The ruling and wisdom behind fasting

Question : What is the ruling of and the wisdom behind fasting?
Response : With Allaah lies all success. As for its wisdom, Allaah(subhaanahu wa-ta'aala) mentioned a very incorporating meaning in that regard: {O you who believe fasting has been prescribed for upon you as it wasprescribed upon those that came before you that you may attain taqwaa (piety)} [Soorah al-Baqarah, Aayah 183]. It incorporates everything the people have mentioned with regard to its wisdom.
Taqwaa is a comprehensive wordfor everything that Allaah (subhaanahu wa-ta'aala) loves and is pleased with from actions which are desirable and from abandoning prohibitions. So fasting is the greatest way to reach this goal which is the goal of the pleasure of the servant in his worldly life and his Hereafter;
The fasting person seeks closeness to Allaah (subhaanahu wa-ta'aala) by avoiding all desires, giving love of Allaah precedence over the love of his self. For this reason, Allaah specified it out of the other actions by attributing it to Himself, as in the authentic hadeeth;
It is from the principles of taqwaa, as Islaam is not completewithout it; o It causes an increasein faith, and attainment of patience and in it is training one's self upon hardships that bring one close to the Lord of theHeavens;
It is a cause of increase of one's good deeds, prayer, reciting (the Qur.aan), remembrance (dhikr) and charity that actualizes at-taqwaa;
In it is prevention of the self fromHaraam (prohibited) things, of prohibited action and speech which is the pillar of Taqwaa. In the authentic hadeeth: ((Whoeverdoes not abandon false speech and acting upon that, Allaah is in no need of his abandoning his food and drink)). So the servant seeks closeness to Allaah (subhaanahu wa-ta'aala) throughavoiding prohibitions altogether, and they are:
"False speech" - and that is every haraam (prohibited) speech;
"Acting upon that" - and that is every haraam (prohibited) action;
Leaving every haraam thing that obstructs the fast and that is those thing things which break the fast.
So, since in fasting there are advantages, benefits and attainment of all good and reward, that which necessitates its prescription at all times, Allaah (subhaanahu wa-ta'aala) told thatit was prescribed upon us as it was prescribed upon those before us. This is His affair with all His Laws that have universal advantages.
As for its rulings: all the "al ahkaam at takleefiyyah" Islaamic rulings could apply to it in accordance with the differing reasons behind it:
As for the obligatory (waajib & fardh): 1) It includes fasting Ramadan upon every Muslim that is Islamically bound by the `Eed and is able; 2) It also includes the fast that a person vows to do; 3) It includes the fasts of expiation (after having done an act obligating that.)
As for the prohibited fast, it is: 1) Fasting the days of Sharee'ah; 2) Fasting the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah, except for the person who is doing Hajj at-Tamattu' or Qiraan but does not have a sacrifice and did not fast before the Day of Sacrifice; 3)Also included in the haraam fast is the fast of menstruating woman and the woman in post-natal bleeding; 4) Also, the illperson that fears death (as a result of fasting); 5) Also, it is obligatory to break the fast upon the one that needs to in order to save a sinless soul from jeopardy - (meaning the baby in the mother's womb.
The fast which is recommended (sunnah) is the supererogatory fast, the restricted and the unrestricted;
As for the fast that is disliked (makrooh), it is the fast of the ill person who feels hardship in doing that;
The permissible fast (jaa.iz): the fasting of a traveler. It is permissible for him to fast or not particularly if he traveled in a day in which he began fasting beforetraveling.
Shaykh as-Sa'dee / (Fataawa Ramadan, Volume 1/Pages 34-36/Fatwa No.8), also (al-Irshaad ilaa Ma'rifatil Ahkaam, Pages 82-84)/ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

The Meaning of Eid

Eid means recurring happiness or festivity. There are two such Eid in
Islam. The first is called Eidal-Fitr (the Festival of Fast Breaking).
It falls on the first day of Shawwaal, the tenth month of the Muslim
year, following the month of Ramadhaan in which the Holy Qur'an was
revealed and which is the month of fasting.
The second is called Eid al-Adhaa (the Festival of sacrifice). It
falls on the tenth day of Zulhijjah, the final month of the Muslim
year. The Islamic Eid are unique in every way. To them there can be
nothingsimilar in any other religion or any other sociopolitical
system. Besides their highly spiritual and moral characteristics, they
have matchless qualities.
Each Eid is a wholesome celebration of a remarkable achievement of the
individual Muslim in the service of Allah SWT. The first Eid comes
after anentire month of 'absolute' fasting during the days of the
month. The second Eid marks the completion of Hajj to Mecca, a course
in which the Muslim handsomely demonstrateshis renouncement of the
mundane concerns and hearkens only to the eternal voice of Allah SWT.
Each Eid is a thanksgiving day where Muslims assemble in a brotherly
and joyful atmosphere to offer their gratitude to Allah SWT for
helping them to fulfill their spiritual obligations prior to the Eid.
This form of thanksgiving is not confined to spiritual devotion and
verbal expressions. It goes far beyond that to manifest itself in a
handsome shapeof social and humanitarianspirit. The Muslims who have
completed the fasting of Ramadhaan express their thanks to Allah SWT
by means of distributing alms among the poor and needy on thefirst Eid
before the prayer.
Eid also is a day of remembrance. Even in their most joyful times
theMuslims make a flesh stall of the day by a plural session of
worship to AllahSWT. They pray to Him andglorify His name to
demonstrate their remembrance of His favors. Along with that course,
they remember thedeceased by praying for their souls, the needy by
extending a hand of help, the grieved by showing them sympathy and
consolation, the sick by cheerful visits and utterances of good
wishes,the absentees by cordial greetings and sincere considerateness.
Thus, the meaning of remembrance on the day transcends all limits and
expands over far-reaching dimensions ofhuman life.
Most of the imaam when delivering the Eid khutbah will mention that
Eid is a day of victory. The individual who succeeds insecuring his
spiritual rightsand growth receives the Eid with a victorious spirit.
The individual who faithfully observes the duties, which are
associated with the Eid, is a triumphant one. He proves that he holds
a strong command over his desires, exercises a sound self-control and
enjoys thetaste of disciplinary life.
Once a person acquires these qualities, he has achieved his greatest
victory because the personwho knows how to controlhimself and
discipline his desires is free from sin andwrong, from fear and
cowardice, from vice and indecency, from jealousy and greed, from
humiliation and all other causes of enslavement. Therefore, when he
receives the Eid, which marks the achievement of this freedom, he is
in fact celebrating his victory, andthe Eid thus becomes a day of
victory.
This is the proper meaningof an Islamic Eid. It is a dayof
thanksgiving, a day of festive remembrance and a day of moral victory.
An Islamic Eid is all this and is much more because it is a day of
Islam, a day of AllahSWT. Celebrate this comingEid with the true imaan
and taqwa. InshaaAllah, besides having enjoyment,we will be blessed by
AllahSWT.

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Ramadan 2012, The 15th Day

It is not devoutness to turn your faces to the East or to the West. Rather, those with true devoutness are those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, the Angels, the Book and the Prophets, and who, despite their love for it, give away their wealth to their relatives and to orphans and the very poor, and to travelers and beggars and to set slaves free, and who establish prayer and payalms; those who honor their contracts when they make them, and are steadfast in poverty and illness and in battle.Those are the people who are true. They are the people who guard against evil. (Surat al-Baqara, 177)
Those who live by the logic of “my heart is pure, so there is no need for meto completely adhere to the requirements of religious moral values” and who persist in that way of thinking may imagine that they thus deceive other people, but they are in fact only deceiving themselves. Saying such a thing is the mistaken mentality of someone who avoids fullyadhering to the moral requirements of the Qur’an and who seeks to portray a mistaken lifestyle as being a Muslimone. Such insincere attitudes can never be acceptable. Because Allah is He Who knows what lies concealed in people’s hearts. We are told in one verse from the Qur’an that, …Allah knows what your hearts contain. (Surah Al‘Imran, 119)
Britons Want Creation To Be Taught In Schools
Great Britain, Darwin’s own homeland, now rejects evolution. For years the bastion of Darwinism, Britain has come to oppose evolutionextraordinarily quickly over the past few years. The country heads the list of those in which the fact of creation is spreading the quickest, and the public, as recent newspaper headlines show, now want studentsto learn about the fact of creation in schools.
Richard Dawkins, who hasrecently stepped up his pro-Darwinist and atheist activities in Britain, imagined that Darwinism,the worst deception in the world, would be strengthened with atheistcamps and demagoguery. Dawkins has been engaged in wide-ranging activities to that end for many years now, and has expressed his concern at the spread of Creationist belief, and has set these fears out in his latest book in such a clear manner that they cannot be denied. Rather than providing any scientific evidence to support his claims, Dawkins makes farfrom scientific accusations, writes slogans on the sides of public buses, seeks to attract interest by performing impersonations on talk shows and most recently sought shelter behind the idea of aliens. He truly imagined that these false and demagogic methods would work. His latest book, in which he claims to “provide evidence for evolution,” actually contains not a single pieceof scientific evidence, onlydemagoguery, but he actually thinks that this outdated method going back 150 years can still influence people today.
The fact is, however, that Dawkins’ efforts in this direction have been in vain and have enabled people to better see the true face of evolution. According to the results ofan opinion poll conductedlast year, only 25% of British people believe in evolution. Parents have now objected to the state of affairs in which evolution alone has been taught in schools and thathas persisted for many years, and have now said, “Creation should also be taught in schools.” The increasingly rapid turning toward Allah in Britain in particular has fundamentally undermined and demolished the bastion ofDarwinism. Dawkins musthave been amazed to see the turning toward the fact of Creation among the British people in whom he had placed so much faith, since he had no hesitations over ignorantly describing his own people as “ignorant.”
Those who went along with superstition and failed to comprehend the sublime might and powerof Allah have always fallen into the error into which Dawkins and other Darwinists have fallen. They have believed that a claim put forward in opposition to Allah, a mass deception, could muster support and grow using corrupt and false methods. They imagined that the more propaganda was made, the more effective it would be. They imagined they could make good their lack of scientific evidence by indulging in impersonations on chat shows, putting posters upon the sides of buses and entering into debates with middle school students. The fact is, however, that by doing sothey have made the greatmistake committed by everyone who has ever striven against Allah. Allahhas always thwarted the plans of those who stroveagainst the truth with superstition and led them to failure. Under the law of our Almighty Lord, those who do this in the future will also be condemned to failur
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Ramadan 2012, The 15th Day

Masjid al-Haram) the same as believing in Allah and the Last Day and striving in the Way of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. Allah does not guide wrongdoing people. (Surat at-Tawba, 19)
Narrated Abu Hurairah: Allah’s Messenger said, “Wealth isnot diminished by giving (in charity). Allah augments the honour of one who forgives; and one who displays humilitytowards another seeking the Pleasure of Allah, Allah exalts him in ranks.” (Muslim)
Being attached to this world is a great incident. Being attached to this world is, excuse me but, nothing but being idiocy. A person must be insane to be attached to this world. There is only enough time for being a servant to Allah. It is explicitly seen that this is the most reasonable method. Let’s say that there are a few insane in the world, the fact that 99percent of them is in this state is a very weird situation. This is always stated in the verse, “A majority of people do not believe”. “A majorityof people do not give thanks .” Allah always states this. (A9 TV, March 17, 2012)
Purity Of Heart: An Invalid Excuse Made From Worldly Desires
It is the way that people suppress their consciencesthat prevents most of them genuinely turning to Allah and that keeps them from abiding by the moral values commandedby Him.
“My heart is pure, so Allah will forgive me.” We oftenhear such words from those around us. This highly distorted logic thatin fact consists of an excuse made up by people themselves is usedin order to suppress the voice of the conscience. What does this “purity of heart” actually mean? According to Qur’anic moral values, is “not doing anyone any harm” sufficient justification for ignoring the responsibilities revealed to us by Allah?
We are informed in the Qur'an that Allah considers people's hearts, as He reveals in "But only he [will prosper] who brings to Allah a sound heart." (Surat ash-Shu’ara, 89) The Qur'anic concept of a"sound heart" is not the pureness of heart that some people understand it to be, for the Qur'an defines a sound heart as turning to and submittingfully to Allah.
People with sound hearts,in the Qur'anic sense, havefaith in Allah, observe the limits and prohibitions that He has established, and submit to Him fully. In the Islamic sense, thereis no other form of a sound heart, for the Qur'an defines a person with a sound heart as someone who constantly brings Allah to mind and feels at peace with His remembrance. The following verse makes this quite clear:
Those who believe and whose hearts find peacein the remembrance of Allah. Only in the remembrance of Allah can the heart find peace. (Surat ar-Rad, 28)
In another verse, Allah describes believers as those "whose hearts quake at the mention ofAllah" (Surat al-Hajj, 35)
A very important characteristic of believers is sensitivity of the heart that enables them to derive pleasure from the Qur'an's morality and to feel a great pleasure and peace in obeying Allah. Allah describes this sensitivity as "Allah's guidance". (Surat az-Zumar, 23)
Consequently, a truly sound heart in the Islamiccontext means a heart that is purified from all forms of impurity that draw one away from Allah. Such people stay away from worldly greed,selfishness, fears, and insecurity. As a result, they do not become attached to any person or thing other than Allah or feel a type of love for them that is independent of Allah.
It is of course important and excellent for someone to be known in the community for “beinggood and having a pure heart.” However, basing oneself on the importancein society of “having a pure heart” and then saying, “I do no harm to anyone, I give food to animals in the street or I get along well with my neighbors” does not mean that one is fully living by the moral valuesof the Qur’an. And these are of course good behaviors. But the way to avoid eternal suffering in Hell, the way to attain theapproval and mercy of Allah, lies not in being known as “a good person,” but in being a true believer in the manner described by Allah in the Qur’an.
An act or an attitude that is accepted as a good deed by a society remote from the Qur’anic morality, although it is not based upon the Qur'an's values, may not be worthy in Allah's sight. The main criterion that renders a deed good and worthy in His sight is the degree of its conformity with Allah’s good pleasure.
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