RAMADAN FAST:Fasting in the month of Ramadan,the ninth month of lunar months is
the fourth pillar of Islam. It is a form of
worship and ultimate fasting in Islam.
It is obligatory for all matured Muslims male and female alike.
The prophet(pbuh) said:There is alms given for everything and the almsgiving for the body is fasting(Ibn Majah). He also said: “Fasting is a shield against (Hell fire) and almsgiving extinguishes sins even as water extinguishes fire….” (Ahmad).

Allah says in the glorious Qu'ran in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183-185 - “O you who believe! Observing the fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you that you may become pious. Observe the fast for a fixed number of days, 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 either feed a poor person for everyday or fast … And that you fast is better for you if only know. The Month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran,guidance for mankind and clear proof for the guidance and the criterion. So whoever of you sights the month, must fast in the month, Allah intends for your ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you, and that you may complete the number; and that you may exalt Allah for His having guided you and that you may be grateful


The prophet(pbuh) buttresses this,as he said: When Ramadan comes, the door of heaven are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the devils are chained. (Bukhariy & Muslim).
He also said that Allah says: “Every good deed of man is multiplied in reward of 10 to 700 times except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will grant the reward for it (exceedingly), for he (fasting man) leaves his passion and his food for My sake.”

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said:“Whoever observed fasting in Ramadan with perfect faith
and seeking reward,he will have his previous sins forgiven”. “Fasting is a shield against evil and Hell Fire” (Tirmidhi).

Apart from the spiritual benefit, fasting has social and health advantages needed for increasing Iman and fortification of brotherhood in Islam. It is a training period for the soul toward spiritual growth and soul purification.

It makes one to become more discipline, prefers good deeds and truthfulness to falsehood and instill obedience.
Health wise, it improves one’s health by burning excess fat, improves digestive system activities and forces smokers, drunkards, over eaters, drug abusers to quit their destructive habits for sometimes, while some are saved from the same for life. It unifies and fortifies the bond of brotherhood among Muslims individuals and organizations and raises the reality of the equality of mankind before Allah. There is therefore no doubt about the above Allah’s words: “… And fasting is good for you!”

EIGHT ORGANS NEEDED FOR FASTING.
How can one truly fast? What are the ways to follow so that the fasting will be valid and attain it full blessing? And with what must one fast, before it can be said you are really fasting? First you must realize that not only suspension of eating and drinking is fasting but to be obedient, disciplined and worship Allah as well as steer clear of immoralities and disbelief.
In order to attain this there are eight organs in you which you must use to fast, keep them in a state of hibernation and vigilance, if you can fast with these organs, whatever you use the fasting to request will be granted by Allah apart from His promise of forgiveness and piety to be endowed on you: “….And fasting is good for you if you only knew” (Al Baqarah: 184)
These organs are:

THE HEART:

Heart is the seat of faith and unto it descends the spirit and power. Piety lies in the heart and from there develops every disposition and intention toward Allah’s commandments. Allah looks into one’s heart on the works of piety like fasting observed by individuals to answer his/her supplication and to give the spiritual reward as promised.

To fast with heart is compulsory if you really want to receive the reward of fasting. This is number one thing to do, to have the intention to fast in order to receive Allah’s pleasure and nothing else. Developing this in your mind necessitate the determination to purify your heart against any evil thought against yourself, others and Allah’s word or the practice of the prophet.
It is to decide willfully to try as best to observe the fasting according to the order given by Allah. You should be ready to undo every evil, corruption or wrong that comes to your way with your heart, tongue and hands as enjoined by the prophet. It should be realized that the condition of one’s heart is revealed in his words and deeds, if you try to develop pure heart your utterances will be good and your deed nice.

This is revealed in the prophet(pbuh) saying: “Verily in the body there is a piece of flesh; when it is in good condition, the whole body is in good condition and when it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt; it is the heart” (Bukhariy).

Allah wants you to put your heart in good and pure condition always and this is highly demanded especially during fasting so that it can be a mean of carrying on perfectly in the rest of the life. Allah says:“And by the soul and its perfection, and He revealed to it what is wrong for it and what is right for it. Truly he has proper,he who purifies it, and he who corrupts it is ruined”(Surah Ash-Shams: 7-10).
“Good thoughts are parts of good worship,” said the prophet(pbuh) as reported by Abu-Hurayrah(ra).

Never,but try as much as possible to avoid evil
and corrupt thought, don’t entertain it in your heart, don’t allow the thought of how evil will befall anybody, or how you will engage in immoralities, or how Allah’s command will be disobeyed, or how you will spread corruption or spoil the earth.
Don’t be a sadist or pessimistic person. As sadist will always have something sadden him, an evil mind will also be in darkness. Fasting is a form of light, divine one and this light goes with goodness and holiness of heart. If you fast truly with your heart the light would descend on you and you will acknowledge changes in your life,you will be lifted spiritually.
If this fails to happen, you have probably not fasted with your heart. A body who fasts without his heart can never get the reward or benefit of the fasting. The Prophet(pbuh) said: “…Allah responds not to the call of a negligent,careless heart” (Tirmidhi). You should therefore not allow your heart to stray into perversion that is against goodness and purity, but keep it in permanent dhikr as revealed by Allah(swt):“Those who remember Allah while standing,sitting and lying on their sides, and ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth;saying: “Our Lord, Thou has not created this in vain; Holy art Thou, save us, then from the punishment of the Fire” (Surah Al-Imran 3:191).

That is how you can fast with your heart.

Tongue:
One need to fast with his tongue by trying as much as possible to prevent it from saying forbidden speech and dirty words.
Tongue is a valuable and great organ in man and anyone who lacks its power of functioning becomes dump he can hardly communicate with the rest of the world.
“What is the best wealth? It was asked of the prophet. “The best of it is a tongue that mentions Allah’s name,
and a grateful heart…” (Tirmidhi).

To make it retain this best position, it must be restrained against sinful and corrupt utterances. Allah says: “And say to My servants that they should speak that which is best. Surely Satan stirs up discord among them. Surely Satan is an open enemy to
man”(Surah Al-Isra 17:53).
Good words are known and evil words are known also, words such as abusive, accusation,backbiting,calumny,cursing, falsehood,deception,argument,garrulousness, gossiping,rumor,hearsay,insult,slandering, sensual slang and song are dirty and sinful words, they are not the best at anytime..

Allah wants you to say the best not the evil with your tongue. And if you cannot involve yourself in the best then it is better you
keep silent, the Prophet(pbuh) has said: “Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day,let him speak good or keep silent” (Tirmidhi).
This is because: “Many a speech is enchantment and truly much poetry is nonsense” said the Prophet(pbuh) (Abu Dau’d).


To understand how evil,unstable,useless, hopeless and gloomy,bad and sinful word is and the talker,Allah gives the similarities of good and evil words in the Qu'ran in Surah Ibrahim 14:24-26 -“It (good word) is like a good tree, whose root is firm and whose branches reach into heaven. It brings forth its fruit at all times by the command of its Lord. And Allah sets forth similitude for men that they may reflect. And the case of an evil word is like that of an evil tree which is uprooted from the above the earth and has no stability”.

And on backbiting one of the evil words of unrestricted tongue Allah warns:“O ye who believe avoid most of suspicion for suspicion in some cases is a sin. And spy not, nor backbite one another, would any of you like to eat the flesh of his brother who is dead? Certainly you would loathe it. And fear Allah, surely Allah is Oft Forgiving, Merciful”(Surah Al-Hujurat 49:12).
How evil are these! If a fasting man engage in any of them it means, he leaves physical food and drink but now takes it up in another form, he is eating the flesh and drinking the blood of his brother spiritually that will certainly fill him as he finds pleasure in the spiritual evil food, then where is the fasting he claims? That is why the Prophet(pbuh) said: “He who does not abandon the speaking of falsehood and the doing of things like that, Allah has no need of his leaving off his food and his drink” (Bukhariy).
But does he leave anything? Surely No! He(pbuh) also said: “How many people fast who have nothing of fasting but thirst…” (Darimiy). “A faithful believer is not a slanderer or a shameless and impudent talker” said the Prophet(pbuh).

Every man is composed of good and bad character but fasting is good for you, it trains you how to hook perfectly to goodness of speech and act. So fast with your tongue against evil, bad and sinful words, don’t abuse, insult, tell lie, curse, backbite, carry rumor, slander or gossip against any person nor should you take to dirty music and useless
dirty slang that abounds.
Anything outside this is not fasting. The Prophet(pbuh) said:“All speech of the son of man is a crime against him, except the bidding of what is reasonable, and the forbidding of what is wrong, or the remembrance of Allah” (Tirmidhi).

That is what should be the food for your tongue during the fasting.

THE EARS:
To fast with ears is a must for you during fasting. You just don’t listen to anything neither should you listen to filthy and sinful words and utterances such as corrupt music, play or talk. You should not lend your hear to rumor, hearsay, falsehood, jargon and dirty slang.
If you have sinful and dirty albums which you suppose not to have as a Muslim, then you have to remove them from your shelve and vicinity. All what you can hear that will encourage corruption, promiscuity and temptation or that induces disbelief and perversion into mind or that can create problem; or that are insulting or oppressive to your neighbour or family should all be replaced with Islamic ones.

In addition, you should not take your hearing to where sinful and dirty words and issues are raised such as pool house; gambling arena; beer joint, brothel, cinema, and gathering of vain discussants. Remember Allah says:“And He (Allah) has already revealed to you in the Book that,when you hear the signs of Allah being denied and mocked at, sit not with them until they engage in a talk other than that, for in that case you would be like them” (Surah An-Nisa 4:140).



THE EYES:
A truly fasting man must use his eyes to fast by preventing it from lustful look and corrupt evil gaze. You should avoid looking at opposite sex lustfully neither should you look at private parts of anybody whether opposite or the same sex. The Prophet(pbuh) prohibits this saying:“Let no man look upon the hidden parts of a man, nor a woman upon the hidden parts of a woman” (Muslim).
You should avoid looking down upon people with contempt or upon Allah’s order or His book or faith. If you are a woman you should not be so scented and outward during or after fasting in displaying your beauty to the public to provoke or arouse desire of some weak minds.
Allah again warns:“Say to the believing men that they restrain their eyes and guard their private parts … and say to the believing women that they restrain their eyes and guard their private parts and that they disclose not their beauty except that which is apparent thereof … that is purer for them” (Surah An-Nur 24:30-31).

You should restrict your eyes from spying and peeping into other people’s affair. Allah forbids this (Q49: 12). And as a Muslim many things are of no concern to you nowadays on the screen and in media. Therefore, you don’t need to have a gaze at sex magazine and pornographic books you are not concerned about obscene film, play or the website. You should not look at sensual programme on your TV and you need to close your eyes on them all as hibernation for your eyes. This is how you can fast with your eyes and beautify your Islam during and after the fasting period.

The Prophet(pbuh) said:“It is of the beauties of Islam that a man leaves off what does not concern him” (Tirmidhi).
Obscene things are not your concern as a Muslim at any time. Use your eyes to read Quran, Hadith and good Islamic book instead of wasting it away at the screen.

THE STOMACH:
To fast with one’s stomach is a vital part of fasting in Islam and out of Allah’s kindness as stated in the above Quran He has blessed us with sahur (pre-dawn meal).
The Prophet(pbuh) said:“Take sahur before dawn, verily in the sahur there is blessing”.
And he enjoined us to hurry in breaking the fast (iftar) at sunsets.However, while these two are enjoyed,overeating at the two periods is unhealthy and this tends to diminish the reward of the fast.
One of our scholars said:‘I wonder why man should become miserable and damned because of food! Food whether delicious or not, once taken shall be purged away, why then becoming accursed on what will not last in your body’.

Meanwhile,there are forbidding foods and drinks for your stomach, which should never be taken by Muslim during and after fasting period.
This include: animal that dies on its own, blood of animal, pork, animals slaughtered in the name of other god other than Allah, alcohol etc. should neither be taken as sahur nor iftar. Whatever the pleasure and benefit claimed to be deriving from these should be condemned unto them neither should you go into drug abuse.
Fast with your stomach even to drink ordinary water and small loaf of bread or available fruit is better than to eat forbidden food. There is lesson for you in the life of prophet Muhammad (SAW) who was reported by Aishah(ra):“Many a month would pass over us when we never kindled the fire at the earth; only dates and water would be our food unless we were given some meat” (Bukhariy).

In the same vein with this are those office workers and law enforcement agents who take bribe, dupe people, exploit the masses, the artisans who tell lie, contractor who overcharge, religious leaders who deceive and through these extract money from the innocent people by deceit to buy food for their
consumption have indirectly not fasted with their stomach.
The food and its means are both forbidden as the above acts forbidden by
Allah. One doesn’t need such money or food to fill his stomach. The fast observed by every evil and wrong provision is unacceptable. All methods by which a person defrauds, if he employs the means to feed himself or the family during a fasting period makes the fast unacceptable,the Prophet(pbuh) said;“… None of you cheats and while he cheats, is also a mumin; beware then beware!” (Bukhariy).
That is to say, if you are not a Muslim while you
cheats, then the money of which you take to feed in the fasting period make it unacceptable! Whereas, Allah says His fasting is for the mumin (Q 2: 183), then you can easily conclude your fate. For example Allah warns against a form of cheating, shortening measurement:“Woe unto those who give short measure, those who when they take by measure from other people take it full. But when they give the measure to others, give them less. Do not such people know that they will be raised again into a terrible day. The day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the world” (Surah Al–Mutaffifin 83:1-6)

Can any unhealthy fast save one that day?


PRIVATE PART:
Man and woman must fast with their sexual organs. Married couples are to fast with this during the day hours. There should be no sexual relationship while night is granted for them. No other man or woman has the right to sexual relation with one another apart from married couples during the day or night of the fasting period. Unmarried person has no right of sexual activity with anyone at any time, he or she must continue fasting with his/her sexual organ till is married. You must not play with it to arouse sexual feeling on your own during the fasting period. The organs must not be exposed or touched by any person. It is your personal properties until shared by your partner after marriage. Allah says:“Come not unto adultery surely it is a foul thing and an evil way” (Bani-Israil:32).

If you take to evil way, Allah the Holy Lord will not accept your fasting. Meanwhile not only the sexual organs are involved in evil of adultery or fornication, they are only products of other machineries of sensual activities of other organs, revealed in the word of prophet Muhammad (SAW):“The adultery of the eyes is looking lustfully, the adultery of ears is hearing what is wrong, the adultery of tongue is speaking lustfully, the adultery of the hands is seizing lustfully, the adultery of the feet is walking with unlawful intention and the heart lusts and desires and the private parts of the person either confirm or nullify it” (Bukhari). This is the reason why you must fast with these organs against adultery and other evils discussed. “Whosoever shall give me a pledge for the right use of what is between his two jaws and what is between his two legs, I shall guarantee Paradise for him” said the prophet (Bukhariy).

THE HANDS:
One needs to fast with his hands during fasting. Works of one’s hands can exalt
or humiliate one’s dignity. Hand can wrong and correct, it can misguide and guide aright. Therefore to avoid the negative effects, you have to fast with your hands by resisting every evil and corrupt touch and dirty and sinful work.
Lustful touch and handshake with opposite sex must be avoided as temptation may occur to the weak minds. The prophet indeed forbade it. You must not assault or oppress people with your hands. You must not steal, cheat, forge, receive bribe or kill with your hands. Don’t use your hands to defame or sully people by writing. Neither should you lend your hands to unbeliever against your Muslim brother.

You should not have hands in making anything forbidden materialize or achieve its objectives like transporting alcohol, giving false evidence by written. To anyone who wrong or assault you in fasting, forgiveness is highly encouraged.
If it were in Ramadan the prophet enjoins you to tell your aggressor that you are fasting and then part with him. Don’t fight! Forgive and forget is more mentioned and enjoined by Allah than the retaliation mentioned passively yet with a cautious warning against excessiveness.

Forgiveness is at its best during fasting, Allah says:“Tell those who believe to forgive those who persecute them and fear not the Day of Allah, that He may requite them for what they earn”.(Surah Al-Jathiya 45:14); “And the recompense of an injury is an injury like that, but whoso forgives and his act brings about reformation his reward is with Allah. Surely Allah loves not the wrong doers” (Surah As-Shura: 40).

Forgiveness by resisting your hands from assault but let it give back kindness, help and charity. By these you have used your hand to fast.


THE LEGS:
Legs are the wheel of the body, controlled by the main engine – the soul, they work hand in hand.The Prophet(pbuh) said:“…. The adultery of the feet is walking with unlawful intention” (Bukhariy).
Unlawful intention leads to unlawful movement to corrupt and sinful places such as drinking joint, brothel, magic and idol centres, gambling arena, cultic meeting, obscene and frivolous gathering such as beauty contest, pool and beaches where men and women are naked.
All sorts of immoralities have their roots in attending such places. Allah warns: “O you who believe! When you confer together in secret, confer not
for the commission of sin and transgression and disobedience to the messenger, but confer for the attainment of virtue and righteousness and fear Allah unto whom you shall all be gathered” (Surah Al–Mujadilah 54:9).
Anybody who therefore allowed his legs to agree with his unlawful intention and carry his body to a circus where evil is preferred to goodness; where filthiness is rated over righteousness, where materialism is recognized instead of religiosity, where fun and sport are cherished than constructive and pious work,where joke and riddles are merited over reflection and prayer, such person will surely lose the blessing of the fasting and has no reward with his Lord.

Therefore fast with your legs by avoiding wandering, un-meaningful strolling and attendance to these forbidden places. The fasting of these eight organs is the true fasting that will receive all Allah’s promises both in Ramadan and after it. Prophet Muhammad said:“…. truly the castration of my people is to fast …” (Baghawiy).

One who fails to reprimand himself through these organs may not get the thawab (blessing) of Ramadan. Reason why the Prophet(pbuh) said:“How
many people fast who have nothing of fasting but thirst…” (Darimiy).

If one fast with these eight organs there is no doubt that he/she will have the full blessing of the fasting.

By Sheikh Ibrahim Ayede

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