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Supplication in Ramadan
Author : An Article by the Secretary General Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassanat
Date Added : 07-12-2025

Supplication in Ramadan

Praise be to Allah who has enabled His servants to observe fasting and recite the Qur’an, and perpetual, complete prayers and peace upon the best of the sons of ʿAdnān, our master Muḥammad, whom Allah the Most High favored with the Qur’an and preferred over all creation, and upon his family and his noble, honorable Companions.

We live, during these few blessed days, the joy of Ramadan which Allah the Most High has bestowed upon us. He has made its fasting an obligation through which our souls are purified, and its night prayers a voluntary act through which our ranks are elevated. This is the month which Allah the Most High has chosen from among all other months and endowed with distinguishing merits surpassing all times. Allah the Most High has made it a season for acts of obedience and devotion, such that an obligatory act performed within it carries the reward of seventy obligations, and a voluntary act carries the reward of an obligation. Whoever fasts it with faith and seeking reward will have his previous sins forgiven, and whoever stands in prayer during its nights with faith and seeking reward will have his sins forgiven and attain the fullest portion.

During the month of Ramadan, people turn to their Lord, so the sinner returns to obedience, and the obedient increase in good deeds and acts of devotion. The gates of heaven are opened for the answering of supplications. It is therefore no wonder that Allah the Most High mentions verses concerning supplication amidst the verses on fasting. Allah the Most High says {what means}: "And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be rightly guided." [Al-Baqarah/186].

Thus, through fasting, the Muslim resembles the angels of the Most Merciful. His soul becomes purified and cleansed of its deficiencies, his heart softens and submits to his Lord, and his tongue is inspired to supplicate to Allah the Most High. At that point, he becomes close to his Lord—that spiritual proximity whose delight is known only to one whose heart has prostrated to Allah the Most High before his body prostrates. The Muslim feels the reality of pure servitude to Allah the Most High and perceives the Lordship of Allah the Most High, the Possessor of grandeur, majesty, might, and omnipotence. He thereby comes to know the greatness of the Creator through his humility before Him, and through the weakness experienced by the fasting person, he is made aware of the strength of Allah the Most High. It is then that pure servitude, which is a cause for the acceptance of supplication and closeness to Allah the Most High, is realized within him. Indeed, He, glorified be He, has said: "I am with those whose hearts are broken," and He has said: "Grandeur is My cloak and majesty is My garment. Whoever contends with Me regarding either of them, I will cast him into the Fire." [Sunan Abī Dāwūd].

From this, we understand the secret behind the answering of supplications in Ramadan and the reasons for the delay in response at other times. When a Muslim supplicates to Allah the Most High with a heart that is submissive, broken, and humble before Allah, he finds Allah the Most High answering him. However, when he asks Allah the Most High while being arrogant, haughty, thinking himself deserving of a response, and swearing oaths against Allah the Most High, then Allah the Most High rejects him and leaves him to his own soul, his whims, his desires, and what misleads him. It has been reported in some narrations that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, related that: "A man said, 'By Allah, Allah will not forgive so-and-so.' Thereupon Allah the Most High said, 'Who is he who swears by Me that I will not forgive so-and-so? Verily, I have forgiven so-and-so and nullified your deed.'" [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim].

Thus, fasting becomes one of the most hopeful means for the acceptance of supplications. From this originates the encouragement of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, for the fasting person to supplicate before breaking his fast. He said: "The supplication of the fasting person at the time of breaking his fast is not rejected." [Musnad Abī Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī]. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, concluded our fasting with the supplication he legislated for us at the time of breaking the fast: "O Allah, for You I have fasted, and with Your provision I break my fast." [Sunan Abī Dāwūd]. Therefore, the servant, while fasting, should remember his closeness to Allah the Most High and that his supplication during these moments is answered. He should resort to Allah the Most High in supplication for himself regarding what he desires of worldly and hereafter wishes, and he should not forget his believing brothers. He should supplicate for the servants of Allah the Most High and supplicate for his nation for honor, victory, and empowerment, so that perhaps Allah the Most High will answer him, thereby relieving the nation of His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, from calamity, trial, and the dominance of enemies. And the promise of Allah the Most High is fulfilled: "And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be rightly guided." [Al-Baqarah/186]. We ask Allah the Most High to realize our hopes, accept our supplications, overlook our sins, and grant us a good end. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the Responsive.

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on compensating the patient in case of medical error on the part of the treating physician?

 
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The foundational principle is that every mistake issued by a physician that causes harm to another due to his negligence or lack of expertise obligates him to guarantee liability and compensate the harmed party. The Sharia maxim, in this regard, states: "The direct actor is liable."
 
Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "As for if he was skilled but his hand committed an error—such as exceeding the proper limit of incision, cutting in an incorrect site, cutting with an instrument that inflicts excessive pain, or cutting at an unsuitable time—he is liable, because it is destruction (Itlaf) whose liability does not differ between intent and mistake, thus resembling the destruction of property; and because it is a prohibited act, so he guarantees liability for its secondary effects." [Al-Mughni].
 
However, if the physician performed what was necessary in the most complete manner and took all measures of care and caution, but complications occurred that could not be avoided according to specialists, then no liability rests upon him.
 
Shaykh al-Islam Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "The cupper and the circumciser bear no liability if they have not been negligent, and likewise the veterinarian if he bleeds an animal and it perishes." [Rawdat al-Talibin].
 
Al-Khattabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I know of no disagreement that if the practitioner transgresses and the patient perishes, he is liable. Anyone who undertakes knowledge or practice he does not know is a transgressor; so if perishing arises from his action, he is liable for the blood-money (Diyah) while capital retaliation (Qisas) is dropped from him, because he did not act independently without the patient's permission. And the physician’s offense in the view of the generality of jurists is borne by his agnates ('Aqilah*)."* [Ma'alim al-Sunan].
 
If negligence or transgression is established against the physician, it is necessary to compensate the patient or seek forgiveness from him. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law if the follower (maʾmūm) stands up for the third rakʿah out of forgetfulness while the imam has sat for the middle tashahhud?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If the imam sits for the tashahhud while the follower (maʾmūm), out of forgetfulness, stands up for the third rakʿah, he is obliged to return to his sitting position, since following the imam is obligatory. In this case, no prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw) is required of him. If, however, he fails to return, his prayer is rendered invalid.
Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "If the follower stands up alone out of forgetfulness, he is obliged to return, since following the imam is obligatory... If he does not return, his prayer is rendered invalid, due to his departure from what is obligatory." [Asnā al-Maṭālib,Vol.1/P.190] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on someone who possesses cash reaching the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah), and then uses part of it to purchase gold before the ḥawl (lunar year) is complete — must he pay zakāh on all of it [combined], or only on the remaining cash, excluding the gold?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Gold acquired for hoarding and saving is subject to zakāh once it reaches the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for Zakah) — when combined with any cash held — and once a full ḥawl (lunar year) has elapsed over it. The starting point for calculating this ḥawl is the ḥawl of the paper currency [used to purchase it], which had already reached the niṣāb and was then used to purchase the gold.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.78): "As for someone who sells silver in exchange for gold, or vice versa, zakāh remains obligatory upon it, since he builds [the calculation of] its ḥawl upon [the ḥawl established at the time of] the original transaction [i.e., when the wealth was first acquired]."
This has already been explained in detail in Fatwa No. 2670 — please refer to it.
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on a person in a state of major impurity (junub) or a menstruating woman (ha'id) reciting the Quran from memory?

It is not permissible for a menstruating woman, a postpartum woman, or a person in a state of major impurity to recite anything from the Quran, whether from memory, from the Quran, from a phone, or a computer. It is also not permissible for them to touch the Quran, based on what was reported from Ali bin Abi Talib that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not prevented from anything regarding the Quran except major impurity (janabah). (Reported by al-Tirmidhi who said it is a hasan sahih hadith). Menstruation and postpartum bleeding are analogous to major impurity (janabah) as they are all major impurities (hadath akbar).
For those mentioned, it is permissible to mention Allah and supplicate even with verses from the Quran, provided they do not intend them as recitation of the Quran, but intend them as remembrance (dhikr) or supplication (du'a). And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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