Fathwa - Does eating and drinking after making anintention affect the validity of fasting?

Question
In the month of Ramadhaan, after havingSuhoor meal, I pronounced the
intention to fast. Then, afterwards and before the Athaan of Al-Fajr,
I ate or rather, more accurately, drank. Does this affect my fasting?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad,
is His slave and messenger.
First, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that it is
sufficient to make the intention to fast with your heart. You should
not utter it because the heart is the place of intentions. Some
scholarshold the view that one intention suffices on the first night
of every fast inwhich consecutiveness is obligatory. It is better to
make the intention everynight to avoid the difference of those who
held this as obligatory.
Concerning your question, the answer is: Allaah The Almighty Allowed a
fasting person to eat and drink till the light of the morning appears.
Allaah The Exalted says (what means): {And eat and drink until the
white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of
night].} [Quran 2:187]
The Prophet, said: "The difference between our fasting and that of the
People of the Book is the Suhoor meal." [Muslim]
Scholars recommended delaying Suhoor because this is the Sunnah.
Therefore, there is no harm in eating and drinking after concludingthe
intention to fast.
Hence, your fasting is valid. Eating and drinking after concludingthe
intention does not affect fasting.
Allaah Knows best.

Fataawa Regarding Mother's Day

1- The scholars of the Permanent Committeesaid,
All perfect praise be to Allaah, theLord of the Worlds and may His
peace and blessing be upon His Messenger, his family and Companions.
First: The word "'Eed" [festival] is a term given to the occasion of
assembly which customarily recurs annually, monthly, weekly or so on.
It implies a recurring day such as the day of 'Eed Al-Fitr,Friday, and
so on, the assembly on that day and the deeds wherewith it is held, in
terms of acts of worship and customs.
Second: Any of the days that are intended for worship, drawing closer
to or honoring Allaah, seeking reward, or imitating the people of the
pre-Islamic days or their likes from among the disbelievers, is an
invented religious innovation, that is forbidden [under Sharee'ah], as
being included in the general statement of the Prophet:"Whoever
introduces anything new in our matter [i.e. religion], which does not
originally belong to it, it will be rejected."[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
A typical example is celebrating the Prophetic Mawlid (birthday),
Mother's Day and National Day. The first implies a religious
innovation of an act of worship, which was not ordained by AllaahThe
Almighty on the one hand, and an imitation of the Christiansand others
like them from the disbelievers. The second and the third imply
imitation of the disbelievers. However, if the occasion is intended to
organize work in a way that serves the benefit of the Ummah (nation)
and adjusts the affairs of its people, like holding a traffic week,
putting a timetable at the beginning of the academic year, meeting
with employees to organize work, and so on, whose aim is not to come
closer to, honor or worship [Allaah], it thenbelongs to the ordinary
innovations which are not included in the statement of the Prophet.
There is nothing wrong with it, and it is even validunder the
Sharee'ah.
With Allaah The Almighty lies success; and may Allaah confer blessing
and peace upon our Prophet - Muhammad- and his household and
Companions.
2- They also said,
It is impermissible to celebrate what is called "Mother's Day" or
other such innovated days [festivals], due to the statement of the
Prophet:"Whoever does something that is not supported by our matter
[religion], it will be rejected."[Muslim] The celebration of Mother's
Day neither belongs to the Sunnah of the Prophetnor was it done by his
Companionsnor the righteous predecessors of this Ummah. On the
contrary, it is a religious innovation that also involves imitation of
the disbelievers.
3- Shaykh Saalih Al-Fawzaansaid,
Muslims imitate the disbelievers in many things, including mattersof
worship, such as polytheistic deeds like building over graves,
installing tombs over them and exceeding the due limits in the matter
of the graves in general. The Messenger of Allaahsaid:"May Allaah send
His curse on theJews and Christians, who took the graves of their
prophets as places of worship."He said that whenever a righteous man
died among them, they used to build a place of worship over his grave
and paint pictures in it and say that they would be considered (by
Allaah) as the worst of peopleon the Day of Judgment. Because of
exceeding the due limits in thematter of graves, the people fell into
major Shirk (polytheism), which is well-known among all people.
Going back to the matter at hand, such practices give rise to such
deviation due to imitating the Jews and Christians in matters like the
celebration of polytheistic and innovated festivals, for example the
celebration of Mawlids (birthdays) on the birth-date of the Messenger
of Allaahand the celebration of the birthdays of presidents and kings.
These kinds of polytheistic innovated events might be called certain
"Days" or "Weeks", like National Day, Mother's Day, Cleanliness Week,
and so on; all these have come to the Muslims via the disbelievers, as
in Islam, there areno more than two 'Eeds (festivals): 'Eed Al-Fitr
and 'Eed Al-Adh'ha, and anything else is a religious innovation and an
imitation of the disbelievers. So, it is obligatory for the Muslims to
take heed of this and not be deceived by the large number of people
who do it, from among those who belong to Islam but are ignorant of
the real nature of Islam, which causes them to fall into these
mistakes because of their ignorance, as well as those who are not
ignorant of the real nature of Islam, which means that they make these
mistakes intentionally. In the latter case of people who adopt such
practices intentionally, the calamity is evenmore severe. Allaah The
Almighty Says (what means):{There has certainly been for you in the
Messenger of Allaah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope isin
Allaah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allaah often.}[Quran
33:21]
4- When Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih Al-'Uthaymeenwas asked about the
ruling on celebrating what is called Mother's Day, he gave the
following answer:
Indeed, all festivals [and days] that conflict with the
Sharee'ah-approved festivals are but innovated festivals which were
unknown among the righteous predecessors. Keeping in mind that their
source might be non-Muslim, they would then imply, besides their being
a religious innovation, an imitationof the enemies of Allaah The
Almighty.
The Sharee'ah-approved festivals are known among the Muslims, i.e.
'Eed Al-Fitr and 'Eed Al-Adh'ha,in addition to the weekly 'Eed,
i.e.Friday; and there are no festivals in Islam other than these
three. Any festivals that have been innovated other than these should
be rejected because they are invalid under the Sharee'ah ofAllaah The
Almighty, due to the statement of the Prophet:"Whoever introduces
anything new in our matter [i.e. religion], which does not originally
belong to it, it will be rejected."[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim] i.e. it
will be rejected by its originator and not accepted (by Allaah).
According to another version:"Whoever does something that isnot
supported by our matter [religion], it will be rejected."[Muslim]
Being so, it is impermissible, concerning the day mentioned in the
question, which is called Mother's Day, to do any rite that is
characteristic of 'Eed, like expressing delight and pleasure,
presenting gifts and such things. Moreover, it is obligatory for the
Muslim to cherish and be proud of his religion, and be satisfied with
what has been ordained by Allaah The Almighty for His slaves,without
addition or reduction. The Muslim should also not be a yes-man, who is
too submissive and follows whatever is called for. On the contrary, he
should form his independent personalityaccording to the principles of
the Sharee'ah of Allaah The Almighty and follow that rather than
follow others. He should be a good pattern [to be followed] and not an
imitator [of others]. This is because the Sharee'ah of Allaah - all
perfect praise be to Allaah - is perfect in all respects, as confirmed
by Allaah The Almighty in His saying (what means):{This day I have
perfectedfor you your religion and completed My favor upon you andhave
approved for you Islam as religion.}[Quran 5:3]
The mother deserves to be honored every day of the year. Her children
should care for her, look after her and obey her in anything that
leads to no disobedience of Allaah The Almighty, in every time and
place.

Are you a good neighbor?

If you are not giving yourneighbors their due rights, then you are
missing an important part of your duties as a Muslim.
A neighbor is someone who lives in the same neighborhood as you; he
could be a friend, but does not necessarily haveto be one. The
definition of a neighbor can have various meanings; for example, it
can refer to someone who lives directly beside you, as the
Prophetsaid:"One must not prevent his neighbor from placing his wood
against his wall."[Al-Bukhaari].
However, it can also referto someone living furtheraway, since the
Prophetsaid:"No obligatory Salaah (prayer) is accepted from a neighbor
of the Masjid (mosque) except if it is offered in the Masjid."
Present day examples would include machines and equipment that emit
disturbing noises. If people do anything on their property that is
disturbing or harmful to their neighbors, then they must remove the
cause of the disturbance.
2. It is permissible for people to build a house on their own
property, even up against their neighbor's wall -- but only if they
have no other choice and only if their neighbor is not harmed by it in
any way. Even in such cases, they should still ask their neighbor's
permission beforehand.
If they are denied permission, their neighbor may be legally compelled
to grant them permission by the properauthorities. The proof forthis
is in a Hadeeth related by Abu Hurayrahwho said that the Prophetsaid:
"You must not prevent your neighbor from putting his wood on your
wall."[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim].
3. If the flow of water becomes blocked on a farm, perhaps due to
wastefulness and subsequently bursts out, causing damage to
neighboring farms, the neighbors may come up with proposals to channel
or dam the water and irrigate the farm. If the wasteful farmer refuses
to comply with them, the ruling is the same as in the following case
of a damaged wall.
4. If a wall between two properties is damaged, the owners of one
property can ask the owners of the other to participate in rebuilding
it. If they refuse, they canbe compelled to do so. Likewise, they can
be compelled to help demolish the wall if it is expected to collapse.
5. The owners of the highest buildings in an area must construct
screens to prevent themselves from overlooking their neighbor's
properties. Likewise, whoever wishes to utilize their roof should make
sure that they cannot see into their neighbor's properties and erect a
screen for this purpose if necessary.
6. Whoever owns some property, but cannot reach it without causing
damage to a neighbor's property is forbidden to cause the damage.
Instead, the authorities should endeavor to arrange matters in a way
that prevents harm to either party.
Thus, even though our neighbors may be Muslimor non-Muslims -- each
are equally entitled to their rights according to our religion.
Sometimes we may find it hard to reach out to our non-Muslim
neighbors, but it is an obligation upon us, and it can also be one of
the best forms of Da'wah (call to Islam) we can give.

Holdings subject to Zakaat

Currencies
Currencies refer to gold and silver, as well as any type of money that
takes their place and similar things such as shares, bonds and checks.
In the past, paper currency was not known,and people used to barter
using commodities. This is a completely impractical and ineffective
method in large communities. People graduated in their types of
transaction until they had settled on using gold and silver. When
Allaah Almighty sent His Messengerpeople were dealing with Deenaar
(gold) and Dirham (silver) as their main currencies, and thus, when
addressing the issue of Zakaat the texts of the Quran and Sunnah
referred to these two forms of currencies.
Thee are many verses on the obligation of Zakaat on cash moneys.
Allaah Says (what means):"And those who hoard up gold and silver and
spend it not in the Wayof Allaah, announce unto them a painful
torment. On the Day whenthat will be heated in the Fire of Hell and
with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks and their backs.
And it will be said unto them: 'This is the treasure, which you
hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard'."[Quran
9:34-35]
The Prophetsaid:"Any owner of gold or silver who does not pay the
Zakaat due on it will, on the Day of resurrection, have his treasure
heated in the Fire of Hell and then made into plates. His flanks,
forehead and back will be branded with them. Every time they (the
plates) get cold, they will be heated again, on a day that will last
fifty thousand years. This will be done to him until Allaah pronounces
judgment on His slaves. Then onewill be shown his path, leading him
either toParadiseor to Hell."[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
The Zakaah due on cash money is two and one-half precent (2.5 per cent).
'Alireported that the Prophetsaid: "There isnothing (due) upon you in
gold until it reaches twenty Deenaars (equal to 85grams). Thus, if you
have twenty Deenaars at the end of year, then there is half a Deenaar
levied on it [as Zakaah]. Any additional amount will be calculated in
this manner. There is no Zakaah on wealth until it has been owned for
one (lunar) year." [Al-Bukhaari, Ahmad, AbuDaawood, and Al-Bayhaqi]
In another narration, the Prophetsaid:"There is noZakaah on less than
five awaq of silver."[Muslim] Five awaq of silver are equivalent to595
grams.
Trade and Merchandise:
Allaah permitted trade and earning from it if it iswithin lawful
conditions and deals with lawful commodities. Islam also has
prescribed Zakaat on the wealth that a merchant uses for trade as
gratitude to Allaah. It is also a fulfillment of the right of the
needy and as a contribution in the welfare of the Muslim community.
Muslim jurists paid great attention to this type of wealth and wrote
about it under the category of "trade goods." These included
everything planned for sale and purchases with the purpose of
attaining a profit, for Allaah Says (what means)"O youwho believe!
Spend of the good thingswhich you have (legally) earned, and of that
which We have produced from the earth for you... "[Quran, 2:267]
Jurists, in general, say that this verse is discussing Zakaah on trade
goods. Regarding the interpretation of this verse, Imaam
At-Tabarisaid: "Allaah means that you should pay Zakaat on good legal
earnings and pay the Zakaat from the good gold and silver and not the
ill-gotten ones."
In order for trade goods to be subject to Zakaah, juristshave
established specific conditions that should befulfilled. To fulfill
these requirements, the owner should be in.
1. Complete possessionof the goods.
2. The goods should constitute a Nisaab as determined by gold and
silver. Nisaab is the minimum limit of wealth or property on which
Zakaat becomes obligatory. One does not have to pay Zakaat on what he
or she needs to make a living, such as tools or machines relatedto
carpentry, farming, tailoring, or working as adoctor. All debts are
subtracted from one's wealth. And if the resultant wealth reaches the
Nissab, one must pay Zkaat.
3. A full lunar year of Islamic calendar should have passed on
these goods, starting from the day of Nisaab's possession.
4. The Zakaah due on all types of trade goods is2.5%.
Livestock Animals:
Livestock animals are camels, cattle and sheep. Paying Zakaat on this
is obligatory based on the saying of Allaah the Almighty (which
means):"O you who believe! Spend from the good thins that you have
earned."[Quran 2:267]
Also, the Messenger of Allaahsaid to a man who asked him about
migration: "Verily its matter is sever. Do you have any camels that
you pay charity (Zakaat) for?"The man said, "Yes."
The Prophetsaid: "Then do so from behindthe seas, for verily Allaah
will never disregard (decrease) anything of your deeds." [Al-Bukhaari]
And healso said:"By the One Whom there is no (true) god besides Him,
there is no man who has camels or cows or sheep, and he does not pay
their Zakaat, except that they will be brought to him on the Day of
Resurrection larger and fatter than they ever were. And they will
trample him with their hooves and gore him with their horns. Every
time the last of thempasses, the first will be returned to him (to
start over). This will continue until judgment is passed between all
the people."[Al-Bukhaari]
Fruits and Grains:
Grain on which Zakaat is applicable, is everything that is stored to
be eaten,such as wheat, barley, beans, chickpeas, chickling vetch,
peas lentils, corn rye, rice and the like. Fruit includes dried dates,
olives and raisins.
This ruling is based upon the Almighty's statement (which means):"O
you who believe! Spend from the good things that you have earned and
form what we have brought out for you from he earth."[Quran 2:267]
And also (what means):"And give its due on the day of itsharvest."[Quran 6:141]
The Prophetsaid: "There is no charity in what is less that five
Awsuq." [Al-Bukhaari andMuslim] Five Awsuq is equivalent to 618
kilograms.
The Prophetalso said:"On that which is watered by the sky (i.e. rain),
natural springs, or it receives water that comes down from the
mountains, a tenth (of Zakaat) is due (i.e. 10%).On that which is
watered by being sprinkled (by human efforts), a twentieth is due
(i.e. 5 per cent)."[Al-Bukhaari]
(Precious) minerals and buried treasure:
Zakaat on such items is one-fifth. Scholars have ruled that there is
no Nisaab for such items. However, some maintain that Zakaat must be
paid only when these items reach the Nisaab of gold.
The Prophetsaid:"'There is no compensation for a wound caused by a
domestic animal, a well (falling in it), a mine (working in it), and
one-fifth is due on buried treasure."[Al-Bukhaari]