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Allah Intends every Facility for you
Author : Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh
Date Added : 21-02-2024

Allah Intends every Facility for you

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

Allah the Almighty has made fasting during the days of Ramadan, the month of goodness and blessings, an obligation and standing in prayer during its nights a voluntary act. It is a great month reflecting the essence of Islam, faith, forgiveness and redemption from Hellfire. In this month, morals ascend, and souls purify, rising above desires and trivial matters. The believing fasting person transcends worldly life with all its temptations and deceits.

 

Fasting is not just abstaining from food, drink, and desires, nor is it a burden of excessive hardship. Islam came to achieve human happiness and not to make things difficult for people beyond their capacity. Allah says in the Quran: "Ta, Ha. We have not sent down to you the Qur'an that you be distressed." (Ta-Ha, 1-2). Fasting is a relationship with Allah filled with Ihsan (kindness), patience, and refinement. Allah says in the Quran regarding fasting: "Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship." (Al-Baqarah, 185).

 

When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) saw one of his noble companions fasting excessively while traveling and not taking the concession to break the fast, he asked: "What is this?" They said, "He is fasting." So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "It is not righteousness to fast while traveling." (Sahih Muslim). Additionally, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that Hamzah ibn Amr al-Aslami asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying, "O Messenger of Allah, I am a man who fasts continually. Should I fast while traveling?" He (the Prophet) said: "Fast if you wish, and break your fast if you wish." (Sahih Muslim).

 

Narrated by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would sometimes fast while traveling, and sometimes he would break his fast. So, those who broke their fast worked energetically, while those who fasted were weaker in their work. Upon seeing this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The ones who have broken their fast today have gained the reward." (Transmitted by Bukhari and Muslim).

 

Indeed, the manifestations of ease in fasting are numerous, and its avenues are diverse. Allah, the Most High, said about fasting: "A limited number of days." (Al-Baqarah, 184). These limited days pass by quickly, but their rewards remain significant. The Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said: "Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward, except fasting. It is for Me, and I shall reward for it." (Transmitted by Bukhari and Muslim).

 

Indeed, among the manifestations of facilitation in fasting is that Allah, the Most High, obligated it upon those who are capable of fasting, while granting permission for the sick and travelers to break their fast during the days of Ramadan, with the requirement to make up for the missed days afterward. Allah says {What means}: "But if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days." (Al-Baqarah, 184). For those who are unable to make up for these days, Allah, the Most High, says {What means}: "Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear." (Al-Baqarah, 286). A Muslim should give expiation for each day missed, as stated by Allah: "But if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. And as for those who can fast with difficulty, they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a poor person (for every day)." (Al-Baqarah, 184).

 

Among the manifestations of facilitation in fasting is that Allah, the Most High, overlooks the mistake of anyone who eats or drinks unintentionally while fasting, and He considers their fasting to be valid and accepted. It is a mercy from Allah and a form of sustenance provided by Him. The Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever eats or drinks forgetfully while fasting, let him complete his fast, for it was Allah who fed him and gave him drink." (Transmitted by Bukhari and Muslim). 

 

Additionally, the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) instructed Muslims to delay the pre-dawn meal (suhoor) and hasten the breaking of the fast (iftar), in compliance with the command of Allah, out of mercy for the Muslims, and to make it easier for them. The Prophet also discouraged continuous fasting without a break (wisaal) as it burdens the body and weakens one's strength. The purpose of fasting is to elevate the individual, purify their soul, and train them to obey Allah, not to exhaust or harm oneself. The Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said: "Partake in suhoor, for in suhoor, there is blessing." (Transmitted by Bukhari and Muslim). He also said: "People will remain in goodness as long as they hasten the breaking of the fast." (Transmitted by Bukhari and Muslim).

 

In conclusion, Islam is a realistic religion that considers facilitation and alleviation of hardship in its obligations and legislations. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on praying in congregation at the mosque?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Congregational prayer (Salat al-Jama‘ah) is a communal obligation (Fard Kifayah) for resident men regarding the performance of the prescribed (obligatory) prayers. For men, praying in congregation at the mosque is better than praying elsewhere, such as at home. On the authority of Abdullah bin Umar, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Prayer in congregation is twenty-seven degrees more excellent than the prayer of a person alone' (Reported by Bukhari & Muslim). Furthermore, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Shall I not tell you that by which Allah erases sins and raises ranks?' They said, 'Of course, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'Performing wudu thoroughly despite difficulties, taking many steps toward the mosques, and waiting for the next prayer after the prayer; that is your Ribat (steadfastness)' (Narrated by Muslim).
 
As for a woman, her praying in congregation at home is better for her than in the mosque, according to the saying of our Master the Prophet ﷺ: 'Do not prevent your women from attending the mosques, but their homes are better for them' (Narrated by Abu Dawood). Young boys should be encouraged to attend the mosques and congregational prayers so they may become accustomed to them. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling on waiving a debt owed by a debtor and counting it toward zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Waiving a debt owed by a debtor, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh, does not fulfill the zakāh obligation. Rather, it constitutes an ordinary act of charity, for which Allah rewards the giver generously — since one of the conditions for the validity of zakāh is that the person paying it must form the intention of zakāh at the actual moment the wealth is paid out. In this case, the debt has already been established as a standing obligation upon the borrower, so it is not valid to simply redirect the intention toward zakāh after the fact.
It is preferable, instead, for the creditor to first collect the debt from the debtor, and then return to him the amount of money he is required to pay as zakāh — or a portion of it — if the debtor happens to fall under one of the eight categories that Allah, the Exalted, has commanded be given from zakāh.
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik, from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "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]." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

"I told my family at night: 'I will fast tomorrow as qaḍā' (a make-up fast),' but I forgot to make the intention before sleeping. Is my fast valid?"

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
 
The intention is obligatory in acts of worship. For obligatory fasting, the required intention is to resolve to fast during the night [before dawn]. Its proper locus is the heart, while verbalizing the intention out loud in acts of worship is a sunnah — so that the tongue may align with the heart. If the intent behind the statement in question was the intention to fast, then it is valid; but if the intent was merely to inform someone, or reflected hesitation or doubt, then it is not valid.
 
It is stated in *Bushrā al-Karīm* (Vol.1/P.216): "It is a sunnah to verbalize the intention — that is, whatever has already been intended in the heart, whether an obligatory or a voluntary act — such as specifying the number of rak‘ahs, just before the opening takbīr — so that the tongue may assist the heart, and because this is further removed from whispered doubts (waswasah), and in order to accommodate the view of those who held it obligatory in every act of worship that requires an intention (even though this is a minority position), by analogy with Ḥajj."
 
Accordingly: if the intention to fast arose in your heart before the second adhān [i.e., before Fajr], then your fast is valid.
 
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is a person who forgot to make up missed fasts until the next Ramadan began required to pay expiatory compensation (Fidyah) alongside the makeup fast (Qada')?

 
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Whoever forgets to make up missed fasts of Ramadan (Qada') until the following Ramadan begins incurs no sin, pursuant to the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, Allah has pardoned for my nation their mistakes, their forgetfulness, and that which they are coerced into doing." [Narrated by Ibn Majah, and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Sunan Al-Kubra]
 
Furthermore, such an individual is not obligated to pay a expiatory compensation (Fidyah). It is stated in Bushra Al-Karim (p. 580)—one of the authoritative Shafi'i jurisprudential texts: "As for delaying it [the makeup fasts] due to a valid excuse—such as travel, breastfeeding, forgetfulness, or ignorance of the prohibition of delay (even for one living among scholars)—no Fidyah is required. This is because delaying performance during the actual month is permissible due to these excuses; hence, delaying makeup fasts is even more permissible, even if it continues for years."
And Allah Almighty knows best.

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