Should Maghrib prayer be given precedence over food or should food be given precedence over prayer?

How should the Muslim break his fast? Because many people are
distracted by eating until the time for Maghrib prayer ends, and if
you ask them they tell you: There is no prayer in the presence of
food. Is it permissible to quote these words as evidence, because the
time for Maghrib is short? Now what should I do? Should I break my
fast with somedates and then pray Maghrib and after that finish
eating, or should I finish eating completely and then pray Maghrib?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The Sunnah is for the fasting person to hasten to break the fast as
soon as he is certain that the sun has set, because of the hadeeths
"The people will continue to be fine solong as they hasten to break
the fast" and "The most beloved of the slaves of Allah to Allah
arethose who are quickest tobreak the fast." The best way for the one
who is fasting is to break his fast with a few dates, then delay
eating until after Maghrib prayer, so that hemay combine the Sunnah of
hastening to break the fast and praying Maghrib at the beginning of
its time, in congregation, following the example of the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
With regard to the hadeeths, "There is no prayer in the presence of
food or when resisting the urge to relieve oneself" and "If 'Isha' and
dinner come at the same time, start with dinner," and similar reports,
what is meant is if a person is offered food or if he comes to eat,
then he should start with the foodbefore praying, so that he can pray
without his mindbeing focused on the foodand his prayer then will be
offered with proper focus and humility. But heshould not ask for food
tobe brought before praying if that means thathe will miss out on
offering the prayer at the beginning of its time or praying in
congregation.
And Allah is the source of strength; may Allah send blessings and
peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and Companions. End
quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez Aal al-Shaykh,
Shaykh 'Abd-Allah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh Saalih al-fawzaan, Shaykh Bakr
Abu Zayd.

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2a] Getting Children Accustomed to Fasting

2a]
It should be noted that if the child becomes too exhausted, you should
not insist that he completes the fast, so thatthis will not make him
hate acts of worship or lead to him lying or make him sick, because he
is notyet one of those who are accountable. It is important to pay
attention to this and not be harsh with regard to telling the child to
fast.
And Allah knows best.

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2] Getting Children Accustomed to Fasting

2] I have a son who is nine years old and I would like your help in
teaching me how I can make my son get used to fasting Ramadan in sha
Allaah, because he only fasted 15days of Ramadan last year.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We are very happy to see questions like this, which is indicative of
great care and concern for children and for raising them to worship
Allah. This is good care for those whom Allah has entrustedto the
parents' care.
Secondly:
A boy of nine years of ageis not one of those who are accountable for
fasting according to sharee'ah (Islamic law), because he has not yet
reached puberty. But Allahhas enjoined parents to raise their children
to do acts of worship. Allah commands them to teach their children the
prayer when they are seven years old, and to smack them (lightly) if
they do not do it when they are ten years old. The Companions (may
Allah be pleased with them) used to make their children fast when they
were small so as to make them get used to this great act of worship.
All ofthat is indicative of great concern to raise one's children with
the best of attributes and deeds.
With regard to prayer:
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said: " Teach your children to pray when they are sevenyears old and
smack themif they do not pray when they are ten years old, and
separate them in their beds." Narrated by Abu Dawood (495) and classed
as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
With regard to fasting:
It was narrated that al-Rubayyi' bint Mu'awwidh ibn 'Afra' (may Allah
be pleased with her) said: On the morning of 'Ashoora', the Messenger
of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sent word to the
villages of the Ansaar around Madeenah, saying: "Whoever started the
day fasting, let him complete his fast, and whoever started the day
not fasting, let him complete the rest of the day (without food)."
After that, we used to faston this day, and we would make our children
fast too, even the little ones in sha Allaah. We would make them toys
out of wool, and if one of them cried for food, we would give (that
toy) to him until it was time to break the fast.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1960) and Muslim (1136).
'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to one who was drunk during
Ramadan: "Woe toyou! Even our children arefasting!" And he hit him.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari ina mu'allaq report, Bab Sawm al-Subyaan
(Chapter on the fast of children).
The age at which parents should start teaching theirchildren to fast
is the age when they are able to fast, which varies according to the
physical constitution of each child, but some scholars have defined it
as the age of ten years.
For more details on that please see the answer to question number
65558 , in which there is important information.
Thirdly:
With regard to means of helping children to get used to fasting, that
may involve a number of things, such as:
1. Telling them of the virtues of fasting and thatit is one of the
most important means of entering Paradise, and that in Paradise there
is a gate called al-Rayyaan through which those whofast will enter.
2. Prior experience of getting used to fasting, such as fasting a
few daysin the month of Sha'ban, so that fasting in Ramadan will not
come asa shock to them.
3. Fasting part of the day and increasing the time gradually.
4. Delaying sahoor (pre-dawn meal) until the last part of the
night. Thatwill help them to fast during the day.
5. Encouraging them to fast by giving them rewards each day or each week.
6. Praising them in front of the family at the time of iftaar
(breaking fast) and sahoor, because that will raise their morale.
7. Instilling a spirit of competition for the one who has more
than one child, whilst rememberingthat it is essential not to rebuke
the one who is struggling.
8. Distracting the one who gets hungry by letting him sleep or
play permissible games that do not involve effort, as the noble
Sahaabah (Companions) used to do with their children. There are
suitable programmes for children and cartoons on the trustworthy
Islamic channels with which you can distract them.
9. It is preferable for the father to take his son -- especially
after 'Asr -- toattend the prayer and lessons, and to stay in the
mosque to read Qur'aan and remember Allah.
10. Arranging visits duringthe day and night to families whose young
children are also fasting, so as to encourage them to carry on
fasting.
11. Rewarding them with permissible trips after iftaar, or making the
kindsof food, sweets, fruits and juices that they want.
It should be noted:->

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Ruling on offering food to non-Muslim workers during the day in Ramadan

There is a man who has land and has non-Muslim workers. They asked him
to give them food during the day in Ramadan, otherwise they will leave
the job. And in fact he did bring them food in Ramadan throughout the
month. What is your opinion on this action?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Bringing non-Muslims [into the country] to workis not appropriate and
they should not be brought; rather no non-Muslims should be brought
in, because bringing in non-Muslims may adversely affect a person in
himself or in his beliefs or in his attitude, or it may adversely
affect his children and household members, especially female
servantsand nannies, because the harm they cause is great. So no one
should be brought to work in the house or to raise the children except
Muslim women only. The same applies to men; only Muslims should be
brought in and not non-Muslims, because they cause a great deal of
harm and because their beliefs and attitudes are not the same as the
beliefs and attitudes of Muslims. So it is essential to avoid bringing
them in so as to avoid the evil that may be caused by following their
example and mixing with them.
Moreover, it is not permissible for any religion but one to remainin
the Arabian Peninsula; there should not be two religions in it. But
these servants and workers maystay there for a long time because of
work or because of wanting to work. It is not permissibleto bring
non-Muslims intothe Arabian Peninsula, because the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Expel the Jews and Christians
from the Arabian Peninsula." And according to another version he said:
"Expel themushrikeen (polytheists)."And he left instructions to that
effect when he died (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). So it
is not permissible for a Muslim to bring in anyonebut Muslim men and
women into the Arabian Peninsula, and not anyone else.
No one should be broughtinto the Arabian peninsulaexcept Muslims, as
we have stated above, because the Messenger (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) enjoined that the mushrikeen, Jews and Christians
should be expelled from it and only one religion should be leftin it,
because it is the cradle of Islam and because the Muslims pin their
hopes on it after Allah, and take it as an example. Therefore if
non-Muslims are brought in, that opens the door to other people
bringing in non-Muslims and mixing with them, and this will cause a
great deal of harm to all.
With regard to offering food to them:
It is not permissible to offer food to them. If theyare not Muslim and
they want food to be offered to them in Ramadan, he should not help
them with that. If they are kuffaar, even if they fast their fast will
not be valid.However, the minor issuesof sharee'ah are addressed to
them, and if that is addressed to them it is not permissible to help
them in that which will go against sharee'ah. Rather they should be
advised and taught in the hope that they might become Muslim. So they
should be called to Islam and told about what is good and right in the
hope that they might become Muslim, then one will attain a reward like
theirs. "The one who tells another about something good will have a
reward like that of the one who does it." "If one man wereto be guided
through you that would be better for you than having red camels (the
best kind)." This is what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said.
If they insist, then they are the ones who should make their own food.
They are the ones who should take care of their own needs in this
regard, in the hope that they maybe influenced by this and become
Muslim. Otherwise their contracts should be cancelled and Allah will
bring someone better than them. He should not take this matter lightly
and if they decide to leave the job, then praise be to Allah, they
have given up the job and Allah will bring people better than them. So
he should never help them in this matter; he should not help them to
find food and drink in Ramadan, whether they are kaafirs or evildoers
(faasiq) among the Muslims who do not fast. They should not help them
to eat or drink in Ramadan or help them to do anything that Allah
hasforbidden. They can do it for themselves and buy what they need
themselves. End quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him)

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