4] When should one stop eating and drinking? And what is the ruling on one who has the vessel in his hand when hearing the adhaan?

4] When should one stop eating and drinking? And what is the ruling on
one who has the vessel in his hand when hearing the adhaan?
~
When exactly must one stop eating and drinking if one is going to
fast? Is itthe adhaan of Fajr when the muezzin says Allaahu akbar, or
what is the exact time? What should Ido if the cup is at my mouth and
I am drinking and the call to prayer begins?.
Praise be to Allaah.
With regard to fasting, it is obligatory to refrain from things that
break the fast from the onset of the true dawn, until the sun sets.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"So now have sexual relations with them and seek that which Allaah has
ordained for you (offspring), and eat and drink until the white thread
(light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread
(darkness of night), then complete your Sawm (fast) till the
nightfall"
[al-Baqarah 2:187].
Al-Bukhaari (1919) narrated from 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with
her) that Bilaal used to give the adhaan at night. The Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peaceof Allah be upon him) said: "Eat and drink
until Ibn Umm Maktoom gives the call to prayer, becausehe does not
give the call to prayer until dawn breaks."
Based on that, if a person knows that the true dawnhas broken, either
by seeing it himself or because someone else hastold him, then he must
stop eating and drinking. If he hears the call to prayer, he must stop
eating and drinking as soon as he hears it, if the muezzin give the
call on time and not ahead of time.
Some scholars made an exception if a person has the cup in his hand
when he hears the adhaan, and said that he may drink what he needs
from it, because of the report narrated by Abu Dawood (2350) from Abu
Hurayrah(may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "When one if you
hears the call and the vessel is in his hand, let him not put it down
until he has fulfilled his need of it." Al-Albaani said in Saheeh Abi
Dawood: Its isnaad is hasan saheeh. It was also classed as saheeh by
al-Haakim, al-Dhahabi and'Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbeeli, and Ibn Hazm quoted
it asevidence. End quote.
The majority of scholars interpreted it as meaning that the muezzin
used to give the call to prayer ahead of time. For a detailed
discussion on that, please see the answer to question number 66202 .
Most of the muezzins nowadays rely on clocks and timetables, not on
actual sighting of the dawn, but this cannot be regarded as certainty
thatdawn has broken, so if a person is still eating at this time, his
fast is valid because he was not certain that dawn had broken. But it
is better and more on the safe sideto refrain from things thatbreak
the fast when one hears the adhaan.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was
asked:What is the shar'i ruling on the fast of one who hears the
adhaan of Fajr and continues eating and drinking?
He replied: What the believer must do is refrainfrom eating and
drinking and other things that break the fast as soon as it becomes
clear to him that dawn has broken, if the fast is an obligatory fast
such as Ramadan or fasting in fulfilment of a vow or as expiation,
because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and eat and drink until the white thread (light) ofdawn appears to
you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night),then complete
your Sawm(fast) till the nightfall"
[al-Baqarah 2:187].
So if he hears the adhaan and knows that the call is being given at
the time ofdawn, then he must stop eating and drinking. But ifthe
muezzin gives the adhaan before dawn breaks, he does not have to stop
eating and drinking and it is permissible for him to carry on eating
and drinking until he sees the dawn.
If he does not know whether the muezzin gives the call to prayer
before or after dawn, thenit is better and more on the safe side to
stop eating and drinking whenhe hears the call to prayer, but it does
not matter if he ate or drank something at the time of the adhaan,
because he did not know whether dawn had broken.
It is well known that people living in cities in which there are
streetlights cannot see the break of dawn for themselves at the time
of dawn. But they should be on the safe side by using the adhaan and
timetables which give thetime of dawn to the hour and minute,
following thewords of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him): "Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not
make you doubt" and "Whoever avoids dubious matters will have kept his
religious commitment and honour safe." And Allah is the source of
strength. End quote from Fataawa Ramadaan, compiled by Ashraf 'Abd
al-Maqsood, p. 201. ...

--
- - - - - - -

Eating out of forgetfulness in Ramadan does not matter

What is the ruling on one who eats or drinks out of forgetfulness
during Ramadan?
Praise be to Allaah.
That does not matter and his fast is valid, because Allaah says at the
end of Soorat al-Baqarah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Our Lord! Punish us not ifwe forget or fall into error"
[al-Baqarah 2:286]
It was narrated in a saheeh report from the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that Allaah said, "I have done
that." And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever forgets that he is fasting and eats or drinks, let him
complete his fast, for the One Who fed him and gave him to drink was
Allaah." (Agreedupon).
The same applies if he hasintercourse because of forgetfulness; his
fast is still valid according to the more correct of the two scholarly
opinions, because of this aayah and this hadeeth, and becausethe
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoeverbreaks his fast in Ramadaan out of forgetfulness, he does
nothave to make that day up and he does not have to offer any
expiation (kafaarah)." (Narrated andclassed as saheeh by al-Haakim).
This wording includes intercourse and other things that break the
fast, if the fasting person does them because of forgetfulness. This
is from the mercy, bounty and kindness of Allaah, for which we praise
and thank Him.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, vol. 4, p. 193.

--
- - - - - - -

3a] Fiqh of Ramadan: theHow-Tos of Fasting

3a]
Kaffara
During the fasting period, if one deliberately breaks his or her fast,
s/he must free one slave, or fast for sixty continuous days, or feed
sixty needy persons, or spend in charity an amount equal to feeding
sixty persons.
If one chooses to fast sixty days and the continuity is interrupted
for any reason,except menstruation, one has to start the sixty day
cycle all over again.
Breaking of the fast under exceptional conditions
Muslims are permitted to break their fast of Ramadan when there is a
danger to their health.
In this situation a Muslim should make up his/her fast later. The
missed fast(s) can be made up at any other time of the year,either
continuously or intermittently, except on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr and
the day of Eid-ul-Adha
Tarawih
These are special Sunnah prayers in the month of Ramadan. They follow
the Isha prayers. A minimum of eight and a maximum of twenty Rakat are
offered in pairs of two.
Lailat al-Qadr
Amongst the nights of Ramadan, there is one special night of Power
(Qadr) which is highlightedin Surah al-Qadr (Surah 97 in the Quran).
It has the significance of being better than a thousand months. (Quran 97:3).
This was the night when Quran was revealed to mankind. Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) recommended Muslims search
for this night of Power (Qadr) in the odd nights of the last ten
nights in Ramadan.
Muslims spend the night inIbadah (worship), asking forgiveness of
their sins and reciting the Quran.

--
- - - - - - -

3] Fiqh of Ramadan: theHow-Tos of Fasting

3]
The Obligation
Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is an act of obedience
and submission to Allah's commands through the highest degree of
commitment, sincerity andfaithfulness to seek Allah's mercy, to atone
for sins, errors, and mistakes and to avoid condemnation to Hell.
It is done out of deep love for God, with a genuine virtue of
devotion, honest dedication and closeness to Allah, for Fasting is for
Allah and Him alone.
The fasting during Ramadan is obligatory on every adult, sane, and ableMuslim.
Denial of the obligatory nature of fasting in the month of Ramadan
amounts to disbelief.
One who avoids fasting without genuine reasons isa sinner and
transgressor according to Islamic Shariah (Law).
Time: When to fast
Fasting in Islam involves abstinence from three primal physical needs
of human beings- food, drink,and sexual intercourse from dawn
(approximatelyone and a half hours before sunrise) to sunset during
the entire month ofRamadan.
Who is exempted from fasting
1. Children under the age ofpuberty and discretion;
2. The insane people who are unaccountable for their deeds. People of
these two categories are exempted from the duty of fasting and no
compensation or any other substitute is enjoined on them;
3. Men and women who are too old and feeble to undertake the
obligationof fasting and bear its hardships. Such people are exempted
from this duty, but they must offerat least one needy poor Muslim an
average full meal or its value per person day.
4. Sick people whose healthis likely to be severely affected by
fasting. They may postpone the fast, as long as they are sick, to a
later date and makeup for it, a day for aday;
5. People expecting hardship. Such people may break the fast
temporarily during their travel only and make up for it in later days,
a day for a day. But it is better for them, the Quran says,to keep the
fast if they can without causing extraordinary hardships;
6. Expectant women and women nursing their children may also break the
fast, if its observance is likely to endanger their own health or that
of their infants. But they must make up for the fast at a delayed
time, a day for a day;
7. Women in periods of menstruation (of a maximum of ten days). They
must postpone the fast till recovery and then make up for it, a day
for day.
The How To's of Fasting
Niyyah or Intention of Fast
To observe the fast, the intention of fasting is essential ( waajib ).
The intention should be made daily, preferably before dawn of each day
of fasting (in Ramadan).
Provision is made if someone has forgotten to express his intention
before dawn. In such a case one is allowed to express intention of
fasting before noon to avoid the invalidation of the fast.
The wording of Niyyah may be as follows:
"I intend to observe fast for today."
Suhoor
Suhoor is a light, predawn meal, recommended before actually fasting.
It isa blessing and hence recommended but not essential.
Any consumption of food or drink should cease at least five to ten
minutes before the onset of dawn.
Iftar
Iftar is an Arabic term meaning breaking the fast immediately after
the sunset. Iftar is a light snackconsisting of dates or desserts,
along with liquids, such as water, juiceor milk.
This is eaten after making the following Duaa (supplication) for
breaking the fast:
"Oh Allah! I fasted for your sake and I am breaking myfast from the
sustenance You blessed me with, accept it from me."
What breaks the fast
1. Intentional consumption of food, drink, medicine, or smoking during
the fasting.
2. Any injection which has some nutritional value.
3. Beginning of menstruation or post natal birth bleeding (even in the
last momentof sunset).
The conditions mentioned above invalidate fasting and require " Qada "
(making up only the missed day or days). However, intentional
intercourse during the hours of fasting invalidatesfasting and not
only requires "Qada" but also additional penalty ( Kaffara -see the
explanation of this below).
What does not break the fast
1. Eating or drinking by mistake, unmindful of the fast.
2. Unintentional vomiting.
3. Swallowing things whichare not possible to avoid,such as one's own
saliva, street dust, smoke, etc.
4. Brushing the teeth.
5. Bathing: if water is swallowed unintentionally, it does not
invalidate the fast. However, while fasting gargling should be
avoided.
6. Injection or I/V (Intravenous) which is solely medicinal and not nutritional.
7. In some special circumstances if the foodor drink is just tasted
and immediately removed out of the mouth without allowing it to enter
into the throat.

--
- - - - - - -