Detox Fiqh of Fasting and Zakah Hosna Student Notes

8/20/2019 Detox Fiqh of Fasting and Zakah Hosna Student Notes

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STUDENT NOTES

QABEELAT HOSNA (ALMAGHRIB HOUSTON)



Table of Contents

Introduction 3

CHAPTER ONEFiqh of Fasting 5I. 'Fasting is For Me Alone' 5II. Important events which occured in Ramadan 17III. The spiritual fast or the fast of hunger and thirst? 20IV. 24 types of fasts 22V. The basics of fasting 41

VI. The moonsighting conundrum 49

VII. The do's and dont's 55

VIII. The etiquettes of fasting 60

IX. Extras in Ramadan 62

CHAPTER TWOFiqh of Zakah 76

I. Wealth in Islam 76

II. The Millionaire of the monk? 77

III. Intro to Zakah 79

IV. Types of wealth that Zakah is obligatory upon 88

V. Zakah on gold, silver and money 92

VI. Zakah on jewelry 94

VII. Zakah on businesses and shares 96 VIII. Recipients of Zakah 99

IX. Zakah tul Fitr 105X. Sadaqah in Islam 109



A Hadith on the Etiquette of Seeking Knowledge

The Prophet (sal Allahualayhi wa sal-lam) once asked his companions sitting infront of him, “Why do I see you ‘azeen?” - ‘Azeen means scattered because the

sahaba were sitting further from him and scattered. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi

wa sallam) recommended that people sit close to one another, especially if they aregathered for knowledge. A man came while the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) was addressing the companions, and he saw a spot in the middle and hefilled it. Another person came and sat in the back of the line. Another person sat inthe back far away from the gathering. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam)said, “This one (in front) has come closer and Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has

come closer to him. The person at the back of the line has listened, and Allah(subhanahu wata’ala) has listened. The person in the back has left Allah

(subhanahu wata’ala), and Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has left him too.”

Based on this the ulema said that whenever there is a gathering of knowledge, the

best place to sit is to come close to the teacher. Imam Bukhari reported this in hischapter of adab al ‘ilm to show the etiquettes of seeking knowledge. Similarly

during khutbat’l- jumu’ah, the best spot is the closest to the khateeb.

INTRODUCTION

In terms of fasting, this course is a comprehensive but concise overview on thefiqh of fasting, in Ramadan otherwise. We will be covering 24 different types offasting.

Fiqh of zakah is the shortest chapter in all books of fiqh. One of the reasons forthis is that there is a lot of agreement between the scholars on this issue and thatthe issues are very limited. We will focus on the relevant issues in zakah.

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has made fasting one of the pillars of Islam. TheProphet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Islam is based on five pillars.”

1. Shahadah: the testimony that only Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) is to beworshipped and the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) is His final messenger2. Salah3. Zakah4. Siyam5. Hajj

The ulema said that the shahadah has to do with belief that Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) is the only One worthy of worship. You translate this into action by thesalah. Salah is an action that is offered with the limbs.



Zakah is an act of worship that has to do with one’s wealth and finances. This is

where you offer charity and give a portion of what you possess. Zakah is thus‘ibadat maaliyyah.

Siyam is an act of worship based on abstaining. In siyam, you abstain fromsomething (in contrast to salah which is offered.

Hajj is an amazing act of worship which includes all the previous types: you dothings (go to Makkah, tawaf), you abstain from things (perfume, intercourse,cutting hair), and you purchase a sheep and offer it as a qurban or sacrifice andyou spend money to travel, which deals with finances. Hajj involves the limbs:you move, stand, pray. The ulema say the pillars cover the belief, actions of the

belief (physical aspect of ‘ibadah), abstaining from things, and finances.



CHAPTER ONE: FIQH OF FASTING

I. ‘FASTING IS FOR ME ALONE’

THE SPECIAL CONNECTION OF THE SLAVE AND ALLAH

The Prophet (sal Allahualayhi wa sal-lam) said in a hadith Qudsi, “Allah(subhanahu wata’ala), the Most High, says, ‘Every action of the child of Adam is

for him except f asting, for it is for Me, and I will reward it…” (Bukhari and

Muslim)How do we understand the meaning of this hadeeth? In another narration, theProphet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Every single deed of the son of Adam

will be multiplied ten times up to 700 except fasting. It belongs to Me and I willreward it.” This means that the amount of reward that you get from fasting is not

700 but much more. Only Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) knows how much. Ibn Hajarsaid this means that no one knows the amount of reward except Allah (subhanahu

wata’ala).

Sufyan b. Uyaynah recited the verse in Surah Zumar , “….there is no limit to thereward of the sabiroon (patient)” He then said, “For the people who fast, there isno limit to their reward.” Half of sabr exists in siyam as the Prophet (s) said in ahadith

How do you make fasting a spiritual journey?

Your Headline: Sincerity (ikhlas)

In Surah Zumar verse 11, Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) says, “I have been ordered

to worship Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) sincerely.”

“We have sent down the Kitab with truth, so worship Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) with sincerity.”

Unfortunately, many times sincerity is something we take for granted. One of themeanings of being sincere is that you fast the month of Ramadan with faith andseeking the ajr and reward from Allah (subhanahu wata’ala). That when you fastevery day, it is not because of culture or habit or because you are used to it. Many

people say it doesn’t make sense to abstain from water on hot days. We areservants of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala), and this servitude is ikhlas. We say that



we follow what Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) ordered us to do. This is sincerity.Ikhlas is the reason for your ajr to be multiplied. It is the reason for Allah(subhanahu wata’ala) to love you and to come closer to Him.

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (rahimahullah) gave a beautiful analogy on sincerity in

actions when he said, “If you want to know the difference between the action based on sincerity and the action with no ikhlaas, it is like the dialogue thatoccurred between a silkworm and a spider. The spider said to the silkworm, ‘Why

are so many people fascinated with your threads and not mine? Mine are moresophisticated and complicated, and yours is just one long thread.’ The silkworm

told the spider, ‘Look at my thread and look at your thread! My thread will be

used to cover and wrap queens and princes and gentlemen and ladies. Look at yourthreads. They will wrap and cover flies and insects. Look at my thread and whathappens when you touch it and your thread and what happens when you touch it.’” When you touch silk, it is soft and nice and strong. When you touch the

spiderweb, it breaks. One thread of a silkworm can stretch one to two miles!Deeds with ikhlas are a completely different level than deeds without ikhlas.

One of Sheikh Waleed’s teachers Sheikh Muhammad Salih ibn Uthaymeen wastalking about wudu. Sheikh Waleed asked him, “How can you have ikhlas when

making wudu?” He said, “You make the wudu for the salah. Part of the ikhlas isthat you do this for Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) while realizing you are doing it forHim and copying His Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).” Think that you are

wiping the sins you committed with your face, hands. You are washing yourselffrom these sins. When you rinse your mouth, remember how the Prophet (sal

Allahu alayhi wa sallam) rinsed his mouth. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) would lift his hand and let the water run down his arm. See how yourwudu feels after thinking about it this way. This is Ikhlaas in even a small actionsuch as wudhu, what about in fasting?

Ikhlas is of levels. Ikhlas was the hardest thing for the scholars to maintain fullyduring their good deeds. When it comes to fasting, ikhlas is special. No one knowsif you are fasting except for Allah (subhanahu wata’ala).

A Bedouin came to the masjid once (Bedouins lived in the desert and do not havemuch knowledge). He started praying. They said wow, the Bedouin is prayingwell! He heard them and when he finished he said, “By the way, I’m fasting too!” This is the opposite of ikhlaas.

Siyam demonstrates ikhlas clearly in the ‘ibadat. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhiwa sallam) said, “Indeed Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) gives victory to this

Ummah due to its weak ones, through their supplication, their Prayers, andtheir purity of intention ….” (Sunnan an-nasai). Don’t always rely and care for



the rich and powerful but know that even the weakest of Muslims can aid theUmmah.

Nur al-Deen Zengi would give the righteous (scholars, worshippers and studentsof knowledge) more money than the generals even though he was in a state of war

against the Crusaders. They asked him why he gave money to those who are notfighting, and he said, “Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) gives victory through theaverage people and their du’as. My soldiers’ weapons sometimes hit the target and

sometimes miss. The weapons of the righteous (du’a) never misses the target. I aminvesting in the right way.”

In the hadith of Ubayy ibn Ka’b and reported by Muslim in his Sahih: The Prophet

(sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Give the glad tidings to this ummah that ease

is coming. Give the glad tiding to them that they will one day dominate andvictory will be given to them. If anyone among them does something that is

supposed to be done for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) alone and does itfor the worldly life, then they will have no reward for it in the akhirah.”

Your Goal: Piety (taqwa)

Allah (su bhanahu wata’ala) reminds us in the verses of fasting in Surah Baqarah:

Taqwa is of levels:Worship of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) alone (sincerely)To fulfill the obligationsDoing the recommended acts

Your Motto: AllahuAkbar

When you complete the days of Ramadan, you say the takbirat at ‘Eid. Why do wemake the takbir and why not another form of dhikr and glorification of Allah(subhanahu wata’ala)? What is the relationship between saying “AllahuAkbar”

and fasting? We have proved with our fasting the entire month of Ramadan thatAllah (subhanahu wata’ala) is greater than our desires. It is not easy to abstain



from base desires and needs for 29/30 days, but we have proven to ourselves thatAllah (subhanahu wata’ala) is greater than anything in our hearts, which is why weare able to make the takbeerat of ‘Eid.

Fasting is indeed all about control and self-restrain. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi

wa sallam) said, “If someone starts to fight with you, say, ‘I am fasting.’ Youdon’t let your anger conquer you.In another hadith, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “If you don’t

stop saying and doing what is evil in Ramadan, Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) is notin need of your abstaining from food and drink.” Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) isgreater than all these things you desire.When you succeed to fast every day, you have demonstrated this word in action.

Your Battle: Fighting your desires

Sabr has two sides. Sabr means either to prevent or to push. You prevent yourself

from things you are not supposed to do and you push yourself towards things youare supposed to do. It requires sabr to pray taraweeh every night and this is noteasy. It is not easy to commit yourself to read Qur’an. It is not easy to sleep little

in the last ten days of Ramadan and continue working. It is sabr in pushingyourself towards these good deeds. It is sabr to abstain from what you are notsupposed to do.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Half of patience is in siyam.”

Sabr is either related to shar‘ or qadar. One is related to the Shari’ah rules

(abstaining from sins, striving in worship) and sabr related to qadar is having

patience with what is decreed upon you. Sabr is to control your emotions andadjust yourself to the new situation you are in. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said half of patience is siyam because it has to do with the Shari’ah part of

sabr

Your Weapon: Being conscious of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) (muraqabah)

You are always conscious of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) while fasting. If you canabstain from drinking and eating the halal, don’t you think it is much easier to

abstain from eating and drinking the haram? After Ramadan, we should be able tostay away from the haram.

Your Prize: The gate of RayyanThis gate is for those who fast a lot and fast other than Ramadan. There are eightgates of Jannah. Those who are good to their parents will enter through that gate,and later on others will be allowed. As for the gate of Rayyan, after the peoplewho fasted entered, then it will be locked. Only they will know the unique aspectsof that gate and what is in it. This distinguishes the gate of Rayyan from the othergates.



The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “In Jannah, there is a gate…’” The

ulema said that this gate is already inside Jannah, and it is not like the rest of thegates outside of Jannah that lead to entry into Jannah. This gate of Ar-Rayyan isactually part of Jannah. You experience the reward as soon as you access it. The

Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said the gate of Paradise is as big as what is between the east and the west and he further said, “Glad tidings! The day will

come when people will be crowded walking into Jannah.” Imagine the traffic

going into Jannah!

There was a mother who buried four of her children during her lifetime. Losingone child is enough to reward you with Jannah. She was old and told ShaykhWaleed she saw a dream. She saw the Day of Judgment and the gates of Jannahopened. Everyone was directed to one specific gate and others were going up high,and she tried to go with this small group and the angel pushed her and said, “This

way.” She asked, “Why?” They replied, “This is what Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has said.” She said, “But all of my life I fasted and had patience.” Then she heard

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) speak in her dream telling the angels, “Let her go to

the highest of Jannah. Let her go to the highest of Jannah.” She passed away one

week later.

Siyam has a great reward for a person who offers it.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said in many ahadith, if a Muslim doessuch and such, all the gates of Jannah will be opened for them, and they can

choose which one to enter from...As an example, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) told a man that if he is patient with the loss of his son, then his son will take his hand and they will enterJannah through whichever gate he wishes.

How can we reconcile between these ahadith that say that certain people of goodwill get to choose to enter through any gate they want and the hadith that the gateof Rayyan is only for those who fasted and will be locked after they enteredthrough it?Some ulema took the most common position and said that the hadith of enteringthrough any gate is a generality and that this hadith of a specific gate of Ar-Rayyan is an exception to this rule. Those who did these deeds have the chance togo through this gate but it will be locked for everyone else.Other ulema said they will be given the choice to see the eight gates but will neverchoose Rayyan and Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will always keep it for those whofast. Al-Manawi, a famous scholar of hadith, mentioned this opinion.



Power tip: A person who reaches the level of enjoying fasting will fast at any andevery opportunity

What’s in it for me?

10 Virtues of Fasting

1. Attainment of lofty ranks and stations

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said that Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) (subhanahu wata'ala) said, “Every deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied to

700…”

Two people came and said, “Ya Rasulullah, pray that we die in the battlefield.”

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) prayed for Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) to save them and have them go home safely. They said, “We want to go to

Jannah.” The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Is this what you want?

Fast! There is nothing similar to it in reward.” The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) preferred fasting for them over dying as shahudah!

In hadeeth of Talha, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) received three newMuslims in the city of Madinah and he asked, “Who will take care of these three

new Muslims?” (Lesson: We should assign people to take care of new Muslimsand we should support them). Talha hosted these three new Muslims in his housefor some time. Two of them died in the battlefield and one of them lived after for ayear and died in his bed. Talha saw in a dream that the one who died later in his bed was in a higher level of Jannah than the other two who died as shuhudah. He

thought that this could not be true, so he asked the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) about it. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Didn’t the man

live one year longer and strove in ‘ibadaat including that extra year that he fastedand prayed taraweeh?” In another narration, he said, “He said more subhanAllah,alhamdulillah, and la ilaha ilAllah” Fasting is something that will advance you inJannah and on the Day of Judgment.

2. Fasting is limitless in reward

The reward of it is unbelievable as we have discussed

3. Worshipping Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) through one of His attributesAllah (subhanahu wata’ala) does not eat and drink. Ibn Hajar said fasting is likeresembling an attribute of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala). The one who doesn’t eat is

better from one perspective and weaker from another. He needs the food to stayfresh, and he is dependent on food and in need of it, which shows your weakness.

4. Expiation for sins



The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Those who fast the month of

Ramadan, with emaan and seeking the reward of it, their previous sins will beforgiven.” The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) also said “Whoever fasts the

day of Arafah, it will erase the sins of the previous sins and the previous year” and

he said “Whoever fasts Ashurah, the sins of the previous year are forgiven” This

forgiveness refers to the minor sins which are acquired in daily life. The Prophet(sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said they will be erased by fasting, salah, sadaqahetc.

Fasting the day of Arafah erases the previous sins and the sins of the next year.Arafah occurs in dhul hijjah which is in the 12th month of the lunar calendar whileAshurah is in the 1st month of the lunar calendar. How can fasting on Ashurah takecare forgiving sins from the previous year when fasting on Arafah did the samething? Example: you fast Arafah in 1435 and Ashurah in 1436.The ulema said that the power of forgiveness is based on the power of your ibadah

and how sincere you are with your fasting. If it was done with 100% sincerity,then it will wipe 100% of sins away. If it was 50%, then it will wipe 50%. Youfollow up with Ashurah to wipe out the rest.Ibn Taymiyyah gave the analogy that it is like your thawb which has stains. Youwash it but sometimes it will not be clean 100% so you need to wash it over andover again to achieve cleanliness. One fast may wipe some of your sins, and thesecond one will completely clear it out. Unfortunately, on a daily basis peopleacquire a lot of sins. This is why there are so many opportunities for cleansing andhaving one’s sins forgiven.

5. Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) and His angels pray for those who fastThe angels praise the Muslim who fasts and are proud of him. Ibn Hibban reportsin his Sunan that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Allah(subhanahu wata’ala) and His angels pray on the one who makes suhur.” The

ulema said that they praise him because he is about to fast.

6. A Veil from the Fire

Imam Ahmad reports in his Musnad and al- Nasa’I report, the Prophet (sal Allahualayhi wa sallam) said, “Al-sawm is a veil from His Punishment.” In another

narration: “It is a veil from the punishment of the Hellfire.” In another narration:

“It is a strong partition between you and the Hellfire.” The Prophet (sal Allahualayhi wa sallam) said, “If a person fasts a single day for the sake of Allah(subhanahu wata’ala), Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will keep that person awayfrom Hellfire a distance of 70 years.” (Tabarani) What does 70 years mean? It means that the distance would be crossed in 70 yearsof traveling.

In another narration: 100 years of fasting (Imam Muslim)



In another narration: Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will make between you andHellfire a trench like the distance between the heavens and the earth. (al-Tirmidhi)

7. Whoever fasts a hot day will have his thirst quenched on the Day of

Judgment

Ibn Abbas reported that at the time of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam),he sent Abu Musa al-Ashari and a group of companions for a trip to the sea. AbuMusa said that on one of the nights there was no wind and it was pitch black. Allof a sudden they heard a voice calling on them, “O people of the ship, listen to

what Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has decreed on Himself.” Abu Musa said,

“Whoever you are, tell us what you have.” The voice said, “Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) has prescribed upon Himself whoever fasts one hot summer day and becomes thirsty, Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will quench his thirst on the Day ofThirst.” Abu Musa told the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) about this, andhe approved of what was said. Abu Musa said, “After I heard this, I never missed

a fasting on a single one of the hot and long summer days”

Mu’adh b. Jabal, the most knowledgeable person in halal and haram (as said bythe Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), said upon his death, “Welcome death! I

have been waiting for you. I used to fear you but now I want and need you. Ohdeath, come and collect my soul. Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) knows that I neverloved to live in this life to plant trees and build farms and houses. I only loved thisdunya for the following reasons: so that I am thirsty in the hot days of the summerfasting, the long nights I spent praying, sitting in the gatherings of knowledgelearning from the scholars. These are the only things I will miss after my death.”

In Surah Haqqah verse.29: Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) (subhanahu wata'ala) says,

Mujahid said this verse was revealed in relation to the people who fast. Allah

(subhanahu wata’ala) will send His angels to provide food and drink to these people who fasted in their lives on the Day of Resurrection. It will be a feast forthem on a day of 50,000 years of standing when other people will be tired, thirstyand searching for any form of shade. In another narration, the people will see along table full of food and drinks, and when people approach it, they will be told itis only for those who fasted.

8. The call of the gate of Rayyan



9. A sure path to Paradise

Fasting will assure you a path to Paradise. In the hadith of Hudhayfah reported byImam Muslim, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said “Whoever ends his

life while saying la ilaha ilAllah will enter Jannah. Whoever ends his life while

fasting will enter Jannah. Whoever ends his life while giving charity will enterJannah”

Sayyidah Nafisah was a pious lady from the previous generations who lived inEgypt. She was so righteous that when al-Dhahabi wrote her biography, he saidfrom her piety the ignorant people in Egypt worshipped her after her death. Shemade Hajj 30 times in her lifetime and constantly stood for the truth and forbadethe evil. She did so much for the public as well and was known for her charity.Once when the procession of the leader was passing by her neighborhood, shewalked through the lines of people to get to the leader and stopped his horse. The

leader recognized who she was. She gave him beautiful advice and reminded himof Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) (subhanahu wata'ala) and admonished him so muchthat he started crying and came down from his horse to her. He promised the endof the aggression of his generals and governors.Sayyidah Nafisah used to fast a lot, so much so that at the end of her life shecontinuously fasted every day of her life except ‘Eid. On the day she died, she wasso sick that the people asked her to break her fast. She replied, “I have been fastingand seeking this day for the last 20 years.” She wanted to meet Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) while she was fasting. She died right before Maghrib and did not breakher fast.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “There are lofty and unique rooms

in Jannah. They are see-through. These rooms were made for the following people: the person who provides food for people, the person who speaks softlyand gently, the person who continuously fasts and the person who prays in thenight while people sleep.” (Imam Ahmad)

10. Fasting will intercede for you on the Day of Judgment

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Qur’an (especially SurahBaqarah and Surah Ale-‘Imran) and fasting will intercede for you on the day ofJudgement. The Qur’an will say, “Ya Rabb, I did not let him sleep in the night.”

Siyam will say, “Ya Rabb, I prevented him from eating and drinking during the

daytime.”

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said the best form of fasting is the fastof Dawud (fasting one day and breaking the fast the next day). It has beenmentioned that Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) said to Musa (‘alayhi’l-salam): “We

have appointed for Musa 30 nights and then 10 so he completed 40 days.” The



mufasiroon said that he fasted 40 days straight. How could Musa fast for so manydays? Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) provides food and drink to the prophets andmessengers and so they can be in a state of perpetual fasting.

Fasting is an act of worship Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) obligates on the believers,

“as it was prescribed on nations before you…” Other religious groups also havefasting. Sikhs are the one of the few religions that do not fast, in fact they mockthe concept of fasting. Baha’is believe in fasting the month, but their month isalways in March and only from March 3-March 22.

What is the best form of fasting?The best form of fasting is that of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).Aishah (radhi Allahu'anha) said, “He would fast almost every day. I never saw

him fast many days in the month like the way he fasted in Sha’ban.” Anas said,

“There were days when I would think this is a good day to fast until I would find

the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) fasting the same days” Ibn Abbas said,“The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to fast until we would say henever breaks his fast and he would not fast until we used to say the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) doesn’t fast.”

He (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to fast Mondays and Thursdays and wouldfast three days from every month. Aishah (radhi Allahu'anha) said he used to fastthe Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at the beginning of the month and in the nextmonth Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Ibn Abbas said, the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) fasted the first three days of every month and in anothernarration the last two days of every month.

Abu’l-Darda said, “I remember one time we were traveling in the summer and it

was so hot and none of us could take the heat of the sun without putting a wettowel on the head. None of us was fasting except two: Rasulullah (sal Allahualayhi wa sallam) and Abdullah ibn Rawahah.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) would come to the house and if his wifesaid there was no food to cook, then he would say he is fasting.

Ibn Hajar collected the days the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to fastand found that he used to fast like Dawud: that he fasted half of the year.

The sahabah and tabi’in and the scholars of our past also loved fasting as much asthe Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). Right before his death, Umar ibnKhattab would fast every single day (reported by Bayhaqi). Aishah (radhiAllahu'anha) said that while the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was alive,she did not fast much and after the death of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam), she used to fast every single day. Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) ordered the



Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) to take Hafsa back because she was awoman who fasted a lot and prayed a lot.

Abdullah b. Amr b. al-‘Aas was a young man who used to fast a lot. The Prophet(sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) told him to fast less but he replied that he could do

more because he was young and wanted to enjoy his youth on the ‘ibadah of Allah(subhanahu wata’ala). Eventually they settled that he would fast every 2nd day.What good is our youth if we do not use it in the worship of Allah (subhanahuwata’ala)? If you miss your teens, 20s and early 30s in the worship of Allah(subhanahu wata’ala), then you will not have much to do after that. This is thegolden time to spend and invest in the worship of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala).This is when you are still full of energy and strength.

One of Aishah’s favorite students was a freed slave by the name of Masruk and henamed his daughter after her. Anytime ‘Aisha bint Masr uk asked him for

something, her father would never refuse. One day Masruk was fasting eventhough he was very sick and the doctor recommended him not to fast. Theyreasoned that the only one who could convince Masruk to break his fast would behis own daughter. When Masruk saw her coming he knew what the plan was andasked, “They brought you?” She replied, “Yes. Do you know why? I want you to

break your fast and take medicine and eat.” He said, “Why do you want to ask me

this?” She said, “My father, I would like to make it easy for you.” He said, “That

is why I am fasting. I want to make it easy for myself on the Day that is 50,000years long. This is why I am doing what I am doing today.”

Urwah b. Zubayr was the son of Asma and al-Zubayr. His grandmother wasSafiyyah, the aunt of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), and his aunt wasAishah and his grandfather was Abu Bakr. Al-Zuhri studied 7 years with Sa’id b.

al-Musayyib and said there is no greater scholar than him until he met Urwah b.Zubayr and found him on another higher level than Sa’id. He said that Urwah had

an ocean of knowledge and manners.Urwah b. al-Zubayr never broke his fast except on the two Eids. At the end of hislife, Urwah had gangrene on his feet and it had to be amputated. The doctors askedhim to drink analgesics so that he would not feel the pain but he responded that hewas fasting and told them to just amputate the leg anyway. When they cut it off,they said he never once screamed but rather was making dhikr and tasbeeh. Thenarrators add that the only way they knew the procedure was complete is becausethey smelt the cauterization or burning of the skin of Urwah’s leg after it was cut

off. This was the level of control and sabr that ‘Urwah was able to achieve over

his nafs.Urwah fainted eventually and when he woke up, he asked for his leg. When it was brought he said, “Ya Rabb, You took from me, but You have left me with so

much. You have tested me with this one thing, but many times You have saved



me.” He still finished his wird from the Qur’an that night (reciting 1/4 of theQur’an). It is narrated that the same night Urwah’s son fell of a roof and passed

away, but Urwah kept patient.

The righteous people of the past were on a completely different level in their

fasting and set the bar very high for us to aim for. We see that they cared so muchabout fasting.



II. IMPORTANT EVENTS WHICH OCCURRED DURING THE MONTH

OF RAMADAN

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) revealed the Qur’an in Ramadan. This was a major

change in human history.

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) also elevated ‘Isa to the heavens in Ramadan, which isanother incident which changed history. In Ramadan, the Prophet (sal Allahualayhi wa sallam) lost many close friends and companions.

Battles

BadrFor the first time ever, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) defeated theQuraysh. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) won with only around 310 to313 scarcely armed Muslims against an army of 950 soldiers of the Quraysh withweapons, horses and camels.

Preparation for the battle of Khandaq (the trench)

Conquest of Makkah in 8 Hijri

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) entered Makkah on this day ofRamadan with 10,000 soldiers. Himas b. Qays heard that the Prophet (sal Allahualayhi wa sallam) was in the outskirts of Makkah and put on his armor. His wifeasked where he is going. He told her not to worry and that he will bring back oneof his friends to be her slave. He came back very soon after scared and locked thedoor and told her to be quiet because, “Muhammad said if you go to your house

and lock yourself in then you are safe.”

Destroying the idols of the Quraysh

The biggest idol Hubal was made of rubies. One time it fell and the arm broke sothey made an arm of gold for it. It was kept inside the Ka’bah. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) took an ax and broke it.

Victorious return from Tabuk

The battle of Buwayb in Iraq

The conquest of Andalus

Deaths

Death of Khadijah

How honored was she? One day the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was inthe house and Jibril came down to the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) to tellhim to tell her that Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) says salam to Khadijah.She believed the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) when no one else did and



supported him when no one else did. Her death marked a change in the life of theProphet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).

Death of ‘Ali

Death of Aishah

Deaths of al-Zuhri, Ibn Mubarak, Abu’l-Abbas Abdullah

Other Events

The slander of Aishah

The Islam of ThaqifThe Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) destroyed al-Lat, worshipped by the people of Thaqif. Al-Lat had an endowment for it.

Some historians said the flood of Noah took place during the month of Ramadan.

‘Isa (alayhi’l-salam) was raised

What is the most important incident that ever took place in Ramadan? Theincident that has to do with you. This Ramadan is the most important date in yourhistory. So you have to ask yourself: What will you change and do? Will you become among those whom Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) accepts from every night?Will it be the time when Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) promises you Jannah?

Change in Ramadan is at many levels: personal, family, community / masjid. Themost important changes are those related to these areas. Start thinking about it

before Ramadan starts so you know exactly what you want to achieve! How willwe change for the rest of the year? How will it be an opportunity for us to grow?Spend quality time with your family. Build a strong bond with the Qur’an. Build a

strong bond with salah.

Points on How to Make this the Best Ramadan EverMake a lot of du’a that Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) makes this the best RamadaneverWatch what you eat. Have a good diet. Someone asked what will bring taqwa, andAl-Hasan al-Basri said, “Empty stomach.” Pray taraweeh in the masjid. Have iftar with the community.Make a lot of dhikr.Have a schedule and organize your time.Have a good attitude.Write down your du’as. Choose one bad habit to get rid of. When you try to do too much, you end up withnothing. When you focus, you end up with a lot.Increase your good deeds every day.





III. THE SPIRITUAL FAST OR THE FAST OF HUNGER AND THIRST

There are 3 categories of people when it comes to fasting:The ‘ulema have said that there are three categories of people when it comes tofasting:

The fast of the masses

Not eating or drinking and abstaining from sexual relations during the daytime.This is the minimum requirement of fasting

The fast of the elitePreventing their eyes, ears, tongue and other organs from disobedience andcommitting sins.

The fast of the super elite

Fast of the heart from the thoughts of the dunya and in complete submission toAllah (subhanahu wata’ala). Fasting means abstaining and staying away from.This is the highest level of fasting.

These terminologies were started during the early times of Islam by the tabi’in.

Later on, it became a common terminology used by Sufis. They stretched thesemeanings further than what the early generation meant. They said the super eliteare those who have so much love for Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) that they don’t

need to worship Him anymore because they see Him and feel Him all the time.They say that you pray and fast to get connected to God but if you are connected

to Him all the time, then there is no point. And so they started dropping the rulesof Islam. They would say weird things such as the Ka’bah is making tawaf around

them so they don’t need to make tawaf. This is not what the ulema meant by these

categories. What the Sunni scholars meant was the person who perfected his or heriman and has a high level of iman and that they were committed to the Sunnah ofthe Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).

When Imam al-Shafi’I was asked about people who call themselves by thesecategories, he said to look at their prayer. If he prays on time and according to theSunnah, then he is from them. If he doesn’t pray according to the Sunnah, then he

is not special. In the famous statement, the Egyptian scholar Layth ibn Sa’ad said, “if I saw a man of innovation walking on water I would not believe him”. Imam

Shafi’ said, “Imam Layth did not go far enough, rather if I saw a person of

innovation flying I would still not believe him”

The spiritual fast consists of:



Ibn al-Jawzi said, “Fasting is of three types: the soul fasting, which is to know that

life is temporary so you abstain from being attached to it until you break your fastin Jannah.” This means the soul is never attached to the dunya but always to the

akhirah. “Also, the fasting of the mind, which is that you don’t think about that

which is haram. And the fasting of the limbs.” Ibn al-Jawzi looked at the soul,

mind and body.

Many scholars mentioned these three categories when talking about the fast. Tryto make your eyes, ears, and tongue abstain. This should also lead you to continuethis after fasting through the rest of your life.

Power Tip: The months of the year are like the sons of Ya’qub (both are 12). The

superiority of Ramadan is like the superiority of Yusuf over his brothers. Just asYusuf was the beloved of the sons of Ya’qub, Ramadan is the most beloved month

to Allah (subhanahu wata’ala).



IV. 24 TYPES OF FASTS

No. Type of Fast Ruling

1 Ramadan Obligatory

2 2 continuous months (manslaughter) ObligatoryThis is when someone kills another person by mistake. For example, in a caraccident where the driver caused the crash that killed the passenger.The ruling is that you have to free a slave for the sake of Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) (subhanahu wata'ala). If you could not find a slave to free, then you haveto fast 2 consecutive months. You have to give blood ransom, which is an amountof money given to the family of the one killed. This diya is equal to the price of100 camels. In modern times, this would be around $150K - $200K.Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) (subhanahu wata'ala) mentioned this is in the Quran in4:92 (below). This is to complete your tawbah (repentance).

Killing someone is one of the greatest sins because giving life and death is aspecial quality of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) and if a person kills, then he is



competing with Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) in one of His special qualities. Themurderer has not only violated the right of the person but also Allah (subhanahuwata’ala)’s Right. Capital punishment in Islam is intended to save lives and stopthe cycle of violence.

3 3 days (expiation for oaths) ObligatoryFor example, someone says, “I swear by Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) I will dothis.” If he doesn’t do it, then the penalty is: feed 10 miskeen, and if he cannot,

then he has to free 10 people or give them a set of clothes and if he cannot do that,then he has to fast 3 days.

Is there an order to the expiation or is there a choice?Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) (subhanahu wata'ala) said, “Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) does not hold you accountable for the oath that you makeunintentionally…” In Surah Ma’idah verse 89

If you intend to commit yourself to something, then this is when Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) will hold you accountable if He Wills.

The food that is given is the average food that you and your family eat (accordingto your means). You don’t feed them cheap fast food. Similarly, you clothe themwith the average clothes your family members wear.There is an order and it is not a choice. Only if you cannot feed them and cannotclothe them, then you fast for three days.



Rule: Anytime Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) gives us an expiation and mentionsseveral things, if the letter “aw” (meaning “or”) is used, then you can choose from

any of them. Anytime in the Qur’an it says “falam” meaning you cannot afford it,

then you cannot choose directly but only if you cannot do the first do you go to thesecond.

Do you have to fast these three days consecutively? This is an issue the ulemadebated over.Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Sufyan al-Thawri (had his own madhab but thisdied out, he also lived in Kufa during the same time as Imam Abu Hanifa did) andImam Muzani (shafi’I scholar who ulema said deserved to have his own madhab

because he has many of opinions that carry heavy weight in the Shafi’I madhab)

and the old position of Imam Shafi’i: it has to be consecutive days. Why? Becausewhen Ibn Mas’ud recited this verse, he said, “Those who cannot find the means to

do the feeding or providing clothes fast three consecutive days.” This became

shadd, meaning you don’t pronounce it anymore in the Qur’an but the meaningremained.

Imam Malik, the official opinion of Shaf’I madhab and Imam Ahmad, one

position of Hanabilah: no need for consecutive days because the qira’ah does not

suggest consecutive days, and the qira’ah of Ibn Mas’ud was not authentic.

Shaykh Waleed’s opinion: It seems that the qira’ah of Ibn Mas’ud, even if we say

it is authentic, does not necessarily establish that the 3 days must be consecutive but may only indicate it is recommended.

Note: we are not recommended to use Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)’s Name to

commit to everything as some people do nowadays in being so easy and quick onthe tongue to swear by Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) in all their affairs. There is adifference between committing to a person and committing to Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) because of respect for Allah (subhanahu wata’ala). This penalty is thereto make us control our tongue.

Note: Feeding a person means one major meal. In the traditions of fiqh, they spokeof lunch because that was the major meal. In America, dinner is the major meal ofthe day.

NOTE: There are 2 types of teaching. This session is to teach knowledge and notto give fatwas and answer specific questions. We are learning what the Muslim jurists said and why they said it. This helps us to understand the knowledge of theShari’ah. Shaykh Fawzan used to always say that he is not teaching fatwas or

personal choices but to teach what the Muslim scholars said. If the khilaf is strong,



then it is mentioned, and if the difference of opinions is very weak, then it is alsoexplained.

4 3 days (expiation for cutting the hair during ihram) Obligatory

This is referenced in Surah Baqarah, ayah 196

If you break the rules, you have to sacrifice a sheep, and if you cannot, then youhave to fast 3 days.

A person is in a state of ihram during Hajj, and there are certain rules that comeswith this ihram that they must follow. If someone has to cut his hair (e.g. if theyhave a disease la qadr Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)), or if he has to wear any formof clothing that is form fitting such as pants or underwear for a health reason, thenthe ruling is that a fidyah has to be given. The fidyah is to sacrifice an animal. If a

person cannot, then he can replace it by fasting 3 days.

Al-Nawawi said there is consensus amongst the scholars that these days can befasted anytime – either in Makkah or when coming home. When al-Nawawi saysthere is ijma’ (consensus), then 99% of the time he means amongst the Shafi’I

scholars. For this case though, Imam Nawawi was correct in that all scholars saidthis, Shafi’ and outside of the madha b. Al-Shinqiti said this is agreed upon that



you can fast these 3 days anywhere if you break a rule and if don’t have the means

to offer a sheep.

5 10 days (expiation for no sacrifice) Obligatory

The 10 days is if someone does hajj tamattu’ (the hajj in which the ‘umrah and hajjitself are separated in that after ‘umrah one will leave the state of ihram until they

start hajj) and if he doesn’t have a sheep, then he replaces it with 3 days in Hajj

and 7 days when coming back.

This is also referenced in Surah Baqarah, ayah 196

3 days during Hajj and 7 after coming home. These 10 days are obligatory.

6 Fasting for hunting while in ihram Obligatory



The penalty for hunting during ihram is in 5:95:

You have to sacrifice an animal for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) equalto the size of the animal you hunted. If you don’t have the means to do that, then

you feed the number of needy people equal to the size of the animal hunted, and ifyou cannot, then you fast the number of days equal to the size of the animalhunted.

How can you figure this out? Ibn Abbas explained: if one hunted a gazelle, thenthe penalty is to offer a sheep or ram. If he doesn’t have the means, then he feeds 6

miskeen, and if he doesn’t have the means, then he fasts 3 days. If he hunted an

elk or buffalo, he sacrifices a cow, and if he cannot, then he feeds 20 poor peopleand if he cannot, then he does 20 days of fasting. If he hunted an ostrich or zebra,then he sacrifices a camel and if he doesn’t have the means, then he feeds 30

miskeen and if he cannot, then he fasts 30 days. No one else interpreted this verse other than Ibn Abbas. This was then agreedupon by the companions and successors.

7 Mondays, Thursdays Recommended

Hafsah narrated that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to fastMondays and Thursdays (al- Nasa’i). Abu Hurayrah also said that he used to fastMondays and Thursdays the most. Aisha narrated that he used to look forward tothese days.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “the record of our deeds is presented to Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) on these days and I would like them to be



presented while fasting (hadith of Usama).” Ibrahim al- Nakha’I used to cry on

Mondays and Thursdays when he heard this hadith because he that said these arethe days when our records are presented to Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) and he wasnot proud of his record. Think about how much your record is made up of beneficial things and how much it is made up of sins. This is what made Ibrahim

al- Nakha’I cry.

8 Day of ‘Arafah Recommended

Fasting this day is not recommended for the one at Hajj. The Prophet (sal Allahualayhi wa sallam) made Hajj in the year 9 hijri. This means he had fasted 8Arafahs in Madinah.The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said in regards to the virtue of fastingthis day, “When you fast Arafah, it erases the sins of that year and the previous

year.”

During his Hajj, some companions were debating on whether the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) was fasting, and one of them knew he was not, so shesaid, “I sent to him a cup filled with laban (buttermilk) in front of them and he

drank it.”

Ibn Umar (radhi Allahu'anhu) said, “The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) didnot fast the day of Arafah while making Hajj. Nor Abu Bakr nor Umar norUthman. That is why I don’t do it, but I don’t order you to fast and I will not

forbid you from it.” He understood that since the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) broke his fast during Hajj, it is optional.

Why didn’t the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) fast the day of Arafah whileat Hajj? To make it easy for the people and help them have strength for theremainder of Hajj and so they can focus on making du’a, which is the most

important thing to do on the day of ‘Arafah

Only Yahya b. Sa’id al-Ansari said it is wajib to fast. All other scholarsrecommended not to fast the day of Arafah while making Hajj. Abdullah b. al-Zubayr, Usamah b. Zayd and Aishah and al-Hasan were all reported to have fastedon the day of Arafah while making Hajj, which shows the companions believed itwas permissible.

Al-Tabari said, “We should not fast the day of Arafah because it is Eid for the

Muslims and we cannot fast on Eid.” Umar (radhi Allahu'anhu) said that Arafah isone of the Eids of the Muslims. Eid means something the Shari’ah honors and

something we go back to every year at the same time. This is why Mina andyawm’l-tashreeq are Eids. If al-Tabari’s logic was correct, then we could not f ast



Arafah ever, so this logic is not consistent. This is why ulema did not agree withwhat al-Tabari said.

We don’t fast Arafah during Hajj only for the reason of having the strength to

continue Hajj. You want to be fresh and strong to make a lot of du’a. For those

who are not making Hajj, it is highly recommended to fast.

9 Day of ‘Ashura Recommended

This is the 10th of Muharram. Ibn Abbas said it is the 9th of Muharram, but thecorrect opinion amongst the scholars is that it is the 10th. The Prophet (sal Allahualayhi wa sallam) said that fasting this day expiates the previous year. The sinsthat are forgiven are the minor sins.

The ‘ulema said that Ashura is the day that Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) saved BaniIsra’il, and it is the Eid of Musa and his people while Arafah is the Eid of

Muhammad and his people, and because the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam)is of a higher level, then the gift is higher for his ummah and which is why fastingArafah expiates for two years and Ashura expiates for one year.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “If I live until the next year, I will

fast the 9th and 10th.” In another narration he added the 11th. Sheikh Bin Baz andother scholars said that the best format is to fast one day before and after Ashurahi.e. the 9th, 10th and 11th of the month. The Jews used to only fast the day ofAshurah itself and we have more rights over Musa than them, so we celebrate it ina greater way than they do.

10 Six Days of Shawwal Recommended

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whoever fasts the month of

Ramadan and follows with the six days of Shawwal, it is as if he fasted the entireyear.” (Muslim)

Why is there a special reward here? The ‘ulema said that Shawwal is the monthafter Ramadan and people are not as interested in fasting because they justcompleted 29/30 days of fasting. Many people will be busy with other things andforget about this act of worship. This is why the Shari’ah encourages us to not

abandon fasting in Shawwal.

Also, ulema said that Ramadan is equal to 10 months (30 days of fasting times tentimes the reward is 300 days or 10 months) and the six days is equal to 60 days,which adds up to one year. (al-dhahr can be mean lifetime or one year, and in thishadith, it means one year)



There is a narration in Ibn Majah in which the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said, “One month is equal to ten, and six days is equal to two months,

which equals a year.” Is this something the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam)said or narrated? Sufyan b. Uyaynah said it was an explanation of the companionsand not a statement of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).

Ibn Abbas, Tawus, Abdullah b. Mubarak, Shafi, Ahmad, Ibn Ishaaq allrecommended fasting these six days. Imam Shafi said it is recommended to bedone consecutively in the beginning of the month. Imam Ahmad and Waki ibn al-Jarrah (imam shafi’s teacher) and the vast number of scholars said it does not need

to be consecutive.

Some scholars did not agree with it: Sufyan al-Thawri, Abu Hanifah, Abu Yusuf,and Imam Malik said that there is no such thing as fasting the 6 days of Shawwal.The later Hanafi scholars disagreed with Abu Hanifah and Abu Yusuf and said it

was good to fast these 6 days.Why did they reject fasting these 6 days? They said it was imitating the people ofthe book and they had not come across the hadith of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhiwa sallam) regarding these 6 days. They said some people fast and add to it likethe people of the book would do, and they said you should be satisfied with whatAllah (subhanahu wata’ala) has given. This is not a good argument because the 6days comes from the hadith of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). Thosewho said this did not come across the hadith of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) about the 6 days. That is why Imam Malik said he didn’t see his teachers

doing it.

What is the benefit of fasting the six days of Shawwal?- It is equal to fasting the whole year (including Ramadan).- Physically you have fasted an entire month, and it is not good to start eating

too much right after.- It continues the spirit of Ramadan.- One of the signs of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) accepting your ibadah is that

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) opens the door for you to do another good deed.Whenever you follow good deeds with another good deed, then it is a goodsign that Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has accepted it. If you find yourself doingmore good deeds after fasting, then it is a sign Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) hasaccepted it.

- It helps you build the habit of fasting outside of Ramadan.- The ulema said the 6 days of Shawwal is to complete whatever was missing in

your Ramadan. For example, if you Ramadan was not perfect (i.e. you sleptmost of the day or you lost your temper or said something bad) then it will becompleted by the nafl. This is similar to the salah: Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will look at your wajib salah and if it was not complete, then Allah (subhanahu



wata’ala) will tell the angels to look at his record to see if he has voluntary prayers which can complete it. The voluntary will fill in the holes in the wajib.

- Fasting these 6 days of Shawwal is a form of gratitude to Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) for allowing us to fast in the month of Ramadan.A review on Shukr:

When we thank Allah (subhanahu wata’ala), we thank Him through threeways: by the tongue (by saying alhamdulillah), by the heart (to believe any blessing is from Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)) and by the actions (e.g. to thankAllah (subhanahu wata’ala) for a beautiful family, you do good to them; ifAllah (subhanahu wata’ala) gives you money, you spend it for a good cause).You thank Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) for giving you the blessing of fastingthe month of Ramadan through actions. Fasting the 6 days shows yourgratitude to Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) for fasting in Ramadan.Some of the salaf said that if someone prays in the night, Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) opens the door for that person to enjoy it so much. He will say the

way he wants to thank Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) as a form of shukr for thatqiyam’l-layl is that he will fast the next day.

Can you fast the 6 days of Shawwal if you did not complete Ramadan due to validreasons such as being sick, travelling or due to menses?Many scholars said you must make up the days of Ramadan first and then follow itwith 6 days of Shawwal because the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said,“Whoever fasted Ramadan and then followed it with 6 days of Shawwal…”

Therefore, if you didn’t fast the entire month of Ramadan, then you don’t deserve

the title. Also, they said Ramadan is 30 days and multiplied by 10 is 300 and the

six days multiplied by 10 is 60 which makes a year and if you do not complete thefasting of Ramadan then it doesn’t add up to one year completely.

Counter-argument: The scholars said that missing the days of Ramadan for a validreason does not strip you from the description / category of those who fastedRamadan. It is like the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said whoever makesqiyam’l-layl in Ramadan, Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) forgives his sins, and thesisters do not pray every night because of menses (a valid reason), and they arestill included in this group.What about it not adding up? When you make up the days later on, then it will addup. This is Shaykh Waleed’s opinion: you don’t have to make up Ramadan before

fasting the 6 days of Shawwal.The Hanafis and Shafi’is and one narration of Imam Ahmad said it is acceptable to

do the voluntary fasting before making up the obligatory fasting. The Malikis andSa’id b. Musayyib (scholar of Madinah) said you need to do the wajib first.

Can you make the intention to make-up Ramadan and fast a day of Shawwal onthe same day? No, you cannot!



A rule on joining intentions: Any 2 specific acts of worship cannot be done at thesame time with one intention. For example, salat’l-fajr is 2 rak’ahs and the sunnahof fajr is 2 rak’ahs - and you cannot do them together because they are separateacts of ibadah.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Fast three days every month.”This is general. You can combine this intention with fasting the days of Shawwal.The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said to pray tahiyat’ul-masjid and thiscan be done combined with the sunnah of fajr.

If you only have 5 minutes before sunrise, then you don’t pray sunnah. You only

pray the faridah because you only have time for that.

Can you have the intention for making up one day of Ramadan and fastingArafah? No! Because Arafah is specific.

11 Three days of every month Recommended

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Those who fast three days everymonth are like those fasting the entire year.” We look at the Sunnah of the Prophet(sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and his practice of fasting three days each month.Some ulema said the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to mix the threedays in the beginning of his life. It was reported by Aisha that he would fastSaturday, Sunday and Monday of one month and in the next month he would fastTuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and so on. Later on, he fasted the first threedays of every month. Some narrations stated he would fast the last days of the

month. The ‘ulema also said that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam)recommended fasting on the white days when the moon is full: 13th, 14th, and 15th.The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “if you want to fast three days,fast the 13th, 14th, and 15th (Musnad imam Ahmed).”

We can conclude that it seems like the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) at theend of his life used to continuously do the 13th, 14th, 15th of the month as his threedays and in the beginning of his life he was looking for the best days to fast andthis is why he changed the days every month.

Some scientists mention an interesting medical reason for fasting the white moondays: When the moon is full, it affects the quality of water on the earth.

12 Fast a day, miss a day continuously Recommended

This is the fasting of Dawud. He would sleep half of the night and pray 1/3rd of thenight and then sleep the rest until fajr. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam)



said there is no maximum fasting beyond the fast of Dawud, and it is the best offasting.

Al-Tirmidhi: The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said the hardest type offasting is the fast of Dawud.

13 Fasting certain months such as Muharram (meaning most of the

month) Recommended

In Islam, there is agreement between the jurists that the only month you areallowed to fast entirely is Ramadan. Fasting an entire month other than Ramadanis bid’ah unless it is a penalty. If a sahabah fasted the entire year, he fasted all

months but did not pick out one month specifically to fast. The scholars agree onthis concept.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The best fasting after Ramadan is

to fast the month of Muharram.” (Muslim) This is because it is the first month ofthe year and gets you ready for the year.

Al-Nawawi said he looked at the practice of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and could not find that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) fastedthis month. He (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) only fasted Ashurah. The month he(sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) fasted the most was Sha’ban and thus it is highlyrecommended to fast the month of Sha’ban. Al-Nawawi said that this could be for one of the following reasons:- He (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) didn’t know about the virtue of fasting

Muharram until the end of his lifetime- The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) traveled a lot during the month ofMuharram so he did not get an opportunity to fast then

14 The 10 days of Dhu’l-Hijjah Recommended

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “One of the best deeds you can please Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) with are the deeds done during these first tendays. The best days of the year are the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah.” (Reported by

Ibn Hibban)

Is it recommended to fast all of the first 9 days of Dhul hijjah? Hafsah (radhiAllahu'anha) said the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to fast most ofAshurah and the first ten days of every month, but this is not authentic. Aishahsaid she never saw him fasting the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Ulema said thatmaybe Aishah meant he never fasted all ten days, but it doesn’t seem that this is

the case. She means that he did not fast those days except Arafah. Shaykh Waleed





your home with a certain mindset that you will not be back because you know thatyou are travelling. We thus look at what is culturally recognized as travel.

Whoever is considered a traveler has the option to break his fast and make it uplater. Some scholars held the opposite view: Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, Abu Hurayrah,

Al-Awzai and al- Nakha’I said if you fasted while traveling, then the fast is invalid.Ibn Jubayr used to dislike fasting during travel. The Dhahiris said it is not ofrighteousness to fast while traveling; however, no jurists understood that Ibn Umarand the companions said it is invalid but just disliked it so much.

Hanifah, Malik, Shafi’I, and Ahmad and the companions and successors said

fasting while traveling is an option: You can fast or break it. Abu’l-Darda saidthey traveled with the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) on a very hot day andthe only one fasting was the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). (Bukhari)

Anas said they used to travel with the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) andthe people who were fasting never looked down on those who were not and thosewho were not did not criticize those who were.

Hamza al-Sulaymi asked the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) if he could fastwhile traveling, and the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “If you wish.”

(Bukhari and Muslim)

These evidences said it is suggest that it is optional1. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “It is not of righteousness to

travel while fasting.” 2. A few companions came to the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and toldthem how they went on a journey and that there were some companions that werefasting and they received all the reward. the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam)asked who were the ones who were serving and working for the convoy. Andthese were the ones who were not fasting. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said, “The ones who did not fast today got all the ajr.” This shows that

helping others is much better than just fasting. The Shari’ah wants to make things

easy on people.

If someone has made the intention to travel, when can they break their fast? ImamAhmad said the moment you leave your home is when you are allowed to breakyour fast. Another narration said the moment you reach your camel (i.e. your car).Muhammad b. Ka’b said he saw Anas in Ramadan and he was planning to travel.He put his clothes on and said, “Bring me food.” He ate the food and then rode the

camel leaving the city. He broke his fast at home when he was about to leave.Another opinion says that you can break your fast if traveling the moment youhave all your stuff ready to go to the car.



What if you are travelling and returning to your city while not fasting? If youarrive at noon and are not fasting, can you eat and drink? Ibn Mas’ud said if you

ate in the beginning of the day then you can continue eating.Jabir b. Zayd arrived from traveling and found his wife had just finished her

menses at noon time, and they had intercourse. This shows that the ruling offasting doesn’t apply to you if you arrive to your home while not fasting.

What if you know that you are going to arrive at noon? Yes, you can still not fast because it is not guaranteed that you will arrive and you are still a traveler at fajr.

But why should the modern Muslim fast when travelling is so easy nowadays anddoes not involve much hardship?The Shari’ah has not connected breaking the fast to the hardship, effort or to beingtired but rather only connected it to traveling. Some people say traveling is easy,

but it is not. Even if you are in your own luxurious private jet, you can break thefast because you are travelling

17 Sick Optional

Sickness is of two types: temporary sickness and sickness for which there is nocure (permanent sickness)

The person is excused from fasting if the doctor recommends not fasting. If thesickness is permanent and without a cure, the person will feed a poor person foreach day. It can be 30 meals to one person or one meal to 30 people. If the

sickness is temporary, than they do not fast that day and make it up afterRamadan.

What if you are fasting and then get very sick later on the same day? In this case,you break your fast and make it up later on. If you are fasting and sick and this isworsening your established health condition, than you must break your fast.

The doctor needs to determine the criteria for a Muslim to fast or not based onwhat the doctor knows of the sickness. Most Muslim jurists said it needs to be aMuslim doctor because they understand the value of fasting. Shaykh Waleedagrees with asking a Muslim doctor. If the non-Muslim doctor understands thevalue, then you can ask him as well.

18 The last half of Sha’ban Disliked

According to the Shaf’I scholars, after the first 15 days it is discouraged.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “This is a month a lot of people

don’t pay attention to. It is between Rajab and Ramadan. This is the month when



the deeds are presented before Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) and I would like mydeeds presented while fasting.” The scholars said the deeds are presented on a

weekly and yearly basis. On a weekly basis it is on Thursday and Monday, and ona yearly basis the deeds are presented Sha’ban. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) never specified what day of Sha’ban the deeds are presented. It has been

narrated that he (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to fast most of Sha’ban excepta few days (Sahih Bukhari).

Ulema further state that the only days in Shaban you are not supposed to fast arethe two days before Ramadan. It is highly disliked and according to some scholarsharam to fast yawm’l-shakk (the day of doubt), which is the last day of Shaban.You cannot fast that day unless it is your habit to fast Monday and Thursday andthe 30th of Shaban happens to fall on a Monday or Thursday.

Thinking “just to be safe” and fasting that day because you don’t know if this is

the start or Ramadan or not is not allowed in Islam. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhiwa sallam) said in al-Tirmidhi: “Don’t fast the day or two before the month of

Ramadan (unless it is your habit to fast).” The Hanabilah are the only madhab thatallowed fasting yawm’l-shakk but the majority agree with not fasting.

Abu Hanifah said it is highly recommended to fast the first 15 days of Shaban andthen reduce the frequency of fasting after that until Ramadan.

19 ‘Id al-Fitr, ‘Id al-Adha, Days of Tashriq Prohibited

It is not allowed to fast on the days of Eid.

What are the days of Eid? Eid’l-Fitr is one day and is on the first of Shawwal. Eidal-Adha is the day of Eid and the days of Tashriq. Tashriq comes from the wordsharq which comes from the sun (ishraaq means sunrise). People used to put themeat in the sun to dry out so it is called tashriq. Tashriq also comes from the wordfor sunrise because you sacrifice the sheep for Hajj only when the sun rises.

What are the days of tashriq? There are two opinions:1. The minority opinion: Eid and two days after2. The majority opinion: The day of Eid and three days after. Shaykh Waleedagrees with this opinion. This means you are allowed to do your qurban on Eiduntil ‘Asr and three days after.

You cannot fast these days because you are the guest of Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) on those days and Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) is providing you the foodon those days.

It is only permissible to fast the days of tashriq if you are at Hajj while you are inMakkah. This is the only exception.



20 Day of Shakk Prohibited

21 Wisal ProhibitedThis means the fasting of the night. Sometimes the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa

sallam) would fast continuously for 48 hours or 72 hours and would not break hisfast at all. The sahabah would ask him, “Ya Rasulullah, we see you fasting daysafter each other. Should we do that?” He (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “No.

The Prophets are not like regular people, Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) provides mewith food and drink.” Is this fasting tangible or intangible? Intangible. Food anddrink gives you nourishment and energy. Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) provided theProphet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) the same result, so he had strength as if heate and drink. In Bukhari it is narrated that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) forbade the Muslims from fasting continuously through out the night.

There is one opinion among the Shafi’yyiyah which is different than the Muslimscholars. They said that there is a hadith that the companions came to the Prophet(sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and said he had to give them permission to fast likehim and he gave them permission to fast until suhur time, when they had to breaktheir fast. However all ‘ulema agree that this is not recommended. Some Shafissaid it is permissible but not recommended. The majority of ulema said it is notallowed and abrogated in Islam and you have to break your fast at Maghrib.

22 Continuous fasts ProhibitedThis means you fast every day in the year except the days of Eid. The Prophet (sal

Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Those who fast every day have not fasted andhave not broken their fast.” This hadith shows that fasting every day of the year is

not something the Shari’ah encourages. This is why Imam Ahmad disliked it when

he heard about it.

Some of the Shafi’yyah and Imam Abu Yusuf (student of Imam Abu Hanifa) andIbn al-Arabi (famous Maliki scholar) said it is permissible to fast every day except‘Eid and what the Shari’ah forbade was to fast every day including Eid.

What is their reasoning? There were a large number of companions who did thisand we never heard of any other companions objecting to their practice. Some of

the Shafiyyah said whoever can offer it then it is recommended. However theProphet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said the best fasting is the fasting of Dawud.

23 Friday Disliked

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not specify Friday with

fasting unless you fasted one day before it or one day after it.” (Bukhari and

Muslim)



There is debate amongst the scholars regarding the fasting of Friday. Imam Malik believed fasting Friday by itself is permissible, but there is a Maliki scholar al-Dawud who said, “If Malik heard this hadith, then he would not say it is permissible. It seems he did not hear this hadith.” However, it seems Imam Malik

heard it later in his life. A famous Maliki scholar mentioned another narration ofMalik saying it is disliked.

Abu Hanifah said that it is permissible to fast Friday. Why? He based his opinionon a hadith reported in al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban that the Prophet (sal Allahualayhi wa sallam) used to fast three days of every month and he would almostnever miss Friday. However, this hadith does not mean he fasted Friday by itself.He would fast the three days (13th, 14th, 15th), and if Friday happened to be one ofthem, then he fasted either before or after it.

In Bukhari and Muslim there are very clear ahadith on not fasting Friday by itself.

Is it allowed to fast on a Friday if there is another reason for it, such as if the whitedays of the month or the fasting of Ashura fall on the Friday? Yes because thefasting is not for the Friday itself but for a different reason

24 Saturday Disliked

In the hadith of Ghurayb (who was the freed slave of Ibn Abbas), he said, “Ibn

Abbas and a few of his companions were arguing about the fasting of the Prophet(sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) sent me to Umm Salamah to ask her the days the

Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) fasted the most, so I asked her and she toldme that he fasted the most on Saturday and Sunday. They said, ‘You heard her

wrong.’ So I went back and asked her again and she told me the same thing. Theydid not accept this from me the second time. Ibn Abbas took his friends and wentto ask Umm Salamah themselves. They said, ‘We sent this young man to you and

he claimed you said that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) fasted the moston Saturday and Sunday.’ She replied, ‘Yes, this is true. He used to fast these days

the most and said ‘these are Eids for the mushrikeen and I want to be differentfrom them’”

But there is another hadith which may imply the disapproval of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) fasting on Saturday:In another hadith of the woman from Yemen, As-Sam-ma, came to the Prophet(sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) while her daughter was fasting, the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) disapproved of her fasting on Saturday and said, “If youare fasting on a Saturday and you cannot find anything to eat that day to breakyour fast except that you go to a green branch and bite it to take the water out of itto break your fast, then do so.”



The ‘ulema commented that the strong language means that one should not fast ona Saturday.

How can we reconcile between these?The majority of the ulema said he (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to fast

Saturday and Sunday, but it is not allowed to fast Saturday by itself (similar to notfasting on Friday by itself). If you fast Saturday, then follow it with fasting oneither the Sunday or the Friday.Other ulema said it was haram originally and then abrogated when he (sal Allahualayhi wa sallam) said to fast Friday and Saturday.

What seems to be forbidden is to fast Saturday by itself. If Saturday is Arafah,then you don’t need to fast the day before it because you are not fasting that day

for the sake of it being Saturday. If Saturday is the only day you are able to makeup a fast from Ramadan, then it is also okay because this is a valid reason.

25 Sunday Disliked

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said it is highly disliked to fast Sunday by itself and instructed to add one day to it, similar to the rulings on fasting Fridayand Saturday by themselves.

26 The month of Rajab Not Recommended

This is not recommended. Umar said, “Eat! Don’t be among the rajabi’een who

believe the month is special.”



V. THE BASICS OF FASTING

Definition

Linguistic definition:

To withhold

Technical definition:To withhold from certain things during a certain period of time with certainconditions

Let’s examine this definition in detail…

“Certain things” include food, drink and intercourse (including related sexualactivities). The issue is of a person reaching orgasm in any format unless in adream state. A person is not held accountable for wet dreams.

Ibn Hazm, a Dhahiri imam, said it will not invalidate the fasting. The other ulemacountered that because the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said that “thesiyam on the Day of Judgment will say, ‘Ya Rabb, I prevented him from food anddrink and he left his sexual desires for me.’”

There are other things which should be avoided such as anger, using foul languageand sinning, but if they are done they will not invalidate the fast.

“During a certain period of time” means that the fasting is specific from fajr untilMaghrib. In fajr we mean the true fajr when it appears

What was the fajr adhaan during the time of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam)?The one who would call the first adhaan of fajr was Bilal ibn Abi Rabah and thesecond adhaan of fajr was called by ibn Abi Umm Makhtoom, the blind sahabi. Hewould be sitting in the masjid waiting for the fajr when the sahaba would rush into the masjid to him to tell him that it was fajr and to call the adhaan. So he wouldleave the masjid, check, return and call the adhaan, and TPS said: eat and drinkuntil you hear the adhaan of ibn Abi Umm Makhtoom.From this we learn that from the time of fajr coming until ibn Abi UmmMakhtoom stood up to call the adhaan is a few minutes of space. The sahabawould still continue to eat even after the other sahaba told ibn Abi UmmMakhtoom that fajr was in fact in, until he finally called the adhaan. Ibn Mas’ud

was once eating fish and the adhan was called and he did not stop until he finishedit.Based on this, we hope that people will not abuse this and eat often for a fewminutes after fajr as regular habit, but we must realize that the shari’ah has not

given us a strict but rather a loose ruling. If the adhaan is called and there is



something in one’s hand, they may finish consuming it.This also defeats the argument of the jurist opinion of “imsaak ,” which is to stop

eating or drinking ten minutes before fajr. The Prophet (s) said eat or drink untilyou hear the adhaan of ibn Abi Umm Makhtoom, which in itself was delayed!

It is also reported in the hadith from Abu Hurayrah (Musnad of Imam Ahmad andAbu Dawud) that the Prophet (s) said: “If you hear the adhan and have in your

hand a container of drink of food, then don’t put it down until you finish your

desire for it.” This means that even during the adhan you can still eat. However, if

the adhan has finished, then you should avoid it. If the adhan just finished and afew seconds after someone took a sip, then the siyam is still valid. The majority ofsahabah considered the siyaam start time and when it was absolutely forbidden toeat from when the light appeared (when you see the clear light from the darkness) because of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) saying “…eat and drink until you see the

clear light from darkness” (Surah Baqarah, ayah 187)

Regarding the issue of Imsaak, some shafi’iyyah said that the companions would

finish their tahajjud and between their finishing the tahajjud and the onset of fajrwas the time of reciting 50 verses of Quran, and in another narration that fromfinishing suhoor to fajr was the time of reading 50 verses of the Quran (~10-15minutes). The proper thing to do is to delay the suhoor right until fajr

What if someone wakes up in the night thinking it is not yet fajr and eats and thenlater finds out that the adhan was already called? It is fine because it was certainthat it was night.

What if he thinks it is Maghrib and eats and then opens the curtain and sees it isdaylight? It is invalid because the default rule is of fasting since it is daytime. Heshould not move from what he is certain (i.e. that it is daytime and he should befasting) about until he has proof otherwise that it is definitely Maghrib. This is the position of ibn abbass, imam malik, imam ahmed and imam sufyaan thawree.

Ruling & Status

The ruling of fasting the month of Ramadan: Obligatory (Fard)It is one of the pillars of Islam and the ulema have agreed upon this.

History of its obligation

Fasting before Ramadan: fasting of Ashura and the first three days of the

month

Ramadan was not an obligation until the 2nd year of Hijrah. Before this the rulingwas that fasting Ashura was a must and Muadh bin Jabl said that the fasting thefirst three days of the month was also waajib.



First Stage: Ramadan was optional

Later on the only obligation days of fasting were the days of Ramadan. In the beginning, fasting the month of Ramadan was unique: one could fast but if theychose not to fast though they had the ability to fast than this was ok, they could

feed one miskeen for each day missed.

Second stage: Ramadan became waajib, with iftar only allowed at Maghrib

time

Later on, rules developed to the following: You fast the day of Ramadan but if youmiss the iftar time at Maghrib, then you cannot eat until the next day at Maghrib.During the time of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), one of thecompanions returned home exhausted and over-slept after Maghrib. His wifeforgot to wake him up for Maghrib and so he had to wait for the next day. Thenext day at ‘asr he fainted. Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) then revealed the verses in

Baqarah and Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) changed the rules to what we have today.

Third stage: Ramadan becomes waajib, with fasting from from Fajr to

Maghrib only You are allowed to fast only between fajr and maghrib. You have from maghribuntil fajr to eat and drink and after maghrib the person is free to do what theywant.

The important question that one may ask is that did Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) cancel the ruling of fidya or not (first stage)? Where Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)

had said in ayah 184 of Surah Baqarah that fasting is optional and if one choosesnot to fast they do not need to and they can feed instead.The sahabah like Ibn Abbas said it was not fully abrogated; rather kept as anoption for the old people or someone sick. He said that this ruling remained for people like this.Mu’adh b. Jabal agreed that this ruling remained and he gave the analogy of therulings of salah. At the beginning of Islam, all prayers were two rak’ahs. Later on,

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) made them four. Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) canceledthe two to the residents but not for the traveler, so the ruling again was partiallyabrogated.

The conditions that must exist for a person to fast

1. Maturity

This means the age of puberty according to the consensus of Muslim scholars

What about kids? The scholars have debated over this.Imam Shafi’ and Ahmed said fasting should be treated like salah - forced at 10 andencourage at 7.



Imam Awzaii said that at 10 make sure they fast for three days, if fasting a weekthan give them a break.The point is to make sure that they fast at an early age.The sahaba would make infants of 1-3 years old fast, making them busy with toysand games without giving them food unless they started crying.

Rabiya bint Munawad narrated that she would take her kids to the masjid withdolls and let them play until Maghrib came.During the time of Ummar bin Khattab they caught a man who was drunk duringRamadan. Ummar asked the man to come closer so Umar could smell his breathe,and after initially refusing the man came closer with his mouth covered, andUmmar insisted that the hand from the mouth be moved. The moment the man puthis hand down, the man burped in the face of Ummar with a very strong smell ofalcohol. Ummar was extremely angry and said, “It isn’t only that you are drinking

alcohol, but you are doing it in Ramadan and while our kids are fasting.” Ummarordered the man to be lashed 80 times and he was sent to Shaam after this

- Imam Bokhari mentioned this hadith to prove that kids should fast as well.

Imam Malik said that kids should not fast because they are not mukalaf.But again the idea is to train them: encourage them and be easy on them to getthem in the habit of fasting. Sheikh Waleed’s kids are ten and fast almost all of

Ramadan.

2. Of Sound MindAn insane person is not allowed to fast.This also includes one who loses their consciousness; such as if they fainted

during the day or were put to sleep due to anesthesia. For such people their fastwould not be valid.

3. Healthy and resident

Sick persons and non-residents are excused from fasting

What about a woman who is pregnant and breast feeding?Scholars debated over this.First opinion: The woman who is pregnant and breast feeding are only required tofeed a meal to the poor person for every day that is missed.This is the position of Abdullah ibn Umar (ra), Abdullah ibn Abbas (ra), Saeed ibnJubayr (r) who was asked by a woman who was pregnant and he gave this fatwaSecond position: The woman who is pregnant and breast feeding must make upthe days, and nothing elseThis is the position of Imam Shafi and a narration from Imam Ahmed. The scholarAd-Dhahak, Imam Zuhri, Imam Hasan Basri , Imam Awzaii, Imam Abu Hanifa,Ibrahim An-nakhae, Sufyaan at-Thawree and abu Thawr also held this position.Third position: The woman who is pregnant and breast feeding must make up the



days and must feed every dayThis is the position of Imam Shafi in one opinion and Imam Ahmed in onenarration. Mujahid, student of Ibn Abbass and the famous tafseer scholar, had thesame opinionFourth position: For the woman who is pregnant and breast feeding, if she breaks

her fast because of herself only than she must only make up the days. If she breaksthe fast because she is worried about the baby than she must make up the days andfeed the poor for the days missedImam Malik, Shafi’ had this one opinion and it is famous amongst the Hanabilawho hold this position.How did the scholars reason this opinion? If the woman broke it for herself, she becomes like the sick person, and so the days must be made up. If she did it for the baby than she has to do both. Why?Recall the verse where Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) made fasting optional; thateither one can fast or they can feed (see below where Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)

says “.. and upon those who are able to fast (but do not because of a valid reason,than they must) feed the poor person (for each day missed)). Ibn Abbas (ra) andother scholars said that this verse is not 100% abrogated. Those who have theability to fast and do not fast for a valid reason must still feed thus.

How do we reconcile between this opinions and which opinion is stronger?Sheikh Waleed follows with the first opinion that this woman only needs to feedand does not need to make up the days,Firstly this was the opinion of Abdullah ibn Ummar (ra) and Abdullah ibn Abbass



(ra) and no one ever opposed this opinion, Secondly and from a practicalstandpoint this is the easiest way for the woman who is pregnant and breastfeeding. Imagine a sister who gives birth to 5 kids and then spends time breast feeding them; this means that 5-24 months of fasting would need to bemade up! This would be a hardship for sisters that have many kids and especially

those that do so regularly. This opinion thus goes with the nature of the shari’ah tomake things easy.

4. Purity The woman must be free from menses and post-natal bleeding. The category forthe woman here would be the same as a “sick person” in the shari’ah in that she

would have to make up her fasts.

5. Intention When must this intention be made?

Hafsa (ra) narrated in Tirmidhi that The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam)said: those who have no intention to fast before fajr will not have a fast for theday.In another narration in Daraqutni, The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said“that there is no fast for the one who does not intend so at night” Thus not having an intention before fajr invalidates the fast.

Are there any other ahadith contradicting this?In Sahih Muslim, Aisha (ra) narrated that the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) entered the house one day and asked if there was anything to eat, and when

she said no the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said that he was fasting.She narrated that another day he came and she said that she received food as a gift,the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) asked to see it and that he woke upfasting. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam), broke his fast and ate withher.The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) once asked her if she had food, if shesaid yes he would eat and if no than he would say that he was fasting.

In another hadith in the sahihayn (Bokhari, Muslim), one day Salama ibn abiakwah was sent by the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) who announced tothe sahaba that whoever woke up and is fasting must continue fasting, andwhoever had eaten should stop eating and begin fasting. This was the fast of‘Ashura which was an obligation at that time.

Based on this, the scholars concluded that since the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa

sal-lam) said that there is no fasting for those without intention to fast this meansthat you cannot start a voluntary or obligatory fast without an intention before the





Imam Abu Hanifa said that a specific intention is not needed for each day, ratherthan a general intention at the start of the month is enough and he felt that theother scholars were too strict when requiring people to make a renewed intentionevery day. All the scholars agree that waking up for or eating suhoor is sufficientenough as an intention.

What about making the intention out loud? This is an innovation that the Prophet(sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam), nor the companions, successors ever did



VI. MOONSIGHTING CONUNDRUM

The declaring of the beginning of the month of Ramadan is an Islamic ruling andthis is decided by the scholars, not the government or rulers. There are twocalendars; the movement of the sun i.e. the Gregorian calendar or the moon and

this is the lunar calendar . The shari’ah has commanded us to use the lunar calendarand so like all Islamic matters we turn to the shari’ evidences with regards to themoonsighting issue.The next logical question is if the shari’ah made it an obligation for us to followmoonsighting or was this left for us to figure this out via calculations? There is nodoubt that there are two methods to figure out the start of the month; to calculateor to sight the moon.The reality is that those people who follow astronomical calculations do notrealize that the Prophet (s) recognized the two methods and he cancelled one ofthem, literally saying in a hadith in the sahihayn (Bokhari, Muslim), “we are a

nation that is literal and we do not calculate” and this is a specific hadith that theProphet (s) specifically said about moonsighting.This hadith does not mean that we do not calculate in our religion as we do whencalculating shari’ issues such as inheritance, zakah etc. The Prophet (s) was beingvery specific that we do not calculate when it comes to the matter of sighting themoon. So when we see the new moon we declare Ramadan and when we see thenew moon we declare ‘Eid.

So when it comes to the new month we sight the moon, the Prophet (s) said “donot fast Ramadan until you see the moon and do not start ‘Eid until you see the

moon”. The Prophet (s) said that “if it is cloudy than complete the full 30 days of

sha’baan” Is it possible on a cloudy day for the new moon to be behind the clouds? Yes. Theshari’ah usually stays on the safe side but it this matter it does not, it orders us tofinish the month of 30 days. Ibn Abdul Barr lived at a time that was moreadvanced compared to the Prophet (s) and the sahaba – we can argue that we aremore advanced (and in the future societies can argue that they are even moreadvanced!) but this argument holds no weight – he narrated that astronomicalcalculations were a well-known method to the Muslim jurists but they allcategorically abandoned this method. This means that the Prophet (s), sahaba,tabi’een and righteous generations all left astronomical calculations and none ofthe 4 madhaahib follow this method of declaring the beginning of the month; theyall said it must be based on the sighting of the moon.

Secondly, what frustrates people is the unity. It is a mistake to think thatastronomical calculations will unite the Muslims. In fact those who followastronomical calculations are divided due to differences in criteria that theyemploy for their calculations. In Egypt, Turkey and other countries that followastronomical calculations they still never agree on a day and debate on details. As



an example, they debate – as ISNA did – a position that the existence of the moon plus the possibility of it being seen must be there. Others said we do not need tohave the scientific possibility of the moon being there, if the moon statically existsthan this is good enough. Others argued as to how far in the sky and how manydegrees over the horizon – the Turkish say 7 degrees, the Egyptians say 9 degrees

– must it be? Some scientists say that if its 1 degree over the horizon it is possibleto be seen. So astronomical calculations will not unite the Muslims. Many prominent ISNA scholars have since left ISNA, abandoning astronomicalcalculations and have argued against this notion of astronomical calculationstoday. In reality, Muslims have taken on this method and we see this has notunited the Muslims.The fact is that you cannot unite Muslims on something not based on the Quranand Sunnah, and if united this is based on a false sense of unity which will fallapart.It is very hard to convince people to abandon the madhaahib and the madhaahib

are very clear on this issue that the only proper method is that of sighting themoon; every single major fiqh and fatwa council in the Muslim world has declaredthat astronomical calculations can never be a method for declaring Eid orRamadan. The only exception is the European fiqh council but 60% of members ofthis council do not even have a bachelors degree in Islamic sciences.

So what is our problem today? The Muslim leaders must take the blame andresponsibility for failing to be able to unite at all levels, from local to international.If the leaders came together without hidden political agendas to unify with onevoice, the Muslim ummah would be in a better position regarding this issue. The

declaration of Eid and Ramadan is a ruling in the hands of the ruler andgovernment. Today a lack of strong and quality leadership has caused us to be inthis predicament. This leadership which comes forth to “unite us” has to be earnedwith respect and qualification, not one that bullies its opinions forward.Unfortunately our organizations have failed to lead the Muslims at all levels andthis moonsighting issue is one effect of it. The Muslim community should demanda solution from the leaders.

From a fiqh perspective, astronomical calculations have no shari’ basis. But cancalculations aid us in moonsighting? Astronomical calculations can tell us that themoon has not existed at all yet so there is no possible way that it could be seen thatevening. Imam as-suuki (a shafi’ scholar) said that if the science says that it

definitely cannot exist than no one can declare that they saw the moon. But if thescience does say that the moon exists, there are many factors to be considered:humidity levels, the person’s eyesight, cloud cover etc.

Even with science, there is much to debate. The only fact in this area is whenscience says that it may be possible to see the moon versus not, but with thisregard the head of the physics department at a prominent Saudi university said that



even the moon not born can still be seen in its reflection of it in the horizon (so theimage would be a reflection and turned upside down), but even this is debated

because another physician answered that if this were the case why aren’t the stars

seen inverted as well? They are not.

Regarding moon sighting, can global moon sighting suffice for the entire world? No because for global sighting only one condition must be met: that the tworegions must share part of the night. As an example, North America and Malaysiado not share the night, but we do with Bangladesh. Ibn Abdul barr said that thereis a consensus among the Muslim scholars in this regard.

Regarding local moon sighting: Who defines the areas for local sighting? Can twolocalities be joined together to sight the moon together? So how close can twoareas be for them to sight the moon locally together? Scholars debate on this; someulema said that every city by itself must find the moon, others said that anything

that can be communicated at night is one region (in the olden days packages weresent at night) and so on.

The majority of the fuqaha of all 4 madhaahib went with the opinion of globalmoon sighting. That global moon sighting, if seen from one place in the world, isfollowed as long as the night is shared.

Sheikh Waleed personally follows the opinion of local moonsighting but at hismasjid they follow global moon sighting – the Sheikh gives up his personalopinion for the sake of unity.

Ibn Taymiyyah took this further; saying that, “if you live in a country where theleadership follows the stars and the sun (astronomical calculations) to declare theEid and Ramadan and this is the only method that exists amongst them than followit for the sake of unity.” It is not acceptable to have multiple Eids and Ramadanstart dates. Today families are divided over this issue, with the father following aspecific leader and the mother a different, and the kids another masjid. But again,at the end the solution must come from the Muslim leadership.

What is evidence for local sighting?During the time of Ibn Abbas and during the khilafah of Muawiyah, he sent a

freed man named Quraydh (a freed slaved from umm ul fadl) from Makkah toDamascus. When Quraysh arrived in Damascus they saw the moon on Fridaynight so started Ramadan on Saturday night. Quraydh returned to Makkah afterone month, towards the end of Ramadan. Ibn Abbass (ra) asked him whenRamadan started in Damascus. – Quraydh replied Friday – and ibn Abbassverified this from him. Ibn Abbass than said, “we saw it Saturday and thus westarted on Sunday (Makkah started a day later than Damascus)”. If global



moonsighting is the correct opinion, Ibn Abbass (ra) should have said that he waswrong and that they started on the 2nd of Ramadan (in not following Damascus) soone day should have been made up. This also meant that they may have fasted 31days and thus Ibn Abbass should have declared Eid with Muawiyah in Damascus,who fasted 30 days! Ibn Abbass did not do that though, and he said that tomorrow

if they did not see the moon they would also fast 30 days in Makkah and Quraydhwould fast 31 days. But Ibn Abbass did not say that, rather he said that Makkahdoes not follow Damascus. When asked why, he said that this is the Sunnah thatevery region finds their own moon.

This is Sheikh Waleed’s opinion and it makes sense because the shari’ah wouldnever ask the average Muslim to go through the hardship that global moonsightingwould require on the Muslims. In the old days, global moonsighting would be nearimpossible to implement because in the old times there was limitedcommunication and mobility. If one region saw the moon it would be impossible

to inform the global region of it so the Ummah could start their month together.Global moonsighting would thus be impossible to implement. Rules in the shari’ah

are not based on what is impossible in one time compared to another, the rulestranscend time. So therefore it cannot be correct because again, rules in theshari’ah must be applicable to all Muslims living in all times f rom the time of theProphet (s) until now and the future. Global moonsighting would be very difficultif not impossible for the previous generations of Muslims to implement.

What should the average Muslim do? Follow their local community leader unlessthis is an opinion that has no basis in the shari’ah such as astronomical

calculations. Within Houston the deobandi Hanafi based scholars do not followastronomical calculations and AMJA and other scholars also do not followastronomical calculations.We should also not let one day divide our families or our Ummah. Even if we startand stop Ramadan on separate days we should not make it such a big deal that itaffects our ‘ibadaat and our relations with people.

Another strong opinion is that only the moonsighting of those who live East must be followed; so in the West we follow the East.

The good news is that if the Muslims in one country and area agree on one thingthan Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will accept from them. The word for the month“Shahr” comes from the word “common” so if all the Muslims agreed to

something than Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will accept from them.

Is it true that in Saudi Arabia the king has a say when it comes to the declarationof the beginning of Ramadan or ‘Eid? No, only the scholars have the power tomake this decision, though this is a common misconception. Sheikh Waleed



narrates how he remembered that one day they started Ramadan a day wrong,Sheikh bin Baz made the government announce the mistake and everyone had tomake up a day later on. The government tried to get out of it to save the integrityof the country but Sheikh bin Baz (r) still made them announce their mistake.Egypt and Pakistan have similar policies where the scholars and judges make the

decision without influence from the government.

What are the qualities of the witnesses?The witnesses must be trustworthy, Muslim and of any gender (the shafis andhanbalis say the witnesses must be male only – Sheikh Waleed tried to researchwhy but was not able to find an answer - but the hanafis say any gender is ok andthis is the stronger position).Imam Abu Hanifa said that one witness is enough if it is cloudy, but if the sky isclear than more than 2 witnesses are needed. This makes logical sense because ifthe sky is clear than more people must say that they saw it.

How many persons must cite the moon to declare the beginning of the month? TheProphet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) said, “f ast when you see the moon and break your fast when you see the moon. If it is not clear and cloudy than complete30 days, and if you have two witnesses, declare the beginning of Ramadan if youhave two witnesses declare the beginning of Eid”

Other scholars said that one witness is good enough, and this is the official position of the shafi’iyyah and a narration from imam Ahmed. What is theirevidence? Abdullah ibn Umar saw the moon and came to the Prophet (sal

Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) saying he saw the moon and so the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi was al-lam) declared the next day the start of Ramadan (abi dawud).In another narration, a bedouin came to the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam)saying he saw the moon, the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) confirmed hisIslam and then declared the start of Ramadan based on this one witness.

How do we resolve this contradiction of the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) saying in one hadith that two witnesses are needed, and here the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi was al-lam) only took one witness in two cases with ibn umar andwith the Bedouin?

As a rule, whenever a statement of the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam)contradicts an action, we take the statement over the incident because we do notunderstand the context of the actions. It is possible that the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi was al-lam) had more witnesses before ibn Umar and so he declaredEid, or ibn Umar was a special case.

Thus the statement of the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) is strong and safe



and goes with the principle of the shari’ah of citing the moon, called “shahadah”

or testimonial or witness. We usually need 2 witnesses in cases of shari’ah.

The hanbalis said 1 witness to start to start Ramadan and two to start Eid, why?Because people want ‘Eid but may not want the start of Ramadan.

We must also be careful with scrutinizing those who witness the moon and thescholars serving as judges who declare the start of the month. People that havecited the moon in the past have received threatening calls from other Muslimsquestioning their integrity and emaan. In Islam, the appointed judge (who is also ascholar) is entrusted with the power to declare the start of the new month and he isresponsible for this without anyone else having the power to override them, unlessthe judge is overruled from a higher authority i.e. the Supreme Court. As anexample, we never go to Imams and ask them how they married two people? Whatis their evidence? Did the woman really say she accepted? Etc. and so we shouldnot do the same with the judges that declare the start of the new month based on

the moon sightings.

Other benefits of moonsighting over astronomical calculations:Moonsighting makes the month of Ramadan special, where people are excited andanticipate the new moon. Looking for the new moon is in itself an act of worshipthat is cancelled if we go to calculations.(For further reading, Sheikh Hamza Yusuf wrote an excellent article about theissue of moon sighting versus calculations)

AMJA allows general moonsighting based on the following conditions:

1. Scientists must agree that there is a chance of the moon existing for that night. Ifthe astronomers say that this is impossible than we do not consider it2. The area that declares the sighting of the moon must have a system for verifyingthe sighting. We do not take sightings from a random country. For a locality thatdoes have a systemized method of sighting along with a judge or body of scholarsthat would declare the beginning of the month, the shari’ah tells us that it is ok for

us to have them take full responsibility and accountability for their verdict. Theywill be held accountable to Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) if wrong. Depending onthem lifts the blame from the rest of the Ummah.



VII: THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF FASTING

The Pillars of Fasting 1. The intention

2. Refraining from anything that breaks the fast

3. The correct time

What is the ruling on someone who accidentally ate or drank?According to the 3 non-maliki madhaahib, their fasting is valid. It seems thatimam malik and his teacher rabi’A did not come across the hadith of the Prophet(sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) where he said that “whoever ate unintentionally,Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has provided food for them and they should continuetheir fast” (Sahih bokhari, muslim). Later malikis saw this hadith and also agreewith the other madhaahib that their fast is valid.Sheikh Waleed was once optional fasting and he remembered that he was fasting

ten minutes before Maghrib; he had his breakfast, coffee, lunch, dinner and thenremembered ten minutes before Maghrib. The fast is valid.

What about forgetfully having intercourse while fasting? This is where thescholars make an exception that it is not possible to forget that one is fasting andhave intercourse. What about the other gender? Shouldn’t they remind the other of

their fast. This is the only scenario where forgetting cannot be accepted and thiswould break the fast

What if someone has intercourse while fasting and in Ramadan?

This would break the fast and is a major sin that requires that a person must repentfrom Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) for it.

What if one has intercourse multiple times on the same day that he was fasting?Are there multiple fidyas? No, there is only one fidyah. Imam Hanifa said one issufficient for all while other scholars say that there must be one kafara per day. Dothe 60 days of fasting need to be consecutive? This is a debate but SheikhWaleed’s opinion is that it does not have to be straight

What is the ruling of expiation for someone who had intercourse while fasting?In the hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah, a man came to the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi was al-lam) and said he was ruined because he had intercourse withhis wife while he was fasting in Ramadan. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) asked him to free a slave and the man replied he could not do this. TheProphet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) asked him to fast 60 days but the manreplied that he did not have the health to do this either. The Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi was al-lam) than asked the man to feed 60 poor people but the manreplied that he was not capable of affording this.



After some time someone brought dates to the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam), so he gave the dates to the man and asked him to go give it to poor people.The man said that he couldn’t think of anyone poorer than himself, so the Prophet(sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) told him to feed it to his family and house and lethim go.

How amazing is this hadith? The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) was somerciful because His Lord is the most merciful and this Deen is so easy, yet wemake things so complicated. As Sheikh Waleed always says, “There are people

that are more religious than their religion” and they have more jealousy for their

religion than Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) even ordained!We must notice that the penalty was only on the man and not on both of them.Scholars have said that the penalty only goes to both of them if the wife is the onewho initiated it.

What if someone had foreplay with his wife without intercourse but still orgasm?

There is no penalty but they must make up the day

What if someone had intercourse without orgasm?The penalty is wajib on both of them

What about the ruling on kissing, hugging etc with the wife?Imam Malik and a narration from Imam Ahmed said that this is not allowed.Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (he added that the day must be made up) and Abdullah ibnUmmar also did not allow it.Imam Shafi and abu hanifa said that this is haram for ones that have strong desires

and young (but really old people today also have strong desires so it would applyto them as well)Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Aas, Aisha, Ata, Shabi, imam ahmed in one narration saidthat this is allowed for those whose sex drive is low and have good control.Aisha narrated that the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) would kiss her butshe said that he had more control over his sexual desires than anyoneSo whoever like the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) has control is allowedto kiss.Sheikh Waleed believes that foreplay must be avoided but kissing (but not on thelips) and hugging is ok.

What if someone does not ejaculate but has a discharge that comes at a time offoreplay (pre-ejaculation)?Imam Malik and Ahmed say that the fast is broken and must be made up. IT preferred this as wellImam Abu Hanifa and Shafi’ said this would not break the fast but a sin wasmade.



What if something entered the mouth while fasting?Anything entering the brain or abdominal area would break the fast (regardless ofentry of mouth, nose or anal cavities)What if someone swallows a stone? Breaks the fastWhat about IV? IV goes to the body as nutrition and so will break the fast as well.

How can something enter the brain? This comes through smoke. Smoking thus breaks the fast. Nicotine though will not only influence the brain but also the bloodstream the same as nutrients do. Nicotine patches are thus also not allowed.What about insulin? This will not break the fast and this is a fatwa from thehighest committee of Muslim scholars.Inhalers for Asthma? Will not break the fast as wellWhat about gum? Yes because it has nutrients. There is a type of gum withoutnutrients and made of pure plastic, this would not break the fast.What about a stuffy nose? It will not break the fastWhat about the saliva? It will not break the fast unless it is collected and then

taken in (gross, but it would break the fast)What about kohl? It will not break the fastWhat about dust that is inhaled without one’s control? What about someone

working with flooring or tiles? Or walking by a place where there is smoke in theair? This will not break the fastCan the food be tasted without swallowing or eating? Ibn Abbas (ra) said that thisis permissible. It must be spit outCan a shower be taken while fasting? Yescan teeth be brushed while fasting? Yes, but do no swallow water or toothpaste.Shafi’iyyah said to not brush the teeth after ‘asr because the smell is dear to Allah

(subhanahu wata’ala) (the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam said that thissmell of the mouth of the fasting person is more beloved to Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) than that of musk), but it is better to keep the mouth fresh out of goodmanners to those around you

Gargling water is not recommended while fasting as the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi

was al-lam) discouraged this.What if water is accidently swollen while gargling? The majority of scholars saythis is a sin but the fast is valid.

People that continue sinning while fasting? As the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was

al-lam) said that for such people they are not needed to leave their food or drinkfor Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)’s sake

Will vomiting break one’s fast? The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) saidthat if it is done unintentionally than it does not break the fast and if doneintentionally than it does break the fast. Ibn Abbas said that what breaks the fast iswhat comes in and not what comes out.



What about internal “vomiting” where food entered the throat from stomachreflux? It will not break the fast. If it comes into the mouth than it is better not toswallow it.

Will hejama break one’s fast?

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) said “the one who does cupping andreceives it will both have their fast broken” (hadith thowbaan, reported by 18companions).In hadith Shadad ibn Aws, the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) passed by aman in Baqi and he was making hejama on the 18th of Ramadan, the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi was al-lam) said both had broken their fast (abi dawud)

But there is a contradicting hadith:Ibn Abbass narrated that the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) made hejamawhile in ihram and fasting, and he did not break his fast.

So how do we reconcile between these two?Anas ibn malik (ra) was asked if it was haram to have hejama done while fasting?He said no – it was only stopped because the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) did not want weakness from losing blood (sahih bokhari). Anas than narratedthat the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) made hejama a reason in the beginning for the fast to be broken and later he gave the reason of why it shouldn’t

be done while fasting, which is because of the sheer loss of blood causingweakness to the one fasting. Anas would do hejama while fasting and encouragedit only for those who have strength, but it is not recommended due to the amount

of blood that is lost.

The claim that it was abrogated is not what the many of scholars agreed upon,rather they say that you should not make hejama while fasting and it will break thefast. Ali, hasan, Ibn siren, Imam Ahmed, Imam Shafi, Ibn Khuzayma, Hakim heldthis opinion that it will break the fast.Umm Salamah, Ibn Abbass, Ibn Mas’ud, Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Shafi’,Urwah ibn Zubayr, Imam Malik, Imam Sufyaan Thawree, Umm Salamah said itdoes not break the fastSheikh Waleed believes that it should be avoided.

The same ruling applies to blood donations (not drawing blood for tests where theamount of blood drawn is small) because this is like cupping in the amount of blood that is lost. After donating blood patients are further instructed to take innutrients. Sheikh Waleed thus recommends to stay away from this khilaaf becauseas we have discussed, this is a big debate amongst Muslim scholars.





VIII. ETIQUETTES OF FASTING

Recommended acts

1. Hastening to iftar The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) said, “The people are forgiven as long

as they hasten to the iftar .” Do not make du’a and dhikr when the adhaan is called but rather focus on breaking your fast as soon as possible! Piety is breaking the fast as soon as possible because this is the Sunnah.

What should the muedhin do? Wait until he finishes the adhan

What calendar should be followed? Sheikh Salah as Sawy’s opinion is that the

most accurate timing of salah is that which ISNA follows.

To be on the safe side, should the breaking of the fast be delayed until a fewmonutes after Maghrib? No, if the adhaan is called then break the fast

2. Breaking the fast with fresh dates, dry dates and/or water

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) broke his fast with dates – 1 or 3 as isnarrated. If he did not have fresh dates than he would use dried dates to break hisfast (dried dates have more sugar). If not than he would sip a drink of water.Imam ibn-al Qayyim said that for a country that does not have dates, grapes can beused. He explained that the concept of dates and grapes is about the rush of energyfrom the sugar

3. Du’a at Suhoor and Iftar is recommended“At Iftar ” here means during the time of iftar or while waiting for Maghrib

Is the ajr of Iftar only for the one who provides the first food item that fast is broken with? No, the entire meal is included. People will only donate dates andwater and others will rush to provide people breaking their fast with their owndates, all because they want the reward of helping the fasting person break his fast.But the reward is for the entire meal that is provided for the fasting person breaking their fast.

A du’a that may be said while breaking the fast:

“Dhahaba al - zama’ wa abtalat al-‘urooq wa thabata al -ajr inshaAllah

(subhanahu wata’ala)”

The thirst is gone, the veins are moistened and the reward is certain if Allah(subhanahu wata’ala)

What about this famous dua?



Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)umma laka sumtu wa bika amantu wa `alayka

tawakkaltu wa `ala rizqika aftartu

O Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) , I have fasted for You, believed in You, placed my

trust in You, and broken my fast on your provision

This is from a hadith narrated in Abu Dawud, but in this isnad (chain of narrators)

is a man named Abi Mu’adh who is not known. Another man in this isnad is ar-rabiah who never saw the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) but reported itdirectly from him (so this narration is mursal to rabi’ah). Both of these pointsmake the hadith a weak hadith.

What du’a is recommended? Really any du’a that you want

Tip: When making iftar in a social setting, remember to make du’a and use your

time wisely!

4. Delaying the SuhoorThe Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) said that the best food in suhoor isdates. The Sunnah is to delay it as long as possible, very close to fajr time. TheProphet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) said to eat the suhoor because there are blessings in it

Disliked Acts (discussed above)

1. Gargling water

2. Anything which leads to arousal

3. Anything which will diminish a person’s rewards



IX. EXTRAS IN RAMADAN

1. TARAWEEH

Taraweeh is synonymous to the words prayer at night, Qiyaam ul layl andtahajjud. The only difference is that Taraweeh refers specifically to the night

prayer done in Ramadan.

The word “Taraweeh” comes from the root word “raha” which means rest because

the companions would pray 4 raka’ah and than take a br eak. During this breakthey would make tawwaf.

What was the description of the companions’ taraweeh?

Their taraweeh was so long that the companions would have a cane to supporttheir standing and their salah would start at Maghrib and finish right before Fajr.We are discussing Arabia where the day and nights are approximately 12 hours

consistently through out the seasons, not a few hours like we have in NorthAmerican summers.

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) said regarding taraweeh; “Whoeverstands in the night of Ramadan praying, with emaan and ihtisaab, Allah(subhanahu wata’ala) will forgive all of his sins.”

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) also said, “If one prays with the imamat night until he finishes, it is as if he prays the entire night.” The condition is tostart and finish with the imam without leaving in the middle

Should we care about how many raka’ah are read and how much? No, the Sunnah

is how manageable the prayer for the people that will still maximize the khushu’ in

salah.

This is why a tabi’ee came to Aisha and asked her about the Prophet’s (sal

Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) prayer – he thought that the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi

was al-lam) would pray 1,000s of raka’ah in Ramadan - and she replied that it isso beautiful, calm, concentrated and long. She spoke about the quality of the salahand not the number of salah. She said that he never prayed more than 11 raka’ah in

his life, Ramadan or outside of it.It is thus not about the numbers but the quality of salah.

Imam Malik and Ahmed were asked about how much should be read? ImamMalik said not less than 10. According to Sheikh Waleed, Imam Ahmed answeredit perfectly when he said it must be according to the people that pray behind you.

The History of Taraweeh



The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) initially prayed 3-4 days of Qiyaam ullayl (taraweeh) in Ramadan and the sahaba prayed behind him. After more andmore sahaba started to pray behind him he felt bad because had he continued to doso than everyone would pray behind him. After all, which of the sahaba would

think to not follow what the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) did and stay athome while the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) prayed, especially inRamadan?

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) did not want to make it hard for the people and his prayer was not like ours; what was his prayer like?Once ibn masud narrates that he stood to pray with the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi

was al-lam) in Qiyam ul layl and the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) readSurah Baqarah, Surah ale’imran and Surah An-nisa in one raka’ah and than his

ruku, standing and sujjud each was of an equal length as his standing! Ibn Mas’ud

– the man who received more than half the Quran from the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi was al-lam) himself and who said that there was not a single ayahexcept that he knew its tafseer – narrated about this prayer that he had a very badthought and that was to leave the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) in his prayer because of how long it was!The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi was al-lam) prayed at night so much that his feetcould not carry him anymore.

So the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) wanted to make it easy for hisUmmah so he abandoned taraweeh after praying for 3-4 nights in Ramadan. Had

the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) done so every single night, the scholarswould have been arguing today and saying that it is waajib. Rather the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) stopped after a few days, making it clear that taraweehis only recommended.

During the time of the khilafah of Ummar bin Khattab, he came in Masjid an- Nabwi during Ramadan to find a haphazard prayer situation: one group ofMuslims lead by one imam in one area of the masjid, another group with anotherimam in the masjid and so on. The entire masjid was very small so this was verychaotic and disorganized. Ummar bin Khattab decided to organize this and askedUbayy ibn Ka’ab and Tameem ad-Daari to lead the people in taraweeh. This iswhen Umar said his famous statement, “this was a good bid’ah that I started.” Ali

regarding this said to Ummar, “may Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) fill your grave yaUmmar with light as you have filled our masjid with lights”

Ummar would pray 11 raka’ah, as narrated by Sahih Bokhari. Bayhaqqi and ibn

hibban reported that the sahaba became so tired so Ummar asked them to break itdown, so than they prayed 23 raka’ah (including the witr) to make it easy on them.



It was still so hard so the 23 was broken to 33 and in another narration 37raka’ahs. This is why the Malikis pray 37 or 33 raka’ahs as part of their fiqh fortaraweeh. The idea here that we learn is to make it easy for people.

Can you pray more than 8 raka’ah plus 3 witr in one night of taraweeh or

otherwise? Yes, in history no scholar has said that one must only pr ay 11 raka’ah(including witr) except for Sheikh Albani in modern times.

What if someone wants to pray more than the imam does? Finish with the Imamand when he finishes the witr stand up and pray one raka’ah, making the totalnumber of raka’ah prayed to even numbers of nafl prayers. After this one can prayas much as they want and add a witr.

What if one prayed witr with the Imam at the end of Taraweeh and later on theywant to continue praying? Yes, they can pray even raka’at. Can another witr be

made? The sahaba prayed 11, than prayed tahajjud, than prayed 1 raka’ah to makethe 11 a total of 12. Than they pray tahajjud again and wold add 1 raka’ah of an

odd number. This is called breaking the witr with another witr but this is not fullyacceptable because the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said to not praymore than 1 witr in one night while here 3 witrs were being prayed. Some scholarsdon’t like this but since many companions did it, it is permissible.

Can one follow the imam with the mushaf in taraweeh, and use an Englishtranslation? Yes, in English and in Arabic is allowed. (For further reference:Sheikh Waleed’s article with AMJA of the permissibility of doing this)

The vital condition is that one should not read behind the imam, but just followwith the eyes.Sheikh bin Baz in the modern days allowed this. Imam Ahmed was asked aboutthis and he allowed it. Imam Nawawi was asked, and he said that a person caneven use papers of tafseer while praying. This does not mean that one holds thethick book tafseer ibn kathir today and follows the imam in taraweeh!

Can du’a qunut be made in any language? Yes, but only if prayed at home. In themasjid the Arabic must be maintained by the imam because this is the sign of theMuslims.

It is common that UBK gathered the companions for taraweeh he would pray 22raka’ah, is this accurate? The majority of sch say that the taraweeh prayed was 22and UBK gathered the people for this but this is objectionable from an isnad point.There are other narrations that he went to 26 and 32 and so on.

Is it allowed to pray over 11 raka’ah? Yes

The sahaba prayed more than that. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam)





Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) did an act of worship he would never breakit, he would continue it and fulfill it.What is the proof that we don’t need to make it up? His wives didnt make up their‘itikaaf and the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) did not order them to do so.If it was an act of worship that must be made up he would have told them to do

so.

The 4 imams agreed that ‘itikaaf should be done in a masjid because Allah(subhanahu wata’ala) says, “…wala tubashiroohuna... wa antum 'aakifoona filmasajid” – intercourse is not allowed with the spouses when making ‘itikaaf in the

masajid.The Ahnaaf are the only group of scholars who allow for a woman to make it inher musalla at home but this opinion has been rejected by the majority of thescholars. It goes against what Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) said (above) and theProphet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) never told his wives to make ‘itikaaf at

home. There is no daleel for this except the general hadith of the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) saying that the prayer is better at home for the women.They made Qiyaas that since it is better to pray at home, ‘itikaaf is also better to be

done at home.

‘Itikaaf is a highly recommended Sunnah, but some hanafis elevate the ruling andsay that it is waajib but fardh kifaya; that the community must have one personmaking ‘itikaaf otherwise the entire neighborhood would be sinful. Only theahnaaf have said this and it is not a popular opinion among the Hanafi madhabeven. There is nothing in the shari’ah to support this concept as well.

Is there anything specified about the masjid where ‘itikaaf must be done? The

‘ulema add that if the ‘itikaaf includes Friday than it must be prayed at a masjid

where jumu’ah must be prayed. There are musallas that do not pray jumu’ah. In

such a case where the requirement of jumu’ah is fulfilled than it can be anymasjid. This is the opinion of the 4 madhaahib and the scholars in history becauseAllah (subhanahu wata’ala) did not specify a masjid.

Another opinion came up in the early generations that ‘itikaaf can only be done in

the 3 masajid of Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem. This opinion was of thecompanion hudhayfa and the successors ‘Ata and Saeed ibn Musayyib and it was

not opined by any scholar after them until Sheikh Albani did so in the moderndays.The narration of Hudhayfa is that the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said,“there is no ‘itikaaf except for in 3 masajid: masjid haram in Makkah, masjid al-nabwi in Madinah and masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.” This narration is actually a

weak narration that Hudhayfa claimed was the statement of the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) but the correct opinion is that it is his statement and



opinion. Hafidh Haythami (a great hadith scholar) said that the narration thatHudhayfa said that the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said this was hisown opinion. Further, when Hudhayfa said this than Abdullah ibn Mas’ud was

there – and he is more knowledgeable – so ibn Mas’ud told Hudhayfa that he waswrong and rather the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said that you cannot

travel to any place seeking the reward of it except for the 3 masajid. As anexample, we cannot travel to a specific masjid in Dallas believing that the rewardof praying here is higher than other masajid. To believe that this land and particular masjid has more reward is not allowed except for in the 3 masajid;masjid al-haraam where praying a raka’ah is multiplied by 100,000, masjid al-nabwi where praying a raka’ah is multipled by 1,000 and masjid al-aqsa where

praying a raka’ah is multipled by 500.

Saeed ibn musayyib’s opinion was that ‘itikaaf can only be done in Masjid al-nabwi, he didn’t even say the masajid in Makkah and Jerusalem.

Imam Tahawi was a great Hanafi scholar. He said that this concept of making

‘itikaaf in only the 3 masajid was not taken by later scholars.

How long should ‘itikaaf be?

The word ‘itikaaf means dedicating oneself for something for a long period of

time. This is why Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) said about the mushrikeen, “…..

uqoof ‘ala asnaam ilah” that they were making ‘itikaaf to the idols, dedicating

themselves to the idols for a long period of time.The scholars debated over how long ‘itikaaf should be. We know that the Prophet(sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) made ‘itikaaf for 10 days but no one ever said it

must be for ten days.

Imam Shafi’, Ahmed, Abu Hanifa said it can be more than 10 days without amaximum. But the scholars did debate over the minimum time which ‘itikaaf must

be for.Imam Nawawi’s opinion, and many Shafi’, some Hanafi and some Hanbalischolars said that ‘itikaaf is valid if the intention is even for 1 minute! This

opinion, though mentioned by great scholars, contradicts the basic meaning of‘itikaaf. You cannot truly dedicate yourself to the masjid in 1 minute!Imam Abu Hanifa’s opinion is that it must be 24 hours. Imam Malik said that it must be 1 full day e.g. from Fajr to Maghrib.The shari’ah did not specify the time but rather that one must dedicate their timefor the ‘ibaadah of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala).

Note: One must try to seclude themselves as much as they can. It is not aboutwasting time online, socializing or playing games for the night. Some masajidmake “youth ‘itikaaf” events where there are activities such as sports, movies,games etc. This is not ‘itikaaf because this is not secluding oneself in the worshipof Allah (subhanahu wata’ala).



Is socializing absolutely forbidden in ‘itikaaf? No, the wife of the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) Safiyyah came to visit him so he spent time with herand than walked her back. One can also leave the masjid for a need: to eat,shower, take medicines etc. Can one go to work and come back? No, because thisis a “daily activity” so it cannot be part of the ‘itikaaf. A new ‘itikaaf must be

started when one returns.

What about general good activities such as visiting the sick, attending a funeraletc? Some scholars say that if this was made as a condition before making the‘itikaaf than it is acceptable but many others say that no, this would break the‘itikaaf because ‘itikaaf is in the masjid. This is Sheikh Waleed’s opinion.

Imam Zuhri (a great scholar due to the time of Umer bin Abdel-aziz) said abouthis time: “I am surprised at how the Muslims have abandoned the ‘itikaaf though

the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) never missed it from the time he came

to Madinah and until he died”

Can one build a tent for themselves in the masjid, effectively isolating themselvesand giving them privacy? This is unnecessary and takes away from others usingthe masjid for jumu’ah, prayers etc. You do not have to build something that

physically isolates you from people.

What conditions allow women to come to ‘itikaaf?

1. The wali (husband, father etc) must agree to this2. It is safe for her

3. The place is suitable because she will sleep, eat and live there for days. Duringthe time of the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) there were no partitions sowomen had to make a tent.4. Being free of menses or post natal bleeding

Masajid should make preperations for people to come and make ‘itikaaf. Allah(subhanahu wata’ala) ordered Ibrahim and Ismail when they made the ka’bah to

make sure that it is prepared for the people who will come for ‘itikaaf:



What is recommended in making ‘itikaaf for professionals who work regular jobs?It is a good idea to take time off, especially in the last ten days of Ramadan. If this

is not possible than one should dedicate their weekends from Friday to Monday inthe masjid in ‘itikaaf

What about going to the masjid at Maghrib and leaving at Fajr? This is fine buteach day would be a new ‘itikaaf

When should ‘itikaaf be entered? The majority of scholars said that the Prophet(sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) entered ‘itikaaf at Maghrib on the night of the 21st (this means at the iftar time of the 20th fast). In Islam we follow the lunar calenderand so days begin at Maghrib which is the beginning of the night. There is anotherweak opinion of the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) entering ‘itikaaf on the

fajr of the 20th.



Further questions on fasting:

Do medications like eye drops break the fast? If this medication goes to the throatit would break the fastImam Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Taymiyyah held the view that they would not break

the fast because there is no access to the abdomen but medically and anatomicallyspeaking this is false.Ear and eye drops that are used for moisturizing purposes e.g. artificial tears willnot break the fast

How can a fast be made up if one missed them in Ramadan?One can only miss days of Ramadan for two reasons; 1. Valid (Travelling,sickness, menses) – in this case the day can be made up,2. Invalid (E.g. Low emaan) – in this case a major sin has been committed. Howcan such a person make up their fast?Some of the sahaba including Abdullah ibn Mas’ud and hudhayfa said to make itup one must fast for 3,000 days; 100 days for each day that is missed. They did notmean this literally but rather meant that no matter how many days you fasted youwill never make up such days where a fardh as missed for no valid reason.This is the view of ibn Taymiyyah, Sheikh Uthaymeem and a narration from imamahmed; that Qadha or making up an act of worship is ordained only for those whomiss an act of worship for a valid reason. They held the view that shari’ah has nowallowed qadha for someone who intentionally abandoned an ibadah. The onlything left for this person now is repentance and to increase in your voluntaryfasting (similar to Salah where voluntary salah will make up obligatory salah thatis missed).

The majority of the jurists; Hanafi, shafi, maliki and some hanabila insist that oneshould still make up these days.

If someone missed a day of fasting in Ramadan for a valid reason, when should it be made up?Majority: it must be done before the next Ramadan. ‘Aisha would make up her

days in Sha’baan before the next Ramadan starts.

What if the next Ramadan starts and one did not make up the days from the previous Ramadan? E.g. a brother has 10 days to make up and there are only 5days til Ramadan. The person does what they can and makes up the days after

Ramadan.Ibn Abbass added that the person must feed a meal for each day that was not madeup before the last Ramadan along with making up the days. So in this example 5days would be made up and 5 people must be fed.This is the position of the 3 madhaahib - the hanbalis, malikis, shafi’s - as well asibn Ummar, Mujahid and Saeed ibn Jubayr as wellThose who said that feeding must be done take a look at the verse:



“…fidyatin to’ami miskeen” They say that these people should feed and are able to do so, so they should haveto feed

There is another opinion that one does not need to feed but only make up the days

even after the new Ramadan comes and the last Ramadan has not been made up.This is the opinion of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Ibrahim an- Nakhe’, Ibn Hazm, Imam

Hasan al-Basri, Hammad ibn abi Suleiman, Abu Hanifa and Imam Bokhari (it isinterested that imam bokhari and imam abu hanifa rarely agree, but this is one casewhere they do. Another case of them agreeing is in how they both opine thatzakat’l fitr can be given in the amount of other than food)

What is the ruling of an old person who is not able to fast?They must feed a meal for each day missed

Can blood samples break the fast? No

Can a person swim while fasting?Yes, Imam Sha’bi would go to the hammam (public water pools) while fasting andhe would say, “the Deen is easy”

Can a fasting person use an inhaler for asthma?Yes. The inhaler medicine goes to the lungs not the stomach

Can a person go to a dentist while fasting while filling?As long as no water is swallowed in

Can teeth be brushed while fasting?Yes but one must make sure that they do not swallow the water or toothpaste

What about living in a land where these is constant daylight, or in a land where theday is very long e.g. 22 hour day?As long as there is day and night which is clearly distinguishable than one mustfast. One must start fasting and if it becomes difficult than they can break their fastas a “sick” person and make it up later. The days can be made up even in winterwhen the days are a few hours long. For such people in these areas, Ramadan will be easy in the winter time. This is the beauty of the lunar calendar.If there is no distinguishable night or day – the area has a constant day or aconstant night – than these people look to the closest country where day and nightsare average (not extreme, like the days being 23 hours). E.g. North Pole will lookat Toronto and the days and nights will be made like Toronto time. The people ofthe North pole will thus follow the Fajr and Maghrib time of Toronto. If in the



South Pole, one can look at the timings of Australia or South Africa as these landsare not far and they have proper days and nights.This is based on the Prophet’s (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) statement describingthe fitnah of the coming of the Dajjal, where a day on Earth would be like a year,so when asked by the sahaba on how they would pray the Prophet (sal

Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) replied: Estimate. So we take the ruling that when daysand nights become irregular and the salah cannot be based on them, than weestimate.

Can vaccination be received while fasting?Yes

Would IV break the fast?Yes because it provides nutrition. Any other shot not through the mouth whichdoes not provide nutrition will not break the fast.

What if a person died and missed days in Ramadan?If such a person’s sickness that was terminal caused him to break his fast, hisfamily must feed on his behalf a poor person for each day that was missed. But ifhis sickness was not terminal or temporary and he happened to die than nothingcan be done. We do not fast on behalf of others.

Is it allowed for a woman to do itikaaf at home?The Hanafis say it is preferred for a woman to do it at home, but it is allowed forher to do it in a masjid as well.

Imam shafi’, hanabila women are allowed to go to the masjid, but in so countriesthat follow these masajid there won’t be any women coming to these masajid. This

is due to the culture and not religion.In countries like Malaysia women frequent the masajid often

Is it allowed to make itikaaf in a large field? Such as in Pakistan where there is adesignated area called ‘itikaaf city? It could be that there is not enough room in the masjid to accommodate all these people and there is a fatwa for the specific area only

The current taraweeh practice in Makkah and Madinah?They pray 23 raka’ah including the witr, this is the hanabila madhab

Would making tents in the masajid not take away from space from regular prayers?There must be enough space remaining for the regular prayers. The imam may askthe people to move over for salah and if not than he may ask them to not make‘itikaaf



When is absolutely the last time to eat suhoor?When the adhaan of fajr is called, unless there is something in your hand. In thiscase one can finish it quickly.

How do Muslim countries document hilal sighting for other months?There is a standardized method applied for all months in Muslim countries.Chicago hilal does the same in North American for every month but don’t

publicize it.

Can one hold the mushaf in their hand to follow the taraweeh?It is not liked for someone to do so but if they must it won’t invalidate the prayer.Aisha (ra) would have someone leading the prayer in her house holding themushaf. The imam may lead the mushaf and read from it if he isn’t or even if he isa hafidh. This is narrated from other companions and successors as well who

would read while they were leading the prayer. The majority of jurists have saidthat this is ok but sadly in North America we make a big deal of this.

Which country does global moonsighting follow? Saudi?There is no opinion that says that we follow Makkah and Madinah for globalmoonsighting but rather it is any country that has seen the moon. As an example,last year the moon was seen in Yemen and AMJA followed it.The Sheikh advises to go with the unity of the community and follow the localmosque

How did the Prophet (s) pray the 11 raka’ah each night? There are various narrations, from 2 to 4 raka’ah of nawafil and then 1 to 3 of witr

If making ‘itikaaf when do you end it?

The night before ‘Eid at maghrib is the beginning of ‘Eid and the end of Ramadan

When must the intention be made for the fast of the day?The intention must exist before fajr

What if a woman’s period ends before fajr but she takes the purity shower afterfajr?This is a valid day of fasting. But if the period ends even 1 minute after fajr than asister may not fast the day.

Can icy-hot patches be applied on the skin while fasting?Yes



If there is no place for a woman in a masjid, can she do it at home? No, Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has made it clear that it must be done in a masjid

Can the phone be used as a mushaf to read tahajjud from?Yes

If one has to pay the fidya of giving food to a poor person for a missed fast, whenmust it be done?It must be done before the next Ramadan begins

What about children in Ramadan?They are not liable or accountable until they hit puberty but it is a good idea totrain their mindset

What if one cannot remember how many days they missed or broke their fast?

One must be very careful about this. If they do not remember than they estimateand take the safer side, because fasting extra days is better than not making up thefull days of Ramadan missed

Can mouthwash be used while fasting?Yes, as long as it is not swallowed

Can a modern day exception be made for surgeons or other professions that are physically tasked such as construction workers to not fast in Ramadan? No, but they should start their day fasting and if they begin to feel sick while

working due to their fast they can break the fast by taking the rukhsa of a sick person. The North American scholars are aware of many surgeons that do fast andare fine during Ramadan. The same ruling would apply for a professional athlete because this is their job and livelihood, and they are not necessarily “working” for

fun and games. Again, they are not initially allowed to wake up with the intentionof not fasting. They must begin the fast regularly and if their health deterioratesthan they make up the fast.

Can the mouth and nose be washed when making wudhu while fasting?It can be taken in but do not let water go into the throat. After the wudhu iscompleted and all precautions have been taken, do not worry about thewhisperings of shaytaan who will come to you and give you second thoughts.Ignore the doubts and do not let them escalate

If a woman has her menses can she enter a prayer area? No, because she won’t pray but she can enter for a reason such as a lecture and cansit on a chair



What is considered a meal in feeding a person a meal for a fast that was missed?It must be a full meal by cultural standards. The more that can be done, the betterit is. Money may be given according to the opinion of ibn taymiyyah, who saidthat one must always look for the best interest of the poor persons.

Regarding the hadith of the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) to pray fromisha until the imam finishes to get the reward of the full night, how did it workwith during the time of the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam)? This wassolidified during the time of Ummar since the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) didn’t establish taraweeh

What is the ruling on people making loud dhikr between the raka’ah of Taraweeh? This should not be done, it is not from the Sunnah

What if the imam does not stop at taraweeh but then later on leads the tahajjud

prayer and one prays with him?It is hoped that the person would get the reward of praying two nights inshaAllah(subhanahu wata’ala)

Does one have to wait for a muedhhin to call the adhaan of Maghrib, what if one issure that Maghrib has arrived but the adhaan in the local masjid has not beencalled?One can still break their fast if they ar e sure, they don’t have to rely on the

muedhhin



CHAPTER TWO: FIQH OF ZAKAH

I. WEALTH IN ISLAM

Think about the following:

1. Is wealth a good or bad thing?2. What is the relationship between wealth and Islam?3. How much of my time can I dedicate to becoming rich?

It must be clarified that wealth in Islam is never seen as something negative orshame-worthy. Wealth in Islam has always been seen as a great need and blessingthat can serve a person well. Simply put, wealth in Islam is viewed as a goodservant and a corrupt master. This is why the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said in many ahadith that the real losers are the ones that are enslaved tomoney. This is because enslaved to money makes one enslaved to the one who

controls the money. It is important as Muslims that we understand that moneyshould belong in our hands but never in our hearts, and this is when it would serveas well. As it is said, “money makes a good slave but a horrible master”

It is very interesting that many of the sahaba were rich. The 10 sahaba that were promised Jannah were all businessmen and all of them were rich. ‘Aisha narratedabout her father Abu Bakr who was the first khalifah in Islam, “My father was richuntil he became the khalifa.” Today it is unfortunate that the situation is reversed,Muslim rulers are living lavish lives from the wealth of the masses.



II. THE MLLIONAIRE OR THE MONK?

Imam Sufyaan At-Thawree (a scholar who was known to be an ascetic and whowould constantly remind people of the Hereafter) had a real estate business in thathe owned many properties in Makkah and Madinah which he would rent them out.

He would collect the rent when he would go to Hajj. Because he was a greatascetic and worshipper, the people asked him how and why he had money. Hegave a very interesting answer: “If it wasn’t for the money, kings and rulers wouldtreat us like napkins.” Everyone wants to speak on behalf of God, andgovernments would use scholars as trash if the scholars became dependent. Sadlythis is happening today and history teaches us that in civilizations this has always been the case when religious clergy became financially dependent on rulers. Butwhen the scholars are independent no one can control them.

Islam thus has the beautiful idea of awqaaf or endowment to support the Muslim

scholars, students of knowledge, judges etc. The judges in Muslim countries getsalaries from these endowments and so they are not controlled by governments orindividuals.

Duniya is thus an opportunity and Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) says it very clearlyin the Quran in Surah Qasas:

And seek by means of what Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has given you thehereafter, but also do not neglect your portion of this world

Thus having the wealth to help you live this world is good.The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said, “the best of the categories of people on this earth is the one given knowledge and money.” With these two powerful tools one can do much. The scholars explain that the man has theknowledge and thus the wisdom and he has the money to make the positivechanges around him.Similarly, the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) also said, “the best of wealthis pure wealth in the hands of the righteous person”



Thus wealth in the hands is good thing but it is a problem when it seeps into one’s

heart. Sadly this is becoming more and more of a problem with Muslim shuyookhand speakers. Once sheikh Waleed invited a speaker to come to his Masjid tospeak. In an email the speaker replied that he would charge a fee for khutbat’l

jumu’ah and then laid out the fee structure for giving a lecture on the Friday andSaturday night of the weekend. The speaker concluded the email by offering a“combo” package where for one set high price he would have an unlimited amountof speaking engagements. This attitude was very troubling because the speaker didnot have a family to support and neither did he have a company that does da’wah

or has expenses. Sheikh Waleed responded with the famous quote of ImamAhmed who would say, “It is very hard for me to see men who have the Quran intheir hearts but the duniya has melted their hearts.” Today young students of theuniversity of Madinah who are still studying and have not graduated are chargingexorbitant fees for lectures, this even though they don’t even have a family to

support. It has become common for a speaker now to charge $10,000 for onenight, often demanding a first class flight with multiple entourage travelers comingin with them. When it has become so common that the righteous and scholars havethe duniya controlling them, what can we expect from the rest of the community?We must ensure that we don’t allow the duniya or the love for money and wealth

take over our hearts

There is a simple principle to keep in mind with regards to money: That when itcomes one’s wealth, only two questions will be asked of a Muslim:1. Where one got it from

2. How they spent itTaking care of these two aspects with regards to one’s wealth will keep them onthe safe side on the day of Judgement.As an example a person is hired to fix a car for someone. The person who ownsthe car is a drug dealer and all his wealth is from haram sources. For the one hiredto fix the car, his income is halal even though the owner of the car does not possess halal money. Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will only ask the man who fixedthe car how he got the money and this is through the halal service of fixing the car.

Any wealth that may lead to arrogance and pride in one’s heart is a curse that willlead to one’s destruction in this life and the Hereafter. Sadly many people have become rich and have left piety and righteousness. In such cases it is much betterto be poor and righteous than rich and corrupt. There are many people ofknowledge that lost their Akhira in their search of making much money.



III. INTRO TO ZAKAH

Zakah is an important pillar of the shari’ah that became an obligation after theHijrah. The ‘ulema debated though on when it was obligated; some said the 2nd year AH while others said it became obligated in the 4th year AH.

The concept however was made an obligation even at the beginning of Islam inMakkah. At the time it was not conditioned by time or amount, but rather therequirement was that a Muslim must give a portion of their wealth for the sake ofAllah (subhanahu wata’ala). It was not restricted to the 8 categories either like it istoday.

This is why Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) said in Surah Mudathir:

When asked what put them into the Hellfire they answered that they were not ofthose who fed the poor as a reason.This means that giving zakah and feeding the people was a must

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) also says in Surah Rum:

This means that to support the needy and traveler is a must. This financial support



was never defined in early Islam. The ayaat in Makkah continue and all mentionhow the zakah must be given without specifying what or how much.

Here Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) calls the Muslims to collect the fruits, dates and

yields and give from it. This verse was also revealed in Makkah. Thus the scholarshave said that zakah was always an obligation but no amount or what wasspecified.

The next stage i.e. the specific details of Zakah were revealed in either the year 2nd AH or the year 4th AH.

There is no doubt that zakah was ordained for the best interest of the communityor society. Islam wants the money to be circulated in society; by using the moneythat one has in society the Muslim will not have to pay the zakah but hoarding it

for himself will cause the zakah to be due on it. In a business, zakah is not paid onthe materials used such as the machines used to produce goods that are sold, the building that is rented but rather only on the profit that is made. So money is putinto the market and into the cycle in society. This is a common economic concepttoday as well that is critical for the well-being of society.

The shari’ah also wants the rich not to neglect the poor and to help those in need.



But while the poor and needy are taken care of, there are 6 other differentcategories that aren’t all necessarily poor. Thus the shari’ah doesn’t just encourage

people to stay home and do nothing to benefit from the zakah but rather toencourage them to be helpful contributing members in society.

While the Islamic ideal of Zakah is indeed an excellent ideal with many benefits,in today’s society in North America we need to re-evaluate how we give to the poor in the community, Ummar ibn Khattab would give the poor so much that hewould make them rich so they didn’t have to come back again to be humiliated.Ummar ibn Abdel-Aziz would buy houses for widows, single women and womenwithout income and he would buy a horse or camel for them as well to help themtransport themselves. We have left this ideal today in how we hand out Zakah inour communities. Sadly today a poor person must return every month and behumiliated in asking for what is their right. Many though Islamic organizationshave the wealth yet make the poor and needy go through such humiliation. The

goal is to make the poor person sufficient enough so they can sustain themselves(not necessarily rich but from poor to not poor anymore or so that they are abovethe line of poverty) and not have to return. Zakah workers are not trained todayand they only use their own common sense, which is not necessarily correct.Zakah thus is meant for the poor to help them stand in their feet, not to chain themto the masajid and Islamic organizations. It is to help them be productive membersof society.

Zakah is also only given on the growing money, starting with the people close toyou. It is so important to start with the people close to you such as your own

family, your neighbors and your community that some scholars do not allow thezakah to be taken outside of the country. There are local organizations that arestruggling and so we must help them locally first. In Houston, organizations suchas amanah refugee services are doing great work but they need the help from localMuslims.

Zakah is also unique in that consideration is made for the type of wealth source; inirrigation for a farm if the resource is natural (i.e. rain) the zakah is 10% but if theirrigation is man-made it is 5%.

Furthermore, some zakah payments are given every 6 months, some every yearand so on. Because zakah payments are due for different people for different itemsat different times of the year, this ensures that the money flows throughout theyear uninterrupted.

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has warned us in the Quran against not giving Zakah,as he says:



On the Day of Judgement the punishment for those who do not give Zakah is branding by fire. As harsh as this punishment sounds, this is easy compared towhat the punishment will be in the Hellfire. May Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)

protect us.



Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) also says:

What is withheld (in zakah) on the day of judgement will be put on their necks.

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said regarding this that on the Day ofJudgement, anyone who had wealth without zakah being given on it, this wealthwill come as a large snake that will chase him on the plains of the land ofresurrection until it would catch him and squeeze him. When asked what the snakewas and why it was squeezing the man the snake will respond, “I am your wealththat you kept for yourself without giving Zakah”

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said, “Anyone who has gold and silverand zakah is not given on it, it will be fire on the day of Judgement that will be placed on his back and his head, and every time it has cooled it will be reheated.He will suffer for 50,000 years until Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) finishes the entire judgement, than Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will look at him and decide if he goesto Jannah or the Fire ” (Sahih Muslim)

What does the last part of this hadith mean?The sahaba and tabi’een debated if the one giving Zakah is a Muslim or not, but

this shows us that the one who does not give Zakah is still a Muslim. The hadith

ends that Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) may give the man Jannah and only a Muslimcan enter Paradise. It is still a major sin regardless to not give Zakah.

But didn’t Abu Bakr fight the murtads (the ones who left Islam) for not payingtheir Zakah? The scholars say that they denied the obligation of Zakah, not theZakah itself. They did not hold it back out of miserliness, but rather they thoughtwrongly and out of ignorance that Zakah was only waajib during the time of the



Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) but not anymore If someone is ignorant orhas a mis-understanding, this is not kufr but something that must be clarified withknowledge.

In a very interesting hadith that may bring context to the problems of our times,

Abdullah ibn Ummar narrated, “the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) cameto us and said, 5 things muhajireen if they happen – and I ask Allah (subhanahuwata’ala) to protect you from them -1. There is no nation or community that does indecent acts in public without beingashamed unless Allah will test them and punish them with diseases that are notknown and did not exist in the nations before2. There is no group or nation that cheats in their business unless Allah(subhanahu wata’ala) will make it hard on them and they will have drought (lessmoney and provisions) and unjust rulers3. There is no group or nation that will prevent their zakah and hold it back unless

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will hold back the rain and the only reason He’ll sendit sometimes is because of the animals4. There is no group or nation that will break Allah’s promises and covenantunless Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) will bring them an enemy that will take overtheir land and community without mercy on them5. There is no group or nation that will abandon the rulings of the Quran and choseother methods to rule them or pick and choose from the Quran unless Allah(subhanahu wata’ala) will make them fight one another and divided amongthemselves” Source: Ibn Majah



III. INTRO TO ZAKAH continued

What do the words “Zakah” and “Sadaqah” linguistically mean?Zakah means purification and blessing. Sadaqah comes from sidq which meanstruth because it shows the true character of the Muslim.

The technically definition of Zakah is that it is an obligatory amount one must giveto its rightful recipients (i.e. the 8 categories) of the wealth that has met a specificcondition (of being over the nisaab and having ownership of it for 1 year in casesof wealth).

The word Zakah has been mentioned in the Quran 30 times, and connected 27times with Salah. Why are the two mentioned together so frequently in the Quran?Islam is about two relationships: you and the creator and you and the creation. Thewisdom behind this is that Salah is the connection with the Creator, and Zakah is

the connection with the creation. This is why the two always come together in theQuran.

People sometimes get confused in differentiating between Sadaqah and Zakah.Zakah always refers to the obligation while Sadaqah is the voluntary money given.Often in the Quran and Sunnah the word Sadaqah is equal to the word Zakah, asan example:

Here the word Sadaqah means Zakah.

But if they come in separate texts with Sadaqah by itself and Zakah by itself,Sadaqah refers to either the obligation or the voluntary act and Zakah alwaysmeans the obligation.



Does Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) have rights over one’s individual money otherthan Zakah? Yes according to the strong opinion, an example being to support the parents and children. As another example, the hanabila said that if the father iswealthy he is obligated to support his son to get married. The neighbor also has

rights over the Muslim; it is waajib to help them if they are hungry, as the Prophet(sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said that a Muslim cannot sleep at night while hisneighbor is hungry. Muslims are also obligated to support areas that have sufferedcalamities as well. The scholars give the example of a tsunami, such as that whichhappened in south-east Asia a few years ago, or the Muslims from Burma that arecurrently stuck in the sea. Thus the relatives, neighbors and areas suffering fromcalamities are examples where Muslims are obliged to support them, and thisfinancial duty is in addition to the Zakah that the Muslims already give.

The scholars also debated if Zakah is the right of the poor or not. Many of them

have said it is the right of the poor. This is said because the poor must not feel thata favor is done for them and so they can feel comfortable receiving the Zakah. InIslam, utmost care is taking to preserve the dignity of all Muslims regardless ofsocio-economic status. Other scholars disagreed and said that this is not the rightof the poor but rather that this is the right of the money that it must be purified.

This led the scholars to debate if an insane person or a child must give Zakah. Thechild is not yet held accountable or mukallaf. The scholars have said that becausethis is the right of the poor it must be given, and even if not than the wealth muststill be purified so it must be given. The majority of the scholars have thus said

that the Zakah must be given out of the wealth of the children and those insane.

The Zakah is an obligation on the following people:1. A MuslimWhat about non-Muslims living under a Muslim state? They pay the jizyah. TheZakah upon a Muslim is higher than the jizyah.Zakah is also not taken from slaves, it is preferred for them to take their money tofree themselves

2. A free person

3. Meeting the Nisaab or the minimum amount that if one has than Zakah is anobligation upon themThis concept of the Nisaab will be discussed in detail

4. Possession for an entire hijri year i.e. the lunar calendar (not according to theGregorian calendar)Exception: produce (e.g. if you have a farm and it produces twice a year than



Zakah is due twice a year) Note: “A year” is considered the lunar calendar, and after this 2.5% is dueBut if one chooses to follow the Gregorian calendar, the zakah amount must beadjusted (since the Gregorian calendar is longer) and it will be 2.57%



IV. TYPES OF WEALTH ZAKAH IS OBLIGATORY ON

1. Gold, Silver and MoneyIn modern days a concept came out that money and currency does not represent

gold and is only considered paper. This is incorrect because it still has value

because it is representing gold and silver. Gold and silver were the previouscurrency and indeed today the money has replaced them.

In the previous decades when currency first became popular and was introduced

into society, people would actually weight their paper currency and give the zakah

on the weight and not the financial value. This is completely incorrect.

The process on how cash must be evaluated is that we look at how much the gold

nisaab is worth today in cash.

2. Livestock including camels, cows, buffalos, sheep and goats only

So what other animals such as chickens, rabbits, ostridges? This is treated like

business and the zakah is not based on the number of animals that are possessed.

3. Agriculture; including barley, grains, raisins, dates and similar items

There is no zakah on fruits, vegetables and the scholars have debated if there is

Zakah on honey

It could be 5% if money is spent on the irrigation system and 10% if no money is

spent on the irrigation system

4. Businesses and shares (such as stocks)

There is almost a consensus on zakah being due on this category

Did you know? Almost every computer and mobile phone contains some amount

of silver

Anything that has value but is intangible will not qualify for Zakah. Examples

include a man whose voice is worth a million dollars, a footballer with exceptional

skills, models whose nails are worth much, copyrights. The man is not obligated to

pay Zakah on his voice, the footballer is not obligated to pay Zakah for his skills

and the model is not obligated to pay Zakah for her nails. Only tangible items withvalue will have Zakah due for them.

5. The metals of value that are in one’s land that they possess

This refers to metals are naturally found in the Earth. Imam Malik and Shafi’ and

in the modern times Sheikh bin Baz said this includes only gold and silver but not

platinum, copper, diamonds and other metals.



Imam Abu Hanifa argued that no, any metal that can be shaped with fire and has

value will have zakah due on it. Iron will thus have zakah due on it.

Imam Ahmed argued that any metal, liquid or non-liquid with value but is

naturally found in Earth must have zakah due on it. This includes oil.

The Zakah on these items is 20% according to Imam Abu Hanifa and the scholars

have said that this Zakah must specifically must be given for the affairs that

benefit the general public.

Imam Malik and Ahmed disagreed and said that this amount must be 2.5% and

this seems to be the stronger opinion.

Is the Zakah due on money that is acquired via haram methods but meets thecriteria of being above the nisaab and having it possessed for over 1 year? As anexample, should drug dealers, people that sell sheeshah, robbers or people thatmake money from interest give Zakah?Zakah is meant to purify wealth but because this is sourced from a haram manner

it will really never be pure. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said thatAllah (subhanahu wata’ala) is pure and accepts only what is pure. The majority ofscholars said there is no zakah thus.

Imam Abu Hanifa and some hanbalis though countered with a very intelligentargument that if the scholars said there is no zakah on haram money, than no onewould give it.Rather they said it must be classified as follows:1. If the item is haram for itself, such as pigs, wine, alcohol, stolen goodsThey said that there is no Zakah on such items

2. If the item is not haram for itself, such as a haram business transaction, sellingdrugs, or a gas station selling alcohol and cigarettesIn this case the hanafis and some hanabila said that the minimum to ask them is togive the Zakah, along with encouraging such people to make repentance.The scholars said that here we must look at the poor people that will benefit fromthe zakah, even if it does not purify the owners’ wealth.

What about the Zakah on debt?There are two sides; the one who gives and the one who receives the loans

For the one who gives the loan, should he give Zakah?1. No Zakah must be givenThe hanafis are clear on this, that zakah is given only on what there is control overand they are consistent

2. Zakah must be given if… The hanabila say the Zakah should be given if one is absolutely sure that themoney will return back to them. But this is not a sound opinion because life is not



guaranteed. The hanafis have the stronger opinion on this.

What if a man marries a woman and gives her the zakah of $100,000. After gettingmarried though he says that the money that is hers is shared by him so is it is really“their” money. So the man does not give the money to the women, should it be

due on her? No. So if she does not receive the money than there is no Zakah thatwould be due on it

Is Zakah due on 401k?This is an asset that is not in one’s hand and one does not have access to it withoutconditions. There are two opinions regarding 401ks:1. One must pay the zakah on 401k every year after deducting tax as if one isclaiming it out2. Give zakah on 401k only when receive it and for one year onlyThis is the preferred AMJA opinion. Similar to giving a debt to someone else,

there is nothing to guarantee that this money will be received. Furthermore, duringthe American recession the entire financial system crashed and 401k lost a lot ofvalue!Sheikh Uthaymeem had the same position for Muslims that had retirement plans inSaudi Arabic, even though Saudi Arabia is a very financially stable country. Eventhan he said that there is no zakah given until it is received and at this time only 1year worth is given in Zakah.

Should those in debt have to pay Zakah?Some scholars say that those in debt are eligible to receive Zakah but not to have

to pay the Zakah. However the 4 madhaahib have agreed that if this were the casethan most Muslims would not give Zakah. Today even rich people are in debt asmany will take loans to invest.

Rather those in debt are further divided into two types:1. A person who has to pay his debt and is actively paying it off with the moneythat he hasFor such a person, he will not have any remaining money in his account becauseall his money is going into his debt. For him there is no zakah2. A person who has to pay his debt and only pays it off with small quantities suchas the minimum payments while withholding the remaining money.In this case where the man will have extra money in his account, Zakah will berequired for him to pay.E.g. a man is in debt for $100k and is only paying off $1k per month at a timethough he has more funds, in this case the zakah must be given on the remainingfunds. But if the man chooses to pay the maximum capable debt that can there isno zakah due on him.





V. ZAKAH ON GOLD, SILVER AND MONEY

The nisaab of Gold is based on 24 karats and the minimum amount is 85g of Gold(the scholars formulated this based on a long calculation and almost all Muslimfiqh councils agree on this)

The nisaab of Silver is 595g

What is the value of this today?As of July 13th 2015: 1g of Gold is equal to $37.90, so the nisaab today is$3228.03 ($37.90 x 85). So if this amount is possessed for an entire year thanzakah becomes due on it. The zakah on this would be approximately $80

How do we account for the value of Gold fluctuating and not remaining the same?It does not matter because one must choose a day of the lunar calendar and onlycalculate based on that day’s rate.

As an example, on the 10th

of Ramadan every year one would look at theiraccount. If 85g of Gold converted to $3228.03 and if they had this minimumamount with them for an entire year than they must pay the Zakah of 2.5% on it.

How does one give Zakah on incoming salaries, cash and money?

There are two methods to do this:

1. To see the amount in the bank on a selected lunar day, e.g. 10th of RamadanIf the amount is over the nisaab on this day than 2.5% is given

If an extra amount is given than what is theoretically due than this extra amountwill be considered as sadaqahThis is the majority and preferred opinion today of most fiqh councils

2. To be on the conservative side, go to the selected day e.g. 10th of Ramadan,2015/1435Return to Ramadan 2014/1434 and for each of the 12 months look at each andevery statement from the bank for each month. With this method, look at thelowest statement balance and this is the amount that the Zakah is due on if it isover the nisaab. This way we can be sure that this amount was definitely in theaccount for 12 months. If in one month the amount is below the nisaab than onedoes not pay the Zakah for the entire year.This is an approximate method and the scholars have said that mistakes would beforgiven because there is no way to be perfectly precise. Note: for this method the Gregorian calendar must be used and so the Zakah givenmust be 2.57%

What if someone gives the money completely away or transfers it (buys a car or



land) before the date of Zakah to avoid paying the Zakah?This is between them and Allah (subhanahu wata’ala), though it is not haram.

What if the gold that one has is less than 24 karats?The following formula was produced by a fiqh council in Kuwait:

The weight of the gold x how many karats it is x how much price is the gold ingrams worth x price of gold for that day x 2.5%divide this amount by 24The result is the amount that is given in Zakah for Gold that is not of 24 karatquality

Important Zakah reminders:1. See the nisaab of the gold for the specific day of Zakah2. If using the Gregorian calendar, than the percentage is 2.57%

The nisaab of silver today is approximately $309.04 for 595g. Should the nisaabthan be for the silver amount or for the gold amount?Every Muslim council of Fiqh today prefers the Gold amount and not the silveramount.

In traditional books of fiqh there was always a debate: those scholars who said thatsilver should be taken take the best interest of the poor people and this is better forthe community. This is because if the nisaab is so low, most people will have to pay Zakah.

The opposing side of scholars successfully argued that silver is not a stable itemand its value fluctuates up and down rapidly. Secondly the backbone of theeconomy is gold and not silver. Thirdly silver is always mixed and it is very hardto standardize.



VI. ZAKAH ON JEWELLERY

The scholars have said that if it is not gold or silver there is no zakah on it.Diamonds, platinum, stones will not be due Zakah on thus.

What about on Jewelry that is used for wear?

There are three opinions for jewelry that is used1. There is Zakah due on jewelry that is commonly used.This was the opinion of the Ahlul Kufa scholars including Abdullah ibn Mas’ud,

Sufyaan at-Thawree, Imam Abu Hanifa as well as Saeed ibn Jubayr, Saeed ibnMusayyib and Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Aas.

Their proofs:

- The general verses in the Quran say that those who possess Gold and Silver anddon’t give it will be burned on the day of Judgement. The Quran and Sunnahdidn’t differentiate between possessing and using it regularly.

- There is proof that for regular wear jewelry zakah must be given:A woman came to the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) and her daughter hadtwo thick bracelets of gold, so the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) askedher, “did you give Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)’s rights over this gold?” and when

she answered that she had not than he asked her if she would like Allah(subhanahu wata’ala) to replace her bracelets with bracelets made of fire, so thegirl took it off her hands immediately. Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)’s rights here

clearly means Zakah. This hadith was narrated by NasaiOnce Aisha was able to obtain large rings of gold that she wore for the Prophet(sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam), so when he saw this he noticed the rings becausethey were unique for ‘Aisha, who previously possessed no such jewelry. Aishasaid that she got it only to beautify herself for him. He asked if she had paid Allah(subhanahu wata’ala)’s rights over this and when she said no he asked her to takeit off.

2. There is no Zakah due on jewelry that is commonly usedThis is the view of the majority of scholars including the Shafi’s, Malikis and theHanbalis. They stated that there is no zakah on jewelry that is regularly used or is possessed for use purposes, even if one has jewelry from marriage and is seldomworn.Their proofs:- There is a consistent shari’ah trend that the Zakah is not given for something thatis used. Examples include horses that are rode on or cars that are regularly used,houses that are lived in, cattle that are used and so on are not given zakah on. Thegold and silver here is used for personal use to beautify and so there must be no



zakah on it.- It was the opinion of many companions that the zakah of women’s jewelry was

to let her friends borrow it, and among them who said this was Aisha who thehadith above is narrated on! Aisha did not understand that the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) here was talking about Zakah.

- The ahadith above in fact hinder the Hanafi argument that Zakah would be dueon regularly worn Jewelry; the Zakah of gold and silver is conditional upon thenisaab and being possessed for 1 year. Aisha narrated in the hadith that she had just obtained it. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) didn’t ask how longshe had it for. Further is it really possible that a ring of gold or bracelet of gold canweigh 85g or over? This is absolutely impossible. If the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) was talking about zakah he would have weighed it andasked how long they had the jewelry for. This means that the Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) was in fact speaking about something other than Zakah

3. Some Hanabila and Ibn Taymiyyah hold the opinion that the zakah of jewelrythat is used is any amount that is given once in the lifetimeThey took this from the two ahadith from the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) to Aisha and the woman from Yemen. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) did not specify any amount at all but just generally spoke to pay Zakah on it.This opinion combines between the evidences. Sheikh Waleed holds this opinion

Can Zakah be given in the same format or can the value be given? For example isthe zakah for gold going to be 2.5% gold? Must sheep be given for the zakah of

sheep?The classical opinion is that the scholars have said that it must be the same unit butlater on the scholars said that this may be given in the form of money. This is theopinion of Imam Ahmed and Abu Hanifa. Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) in theQuran said, “…take from their wealth a sadaqah” and an amount or type was notspecified.

Is there Zakah on white gold?White gold could mean1. Platinum, in which case there is no zakah2. Gold mixed with other metals. In this case the amount of gold must be figuredout by asking the specialists in the jewelry store. To be safe, one can weigh theentire thing and consider the full amount as being gold and on which the Zakahwill be due





What about rental properties?The zakah is given on the money made, not the value of the apartment or houseitself

How is zakah paid on stocks?

Stocks are of two types;1. Short TermThese are stocks that are bought and sold in the short term. On the specified lunarcalendar date the net amount is looked at, including the value of the stock for thatday specifically, and zakah is paid upon it2. Long TermIn such cases the stocks are used to make money or profit out of. The majority andmodern day scholars say the zakah is only on the money that is gained from thesestocks

What is the zakah on factories?The majority of scholars believe that this is like a business; on the specified daythe cash and product (the sale price of it) must be combined and the zakah of 2.5%is given on this.Sheikh Qaradawi mentioned that if there is a factory that produces items, 10% inzakah must be given. This was his Qiyaas based on agricultural productsIn 1965, the council of Muslim jurists in the world came together and discussedthis issue. Their fatwa was that of 2.5% only and not 10%

Is it allowed to move the Zakah from one country to another?

In a hadith narrated by Mu’adh bin Jabbal, the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) instructed to take sadaqah from the rich people’s wealth that will be given to

the poor among them. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) here isspecifying that the poor of that community are those most deserving.

This is why scholars have debated this issueDimaam came to the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) and said, “Yourmessenger (i.e. the man who was sent by the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam)) claimed that you should collect zakah from the rich in our community andreturn it to the poor in our community” and the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) affirmed this.This is why the Hanafi scholars said that it is disliked to move the funds fromZakah from one area to another unless it is given to relatives or if there is a crisisin another place where there are people in great needThe Malikis said it is not allowed to move the funds from one’s country unless

there is extreme need or there are relatives that are poor and without supportThe Shafi’s made it waajib to give the zakah in one’s locality. If the money isgiven to another country while there are people within the local area that are needy



than some shafi’ scholars said that the Zakah that is given outside the country isinvalid (though the majority of shafi’s disagreed with this)The hanbalis agreed with the shafi’s on their opinion.

A proof that general Zakah can be moved is that the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa

sal-lam) would send people to collect the zakah and they would return it toMadinah. But the scholars commented that this is for the general Zakah that thegovernment is responsible for to collect from businesses, farms etc, and not personal Zakah which is an individual responsibility and the government does nocollect. Based on this the scholars have said that the zakah that can be given toother countries if it is not the personal zakah

Can Zakah be given to one of the 8 categories or must all 8 be covered?The majority said that diversifying must be done but the stronger opinion is that itis ok to do so for one category





Islamic relief etc) in our communities? If they work in the zakah and they collectthan they are allowed to do so. The only problem is that there may be abuse of thisif the avenue is opened, so we do recommend the organizations to take their salarymoney from the sadaqah and not from zakah. But according to the rules, they arecompletely allowed to be given from Zakah

4. Those whose hearts are to be reconciled to faithThis broad category may include a few different types of people:

A. Someone who is not Muslim, and by helping them financially they will come toIslamScholars have said that this must also be in the hands of the one collecting thezakah, not the individual with their own money.

B. A Muslim struggling with their religion

Such a person may have pressure on them to leave their religion due to financialreasons.As an example, in Indonesia missionaries go to Muslim villages and offer themChristianity in return for much wealth. This is a big fitnah for the Muslims there.In such cases we can provide zakah to preserve their faith

C. A Non-Muslim who is given money to protect the Muslims from their evilSuch a person is someone given money to keep them happy and away from theMuslims. Historically this was done in the past. Some Muslims push this conceptto paying lobbying companies from Zakah in politics. Legally this is not allowed

because zakah is collected from non-profit organizations but this is an issue thatneeds ijtihaad from the scholars.

5. Slaves who wish to buy their freedomSlavery does exist today in some countries such as MauritaniaAn analogy can be made to this to modern day Muslim prisoners and giving Zakahmoney would free them from jail. As an example, someone may have to pay$1000 for a ticket or serve jail for 1 month but they may have no money. Somemodern day scholars have said yes to such a person receiving Zakah but SheikhWaleed’s opinion is that it cannot be accepted until a council of fiqh supports thisidea

6. Those in DebtPeople who are in debt are eligible for Zakah as long as the debt is halal such as astudent loan, buying a basic house or a car for a need

7. In the Cause of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) This category of Zakah eligible people has been historically known to be for those



who fight for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala). In the previous days thegovernments would use Zakah to build armies and pay their salaries, buy weaponsand build defense ministries.

Another traditional opinion is that this includes Hajj as well. Money may be given

to someone who may not necessarily be poor but unable to go for Hajj. Thescholars have debated over this; Imam Abu Hanifa, Shafi and Maliki did notinclude hajj in this category but amongst some Hanafi scholars such as ImamMohammed ibn Hasan as Shaybani said that this includes hajj because there arenarrations that show that hajj includes this category of the cause of Allah(subhanahu wata’ala),

Umm Ma’bad narrated that she had a camel that Abu Ma’bad left for the sake of

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala), only to be used for His Sake. Knowing this, after he passed away she did not use it for Hajj because she thought this was for jihad.

When the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) returned and she told him aboutwhat happened and that she could not come because the camel was not availablefor her to perform Hajj due to it being left solely to be used “in the cause of Allah(subhanahu wata’ala),” The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) informed herto use it because Hajj is indeed in the path of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala). She didnot know this and was sad about this, so the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) advised her that when Ramadan comes to make ‘Umrah and this would beequal to making hajj with him (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam). She narrated thatshe was not sure that this hadith was only for her or everyone but this is why many people make Umrah during Ramadan. This hadith shows that Hajj falls within this

category.

Other sahaba like Anas ibn Malik said that this category includes any causes thatwill have general benefit for the Muslims such as building bridges, railroads, watertowers etc.

Can this apply for masajid? Traditional books of fiqh say this cannot be applied tomasajid in Muslim countries.

Jihad can mean many things and cannot be translated just as fighting, as anexample, Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) in the Quran says



Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) calls the Quran a Jihad

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) also instructs the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam)

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) did not fight the hypocrites so here the jihaad against them was to expose their plots, resist their fitnah, debate with themetc. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) also did not fight all themushrikeen, only the Quraysh to the most part

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) also says:

So Jihad starts with the concept of struggling against oneself. Sadly the extremegroups have hijacked the definition of Jihad to mean solely fighting, even thoughit has always been much more than that.

Thus Jihad for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) should not be restricted tothe army and defense ministry but it is open to those who give da’wah. This is



why Fiqh councils in the Muslim world have given the fatawa that Zakah moneycan be used to support masajid, centers and organizations that will give da’wah

and that will defend the Muslim image in the media and otherwise. WhyIslam,ICNA, CAIR are thus all eligible for Zakah under this category.

8. The Traveler who runs out of moneyHere the traveler may be someone who is extremely rich in their own land butduring their travels they run out of money completely and thus become dependenton Zakah.

Other issues in Zakah:

Can relatives be given from Zakah?If the relatives are poor or fit in one of the 8 categories, the relative must be

specified.Scholars said that anyone other than the one that a person is obligated tofinancially support (such as the parents and the wife) can be given money from thezakah. Imam Abu Hanifa included the husband in this category to prevent the wife being tricky in that she would give her Zakah money to the husband only to take it back from him.Scholars have said that giving Zakah to one’s family is twice the reward becausethis is giving the zakah properly and it is also up-keeping the ties of kinship.Imam Malik allowed giving the Zakah to the parents, but he also said that thehusband cannot give it to the wife.

The shafi’iyyah said that anyone obligated to support cannot receive ZakahThe hanabila did not allow the zakah to be given to the parents, kids or the wife, but they said that the wife can give it to the husband because she is not obligatedto support himImam Ahmed and ibn Taymiyyah add in that you can give your zakah to anyone,including the parents and the kids, but not the wife.

The evidences:The scholars of the madhaahib did not allow the Zakah to be given to those whoone is already obligated to support because it may be used as a trick.Abdullah ibn Mas’ud’s wife came to the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam)that her husband claimed that the one who deserves the zakah most are herhusband (Abdullah himself) and the kids and asked if this was true. The Prophet(sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) affirmed and said that the ones deserving the zakahmost are the kids and the husband. This hadith allows the wife to give to thehusband and kids, both of which she is not obligated to support.Ibn Taymiyyah further argued that the Quran has said, “al-fuqara” without making

a specific exception. The word is very general.



Sheikh Waleed’s opinion is that a person should avoid giving the zakah to their

parents or kids

An important note:These opinions apply only if the parents and kids are poor or needy, but if they fall

into the other 6 categories then all madhaahib say that the zakah is allowed forthem.



IX. ZAKAT’L FITR

Technical definition: What a person gives at the end of Ramadan as a means of purification for the mistakes committed during that month. The Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said that this is a purification for the fasting person.

This is an obligation on every Muslim, male or female, young or old, free or slave,if they can sustain themselves for one day. This amount is approximately 6 poundsin common staple food defined by what is normal for the culture. A NorthAmerican staple would be rice.

Do unborn babies give Zakat’l fitr ?The majority of scholars have said no but if this is given on behalf of the fetus thisis more sadaqah.

When should the Zakat’l fitr be given? The Hanafis say it can be given starting on the first day of Ramadan. The Shafi’

yyah said it can be even given starting before Ramadan, but it must be given before Eid. The intention is to purify the Ramadan ibadaat.The Malikis and Hanabila said that this must be 1-2 days before Eid because theProphet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) specifically allowed this and the sahaba practiced this. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) ordered it to be given before the salat’l Eid to make sure that the poor person that day feel rich.

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) gave a khutbah 1-2 days before Eidand encouraged the giving of Zakat’l fitr.

The Hanabila said that if given >2-3 days earlier it would not be valid, but theopinion of the other madhaahib and Sheikh Waleed’s opinion is that it would beand Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) knows best. The hanabila reasoned that it shouldnot be given earlier because the poor person may consume it and they may notenjoy their Eid

Who receives Zakat’l Fitr, is it the same 8 categories from the Zakat’l Maal?The 4 madhaahib say that it can be given to any of the 8 categories but otherscholars specify that it must only be given to the poor and needy. The Prophet (salAllahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said in the hadith of ibn abbass that this is a food that is provided to the needy (abi Dawud)But this evidence is not strong because the Quran is very general and the Prophet(sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) did not specify that only the needy would benefitfrom it but really the other categories could also benefit. The hadith of ibn Abbassabove could mean that the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) was specifyingone category but it does not mean that he excluded the others.



Zakat’l fitr should be given before Eid, but can it be given after Eid? The 4 madhaahib agree that it can be given until the Maghrib of that day because itis for that day specifically. As a community we often scrutinize those people whoaccidentally delay their Zakat’l fitr until after the ‘Eid prayer. It is not haram so be

easy with the people.

How much can the poor person be given?One can even give them sufficient to survive years if they please! But really cangive as much as one wants. There is no maximum that is specified.

What is not recommended is how some organizations will keep Zakatl Fitr in theiraccount without being distributed for years at a time. Other organizations willkeep funds but only give out a minute amount to the needy that is insufficient fortheir needs; example having $100,000s++ in their accounts but only giving only afew hundred.

Is it possible to dictate what a poor person receives? As an example, can it be said“my Zakat will be paying your tuition for college” or “I’ll pay your rent only…”

Islamically this is not allowed or possible (even though it has become the normtoday in how we treat the poor and needy) and not a single Muslim scholar hasagreed with this in the past. Remember Zakah is the right of the poor and needy.But what about in giving Sadaqah? In this case yes we can dictate how it’ll be

used.What if the person wastes it and comes back? Than we must give them moneyagain because it is their right

But it is also wise to help the poor people in a smart way; suggest to them on howto improve.As an example, Let’s assume that brother Ahmed deserves Zakah and approachesthe Imam of the masjid for it. Is the imam obligated to give the zakah to Ahmed? No. The imam can tell Ahmed that there is a suggested condition to pay off hisdebt. As an individual the Imam is not obligated. At the end Ahmed has the rightto accept or not to.What if Ahmed takes the zakah and decides not to use it for the agreed reason?Yes, he can change his mind. As an example, he takes the money to pay off hisdebt but he chooses it for something else. It is his money so he can do whatever hewants. Didn’t he lie? Something may have come up later on. The imam cannotcome back and take the money back, remember this is Ahmed’s money! What isnot allowed is to deceive and lie in the beginning. But we must keep in mind thatthe sins are separate from other actions in that if Ahmed did lie to receive theZakah, that does not nullify his right to receive it. We do not investigate how theZakah was used.



Can Zakat’l fitr be given as money and not food?Scholars who believed that Zakat’l fitr can be given as money include Imam AbuHanifa, Imam Bokhari, Imam Sufyaan At Thawree, Umar bin Abdel Aziz, ImamAhmed in one narration and Imam Zuhri. Ibn Taymiyyah stated that it is allowedto give it as money if that is the need and there is more benefit in doing so.

The Imams of the other three madhaahib did not allow money to be given asZakat’l Fitr, they opined that the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) specifiedthat it must be food. They further argued that the ‘udhiyah or qurbani (sacrifice)

for Eid ul ‘Adha is a requirement and it is not allowed to substitute money for thesacrifice. Similarly, they stated that we must be consistent when it comes toZakat’l fitr that money cannot substitute from the actual food items.

This argument is not sound for two reasons:1. Zakat’l fitr is a form of kaffarah or penalty. Kaffarah is something that makes

up another deficiency or something that was missed, so Zakat’l fitr makes up foranything missed in Ramadan. Kaffaraat are allowed to be replaced with money.The nature of the sacrifice in ‘Eid ul ‘Adha is that it is not a kaffarah2. The food given after Ramadan for Zakat’l fitr is not intended as an act of‘ibaadah for its essence while the sacrifice that is done for ‘Eid ul ‘Adha is is initself an act of worship. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) regarding this,“the blood of the sacrifice reaches Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) before it reachesthe ground.” The rice, dates and other staple items that are given for Zakat’l fitr

are not in their essence an ‘ibaadah but the action of giving the item is.

Can a woman give Zakah to her husband?Yes as long as it is not done out of deception i.e. to give to the husband only to beable to take it back for personal use.

Can Zakah money be used to build a mosque?In a Non-Muslim country to support a center giving da’wah yes, otherwise this isnot allowed in a Muslim country

Does Zakat’l fitr need to be paid for a person who died in Ramadan?Yes

What about the practice of some people to give their Zakah during the month ofRamadan?People do it because the month of Ramadan in general is blessed though there isnothing specific narrated in benefit for giving Zakah in Ramadan

Can an organization that collects Zakah money invest it?The Muslim council of Fiqh in 1992 issued a fatwa that allows this, but with the



following conditions:1. In a country, as long as there are no rightful recipients of Zakah that wouldsuffer from investing the money2. The investment must be halal3. The investment must be something that is easy to be liquidated; easy to cash out

if needed4. The investment must be a safe or low risk investment5. This has to be done with the permission of the leaders; in our case the head ofthe organization or zakah committeeDid you know?About two-thirds of the world’s population considers rice to be their staple food



X. SADAQAH IN ISLAM

Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) is generous and loves generosity, we are encouragedin the Quran in so many verses to give and spend for his sake. In Surah Baqarah,Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) says:

And again in Surah Baqarah, Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) says:

Indeed, Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) is the Truth and speaks the Truth whileShaytaan lies. Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) has promised us reward andforgiveness; do we trust Him? Shaytaan promises poverty and puts fear in theheart for spending for Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)’s sake.

So what does it mean than when we follow the Shaytaan and don’t follow Allah(subhanahu wata’ala)? When someone asks you to donate what do we askourselves? Do we believe the Shaytaan more than Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)?The stingy are those who have given up to the whispers of Shaytaan who has liedto them by convincing them that donating will make them poor. This is why ImamHasan alBasri said, “Those who hold back from sadaqah think evil of Allah(subhanahu wata’ala)”

But what about those who spend for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)?Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) says in Surah Baqarah,



It is important to note regarding the concept of sadaqah in Islam that it is is not anoccasional thing! It is consistent and constant.

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said, “Every day two angels comedown from Heaven and one of them says, ‘O Allah! Compensate every personwho spends in Your case’, and the other (angel) says, ‘O Allah! Destroy every

miser’” (Sahih Bokhari) Abu Ayyub as Sakhtiani narrated this hadith and said, “Iwould not let a day go without giving sadaqah after hearing this hadith; some dayswhen I had nothing I would take some crumbs of bread and give it to the ants inthe back of my house and I would tell Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) this is all I havefor this day today!”

Sadaqah in Islam is never about how much you have but rather an attitudeThe Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) encouraged Belal (who was a freedslave and poor) to give in sadaqah and to not fear poverty. He (sal Allahu‘alayhi

wa sal-lam) also encouraged the women in his society to donate, though womenwere not known to be rich. Sadaqah and Zakah thus is not for the most earning people in the community as well. It starts from every single person in thecommunity and no one should feel that they are excluded from this excellent act of‘ibadah.

Sadly the young people today do not feel that they are part of the sadaqah,thinking that their fathers give but not them. If you don’t learn to give when you

are young and poor you will not give when you are older and rich. Young professionals that just graduated have much responsibility and worries, but this is

the exact type of people that should give the most. The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhiwa sal-lam) said, “the best sadaqah is when you give fearing poverty and seeing along life ahead of you.” He did not say that the best sadaqah is when you don’t

fear poverty and when death is near because you are old.

This is where the sadaqah shows the true character of a Muslim. The person hereis proving their trust in Allah (subhanahu wata’ala). Sheikh Waleed narrates a



story of how he was fundraising at a masjid a few years ago when an Iranian brother came up to him and told him how he had been saving his entire highschool to buy a car for college. He had just been accepted into University ofHouston and had just bought his car. He said that when he heard the sheikh talkingabout fundraising last week, he decided to sell the car and donated the $8,000 that

he received from it the sake of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala) for the masjid, AllahuAkbar. This high school youth spent his high school saving up for the car but didnot possess his car for more than 2 months because he wanted to donate it for thesake of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)!

Sadaqah is thus is an attitude that you give and give constantly for the sake ofAllah (subhanahu wata’ala) with full trust in His promise of reward andforgiveness.

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) taught us virtues of Sadaqah in many

different ahadith: that Sadaqah will prevent bad death, Sadaqah heals the sick,Sadaqah will takes away Allah (subhanahu wata’ala)’s anger the way the water

extinguishes fire, Sadaqah will shade one on the day of Judgement, Sadaqah is adefinite proof (for one’s trust in Allah (subhanahu wata’ala))

Abu Umamah reported that the Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said, “O

son of Adam, is it better for you if you spend your surplus (wealth), but if youwithhold it, it is evil for you. There is (however) no reproach for you (if youwithhold means necessary) for a living. And begin (charity) with your dependents;and the upper hand is better than the lower hand.” (Sahih Muslim)

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) also said: “the believer’s shade on the

Day of Judgement will be his Sadaqah: (Ahmed)

When we look at the best examples of those who were generous, we are inspired by the stories of the sahaba, tabi’een and the scholars. If we thought that we were

rich in how we give, this is nothing in comparison to how they were in their times.The successor (tabi’) scholar al-‘Amash said that he was attending a gathering ofUmmar bin Abdel-Aziz who received $20,000 dirhams; Ummar didn’t leave the

gathering until he divided it all to the poor people, and ‘Amash said that wheneverUmar loved a money he would give it all for the sake of Allah (subhanahuwata’ala), reciting the ayah from Surah ale-‘Imran:



The scholar ibn Qudamah once received a few apricots and this was his favoritefood. He tasted one and it tasted very sweet. As soon as he did this he gave it tothe neighbors, and when asked he said it was for that reason that he loved it somuch so he wanted to give it for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wata’ala).

Al-Layth ibn Sa’ad was a great Egyptian scholar who lived at the time of Imam

Malik and was the teacher of Imam Shafi’ and had his own madhab. Imam Maliksaid that he had never seen anyone as generous as Layth ibn Saad. Imam Malik

said he saw Layth once under a shade of tree resting and tired. So Imam Maliksent him a plate of dates. Layth returned the plate full of gold.Imam Malik was poor until Layth made him rich towards the end of Imam Malik’s

life. When Imam Malik’s son was getting married in Madinah, he sent a request toImam Layth for saffron, a prized commodity that was rare in Madinah. ImamLayth sent Imam Malik 30 camels loaded with saffron! Imam Malik used some forhimself and sold the rest for around 500 dinar. How much is this amount worth inAmerican dollars today? Sheikh Waleed calculated this and it is worth around$140,000 today! This is how Malik became rich towards the end of his life.What is amazing is that Layth ibn Sa’ad made around 80,000 dinar a year which

converts to around $6 million a year but he never once paid zakah on his income!He would spend it all towards the end of the year for the sake of Allah (subhanahuwata’ala). Another one of Layth’s students narrated about him that Imam Layth

would never eat alone, he would always invite the poor to share with him. Anothertime Imam Layth heard of a prominent Imam’s house burning down, so he

immediately sent him 1,000 dinars to help the Imam.

The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) himself was described as the pleasantwind which brings goodness to everything that it touches. It is said about him thathe would never say no in refusing anyone that needed help except when he would

said no one is worthy of worship but Allah (subhanahu wata’ala). The mostgenerous people in history were his family members.

Ubaydillah ibn Abdullah ibn Abbas was the first man in the history of Islam whostarted the concept of having an iftar at the masjid. He would organize long tableswith food for iftar for free at Maghrib in the masjid. Muawiyah the khalifa oncegave Ubaydillah a gift that he had never seen before. The gift included exotic



items from Europe, Africa and Asia. While U baydillah’s servant was putting

together these gifts he was extremely impressed by them. Ubaydillah asked if theservant liked it and when the servant affirmed than he gave the entire gift to theservant, just asking the servant to wait until they left Damascus so that Muawiyahwould not feel bad. A woman came to Ubaydillah once for help, so he gave her

and kept giving to her until she asked for no more, but he kept giving her until shetold him that he was a waster of money and that israaf is haraam! The servantasked, “Why didn’t you give her according to her needs?” He replied, “No, I gaveher according to my ability.” Another servant also asked, “if she doesn’t know you

why did you give her so much?” He answered, “Even if she doesn’t know me, Iknow myself and what I am capable of giving”

Zaynul Abideen was another man who was rich, ascetic and very generous. Hehad a daily routine of secretly feeding 100s of poor families and only when hedied did the people realize this.

Imam Shafi’ was also known for his generosity. A student once told him he thatthe student was about to get married at which Imam Shafi’ asked what the maharwas set as. The student answered that it was 30 dinaar, and Imam Shafi’ asked

how much was left to give? The student said that he already gave 6 dinaar and that24 dinaar were left. Imam shafi’ took care of the rest of the 24 dinaar. How muchis this converted into American dollars? Around $6,700. It is narrated about ImamShafi’ that he never counted how much he gave to the poor; he’d dip his hand intohis sack of money and give a handful without looking at how much. A mannarrated that after Maghrib many poor people coming to imam shafi’ and imam

shafi’ giving and giving handfuls of money without counting. The Prophet (sal

Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) narrated that 7 people are in the shade of Allah(subhanahu wata’ala), and one of those seven is someone whose right handdoesn’t know what his left hand does

The concept of Sadaqah is a concept that we must revive in our communities,especially with the coming of Ramadan. Never get bored with the amount of people coming to fundraise to you and if you cannot give than at least do not scornor complain that they are holding you back.Sheikh Waleed narrates that an organization once came to his masjid Clear LakeIslamic center to fundraise. So he sent them a letter thanking them for coming. The brother from the organization called the sheikh was in tears because that no onehas ever treated them like this before, usually the masajid gave him a hard timewhen fundraising. He was thankful that the sheikh respected his feelings. Another brother called Sheikh Waleed from New Jersey after he moved away fromHouston and said that the thing he missed the most about Houston was SheikhWaleed’s masjid where they would often fundraise and f or various causes. The brother missed the opportunity of giving sadaqah constantly.



The early Muslim generation would consider that the poor person would be doinga favor to them by taking their Sadaqah. This is why they would make the hand ofthe poor person higher and they would give from below. Fudayl ibn Iyyadh said a

profound statement, “ by giving the poor person charity I am fixing his worldly life

but he is fixing my hereafter. I elevate his status in duniya but he elevates mine inthe hereafter”

This is why Imam Bokhari narrated the hadith in Kitaab al-fitan that the Prophet(sal Allahu‘alayhi wa sal-lam) said that a day will come when there will be no oneto accept sadaqah. It is actually a fitnah for the Muslims that they cannot practicetheir Deen and give sadaqah!

Sadaqah and wisdom are always mentioned together in the religion because onemust be wise in where they donate. The prospect of sadaqah Jaariyah (a

continuous, ongoing charity) must always be considered. As an example, a goodSadaqah is to invest in the Almaghrib waqf. People will learn, teach and benefitcommunities and generations. This is an example of a smart investment. Sadaqahgiven to people is also a wise and effective investment. There is an organizationthat does free cataract surgeries. They began paying for the education of futuredoctors so that the doctors upon graduation will work for the organization in doingcataract surgeries. Another good example is that of a school or a masjid because somuch good comes out of it.

Is Sadaqah always just about donating wealth? No, there are intangibles in

Sadaqah such as donating one’s time and efforts. The Prophet (s) said that smilingin the face of one’s brother is also a charity!

What about giving Sadaqah to one’s family? The Prophet (sal Allahu‘alayhi wa

sal lam) said that “a dirham spent on the family is the best way to spend a

Detox Fiqh of Fasting and Zakah Hosna Student Notes

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