What do you do during the month of fasting?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah has singled out the month of Ramadaan with special virtues that
are not present in any other month. It is the best of months. Allaah
has the right to single out some months and nights and prefer them
over others, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): "And your
Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses"
[al-Qasas 28:68]
Allaah has placed in the month of Ramadaan Laylat al-Qadr (the Night
of Decree), of which He says (interpretation of themeaning):
"The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months"
[al-Qadr 97:3]
i.e., worship on that night brings a greater reward than worshipping
for a thousand months; this is by the great bounty of Allaah towards
this ummah (nation - i.e., the Muslims).
Laylat al-Qadr occurs during the last ten nights of Ramadaan. Hence
the Muslims strive hard in worship during these ten days more than at
other times, seeking this blessed night.
With regard to what we Muslims do in Ramadaan, we seek to draw closer
to Allaah and strive hard in worship. Various kinds of worship have
been prescribed for us, by which we seek to draw closer to Allaah.
These include the following:
1 -Fasting.
This means refraining from food, drink, intercourse and sexual
activity from dawn until sunset. We are not the only nation on whom
Godhas enjoined fasting, rather there is no nation among the previous
nations upon whom God did not enjoin fasting. Allaah says
(interpretationof the meaning):
"O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for
you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become
Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)"
[al-Baqarah 2:183]
2 - Prayers at night (Taraweeh)
Praying at night (qiyaam al-layl) has a great effect in purifying and
reforming hearts, and is also a means of forgiveness of sin.
3 - Reading Qur'aan
Ramadaan is the month of the Qur'aan, in which the revelation of the
Qur'aan to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
first began. Hence you will findthe Muslims reading the entire Qur'aan
during Ramadaan, and some of them read the entire Bookonce or twice,
or more than that. The Muslim knows that reading a single letter of
the Qur'aan brings a tenfold reward, and that reading a single page
brings a thousand rewards (hasanaat).
4 - Charity and feeding the poor
Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most
generous of people, and he was at his most generous in Ramadaan.
Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encouraged us
to feed the poor and to give fasting people food to break their fast.
He toldus that the reward of the one who gives food to a fasting
person to break his fast is equivalent to the reward of the fasting
person, without that detracting from the reward of the fasting person
in the slightest.
5 - Supplication
Ramadaan is the month of supplication (du'aa'). It is mustahabb for
the fasting person to make du'aa', and the du'aa' (supplication) of
one who has fasted at the time of breaking the fast will not be
rejected.
6 - I'tikaaf ("retreat" for worship)
This means staying in the mosque in order to devote oneself to
worshipof Allaah. It is Sunnah in the last ten days of Ramadaan,
seeking Laylatal-Qadr.
7 - Allaah has enjoined a special charity to be givenat the end of
Ramadaan. This is called Zakaat al-Fitr, by means of which the fasting
person offers expiation for any idle or obscene speech he may have
uttered during his fast; it is also a means of feeding and helping the
poor.
It is obligatory upon every Muslim, young and old, male and female. It
is one of the ways of making people feel the unity, cohesion and
mutual compassion of theMuslim community.
8 - Allaah has also enjoined that those who have fasted should offer
the Eid prayer, as a conclusion to these good deeds that they have
done during Ramadaan, and as a way of bringing them together to
express their joy and gratitude towards Allaah.
The point is that the Muslim spends the month of Ramadaan in fasting,
praying, offering night prayers (Taraweeh), remembering Allaah and
reading Qur'aan, and has ended it with i'tikaaf and charity, as well
as striving to uphold the ties of kinship and do good deeds, and
spending a great deal for the sake of Allaah, and other righteous good
deeds. Ramadaan is an occasion that is good for him, in which he does
acts of worship and rids himself of the burdens of sin. On every night
of Ramadaan Allaah frees people from Hell, overlooks their bad deeds
and forgives their sins. Hence the month of Ramadaan is the most
beloved of months to the Muslims, and they feel happy, joyful and
content at this time, and they wish that the whole year was Ramadaan.
:->
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