1b] Sunnahs Neglected in Ramadhan

1b]
But these time-tables are based upon astronomical calculations which
count the land as being a single flat plane. So they give a time for
this flat plain, whereas the reality is that the land, particularly in
this land of ours varies, varying between the depression of valleys
and the elevation of mountains. So it is not correct that a single
time be given which covers the shore, the plains and the mountains.
No, each part of the land has its own time. So therefore whoever is
able in his place of residence, in his city or his village, to see the
sun set with his own eye, then whatever time it sets at, then that is
the hastening that we have been commanded with in his, sallAllahu
alaihi wa sallam, saying, which we just mentioned, "My Ummah will
continue to be upon good as long as they hasten to break the fast." So
the Prophet sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, was careful to implement this
Sunnah by teaching it, and by putting it into practice.
As for his teaching, then he, sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, said, in
the hadeeth reported by al-Bukharee in his Saheeh (no. 1954), "If the
night appears from this side," and he pointed towards the east , "and
the day has departed from here," and he pointed towards the west ,
"and the sun has set,then the Fasting persons fast is broken."
What does, 'the Fasting persons fast is broken' mean? It means he has
entered under the ruling that he should break his fast. So then comes
the previous ruling where the Messenger, sallAllahu alaihiwa sallam,
encouraged hastening to break the Fast, and the Messenger, sallAllahu
alaihi wa sallam, used to implement this, even when he was riding on a
journey.
So it is reported in the Saheeh of al-Bukharee (no.1955) that the
Prophet, sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, ordered one of his Companions to
preparethe Iftaar for him. So he replied, O Messenger of Allah it is
still daytime before us.¹ Meaning: the light of the sun, so even
though it had set, yet its light was still clear in the west. So the
Messenger, sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, did not respond to what he had
said, rather he re-emphasised the command to him to prepare the Iftaar
. So the narrator of the hadeeth who said, "We could see daylight in
front of us (meaning: the light of day, the light of the sun) when we
broke our fast," said, "Ifone of us had climbed onto his camel he
would have seen the sun." The sun had set from their location, and the
Messenger, sallAllahu alaihiwa sallam, ordered one of the Companions
to prepare the Iftaar . Why? To hasten upon good "My Ummah will
continue upon good for as long as they hasten to break the Fast."
So what is important is that we notice that the Iftaar which is
legislated tobe hastened must be donewith a few dates. Then wemust
hasten to perform the Prayer. Then after this the people can sit and
eat as they need.
This is the first matter which I wanted to remind of, and it is how to
reconcile the two matters which the Prophet, sallAllahu alaihi wa
sallam, commanded we should hasten to perform. The first being the
command to hasten the breaking of the Fast, and the second being the
command to hasten to perform the Maghrib Prayer. So the Iftaar should
be done with some dates, as occurs in the Sunnah , and if dates are
not available, then with some gulps of water. Then the Prayer should
pray in congregation in the mosque. Then the other matter which I want
to remind of is what occurs in the previous hadeeth, " And they delay
the pre-dawn meal " Meaning: what is required here is the opposite to
the case of the Iftaar . So he, sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam,
commanded us to hasten to perform the Iftaar . But as for the Suhoor
, then it should be delayed. But what happens today is totally
contrary to this, since many people eat their Suhoor before the
appearance of Fajr by perhaps an hour. This is not befitting. This
is contrary to the Sunnah shown by the saying of the Prophet,
sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, and by his practice. So the Companions
of the Prophet, sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, used to leave the Suhoor
so late, that one of them would almosthear the Adhaan and he would
still be eating. He delayed the Suhoor .
Indeed there is an authentic hadeeth reported from the Prophet,
sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, which shows the ease afforded by Islaam,
which is to be counted as one of the principles of Islaam, which the
Muslims are proud of, especially with regard to the matter of Fasting,
since Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, concluded the aayahs concerning
Fasting with His Saying:
Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire to make things
difficult for you.

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1a] Sunnahs Neglected in Ramadhan

1a]
This is because the people have become used to thinking that Fasting
is just to refrain from the first category, to withhold from the
material things. But there is another category of things which
disrupt the Fast, which we are able to call the non-material things
which disrupt the Fast.
So you have just heard his, sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, saying,
"Whoever does notabandon falsehood in speech and action, then Allah
has no need that he should leave his food and drink."
Therefore every Fasting person should examine himself and see: is he
just withholding from the material things, or is he also withholding
from those non-material things? Meaning: has he made his manners and
behaviour good when the blessed month of Ramadaan comes? If that is
the case, then he has fulfilled the Saying of Allah, the Exaltedand
Most High, at the end of the aayah :
So that you may become people of Taqwaa .
But as for he one who restricts himself in his Fasting to just
withholdingfrom food and drink, but who continues and persists upon
the evil manners which he was upon previously, before Ramadaan, then
this is notthe Fasting that is desired and required from the wisdom
behind the legislation of this noble month, which our Lord, the Mighty
and Majestic indicates in His Saying:
So that you may become people of Taqwaa .
Therefore we advise and remind our brother and sister Muslims that
they should remind this other category of things, those that are
non-material, which disrupt the Fast, andit is something which the
admonishers and those who seek to direct the people to the correct way
rarely speak about, not to mention the general people, who are not
awareof this category of things which disrupt the fast, i.e., the
non-material things.
This is what I wanted to remind our brothers and sisters who are
present in this fine gathering about, if Allah wills, so that it maybe
cause of their increasing in acts of worship seeking to draw closer to
Allah, the Exalted and Most High, in this blessed month, the month of
Fasting, which is such that we hope that Allah, the Exalted and Most
High, will guide and grant us all the success of fulfilling the due
right of this blessed month, which is that we withhold from both the
material and the non-material things which disrupt the Fast.
Then in addition to this word, I hope that you will pay attention to
some affairs which have been neglected by the majority of the general
Muslims, indeed and also by those having knowledge.
There is a hadeeth which isvery often neglected because of another
hadeeth , because the majority of people are unable to reconcile in
practice and application between them. So this hadeeth is his,
sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, saying, "My Ummah will continue to be
upon good for as long as they hasten to break the fast and delay the
pre-dawn meal."
So here two matters were mentioned, and they are neglected by most of
the people, and they are: hastening to break the fast, and delaying
the pre-dawn meal ( Suhoor ).
As for neglect of the first matter, which is hastening to break the
Fast, then in the view of some people itcontradicts another hadeeth ,
which is his, sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, saying, "My Ummah will
continue to be upon good for as long as they hasten to pray the
Maghrib Prayer."
So here we have two commands, to hasten withtwo matters. So it appears
to some people that we cannot hasten to perform both of them together.
But reconciling between the command to hasten with breaking the Fast
andthe command to hasten topray the Maghrib Prayer is a very easy
matter. So it issomething which our Prophet, sallAllahu alaihi wa
sallam, made clear to us by his action and practice. So he,
sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, used to break the Fast with three dates.
He would eat three dates. Then he would praythe Maghrib Prayer, then
he would eat again if he found that he needed to eat the evening meal.
But today we fall into two offences:
Firstly we delay the Adhaan from its legislated time. Then after this
delaycomes another delay, which is that we sit down for a meal -
except for a few people who are eager and pray the Maghrib Prayer in
the mosque. But the majority of the people wait until they hear the
Adhaan , and then they sit down to eat as if they are having a dinner,
or their evening meal, and not justbreaking their fast.
So the Adhaan these days -in most of the lands of Islaam, is,
unfortunately, I have to say, and not just inJordan, and I have known
this from investigation, in most of the lands of Islaam - the Adhaan
for Maghrib is given after the time it becomes due. And the reason
for this is that we have abandoned adhering to and applying the
Islamic rulings, and instead we have come to depend upon
astronomicalcalculations. We depend upon the timetable.

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1] Sunnahs Neglected in Ramadhan

1]
Question: "Could the Shaikh give us some words of benefit for the
blessed month of Ramadaan, on this fine occasion?"
Shaikh al-Albaanee, may Allah have mercy upon him replied:
"Allah, the Exalted and Most High, says in the Noble Quraan:
O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed
for those before you, so that you may become people having Taqwaa.
Soorah al-Baqarah (2):183
So in this aayah , as will not be hidden to all those who are present,
Allah, theMighty and Majestic, informs the Ummah of Muhammad,
sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, through this aayah , that He has made
Fasting obligatory upon them just as He had made its like obligatory
upon the nations before us. This is a matter that is well-known to
all of the Muslims who read this aayah , and clearly understand its
meaning. But what I wish to speak about is something else, a matter
which very few of the general people notice-‹and this is the saying of
Allah, the Exalted and MostHigh, at the end of this aayah :
So that you may become people having Taqwaa .
So Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, when He commands His believing
servants, or obligates them with some Legislation, (then He) usually
just mentions the command, without explaining the wisdom for it. This
is because the general wisdom behind Allah, the Mighty and Majestic¹s,
placing duties upon His servants is that He should test them by it, so
that it should become apparent (as to) those whowill obey Him and
those who will disobey Him, the Exalted and Most High.
However in this aayah, He mentioned something thatis not found
frequently in the Noble Quraan, which isthat He mentioned the reason
for the order to Fast, by His Saying:
So that you may become people of Taqwaa .
So the wisdom behind the Believers to fast is not just that they
should prevent themselves from enjoyableand permissible and good
things, even though this is an obligation upon the Fasting person -
but this is not the only thing that is required and intended by this
Fasting. So Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, concluded His command
tofast by His Saying:
So that you may become people of Taqwaa .
Meaning: that the wisdom behind the prescription of Fasting is that
the Muslim should increase in obedience to Allah, the Exalted and Most
High, in the month of Fasting, and become more obedient than he was
before it.
Then the Prophet, sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, clearly stated and
completely clarified this point of divine wisdom, byhis, sallAllahu
alaihi wa sallam, saying, as is reported in the Saheeh of al-Bukhaaree
(no. 1903), that he sallAllahu alaihi wasallam, said, "Whoever does
not abandon falsehood in speech and action, then Allah has no need
that he should leave his food and drink." Meaning: that Allah, the
Mighty and Majestic, did not intend and desire, by the obligation of
Fasting - which is to withhold for a stated time, well known toyou all
- that they should only withhold from eating and drinking. Rather
they should also withhold from that which Allah, the Mighty and
Majestic, has forbidden with regard to sins and acts of disobedience
to Him; and from that is falsehood in speech and action.
So the Messanger, sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam, is emphasizing the aayah :
So that you may become people of Taqwaa .
i.e. that you should, as an act of worship to draw youcloser to Allah,
the Mighty and Majestic, in addition towithholding from food and
drink, also withhold from forbidden actions such as backbiting,
carrying tales to cause harm to people, false witness, lying and so
on, with regard to those forbidden manners that we are all aware of.
Therefore it is obligatory that all the Muslims shouldbe aware that
actions which disrupt the Fast are not just the physical acts, which
are generally known, which are eating, drinking and sexual
intercourse. The Fast is not just that you withhold from this.
Therefore some of the scholars differentiate, and divide those things
which disruptthe Fast into two categories, and this is what I intend
by this talk of mine at this time that is blessed, if Allah wills.
This is especially importantsince those who deliver Khutbahs and
admonish the people during Ramadaan , when they speak about those
things which disrupt the Fast, then they only speak about the material
things, those things that we have just mentioned (eating, drinking and
sexual intercourse). But what they should do, as sincere advisers and
people who give reminder to the Muslims in general, is to concentrate
a great deal upon the second category of things which disrupt theFast.
....

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Help Others and Help Yourself

The Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alaihi wa sallam)said,
"Whoever relieves a believer of a hardship from the hardships of this
world, then Allah will relieve him of a hardship from the hardships of
the Day of Resurrection… Allah is helping the servant as long as the
servant is helping his brother, " [Hadith Tirmidhi /Muslim].
Do you need help? Help others, and Allah will help you.
Helping others doesn't have to consist of anythinggrand. Even a smile
is sadaqah. Removing a harmful thing from the road is sadaqah.
Speaking gentle words to someone in distress, or feeding a meal to
someone who is hungry, or making a donation to help an orphan… or
donating blood, or working a few hours a month for a charity, or
visiting someone who is sick… all those things are valuable. They are
not nothing. Theyare important and worthwhile acts.
Changing the world starts with every person doing one small thing. And
in theprocess, you help your own soul, and you bring happiness to your
own heart, and you get the blessings and barakah of Allah. What a
deal!

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