eid Farhan
Date Added : 31-01-2024

The Fasting Person and the Love of Allah

 

Ramadan, the month of fasting, is considered the master of months, and its nights are among the best nights of the year. Allah, in His wisdom, has distinguished Ramadan with divine virtues and blessings that are evident to everyone. In Ramadan, there is the Night of Qadr (Laylat al-Qadr), known as the Night of Power, which is the night the Quran was revealed. Additionally, Ramadan is the month of fasting, one of the pillars of Islam. It is a month of piety, blessing, and mercy, among other virtues highlighted by the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "The master of the months is Ramadan." (Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi).

 

Just as Allah, the Most High, has distinguished Ramadan with divine blessings, the fasting person also receives additional heavenly gifts. The fasting individual is granted the honor of entering through the gate of Ar-Rayyan on the Day of Judgment, a privilege exclusive to them. Furthermore, their breath is described as more pleasant to Allah than the fragrance of musk. The fasting person is rewarded by Allah, the Almighty, for their fasting with abundant grace and blessings as He wills.

 

The greatest divine gift to the fasting person remains the love of Allah Almighty. The fasting person engages in an act of worship that is not observed by others as he refrains from consuming food and drink. This abstention makes him a vigilant guardian over himself, holding himself accountable. He worships Allah as if He sees him, embodying the concept of excellence (ihsan). The Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, defined ihsan in a well-known hadith: "To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you." (Reported by Al-Bukhari). As a result, the fasting person enters into a state of goodness, in line with the Quranic statement: "Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good" (Al-Baqarah: 195).

 

The fasting person is patient in enduring the hardship of fasting, leaving food and drink for the sake of Allah and exercising patience in doing so. It was narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Sahih that Sa'id bin al-Musayyib reported from Salman that the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) addressed the people on the last day of Sha'ban and said: "O people, a great month has approached you, a blessed month. In it, there is a night that is better than a thousand months. Allah has made fasting in it obligatory, and standing (in prayer) at night voluntary. Whoever draws near to Allah with a good deed in it will be like one who performs an obligatory act in any other time. Whoever performs an obligatory act in it will be like one who performs seventy obligatory acts in any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward for patience is Paradise" (Reported by Ibn Khuzaymah).

Abu Hatim said, "The gratitude of the one who provides for the fasting person is to feed the Muslim and then not to disobey his Creator, strengthen him, and complete his gratitude by performing acts of obedience with his limbs. This is because the fasting person associates patience with his act of avoiding prohibitions. Similarly, the one providing for him should show gratitude that approximates or matches this patience. It is the act of refraining from prohibitions" [Sahih Ibn Hibban (Vol. 2/P. 18)].

 

The fasting person thus embodies the saying of Allah, the Most High: "And Allah loves the patient" [Al-Emran, 146].

 

The ultimate goal of fasting is to attain Taqwa (piety), as mentioned by Allah in the Quran: "O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous (achieve Taqwa)" [Al-Baqarah, 183].

 

As the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated: "(Fasting is a shield)" [Reported by An-Nasai and others]. The meaning of fasting being a shield is that it protects the worshiper from indecency, sins, and wrongdoing. All of these aspects are encompassed in the concept of Taqwa (piety), which requires the worshiper to establish a shield between themselves and the disobedience of Allah. The result is the entry of the fasting person into the category of those whom Allah loves, as mentioned in the verse: "Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves" [At-Tawbah, 222].

 

Indeed, fasting serves not only to purify the body for worship but also purifies the heart from grudges, envy, and all forms of sins. Through fasting, a person elevates themselves above responding to insults and wrongs with anything other than, "I am a person who is fasting." This spiritual purification of the soul undoubtedly leads to the fulfillment of Allah's love, as mentioned in the verse: "And Allah loves those who purify themselves" [At-Tawbah, 108].

 

The ultimate outcome for the fasting person is to attain the love of Allah, the Most Mighty and Majestic. This is the pinnacle of success, as there is no greater achievement for a Muslim. By fasting during these designated days, one fulfills their utmost hopes and aspirations. When Allah, in His sublime love, is on your side, is there anything that can harm you thereafter?

 

In conclusion, this is just a brief overview of the virtues of the month of the Quran, Ramadan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on obtaining financing from Islamic banks by bringing invoices in prior arrangement with the seller, then taking the cash after the financing is approved — with the purpose of settling debts and buying a car?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It appears from the transaction described that its underlying purpose is to obtain cash through resorting to a legal artifice (ḥīlah/tawarruq-style trick), and it is not permissible to engage in such trickery or to coordinate with the various parties merely to obtain liquidity. This is because such artifices bring the sale closer in reality to a ribā-based (usurious) transaction, even if it outwardly appears otherwise.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not commit what the Jews committed, thereby making lawful what Allah has made unlawful through the flimsiest of tricks." This was related by Ibn Baṭṭah in his book Ibṭāl al-Ḥiyal (p. 47), and many scholars have graded it as ḥasan (sound/acceptable).
We have already explained the impermissibility of engaging in such deceptive dealings with Islamic banks in Fatwa No. 516, so please refer to it. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on performing ṭawāf on the upper floors of al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, given that these floors are situated above the level of the Ka‘bah, and that the one performing ṭawāf passes by certain barriers, such as pillars and walls, during the ṭawāf?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There are numerous conditions for the validity of ṭawāf (circumambulation around the Ka‘bah), among them: that the one performing ṭawāf be inside the Masjid (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām) — even if the Masjid has been expanded, so long as the expansion does not extend out into al-ḥill (land outside the sanctuary boundaries). It suffices for the ṭawāf to be performed in the airspace of the Masjid or upon its roof, even if that roof is higher than the Ka‘bah (the House) itself.
Al-Khaṭīb ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said: "It [ṭawāf] is valid upon the roof of the Masjid, even if the roof of the Masjid is higher than the House — just as prayer [is valid] upon Mount Abū Qubays despite its elevation above the House. This is the relied-upon (mu‘tamad) position." [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.246]
The validity of the tawaf isn`t affected by the pillars and walls standing between the one performing ṭawāf and the House, since the condition is only that the person performing ṭawāf be within the boundaries of the Masjid and outside the boundaries of the Ka‘bah itself.
Ash-Shirbīnī said: "It [ṭawāf] is valid inside the Masjid, even if it is expanded, and even if a barrier stands between the one circumambulating and the House — such as a water-supply structure (saqāyah) or pillars (sawārī)." [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 2/P.246]
Accordingly, ṭawāf performed on the upper floors is valid, and the presence of barriers such as pillars and walls during the ṭawāf does not affect its validity. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on someone who prays but does not fast, without a valid excuse?

Fasting is one of the pillars of Islam, and a Muslim's faith is incomplete if they neglect the obligation of fasting while being physically capable of observing it.

What is the ruling on sacrificing a castrated animal or one with a missing tail?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible to sacrifice a castrated sheep; as it has been established that the Prophet (peace be upon him) sacrificed:
 
"...two large, fat, horned, white-and-black, castrated rams (Mawju'ayn—meaning having crushed testicles)." [Narrated by Ibn Majah in his Sunan].
 
It is not permissible to sacrifice an animal that is missing its tail, or udder due to being cut off. This is in contrast to an animal that was naturally born without a tail, or udder; such an animal is valid for sacrifice. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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