( Al-Baqarah )
A Message
from the Holy Prophet (s)
O People! The month
of Allah has come with His mercies and blessings. This is the month that is the
best of all months in the eyes of Allah. Its days are the best of days, its
nights are the best of nights, its hours are the best of hours. This is a month
in which you have been invited by Him. You have been given the opportunity in
this month to receive the honors from Allah, the Merciful.
In this month if you fast as ordained by Allah,
every breath you take has the reward of Tasbeeh, and your sleep has the reward
of worship. Your good deeds are rewarded more than usual, and your duas are
accepted
Therefore you must invoke your Lord in earnest,
with hearts that are free from sin and evil, and pray that Allah may help you
keep the fasts, and to recite the Holy Qur'an. Surely the person who in this
month does not receive the mercy and benevolence of Allah is most unfortunate.
O people! You have made your conscience the
slave of your desires. Make it free by invoking Him for forgiveness. Your back
is breaking under the heavy load of your sins, so prostrate yourself before Him
for long intervals and make it lighter.
Anybody who does not annoy others in this month,
Allah will keep him safe from His anger on the day of Judgement. . . Anybody
who treats well his relatives in this month, Allah will bestow His mercy on him
on the day of Judgement.
Whoever offers sunnat prayers in this month,
Allah will save him from Hell. Whoever, in this month, offers one wajib prayer,
the angels will write the rewards of seventy such prayers that were offered by
him in other months. Whoever recites salawat often, Allah will keep the scales
of his good deeds heavy . .. whoever recites in this month, only one ayat of
the Holy Qur'an, he will be rewarded in a manner as if he had recited the
entire Qur'an in other months
Imam Sajjad (a) welcomes the Month of Ramadhan
Praise be to Allah,
who ordained this month, the month of Ramadhan, the month of fasting, the month
of Islam, the month of purity, the month of purification, and the month of
prayers. In this month the Qur'an was made to descend as a guidance to mankind and
contains clear instructions and distinctions. He gave this month superiority
over all other months by giving it abundant honor and dignity. He prohibited in
it what He has allowed in other months in order to exalt it, and forbade in it
food and drink in order to honor it.
O Lord! Bless Muhammad and his family, and
inspire us to know this month's excellence, and to honor its dignity, and to
abstain from whatever You have forbidden in it. Help us to observe its fast, by
restraining our limbs from disobeying You, and by employing them in that which
would please You, so that we may not lend our ears to any vain speech, and may
not direct our eyes, hands and feet towards anything forbidden, and that
nothings fills our stomachs except what You have made lawful, and our tongues
may not utter anything except what You have allowed.
O Lord! Bless Muhammad and his family, and give
us grace to perform timely the five prayers with due regard to their limits
which You have enjoined, and the rites which You have prescribed. In this
respect, raise us to the rank of those who performed them with success, who
duly observed their essential points, who always performed them at proper
times, in most perfect and complete humility according to the rules laid down
by Your Prophet, may You blessings be on him and his family.
And our Lord, give us grace in this month, to
show favors to our relations, and do good to them, and to take care of our
neighbors and do good to them, to take care of our neighbors with kindness and
benevolence, to purge our property of obligations, and purify it by giving
charity, and to call back those who have left us, and be just to those who were
unjust to us, and make pace with those who were hostile to us.
O Lord! Erase our
sins with the disappearance of this month's crescent, and free us from our
penalties with the completion of its days, so that the month may pass from us
while You have cleansed us of our guilts, and freed us from our sins. O Lord!
Fill this month with our worship of you alone, and adorn its moments with our
service to You, and help us in the daytime to observe the fast, and at night to
pray and beseech You, help us to humble ourselves before you and lower
ourselves in Your presence.
Traditions (Ahadith) on Fasting
Holy Prophet (s)
One who while fasting does not guard his
tongue from telling lies and does not refrain from bad deeds, is not respecting
his fast. Allah does not approve of mere abstention from food.
Holy Prophet (s)
When you are fasting,
you should not speak ill of anybody, nor should you be rough and noisy. If
anybody speaks ill of you or tries to pick a quarrel with you, reply him not,
but say to him that you are fasting.
Holy Prophet (s)
A person gets the
same reward by reciting in this month, one verse of the Holy Qur'an, as others
do by reciting the whole of the Qur'an in other months.
Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq
(a)
The day of your fast should not be like any
ordinary day. When you fast, all your senses - eyes, ears, tongue, hands and
feet must fast with you.
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a)
O Jabir! Whoever during the month of
Ramadhan, fasts in its days, stands up for prayers in parts of the night,
controls his desires and emotions, puts a rein on his tongue, keeps his eyes
down, and does not injure the feelings of others, will become as free of sins
as the day he was born.
Imam Ali (a)
The sleep of a fasting person is worship, his
silence is glorification (of Allah), his prayers are answered and his actions
are multiplied.
Imam Ali (a)
The prayer of a fasting person at the time of Iftar is
never rejected
Holy Prophet (s)
Whoever is prevented from food that he likes,
because of his fast, Allah will feed him from the food of Heaven and from its
drink.
Holy Prophet (s)
Unfortunate is the
person who is deprived
of the forgiveness of
Allah during this great month (of Ramadhan)
Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq (a)
Fasting is a protection from the fire.
Holy
Prophet (s)
Fast, and you shall be healthy.
Holy Prophet (s)
If people understood what good
there was in the month of Ramadhan, they would have liked that it last for a
year.
Reciting the Holy Qur'an
Many Muslims like to complete the recitation of the entire Qur'an
in this blessed month. If that is not possible, at least a portion of the holy
Book should be read during this month. The reward for it is much greater than
in other months.
Recitation of the Holy Qur'an has many benefits. The following
Hadith illustrate some of these benefits:
Understanding the Holy Qur'an
It
is important that believers try to understand what Allah has revealed in the
Holy Qur'an. It is a book of guidance, and to derive and act upon this guidance,
we need to read and understand its verses. The fourth Imam (a) says: The
Qur'anic verses are treasures of Knowledge and whenever a treasure is opened,
you have to see what lies therein.
Understanding the Qur'an could be done through
reading the translation, thinking about the words used in the verse, the causes
of revelation, and reading and discussing the commentary provided by
knowledgeable scholars.
Understanding and pondering over the verses of the Holy Qur'an is
an important duty of all Muslims. Allah talks to us through the Qur'an, and we
need to read and understand what He says in it. Many Muslims believe that
understanding the Qur'an is the duty of scholars, and they are content to just
recite the verses without giving them much thought. The Holy Prophet (s) will
complain about such Muslims on the day of Judgement. The Qur'an says he will
say: O my Lord! My people took the Qur'an very lightly. By studying and
pondering over the verses of the Qur'an, we will not be among the group the
Prophet (s) will complain about on the day of Judgement.
Prayers which may be recited for eachDay of the holy
month of Ramdhan-ul-mubarak
1st day
O Allah, on this day
make my fasts the fasts of those who fast (sincerely),
and my standing up in prayer of those
who stand up in prayer (obediently),
awaken me in it from the sleep of the heedless,
and forgive me my sins, O God of the worlds.
and forgive me, O one who forgives the sinners.
2nd day
O Allah, on this day,
take me closer towards Your pleasure,
keep me away from Your anger and punishment,
grant me the opportunity to recite Your verses (of the Qur'an),
by Your mercy, O the most Merciful.
3rd day
O Allah, on this day,
Grant me wisdom and awareness,
keep me away from foolishness and pretension,
grant me a share in every blessing You send down,
by Your generosity, O the most Generous.
4th day
O Allah, on this day,
strengthen me in carrying out Your commands,
let me taste the sweetness of Your remembrance,
grant me, through Your graciousness,
that I give thanks to You.
Protect me, with Your protection and cover,
O the most discerning of those who see.
5th day
O Allah, on this day,
place me among those who seek forgiveness.
Place me among Your righteous and obedient servants,
and place me among Your close friends,
by Your kindness, O the most Merciful.
6th day
O Allah, on this day,
do not let me abase myself by incurring Your disobedience,
and do not strike me with the whip of Your punishment,
keep me away from the causes of Your anger,
by Your kindness and Your power,
O the ultimate wish of those who desire.
7th day
O Allah, on this day,
help me with its fasts and prayers,
and keep me away from mistakes and sins of the day,
grant me that 1 remember You continuously through the day,
by Your assistance, O the Guide of those who stray.
8th day
O Allah, on this day,
let me have mercy on the orphans,
and feed [the hungry], and spread peace,
and keep company with the noble-minded,
O the shelter of the hopeful.
9th day
O Allah on this day,
grant me a share from Your mercy which is wide,
guide me towards Your shining proofs,
lead me to Your all-encompassing pleasure,
by Your love, O the hope of the desirous.
1Oth day
O Allah, on this day,
make me among those who rely on You,
from those who You consider successful.
and place me among those who are near to you,
by Your favour, O goal of the seekers.
11th day
O Allah, on this day,
make me love goodness,
and dislike corruption and disobedience,
bar me from anger and the fire [of Hell],
by Your help, O the helper of those who seek help.
12th day
O Allah, on this day,
beautify me with covering and chastity,
cover me with the clothes of contentrnent and sufficiency
let me adhere to justice and fairness,
and keep me safe from all that I fear,
by Your protection, O the protector of the frightened.
13th day
O Allah, on this day,
purify me from uncleanliness and dirt,
make me patient over events that are decreed,
grant me the ability to be pious,
and keep company with the good,
by Your help, O the beloved of the destitute.
14th day
O Allah, on this day,
do not condemn me for slips,
make me decrease mistakes and errors,
do not make me a target for afflictions and troubles,
by Your honour, O the honour of the Muslims.
15th day
O Allah on this day,
grant me the obedience of the humble
expand my chest through the repentance of the humble,
by Your security, O the shelter of the fearful.
16th day
O Allah, on this day,
grant me comparability with the good,
keep me away from patching up with the evil,
lead me in it, by Your mercy, to the permanent abode,
by Your Godship, O the God of the worlds.
17th day
O Allah, on this day,
guide me towards righteous actions,
fulfil my needs and hopes,
O One who does not need explanations nor questions,
O One who knows what is in the chests of the (people of the) world.
Bless Muhammad and his family, the Pure.
18th day
O Allah, on this day,
awaken me for the blessings of its early mornings,
Illuminate my heart with the brightness of its rays,
let every part of my body follow its effects, by Your light,
O the illuminator of the hearts of those who know.
19th day
O Allah, on this day,
multiply for me its blessings,
and ease my path towards its bounties,
do not deprive me of the acceptance of its good deeds,
O the Guide towards the clear truth.
2Oth day
O Allah, on this day,
open for me the doors of the heavens,
and lock the doors of Hell from me,
help me to recite the Qur'an,
O the One who sends down tranquility into the hearts of believers.
21st day
O Allah, on this day,
show me the way to win Your pleasure,
do not let Shaytan have a means over me,
make Paradise an abode and a resting place for me,
O the One who fulfills the requests of the needy.
22nd day
O Allah, on this day,
open for me the doors of Your Grace,
send down on me its blessings,
help me towards the causes of Your mercy,
and give me a place in the comforts of Paradise,
O the one who answers the call of the distressed.
23rd day
O Allah, on this day,
wash away my sins,
purify me from all flaws,
examine my heart with (for) the piety of the hearts,
O One who overlooks the shortcomings of the sinners.
24th day
O Allah, on this day,
I ask You for what pleases You,
and I seek refuge in You from what displeases You,
I ask You to grant me the opportunity to obey You and not disobey You,
O One who is generous with those who ask.
25th day
O Allah, on this day,
make me among those who love Your friends,
and hate Your enemies,
following the way of Your last Prophet,
O the Guardian of the hearts of the Prophets.
26th day
O Allah, on this day.
make my efforts worthy of appreciation,
and my sins forgiven, my deeds accepted,
my flaws concealed,
O the best of those who hear.
27th day
O Allah, on this day,
bestow on me the blessings of Laylatul Qadr,
change my affairs from (being) difficult to (being) easy,
accept my apologies, and decrease for me [my] sins and burdens,
O the Compassionate with His righteous servants.
28th day
O Allah, on this day,
grant me a share in its nawafil
(recommended prayers),
honor me by attending to my problems,
make closer the means to approach You, from all the means,
O One who is not preoccupied by the requests of the beseechers.
29th day
O Allah, on this day,
cover me with Your mercy,
grant me in it success and protection,
purify my heart from the darknes, of false accusations,
O the Merciful to His believing servants.
3Oth day
O Allah, on this day,
make my fast worthy of appreciation and acceptance,
according to what pleases You, and pleases the Messenger,
the branches being strengthened by the roots,
for the sake of our leader, Muhammad, and his purified family.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
Fast is divided into 4 parts:
v Obligatory
v Recommended
v Forbidden
v Undesirable
Obligatory Fast:
1-Ramadhan Fast
2-Compensative Fast
3-fasting for atonement of Ramadhan Fast:
If someone breaks intentionally his fast in
Ramadhan Month, he should do its compensation and atone. The rules of
atonement are:
Ransoming a slave or feeding 60 poors or fasting
60 days (he should fast 31 days continuously)
4-Spiritual retirement fasting:
In this fasting, a person decides to stay in
mosque to worship and fast, in this case, fast will be obligatory to him in the
third day.
5-Sacrifice Fast:
It means when a person has gone to Greater
Pilgrimage (Hajj) but he does not have enough money to buy a sheep, in
this case, he must fast 3 days in there and 7
days after his returning from pilgrimage (Hajj).
6-Fasting for vow, covenant, oath, stipulation
and hire:
In this case, a person may make a vow or
covenant or make an oath to fast one day, also if he stipulates to fast in
transacting with some body or in being hire, all
of the fasts which he has engaged, will be obligatory to him.
Recommended
Fasts:
Fasting in some days of year is recommended
especially in Feast on 18th Zul-Hajjat (Qadeer Feast), Prophet (Pbuh&hf)’s
birthday and Prophet (Pbuh&hf)’s Bea’sat.
Undesirable
Fasts:
Guest’s recommended fast without host’s
permission (when host wants him not to fast) is undesirable.
Child’s recommended fast without his father’s
permission (even if his fast doesn’t afflict his parents). But if his fast
afflicts his parents, it will be forbidden. And
if father refrains his child from recommended fast, although he is not
afflicted but child should be precautious and
doesn’t fast, because mother’s permission is higher than recommended
fast.
Forbidden
Fasts:
Fasting is forbidden: In Feast of Fast-breaking
and Feast of Sacrifice.
-For the person who is in Mena on pilgrimage
ceremony (11th, 12th, 13th Zul-Hajjat)
-On 30th Shaa’ban (when it is not clear, is it
Ramahdan or not? Man should fast for Ramadhan)
Fasting
for illegal vows,
(It will be forbidden if it’s for doing an illegal
work). For example, some one vows to fast if he succeeds in doing of an
illegal work or leaving an obligatory duty, this
vow and its fast will be forbidden.
Fasting
for silence,
(If someone wants to consider silence as a
condition in his fast, it will be forbidden.)
Fasting
for connection,
(If someone wants to connect the fast of two
days to each other, as he eats nothing at night or fast a day and a night
together, this fast will be forbidden.)
-Fasting is forbidden for a sick person or when
it makes his sickness harder.
-Fasting is forbidden in trip, (but in some
cases, if person vows to be fast in a trip, his fast is not forbidden.)
-(It is precaution) woman can not do recommended
fast without her husband’s permission especially if her fast is
inconsistent with her husband’s rights.
The
Rules of Obligatory Fast:
A person who wants to fast should be:
v Full-grown
v Wise
man
v He
must not be traveler
v If
she is woman, she must not be in menstrual cycle or childbirth situation.
v Fast
should not be caused that he becomes sick or his sickness becomes harder.
Fast is not obligatory for:
v Old
men and women
v Pregnant
women and nursing mothers
v A
person who has thirst-disease
v How
to sight the Moon:
v Man
sees crescent of the moon by himself.
v Successive
transmission and spreading (seeing of the Moon spreads among people as all of
them believe it).
v Two
equitable witnesses testify.
v Islamic
judge announces that the new moon has begun or finished.
v Passing
30 days from last month (because Arabic month is not more than 30 days.)
v If
proving of new moon was doubtful, man should not fast as Ramadhan. But if he
fasts for the last day of Shaa’ban and
v then
he’s informed that it’s the first day of Ramadhan, his fast will be acceptable.
Intention
Since intention is necessary in other worship,
the fast needs intention too, so the fast without intention is not
acceptable.
Intention means that a man intends to fast and
avoids of things which break fast.
What
does break the fast:
v Eating
v Drinking
v Sexual
intercourse
v Masturbation
v
Being in ritual impurity, menstruation or
childbirth situation, (If a person is in these states, he (she) should do
v legal
bathing before dawn and if he (she) can’t do legal bath, must make ablution in
sand, because without
v doing
these facts, his (her) fast won’t be acceptable.
v Telling
a lie about God, Prophet (Pbuh) and Imams (Pbut)
v Sinking
the head into water
v Breathing
in dusty air (like smoking and etc.)
v Enema
v Vomiting
v A
woman who is menstrual irregular discharges has to do ritual ablution for
v prayer.
If she does not do so, her fast won’t be acceptable.
NOTE:
If you do these mentioned cases inadvertently,
your fast won’t be break but if you do them intentionally, your fast will be
break. (But your fast will never be acceptable, if you are in ritual impurity
(Janaabah), in advertently or intentionally)
Fast
Compensation
If a person didn’t fast for sickness or travel
and etc, in Ramadhan month, he must do fast-compensation after Ramadhan. His
opportunity will be till next Ramadhan. He must not delay his fast compensation
more than one year.
Because in the next year, not only he should do
fast compensation but also he should pay its atonement.
If someone doesn’t fast intentionally in
Ramadhan month or break his fast without any legal reason, he must do his fast
compensation and pay its atonement.
Fast atonement is one of these 3 things:
v Ransoming
a slave
v Feeding
sixty poors
v Fasting
sixty days (he should fast 31 days continuously)
If a person breaks his fast with a forbidden act
like drinking wine, he should atone all of them (1,2,3). Since there is not
slave now, the first case is put aside, but he
should do two of them.
If someone is able to do none of them, he must
pay alms as able as he can. If he is not able to do this act too, he must
ask pardon of Allah. He should do its atonement
whenever he can. In some cases, there is no need to atonement; for
more information, please refer to your imitated
authority.
Religious Questions about Fast
Q: What is decree for girls who are adolescent
yet?When is puberty age for girls?
A: Religious puberty age for girls, is the age
of 9 years old (in Arabic year). Fast is
obligatory to them in this age and leaving it,
is not acceptable.
Q: If someone wants to arrive to his town before
noon, but he can not arrive on
time for some reasons, Is his fast correct or
not? And what is its compensation and atonement?
A: His fast is not correct on trip. Fast
atonement is not obligatory to him. His fast
compensation is just obligatory to him.
Q: When an airplane
is flying in a height and flight time
is about 2 or 3 hours, the pilot and hostess need water every 20
minutes, for their health. What
are their fast
compensation and atonement?
A: If fast hurts him(her), he(she) must break
his(her) fast with water. In this case, the fast compensation is obligatory to
them but its atonement is not obligatory.
Q: Some of doctors, who don’t believe in legal
problems, say to sick persons not
to fast for its harm. Are these doctors’
suggestions acceptable?
A: If doctor were not truth worthy, his
suggestion would not be acceptable.
Q: I didn't fast about 120 days. Should I fast
60 days for every day or not? Is fast atonement obligatory to me?
A: Fast compensation would be obligatory to you,
if you had legal excuse for not
fasting. But if you didn’t fast intentionally
and without any legal excuse, fast
atonement would be obligatory.
Q: I don’t know how many compensation fasts I
have? And I don’t know
whether they are intentionally or not?
A: It’s better, you determine fixed numbers
which are clear for you. If you doubt about
them which are intentionally or not, atonement
is not obligatory.
Q: If a person didn’t get up before down for
eating (sahary) and for this
reason he could not continue his fast. Now is it
obligatory to him one atonement or all of them?
A: If he continues his fast as long as he can
not bear hunger and thirst, he has to
break his fast, in this case, there is no need
to atonement, and fast compensation is
just obligatory to him.
Q: What is my duty, if I doubt that I have done
my fast compensation or not?
A: If you used to do fast compensation then be
sure you’ve done that.
Q: If a doctor says
to a sick person “Fast is harmful for you.” And he doesn’t fast according to
the doctor’s suggestion. But in the next years, he understands that not only
fast was not harmful for him but also the doctor’s suggestion was wrong. Is it
obligatory fast compensation and atonement to him now?
A: According to the experienced and trustworthy
doctor’s statement, if fast was
harmful to his disease, fast compensation would just be obligatory.
Q: If the new moon (Shawal) is not observed in
one of the cities, but Radio and
T.V announce it. Is it enough or not?
A: If it’s announced by T.V and Radio which is
proved by jurisdiction, will be
acceptable.
Introduction
Fasting is one of the Islamic Laws. Knowing of
the fast benefits and understanding its philosophy is
not possible for human being. Human’s limited
science can not reveal all of the secrets and thought can not solve all of the
problems.
Maybe, human’s science can open a new window for
him in future. In that day, man is able to understand the philosophy of Islamic
rules.
Therefore nonexistance of the knowledge of
divine rules' philosophy, should not prevent us from
obeying it. Because this obedience is not
blindly, it is on the basis of science. Because Muslim
knows that Allah is aware of every thing and there
is no deficiency and requirement in his nature. He
just wants prosperity and happiness for human
beings. Then when he orders us to do something, we
know that it is for our prosperity and our ideal
perfection depends on it.
When Allah prohibits us from doing something, man must know it’s harmful for
him and his life
.
FASTING
ADVANTAGES
asting has many physical and spiritual benefits.
It keeps away human being from animal desires. Fast
is so effective in making a righteous man and
society.
The medical advantages of fast are very much, so
that it’s no need to explanation and repetition and
most of people know its benefits.Here are some
of these advantages:
Human’s stomach and digestive system are the
active members of body. Their main
task, is to
digest the eaten foods. In fasting, these
members rest and fatness which is harmful for body, will be
diminished.
In Islamic narrations, it’s referred to the
physical benefits of fast, Holy PROPHET (S) stated:“Fast is
for health.” Also in many narrations, our
Islamic Leaders stated: “Human being’s stomach likes the
home of disease and avoidance of eating ,is its
treatment.”
It is clear when these medical benefits are
useful that a person who is fasting, avoids gluttony, at the
time of fast's breaking, because it hurts
digestive system.
By making progress of medical sciences,
physicians have found that, withholding from eating and
drinking, is the best method of treatment. One
of the physicians says: “Treatment by fast is so
resultful.Then using it,will change medical and
surgical programs.”
Fast open a new window to medical science. Fast
gives an effective weapon to this science for
fighting with diseases. The weapon in which we
can use in different ways and human being will be the
winner of this war. “By fasting and withholding
we can treat disease.”
You should know that fast is not harmful for
people's health . If someone is sick , fast is not obligatory
to him.
Some persons (who don’t fast) say that Peptic Ulcer
disease is made by fast, but this is not correct
and you should not attend to their opinion
because stomach rests in fasting and when you fast your
stomach acid is neutralized by Bile and Peptic
Ulcer disease is not created.
Majority of Muslims fast in Ramadhan month and
they don’t complain about this sickness and the
number of Peptic Ulcer more than the others. But
we should say that the most important advantages
of fast are not its medical benefits, although
some persons just consider this aspect. While fast
spiritual benefits are better than its physical
advantages.
Although fast medical advantage is like an
evidence for Islam because this holy religion created the
rules at Age of Ignorance in 1400 years ago as
human being’s medical science understands it
recently.
Fast as an obstacle against sin
Fast, especially Ramadhan fast is obligatory to
all Muslims in Islam. It’s an effective factor in
strengthening of piety and virtue. Holy Quran
call this worship as an important factor for piety
(Taqvaa). Piety has an important role in Islamic
training of a Muslim. For reaching to piety, Islam has
ordered
Muslims to fast for avoiding of sins.
Holy Prophet (S) was speaking for Muslems,
Hazrat-e Ali (Pbuh) asked: “What is the most important
act in this month?” Prophet (S) answered:
“Avoiding from sins.”
A person who fast, by doing these divines rules
to live piety spirit in his heart. Since thirst and hunger
and other fast limitations put out the flames of
whimsy and instincts, then training of piety is easier in
holy month of Ramadhan. By continuous practice
during Ramadhan month, piety creates in human’s
heart and grows by passing of this program, he
will be succeeded to remain pious.
Fast role in reinforcement of will
The governing of instincts and desires on human
being’s heart is one of the most dangerous
government. It misleads man and draws out him to
low level . Fighting with desires, which have been
called the Greater Jihad (Jihad-e Akbar), needs
to firm will. A Fasting person fights with his desires by
not eating and drinking. He resists against his
instincts and practicing of this act ,strengthens
decision and will.
Islamic leaders have stated: “The best man is
one who fights with his desires and the strongest of
them is one who destroys it.”
Then persons who fast, are the best people
because they fight with their desires.
Heart Purity
Fast kindles the light of knowledge and
information in heart. Ramadhan fast destroys the desires and
put purity and piety instead of them.
In the shadow of this purity which is originated
from fast, the person who fasts not only avoids from
eating and drinking but also holds his hands,
feet, eyes, ears, mouth and all members of his body
from sin and it’s holy aspect of fast.
Hazrat-e Ali (Pbuh) states: “when heart avoids
of thinking to sin, it’s higher than physical fast which
avoids of eating and drinking.”
It is interesting that you know the physical
fast creates spiritual revolution in the persons who fast. It
has been proved that wickednesses and
corruptions are diminished in Ramadhan month.
Fast and Patience
Patience is a character which is emphasized by
Islamic ethics. Muslim fights for some aims in his
social and personal life and he is countered
with some problems. Victory and attaining of aims is not
simple without patience. It increases man’s
resistance and strengthens his will. If a society doesn’t
bear difficulties, it can not gain a victory
against its enemies. We can fight with cruels by patience and
resistance. Fasting especially in hot days of
summer in which thirst become intolerable, man learns
patience and bears difficulties easily. Quran
and Islamic leaders have called fast as patience.
Fast and Contentment
Islam differs from the West and the East
material schools. It considers world as means for spiritual
perfection and reaching to eternal prosperity.
For this reason Islamic culture is not the culture of
enjoyment and consumption.
It is the culture of contentment and
self-sacrifice. In material schools, man considers his body and
eating and sleeping but in Islam, man considers
spirituality. One of the ways for reaching to humanity
high level is contentment, self-sacrifice and
devotion. Fast is a duty which saves human from material
enjoyments and teaches him to help the others
and to rule over his desires and also avoid of
lavishment.
Fast teaches
Muslim that he can live with a little thing and there is no need to pay
attention to
material enjoyment for living.
Sympathizing with the Poors
Our Islamic leaders have called Ramadhan as
charity month. Stimulating of man’s sympathizing
sense to the poor is one of conspicuous results
of Ramadhan. Persons who live comfortably and don't
feel hunger and thirst, may forget the poors but
fast is a means by which they can member and help
them.
It has been recommended to pay alms in Ramadhan
month. In this month rich man closes to poor
man and society learns assistance. Charity means
to share the provision with each other and for this
reason Ramadhan has been called as charity
month.
In Ramadhan people do benevolence to each other
and by this valuable character, their society is
purified from abominations. The persons who
fast, should consider these points till all of people use of
these constitutional Islamic programs in
Ramadhan month.
Someone asked Imam Hassan Askari(Pbuh): “Why is
fast obligatory?” he answered: “For rich man
understands hunger and helps the poor.”
Discipline
Punctuality and discipline are the
manifestations of human being’s civilization and one of the most
important factors in success and progress. May
be some people think that these particulars are
specialized for westerns’ life and their
civilization, but discipline and punctuality are Islam’s
instructions. Fast Ramadhan begins in the holy
Ramadhan month by observing new moon. According
to this problem that Ramadhan is in Arabic
month, then it will happen in all seasons, sometimes in
hot days of summer or in cold days of winter. A
person who fast,should begins his fast before sun
-rise and break it after sunset. This is a
lesson which makes Muslim to be regular in his life.
Common Customs of The
night
of Power (Laylatul Qadr)
The 19th Night
Prayer
Tonight is the first night
of the “ LaylatulQadr”( Ramadhan 19). The other
two are 21st and 23rd. According to the Islamic tradition the Muslims have a
certain way of praying in this occasion.
Here come the orders
concerning the related issue:
{
I ask for Allah’s forgiveness and I turn repentant to Him}
{ O’ Allah condemn and
curse the killers of the Ameeril Moomenin.}
{O’ that one who is (
Ever existing ) Supreme being and was there
before any and every thing , then (after that ) He created all things .
He is eternal and all that has been created is mortal. O’ that one like
unto Him there is nothing. O’ that One who is such that no one in the
high heavens , nor in the low earths, nor above, below and in between ,
worship any one other than Him as a God. Praise be to Thee . It is not
possible to count up , remember and narrate Thy praise in all its
dimensions. Thou alone can do it. Therefore send blessings on
Muhammad and on the Children of Muhammad , blessings that
no one other than Thou has the capacity to count , remember
and narrate its meaning and true Purpose.}
Then Recite the
following Prayer:
O’ Allah , while
taking decisions and rendering possible things and
events decisively and determining a rational and sensible course
of affairs in the “Night of Qadr”( which can not be changed or by
passed), write my name in the list of those pilgrims of Thy “ sacred
House” whose pilgrimage receive Thy approval, whose efforts are
appreciated , whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongdoings are overlooked.
And , While taking decisions and rendering possible things and events ,
make possible for me a long life and enough means of livelihood and fulfil(….)
The 21th Night Prayer
O’ He who causes the
night to pass into the day
and causes the day to pass into the night, brings
forth the living from the dead and brings forth dead
from the living!
O’ He who gives
sustenance to whom He chooses,
without measure!
O’ Allah!
O’ Beneficent!
O’ Allah! O’ Merciful!
O’ Allah! O’ Allah!
O’ Allah! Thins are
the most beautiful names; highest
and greatest are the attributes ascribed to Thee. I solicit
Thee (alone) for bounties.
Send blessings on
Muhammad and on his Family and
write my name, tonight, in the list of those who have
found true happiness, let my soul rest in peace with
those who gave their lives in Thy cause, let my good
deeds earn for me an honorable placed among the
dwellers of the Paradise, and forgive my sins;
Grant me sure belief
which gives joy and confidence
to my heart; and faith which drives away doubts from
me; and let me be happy with that which has been
determined; give us that which if good in this world and
that which is good in the Hereafter and save us from the
torment of the burning Fire; and keep me alive in a manner
that I always sing Thy praise, gratefully thank Thee, call humbly
and fervently on Thee, and turn repentant unto Thee; and
associate me with that which keeps me attached with Muhammad
and his Family, peace be on him and peace be on them.
|
The 23th Night Prayer |
O’ Lord of the
“Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power)”
who made it better than a thousand months!
O’ Lord of nights,
days, mountains, oceans, darkness,
lights, earth and skies!
O’ Originator!
O’ Illustrator!
O’ Compassionate!
O’ Benefactor!
O’ Allah!
O’ beneficent!
O’ Allah!
O’ Everlasting!
O’ Allah!
O’ Creator!
O’ Allah!
O’ Allah!
O’ Allah!
Thine are the most
beautiful names; highest
and greatest are the attributes ascribed to Thee.
I solicit Thee (alone)
for bounties!
Send blessings on
Muhammad and his family
and write my name, to night, in the list of those
who have found true happiness, let my soul rest in
peace with those who gave their lives in Thy cause,
let my good deeds earn for me an honorable place
among the dwellers of the Paradise, and forgive my
sins; grant me sure belief which gives joy and confidence
to my heart, and faith which drives away doubts from
me; and let me be happy with that which has been
determined; give us that which is good in this world
and that which is good in the Hereafter, and save us
from the torment of the burning Fire; and keep me alive
in a manner that I always sing Thy praise, gratefully
thank Thee, call humbly and fervently on Thee, and
turn repentant unto Thee; and associate me with that
which keeps me attached with Muhammad and his Family,
peace be upon them.
LAYLAT UL QADR
(THE NIGHT OF GRANDEUR AND POWER
No night, throughout
the year, is on a level with this night.
On account of its merits, surpassing excellence, superiority,
and the superabundant bounties, benefits and favors this
night bring for the mankind it leaves behind every night
known for blessing. As revealed in the Holy Quran the Night
of “Qadr” is better than a thousand months, therefore, acts
done in these nights are better than the acts done in one
thousands months.
In this night the
“Spirit” together with one thousand Angels
descend and that which has been decided is shown to the
“Living Imam”.
It must be kept in the
mind that the days are as suspicious
as the nights, so recite the Holy Quran and prayers of Imam
Ali ibnabi Taalib (A.S.) and Imam Ali bin Husayn Al Zaynul
Abideen (A.S.) during daytime on 19th, 21st and 23rd.
COMMON CUSTOMS OF THE
“LAYLATUL QADR”
(The night of power and grandeur)
There are customs and
prayers which should be done
during the said night.
(I ask for Allah’s
forgiveness and I turn repentant to Him)
(O’
Allah I beseech Thee to include me among those
who have been set free from the Hellfire, in the name
of Thy revealed Book and that which is in it, and Thy
Great Name and Thy (Other) beautiful names are in it,
and in it there is that which warns and gives hope.)
(Then
invoke Allah to fulfill your legitimate desires.)
(O’ Allah for the sake
of this (Holy) Quran, and for the sake
of that person through whom Thou sent it, and for the sake
of those believers who have been praised therein, and in the
name of Thy obligations to them, no one is aware of Thy
obligations more than Thou.)
For the sake, O’
Allah,
For the sake of
Muhammad,
For the sake of Ali,
For the sake of
Faatimaah,
For the sake of Hasan,
For the sake of
Husayn,
For the sake of
Muhammad bin Ali,
For the sake of Jafar
bin Muhammad,
For the sake of Moosaa
bin Jafar,
For the sake of Ali
bin Moosaa,
For the sake of
Muhammad bin Ali,
For the sake of Ali
bin Muhammad,
For the sake of Hasan
bin Muhammad,
For the sake of Hasan
bin Ali,
For the sake of
“Hujjat”,
(Then invoke Allah to
fulfil your legitimate desires).
DU-A’A OF IMAM ALI
ZAYN AL ABIDIN
Allama Majlisi (R.A.)
says that every faithful must beseech
Allah, in these nights, for mercy and forgiveness for ownself,
parents, relatives, living and dead brothers-in-faith.
(7) Recite Dua’a
“Jawshan Kabeer”
(See Selected Soorahs
and dua’as Volume Two.)
(8) Pray a 100 Rak-a’t
Salaat as under:
O Allah I have come to
the end of the day as an insignificant and
humble servant in Thy bondage. It is not possible for me to direct
the course of that which is useful for me or that which is harmful for
me, nor it is in my control to prevent the evil that may take hold of me.
I have bought this as
a proof of my helplessness, which I confess
before Thee because of my lack of energy and want of means;
Therefore, send
blessings on Muhammad and on the children of
Muhammad,
And let come true the
promise Thou made with me and with all the
faithful men and the faithful women that in this night Thy forgiveness
would be available to us. Make complete that which I Thou has given
me because I am Thy servant-a humble destitute in misery, weak, broken,
and forsaken.
O Allah let me not
forget to praise Thee for that which Thou has bestowed
on me, and for the favor Thou showed me by giving free gifts; and let me
not lose hope of getting Thy favorable answer, be it that there is delay in
the midst of gain or loss, hardship or ease, security or instability,
prosperity
or misery, (but) Thou hears the supplication at last.
(9) Once someone asked
the Holy Prophet (S.A.) what to ask for from Allah
in the “Night of Qadr” if he got a chance. The Holy Prophet (S.A.) advised
him to beseech Allah for his deliverance (on the Day of Judgement).
NIGHTS
Tonight is the first
night of the “Laylatul Qadr”. The other two are 21st and 23rd.
(Please see p
(I ask for Allah’s
forgiveness and I turn repentant to Him)
O’
that one who is (Everexisting) Supreme Being and was there before
any and everything, then (after that) He created all things, then (after that)
He created all things. He is eternal and all that has been created is mortal.
O’ that One like unto Him there is nothing. O’ that One who is such that no
one in the high heavens, nor in the low earth, nor above, below and in
between, worship anyone other than Him as a God. Praise be to Thee.
It is not possible to count up, remember and narrate Thy praise in all its
dimensions. Thou alone can do it. Therefore send blessings on Muhammad
and on the children of Muhammad, blessings that no one other than has
the capacity to count, remember and narrate its meaning and true purpose.
And, while taking
decision and rendering possible things and events, make possible
for me a long life and enough means of livelihood, and fulfil (…………….)
Feast of The Fast (Eid ul-Fitr) Ceremonies
One should know that the auspicious Feast of the Fast
(Eid-ul-Fitr) is a day selected by God and differentiated by Him from the other
days to bestow His blessings and bounties to His servants and people get
together in order to receive those blessings.
Feast of the Fast (Eid-ul-Fitr) is one of the Muslims’ most
important feasts, the first day of Shawwal, and it is after the end of the
honorable Ramadan month. During this day the Muslims give the Zakat (a kind of
Charity tax on property) to the poor which is called “Fetriyeh”. Fasting is
forbidden on this day. In Quran had been referred to the salvation of the ones
who are Zakat givers.
THE ITEMS THAT CAN BE
CONSIDERED AS FETRIYEH
The four- type series of the cereals (Wheat, barley, date and
raisin) or payment of the related price would suffice. However; it Would be
better that one consider what he consumes as Fetriyeh. It means that if the
daily consuming of his for most part consists of bread, then the bread would be
the item of choice.
THE
AMOUNT OF THE ITEMS
It is One Sa’ (about 3 Kg)
THE SUITABLE TI ME
It
would be better that one after leaving for saying the Fitr prayers, has the intention
of giving Zakat, unless he had considered it before
Eid-ul-Fitr Prayer
O’ Allah (may be), today, some (people) make up their mind,
or take pains, or get ready and prepare the ground, to turn
to (other) people, hopeful of getting favors, gifts, benefits
and grants, but I take a decisive step, exert myself, make
myself ready and smooth the way, and turn hopeful unto
Thee, O’ my Master, to obtain favors, compensation, gifts,
benefits, bounties and grants from Thee only,
And find myself celebrating one of the feast days, commemorated
by the followers of Thy Prophet, Muhammad (blessing of Allah be
on him and on his family); (may be) I am not carrying
(a weighty load of) good deeds, while approaching Thee, (even then)
with all my heart I move forward, and do not pay attention to the
invitations extended by the people,
Instead submissively draw near Thee ashamed of the wrong
doings done to my ownself.
So, O’ Almighty,
O’ Almighty,
O’ Almighty,
Forgive me of my grave wrong-doings,
Because verily, no one can forgive the serious
transgressions save Thou,
O’ “There is no god save Thou”,
O’ the Most Merciful of all the merciful.
O’ Allah, (belong to Thee only) pride, glory,
Excellence, omnipotence,
(Thou) grants amnesty and shows kindness,
(Thou art) Holy and Oft-Forgiving,
(so), I ask Thee in the name of this day which Thou
had ordained as a day of happiness for the Muslims,
an occasion for Muhammad (blessing of Allah be on him
and on his family) to plan ahead and grow strong,
to send blessings on Muhammad and on his family
and introduce me to every good that had been made
available to Muhammad and his family, educate me to
keep from every evil as Thou kept safe Muhammad and
his family from it. Thy blessings on him and on them.
O’ Allah I ask Thee to give me the good which Thy
pious servants had asked for.
And I take refuge with Thee from that which caused
Thy pious servants to seek refuge with Thee.
