The ruling concerning neglecting to fast

Question : What is the ruling regarding a Muslim who neglected to fast without a permissible excuse for a number of years? He was fulfilling the other obligations upon him. Doeshe make them up or seek to expiate them? How would he make these months up if he had to?
Response : The ruling regarding a person who neglected to fast inRamadan whilst he was eligible for that, whether male or female, is that he has disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger and has fallen into a major sin. It is upon him torepent to Allaah due to this, as well as having to make up all that he missed. He must also feed a poor person for each day he missed if he is able to do so. If heis a poor person and cannot feedthem, then it is enough for him tomake up the days along with repentance. This is because fasting in Ramadan is a great obligation. Allaah ordained it upon the Muslims and the Messenger (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) has mentioned that it is one of the five pillars of Islaam. If he denies the obligation of fasting Ramadan then he is, by that, a disbeliever, belying Allaah and His Messenger. He must be asked to repent from the one in authority through the Islaamic courts. If he does not repent it is obligatory to kill him due to his apostasy, and due to the saying of the Messenger (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) that"…whoever changes his religion (from Islaam) then kill him." Reported by Bukhaaree. However,if he did not fast due to illness or travel there is no sin upon him. It is obligatory upon him to make up these fasts once he has recovered from his illness or returned from his travel due to Allaah's saying in the Qur.aan:"and he who was ill or on a journey the prescribed period should be made up by days later".[Soorah al-Baqarah, Aayah 185].
Shaykh Ibn Baaz / (Fataawa Ramadan, Volume 1/Page 50/Fatwa No.17)/ - - - :-> 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 ruling concerning leaving off fasting due tolaziness

Question : Is a person who leavesoff fasting due to laziness and heedlessness like the one that leaves off prayer in the respect that he is a disbeliever (kaafir)?
Response : The one that leaves off fasting out of heedlessness and laziness is not a disbeliever. That is because the basic rule is that a person remains upon his Islaam until sufficient proof shows that he is outside Islaam. There is no proof that the personthat leaves off fasting is outside the fold of Islaam if he left it due to laziness and heedlessness. Thisis not the same as prayer because the texts from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) and the sayings of thecompanions all show that the person that leaves off praying through heedlessness and laziness is a disbeliever (kaafir.). 'Abdullaah ibn Shaqeeq said:"…the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) didn't consider as disbelief (kufr) the leaving off of any actions except prayer". It is obligatory to call thisperson who is neglecting to fast due to laziness and heedlessness to fast. If he refuses he should bebanished until he fasts.
Shaykh Ibn al-'Uthaymeen / (Fataawa Ramadan, Volume 1/Page 51/Fatwa No.18)/ - - - :-> 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 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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