Ramadan Articles - The impact of Ramadan on us

With Ramadan upon us, many of our homes naturally infuse with the
excitement and anticipation of this month of fasting, taraaweeh
prayers, night vigils, reciting the Quran, and connecting with family
and friends.
Khutbahs )sermons( abound withinstructions on how to make the most of
this month of mercy and how to make its benefits long lasting. But how
real are the effects of a month of abstaining daily from food and
drink, additional prayer, and giving charity on us as individuals?
The editors of Al-Jumu`ah magazine wanted to know how Muslims in
America evaluated their Ramadan experience.
Does Ramadan accomplish what it should for us personally? Does it make
us more worshipful, improve our characters, and trainus for the year
ahead? Also, how do newly married couples feel about the restraints
Ramadan imposes on them?
To this end, we surveyed men and women asking them to self-evaluate
their Ramadan program. Having spent the last two Ramadans overwhelmed
by natural life changes, I instinctively believed people would have
felt a kind of lag in the recent Ramadans that have passed—too many
Iftaars, not enough time for prayer and reading Quran, little
concentration in our prayer. And dare I say, even missing a few
taraaweeh prayers...?
Ramadan's Long-Lasting Effects
To my pleasant surprise, the Muslims we interviewed were highly
positive about their Ramadan routines. Fully 88 percent of the people
we surveyed said they had special programs they implemented during
this month. Aspects of their routine included reading Quran )across
the board, this wasa daily goal(, attending all of the taraweeh
prayers, Thikr, performing extra prayers, not overeating, Qiyaam, and,
as one of our answerers straightforwardly told us, sin analysis.
Of that group, nearly 100 percent of them said they felt their Ramadan
programs were effective in bringing about positive change to their
worship habits and character beyond the month of Ramadan. How
heartening is that?
"During the month, I get out of work at 3 p.m., giving me time todo
all the above... which is a reminder to me of how busy I have become
in worldly matters and not taking time out for myself or my
spirituality.
"After the month is over, I am reminded of these things, and it stays
with me, or sometimes afterwards. For example, after last Ramadan I
was reminded how little of the Quran I have memorized and that I need
to get closer to the Quran. Since then, I have slowly been trying
tomemorize the 30th juz' and have succeeded," one answerer told us.
This detailed response is quite similar to how others replied:"For me,
it's very helpful because throughout the entire month, mynumber one
goal is to collect as many "hasanaat" as possible. That should be the
case throughout the year, but during this month I'm consciously
tracing all the opportunities for potential thawaab. So for one month,
that's my ultimate goal and anything else that I want to do, like
study or work or socialize, I can make time for later."
Ramadan as a Marriage Foundation
A little more than 35 percent of the people surveyed were newly
married just shortly before Ramadan. Of these, nearly 70 percent were
happy to have beenmarried so close to the month.
If I was surprised by people's positive responses to the long-lasting
effects of their Ramadan routines, I was stunnedby the cheerful
attitude of our respondents about this aspect. I, too, was married
shortly before Ramadan, and my husband and I found it quite difficult.
Our focus had to be away from getting to know each other leisurely and
enjoying "non-worshipful" activities together, and much more toward
fasting, reading Quran, performing taraweeh and so forth.
Suffice it to say, we were a little disappointed by the shift in
focus. But the surveyed were far happier with their first Ramadan as
newlyweds. One articulate respondent said: "Ramadan was only a few
weeks after our wedding. It didn't pose that great a challenge. On the
contrary, it was nice to have that experience so early on, as our
marriage should be based on pleasing Allaah and coming closer to Him
together...it gave us that opportunity to help each other do that by
praying more together and reading books, etc.,together because it's a
time when you don't feel like your pressuring `religiosity' on someone
)as during this time it's something that everyone wants to do(,
whereas otherwise a newly married couple might feel wary to do things
like that so early on together and want to focus their marriage on
`enjoying' their time together. Obviously this is important, but for a
strong marriage it needs to be more than that."
One respondent summed it up asa great opportunity, as both spouses
stopped smoking in Ramadan together.
Other Opinions
The small percentage of people that felt more could come out of
Ramadan are not to be ignored. Some felt, "The month of Ramadan is
fine but after]wards[ everything goes back to normal again."
I think many of us can relate to that. When our families and
communities are all partaking in focused `ibaadah )and it's only for
one month(, it's much easier to keep up the rhythm and commitment to
be worshipful.
But when those special routines come to an abrupt end, it's harder to
continue on that path. As one of our respondents advised, it's really
about how much you put into the month. The more you put in, the
more"focused ]you are[ on realizing that it's a means of bringing]you[
closer to Allaah," the more likely it is that Ramadan will bring
long-lasting benefits to your spiritual life.
Others, primarily women, said they felt that if they had someone to
watch their kids, they could focus more on taraweeh prayer. They also
believed that Mosque etiquette and socialization needed to be worked
on. "]Get[ the women to stop talking during taraweeh. If you are there
to socialize, then don't come!" Furthermore, "starta culture of more
worship and less iftaars during Ramadhan..., for some reason, during
the month of more worship, we create more social obligations of
dinners and reciprocal dinners we need to attend!"
Survey Implications
I am aware that our survey does not include all the diverse voices in
the American Muslim community, nor is its sample sufficient to be
statistically significant. But it was a detailed-response survey, and
for so manyof our respondents to express their positive attitudes
about, not its significance, but the impact of Ramadan on them and
their own experience of it is a cause to be grateful to Allaah, the
only One who guides and setshearts aright. For truly the month of the
Quran, as it is also called, is supposed to be a kind of boot-camp, a
focused and all-out 30-day )or 29( break from normal life, filled with
`ibaadah and good works, so that we build the spiritual muscle to be
the worshipful creatures we were created to be during the marathon
race of the rest of the year.
For this percentage of people surveyed to feel so upbeat about their
Ramadan schedules should encourage us to utilize the month in much the
same way. Mosques and community centers take note: Overwhelmingly,
respondents felt their Ramadan programs were directly tied to
connecting with the community, going to the Mosque, and being around
family and friends that were also on a similar, vigorous worship
program.
Here is my word of advice:
Many of us here in America express an attitude about Ramadan, almost
with pride, that we are a people that remain economically and
academically"productive" in Ramadan. In fact, many of us say we
believe that we increase our "productivity," and work more in Ramadan,
while our fasting and prayer at night don't slow our wear down,they
don't make us produce less, or affect our academic studies. Nor do
they affect the amount of money we earn.
This attitude grows out of a falsematerialistic view. Ramadan teaches
us that there are transcendent values that are worth taking a break
from our yearly routines for, and those are more profound, deeper and
moremeaningful than material values.
In fact, our respondents, who felta meaningful success in Ramadhan,
reflected this in our survey. More than 75 percent of them mentioned
the time they took off or away from work to concentrate on the
spiritual goals they set out for themselvesas being key in their
spiritual success.
In Ramadhan, we refrain from food and drink and sexual pleasure in the
day and strive to worship longer and harder at night. This can
potentially reduceour GPAs, our productivity at work, or cause us to
take days offbecause of the fatigue we experience from our daily
spiritual exertions. But the right attitude toward Ramadhan tells us
that that's okay.
It's not a constant mode of life, our Ramadan routines. It's one month
out of the year. Furthermore, we use this one month out of 12 to build
certain characteristics in ourselves at precisely the expense of
material acquisition. We endeavor to buildtaqwa, resolve, and
psychologicaldiscipline.
We want to instill in ourselves, inthe long run, the spirit of
sacrifice. We desire to train ourselves in the virtues of resilience
and heartiness. So, the message here is not fast and amp up your
worship schedule without it taking a toll on your worldly pursuits,
but take a break from the latter and focus on the former. It's not
only all right to do it, it's what you must do to make Ramadan most
effective.
Our fasting is meant to affect us, to deplete us in a worldly sense,
so as to replenish us in faith and the fear of Allaah Almighty. We
fast out of a belief in the Afterlife,putting our Hereafter
deliberatelyand squarely out in front of our pursuit of the world and
our misguided attempts to consume it, which is exactly as it should
always be. But the heavy spiritualdisciplines of Ramadan—and they
should be arduous amount to a regime that does, indeed, have a major
physical affect on us, and thus should it be.
Now Ramadan is before you. Make it count. Make it last!

Ramadan Articles - O You Who Has Completed Ramadan - I

With the conclusion of the blessed month of Ramadan, the Muslims ask
Allaah The Almighty to accept the righteous deeds they have performed
in it and pledge to Him that they will continue the performance of
good deeds and remain steadfastupon the path of righteousness. The
Muslims also work hard not to break the bond that connects them with
Allaah The Almighty, and continue to worship Him through all means of
good and virtuous deeds, for Allaah The Almighty remains our Lord
during all the other months as well as Ramadan.
It follows that, although Allaah The Almighty has certainly favoured
some months over others, we must worship Him equally during the other
months,because Allaah The Almighty addressed His ProphetSaying)what
means(:}And worship yourLord until there comes to you thecertainty
]i.e. death[{]Quran 15: 99[ Thus, we as Muslims should keep reminding
ourselves that we should not regress or decrease in the performance of
good deeds, and we should beware of being like the woman whom Allaah
The Almighty mentioned in the Quran, Saying)which means(:}…She who
untwisted her spun thread after it was strong…{]Quran 16: 92[ This
represents someone who, after expending time and effort in good, goes
on to ruin the end product by undoing it. Thus, we should not ruin our
obedience bysinning, nor should we weaken our faith which was
increased and strengthened by our acts of worship by committing
prohibitions and becoming one of those who are heedless.
One may appear to others to be performing the actions of the dwellers
of Paradise until what ispreordained comes to pass, which means that
he then performs the actions of the inmates of Hell until he enters
it; this may happen due to some evilin him which he did not strive to
remove from his heart until the time of death comes upon him,
suddenly, whilst he is upon disobedience, which means that his end
will be an evil one.
Therefore, we must continue to remain firm upon obedience and acts of
worship and not change our situation to disobedience after we were
upon righteousness; we must continueto maintain the bond of faith
which connects us to our Lord. The Companionswould closely monitor the
conditions of their hearts in order to be assured that deterioration
had not occurred; when Allaah The Almighty provided some of them with
abundant sustenance, they began stating that their hearts had changed,
which was a reflection of their continuous fear regarding its
condition.
Similarly, we should watch over our actions and lives very carefully,
monitoring all that we say and do, checking our intentions. After
Ramadan is over, a believer should always maintain himself upon
obedienceas we were instructed to by the Prophetwho said: "The dearest
deeds to Allaah are the continuous ones, even if they are few." It is
the hypocrite does notmention Allaah The Almighty except very
sparingly, and when he does he does it in order to be seen doing so.
The believer, on the other hand, mentions Allaah The Almighty
continuously and with love and sincerity. Wheneverthe Prophetwould
begin performing any act of worship, he would continue performing it
regularly; just compare this to the hypocrite who hardly ever acts
righteously, and when he does, he will thereafter abandon it for a
long period; he is just as Allaah The Almighty describes him, in His
Saying )which means(:}…Showing ]themselves to[ the people and not
remembering Allaah except a little.{]Quran 4: 142[
The great fruits of being continuous in performing acts of worship include:
• Causing the heart to become continuously connected to AllaahThe
Almighty, which is what grants steadfastness and strength in faith to
the slave; Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And whoever relies
upon Allaah — then He is sufficient for him.{]Quran 65: 3[
• Instilling the love of Allaah in the slave, as Allaah The Almighty
Says )what means(:}…Indeed, Allaah loves those who are constantly
repentant and loves those who purify themselves.{]Quran 2:222[ This
means that Allaah loves those who continuously repent from their sins
and purify themselves from sinning. Allaah The Almighty also Says in a
Qudsi narration: "My servant continues to draw closer to Me through
voluntary deeds until I love him." This continuation and persistence
is a reason why the slave receives rescue during hardships.

Ramadan Articles - Not My Guest

Every year, with Ramadan on the horizon, most of us find ourselves on
the receiving end of a deluge of mails, pamphlets, andsermons,
reminding us of its significance. Some of the most useful ones are
those containing tips on how to prepare for the month ahead. There are
ideas ranging from doing all our grocery and 'Eed shopping beforehand
to getting the family in the spirit of Ramadan by performing
voluntaryfasts and playing the Quran and Nasheeds in the house.
Yet, this word often thrown about—"preparation"—seems tovalidate our
perception of this month as a guest, albeit a VIP one. Of course,
Ramadan, which comes only once a year, is specialand distinct, and,
readying ourselves for it means we ensure that we appreciate its
magnanimity. Thus, as we would before an important visitor arrives, we
put our best selves forward.
The downside to that, though, is it implies our reversion back to our
"normal" modes after the departure of any outsider, and that we shall
do the very same when Ramadhan is gone from our lives.
Is our preparation at fault here, then? Are we so consumed by our
hosting duties that we miss out on the company of our guest?
We clear up the literal and figurative clutter in our lives and homes
as we ready for the month, and plan out our activities reserved
exclusively for this time—reading the entire Quran, visiting the
Mosque more frequently and feeding the poor. And, as we sight the moon
of Ramadan, we offer a gracious and warm welcome that translates into
our changed days and nights.
Yet, and we all have noticed this, something happens a week or
solater. We start falling back on ourscheduled recitation, the rows of
praying individuals in the Mosquebegin to shorten, and instead of
donating generously we find ourselves only calculating the required
Zakaat.
So, what happens? Do we start viewing Ramadan as a guest thathas
overstayed its welcome?
Less than a third or so into the month, our anticipation for it begins
to die down and our enthusiasm wanes.
We begin to see it as just any other time of the year. Perhaps it is
because all our preparations and `hospitality' are borne out of
courtesy and tradition, rather than true desire and love. If the
opposite were true, we would belike the Companionswho would implore
Allaah Almighty tolet them witness Ramadan from six months out, not
just a couple of days in advance of it.
Thereafter, they would then trulyhonor it, such that they could
actually spend the next half of the year praying that their worship in
it was acceptable to Him Almighty.
As for us, as the month seems to stretch on for days on end, we begin
to realize that this guest ofours will stick around a bit longer. That
rush to accommodate the special month then begins to dissipate, and we
think that everything we decided to do can be put off for another day,
if not indefinitely. And so, the extra prayer we wanted to offer will
be put off to the last 10 nights. The charity we intended to give will
be left to the eve of 'Eed. The prospect of just a 29-day Ramadan does
not give ushaste to finish the entire recitation of the Quran before
then. And, as for our I`tikaaf vigils, we think there will always be a
next year. This is not to negate our very sincere good intentions and
pre-Ramadan plans. But, preparations will remain just that if not
coupled with concrete action. They will only represent remnants of
faith within us that flicker every now and then, to remind us we are
still Muslim, if only recognizable on these "limited number of days"
]2:184[.
Most importantly, we need to start treating Ramadan, not as a passing
visitor, but like family. Let it be a month we genuinely handle with
love and shower with devotion. And, when the occasion calls for it,
without pretense, we lavish it with the special attention it demands.
Either way, there is a consistency in our demeanor, in terms of
righteousness. Then when the month leaves, we fondly remember it and
remain such that it will recognize us when it graces us with its
presence yet again.
Only then will we be entertainingthis "blessed month that has come" to
us, as more than just an acquaintance ]At-Tirmithi[. After all,
Ramadan, and by extension, fasting, is a part of us and of who we
are—"…decreed upon you...as it was decreed upon those before you, that
you may become righteous."]2:183[.

Fathwa - Ramadhan - Sallatulwitr

Is there any hadeeth or athar suggesting that the qunoot in
salaatulwitr should be read silently in the month of ramadhaan? Apart
from the general ahaadeeth on reading a duaa in silent tone.
-
Bismillah
Al-jawab billahi at-taufeeq (the answer with Allah's guidance)
Qunut, according to the definition of the Fuqaha', "is the name of a
Du'a (supplication) offered during prayer at a specific point while
standing." It is prescribed in Witr prayer before the Ruku),according
to the opinionof the Hanafis.
-
It was narrated that Umar (RadhiyAllahu Anhu) prayed Qunut with the
following words:
"Allaahumma inna nasta'eenuka wa nu'minu bika, wa natawakkalu 'alayka
wa nuthni 'alayka al-khayr, wa laa nakfuruka. Allaahumma iyyaaka
na'budu wa laka nusalli wa nasjudu, wa ilayka nas'aa wa nahfid. Narju
rahmataka wa nakhsha 'adhaabaka, inna 'adhaabaka al-jadd bil kuffaari
mulhiq..
(O Allaah, verily we seek Your help, we believe in You, we put our
trust in You and we praise You and we are not ungrateful to You. O
Allaah, You alone we worship and to You we pray and prostrate, for
Your sake we strive. We hope for Your mercy andfear Your punishment,
for Your punishment willcertainly reach the disbelievers...)
(Al-Bayhaqi, 2/210, See also: Ibn Abi Shaibah, Chapter: The Qunut of Witr)
It is mentioned that Umar (RadhiyAllahu Anhu) used to recite this Du'a
silently and sometimes aloud to teach the people. (Maraqil Falah
Pg.143)
Regarding the issue of the Imam reciting Du'a Qunut (Allahumma Inna
Nastainuka...) audibly or silently is one regarding which nothing has
been narrated from the Imamsof the Madhab. The Fuqaha attempted to
ascertain what their views could be in this regard, by making Takhrij
(extracting) of this Mas'alah from other related Masa'il and Qawaid
(rules), however they were unable to come to any conclusive decision,
as some felt that Imam Muhammad would feel it should be recited
silently and Imam Abu Yusuf the opposite.
The early Fuqaha then looked at the students ofImam Muhamad and found
that his students would recite it silently. This indicated that this
was the view of Imam Muhammad. The early Fuqaha of the Madhab all gave
fatwa on this view, which has been the Fatwa of the Madhabfor the last
1000 years plus based on their understanding of the Usuls of the Imams
of theMadhab and the practiceof their students.
Thus, according to the most preferred opinion, Du'a Qunut should be
recited silently and completely (i.e. the Imam, Muqtadi and Munfarid
should all recite it silently).
(Raddul Muhtar, Chapter:Witr and Nawafil Vol.2 Pg.444, , Fataawa
Hindiyyah, Chapter: Salatul Witr Vol.1 Pg.123)
Also, It was the scholars of Ma wara' al-Nahar ("what lies beyond the
river," i.e., Oxus, or called Transoxiana which basically comprised
modern Uzbekistan) who opted for Ikhfa (silent) with the Qunut of
Witr.
Allah Ta'ala says,
"Call on your lord with humility and in private" (Al-A'raf, 55).
Prophet (Sallallahu AlaihiWasallam) said, "The best Du'a is the Du'a
in silence. (Ahmad Vol.1 Pg.176, Ibn Abi Shaibah Vol. 1 Pg.376)
(see: 'Ilaus Sunan, Chapter: Reciting the Du'a Qunut silently in Witr
prayer Vol.4 Pg.1837-1839)
It is thus clear that the opinion of reciting it audibly isn't
narrated from the Imams of the Madhab and neither wasit the practice
of the Mutaqaddimin (early Fuqaha).
With regards to Qunut Nazila (Allahummahdini Fiman Hadayta....) it is
recited aloud.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Whenever Allah's Apostleintended to invoke evil upon somebody or
invoke good upon somebody, he used to invoke (Allah after bowing (in
the prayer). Sometimes after saying,"Allah hears him who sends his
praises to Him, all praise is for You, O our Lord," he would say,"O
Allah. Save Al-Walid bin Al-Walid and Salama bin Hisham, and 'Aiyash
bin Abu Rabi'a. O Allah! Inflict Your Severe Torture on Mudar (tribe)
and strike them with (famine) years like the years of Joseph." The
Prophet used to say in a loud voice, and he also used to say in some
of his Fajr prayers, "O Allah!Curse so-and-so and so-and-so." naming
some of the Arab tribes till Allah revealed:--"Not for you (O
Muhammad) (but for Allah) is the decision." (3.128) (Bukhari,
Chapter:Tafseer (Prophetic Commentary on the Qur'an))
Note: According to the Hanafis Qunut Nazilah is only recited in Fajr
prayers at times of adversities and disaster. (See: 'Ilaus Sunan)
And Only Allah Ta'ala Knows Best.