revelation of the Quran, the month of reading and reciting the whole
Quran, the month of Tahajjud and the month of Tarawih prayers, of
Sadaqah and Zakah-ul-Fitr.
No one can go anywhere without preparation, andno one invites a guest
without preparing to welcome him/her. Similarly, to welcome Ramadan,
the month of fasting, one has to prepare.
11 Tips for Preparing for Ramadan:
1.Try to fast on Mondays and Thursdays as of today.
2.Start reading the Quraneveryday after Fajr prayers.
3.Spend some time listening to recitations from the Quran.
4.Train yourself to go bedearly so that you do notmiss the Fajr prayers.
5.Keep yourself in a state of Wudu most of the time.
6.Evaluate yourself each day before going to bed.
7.Thank Allah for good deeds, and repent to Him for your mistakes and sins.
8.Give yourself time alone, so that you can meditate, make dhikr and tasbeeh.
9.Start giving Sadaqah each day, no matter how little. Make it a habit
like eating and drinking.
10.Spend more time reading Islamic books,especially the Quran, Seerah,
Hadith, and Fiqh.
11.Find time to help others with your wisdom, knowledge and talent.Try
to writearticles on Islam for Muslims and non-Muslims.
Some Facts About the Saum of Ramadan
1.Fardh:The Saum of Ramadan is Fardh (obligatory). It is enjoined on
all Muslim men and women.
2.Moon Sighting:The Saum of Ramadan commences when the sighting of the
Ramadan Hilal (crescentmoon) has been confirmed in accordance with the
rules of the Shariah. Niyyat (Intention) for the Saum of Ramadan
should be renewed each day. A single Niyyat at the beginningof Ramadan
will not suffice for the Saum of the entire month.
3.Kaffarah:A fast of Ramadan broken deliberately without valid reason,
after having made the Niyyatfor fasting during the night, brings about
the penalty of Kaffarah. Note: a traveller is permitted to refrain
from Saum, although it is meritorious for him/her to fast, if the
journey is not a difficultone. The traveller shall make Qadha of all
Saumomitted during the journey.
4.Menstruation:If a woman starts menstruating during the course of the
fasting day, the fast is not valid. It is not incumbent to abstain
from eating during the remaining part of the day. Preferably, it is
better to avoid eating in the presence of those who are fasting. She
can compensate forher missed fasts later after Ramadan.
5.Pregnancy:When a pregnant woman has a genuine fear for either her
own life or the life of the child she is bearing, it will be
permissible for her to refrain from Saum. She will have to make Qadha
of the Saum she misses as a result.
6.Elderly:A very old person who is truly unable to fast, is permitted
to refrain from Saum. He has to offer compensation by means of paying
the Fidyah.
Questions & Answers About the Kaffarah of Ramadan
1.What does Kaffarah mean?
Kaffarah (compensation) is the penalty which is imposed by Shariah for
the deliberate and flagrant nullification of the Saum of Ramadan.
2.Does it apply to all fasts?
Kaffarah applies to onlythe Saum of Ramadan.
3.When does it apply?
Kaffarah comes into force only if the Niyyat for fasting was made
atnight, i.e. before SubahSadiq. Thus, if Niyyat was made during the
night to fast the following day, and thenthe fast is broken without
valid reason, the Kaffarah penalty comes into effect.
4.What does the penalty consist of?
Kaffarah for flagrantly breaking a fast of Ramadan is to fast 60
consecutive days- sixty days, one after the other, without missing any
day in between.
5.What renders the Kaffarah invalid?
The Kaffarah will be rendered invalid if for any reason- be it a
validreason, even a single day is omitted during the 60 day-Kaffarah
course. Thus if a personfasted for 59 days and failed to fast on the
60th day due to illness, he will have to start theKaffarah all over
again. The only interruption which will not invalidate the Kaffarah is
Haydh (the monthly menses of women).
6.What if one cannot fulfill the Kaffarah?
A person who is unable to discharge the Kaffarah because of ill-health
or very old age, will have to feed 60 poor persons. Each miskeen
(poor) should be given two full meals for the day or the amount in
cash which is given as Sadaqah Fitr.This amount is the priceof
approximately 2 kilograms bread flour. Instead of the cash, the flour
may also be given.
7.Do the penalties add upwithin the month?
No. A single Ramadan, makes Wajib only one Kaffarah irrespective ofthe
number of fasts flagrantly broken during that Ramadan.
8.Do the penalties add upfrom year to year?
Yes. If fasts were flagrantly nullified in more than one Ramadan, the
number of Kaffarah will be equal to the number of Ramadan. So if fasts
were flagrantly broken in three different Ramadans, three different
Kaffarah will be obligatory.
9.What if the Kaffarah month is less than 30 days?
When the Kaffarah is commenced on the 1st day of the Islamic month,
then fasting two full Islamic months will suffice for the Kaffarah
even if the total number of days in the two months are 58 days (29 day
months). If, however, the Kaffarah is started during the course of the
month, then it will be necessary to fast full 60 days.
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