Rámádhân Introduction

• Rámádhân is derived from the Arabic root word

ramada or ar-ramad denoting intense scorching
heat and dryness, especially the ground.
• The word Rámádhân is so called to indicate the
heating sensation in the stomach as a result of
thirst. Some say it is so called because
Rámádhân scorches out the sins with good
deeds, as the sun burns the ground. Others say
it is so called because the hearts and souls are
more readily receptive to the admonition and
remembrance of Allah during Rámádhân, just as
the sand and stones are receptive to the sun's
heat.
 Meaning of Sawm
• Fasting in the month of Rámádhân is
compulsory on every Muslim adult.
The Arabic word sawm is used for fasting.
The word sawm (plural siyam) literally
means 'to refrain', but as an Islamic term,
it means refraining from food, drink, sexual
and other undesirable activities from dawn
to sunset.
Ramadhan and the Quranic Âyah
• Sûrah al Baqarah (2-183):
'O you who believe, fasting is prescribed on you
as it was prescribed to those before you so that
you may become self-restrained.'
• Sûrah al Baqarah 2-185
"Ramadhan is the month in which was sent
down the Quran, as a guide to mankind"
• Sûrah al Baqarah 2-187
"Eat and Drink, until the white thread of dawn
appears to you distinct form the black thread;
then complete your fast till the night appears"
 Ahadith about Ramadhan
• The messenger of Allah (saws) reported in a
hadith al-Qudsi that Allah (SWT) said:
"All acts done by the sons of Adam are meant
for him, except fasting. It is exclusively meant for
Me, and I (alone) will reward him for it"
(Bukhari and Muslim)
• "He who does not desist from obscene language
and acting obscenely (during the period of
fasting), Allah has no need that he did not eat or
drink."
(Bukhari, Muslim)
 Ahadith about Ramadhan
• Anas (raa) related that the Messenger of Allah said:
"Take your early morning meal for in that is a blessing."
(Bukhari, Muslim)
• Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri (raa) the Messenger of Allah
(saas) said,
"Sahuur is a blessed meal, do not neglect it even if it is a
mouthful of drink. For Allah and the Angels bless those
who observe it."
(Ahmed)
• The Messenger of Allah said:
"Whoever observes night prayer in Ramadan as an
expression of his faith and to seek reward from Allah, his
previous sins will be blotted out."
(Muslim)
 THE WISDOM BEHIND FASTING
• There are reasons and wisdom behind every
single act in Islam, no matter how small. In time
we may know the wisdom for behind some acts,
and for others we may never know. Salaat, for
instance, is a daily training for purifying the
believer and reminding him that he is a member
in a community of believers. Fasting, on the other
hand, is an annual institution containing all
conceivable attributes for human excellence. It is
a training for the body and soul, a renewal of life,
encouraging the spirit of sharing and giving. The
following are some of the general benefits:
 Self-Restraint (Taqwaa)
• Allah (SWT) states: "O you who believe! Fasting is
prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you
that you may (learn) self restraint." (Al-Qur`an, 2:183)
• This verse indicates the first lesson or wisdom to be
gained in fasting is self-restraint, (Taqwa) or the fear of
Allah (SWT).
• Fasting instills taqwaa, fear of Allah, and does so by
controlling two aspects of the human body, which are the
root causes of human downfall, namely the stomach and
the private parts. The human body is constructed with the
need to please the two of them and, in the process, man
transgresses the rights of others, fellow human beings,
and the commandments of Allah are violated. Fasting is
equivalent to life, because with the level of taqwaa being
raised, the person avoids the sins which are detrimental to
life itself.
 Behavior Modification
• One of the most important things fasting affords the observer is
helping him control or change his or her habits; the reason being
human life is an embodiment of acquired habits. To change or control
a habit is to wage a war on yourself. If jihaad is mandatory on every
believer because it is the peak of the essence in Islam, and it entails
changing habits, the fasting is the training ground for the inevitable
that will occur. The believer cannot wage a war and hope to defeat an
enemy if he or she cannot wage war against his soul. Thus, the faster
is admitted to the compulsory training opened only in Ramadan, the
learning in this school is mandatory and succeeding or scoring high is
mandatory, otherwise it is like you never entered. The Prophet (saw)
said: "Many a faster receives not from his fast except the pain of
hunger and thirst." Now, does a Ramadan fast control one`s habits?
Simple, two of the most important habits are food and drink. An
average person eats three meals a day, 21 meals a week. The way
the fast is structured, with its basic and drastic alteration of eating
habits, a faster takes light meals early in the morning and late in the
evening. If the believer can control these two habits, food and drink, it
will undoubtedly be easy for him to control other habits, including the
habits of smoking, drug abuse and illicit sex. Do you not see that, if
you can control your tongue, hands and all other parts of your body, it
will be easy for you to apply the same training for the rest of the year.
 Heath Care
• The benefits of fasting transcend guiding the faster from idle talk and
indecent acts. It is a sentinel against disease, provided the faster
follows the strict dietary rule.
• A great deal of ailments originate from stomach indigestion. This is why
the Messenger of Allah (saw) says: "The son of Adam will never fill a
container with something worse and evil than his stomach. It will suffice
him some morsels (food) that will keep him on his feet, otherwise, he
should divide his stomach into three parts: one third for his food, the
other for his drink and the other third for his breath." (Ibn Hibban)
• An American physician published a report on fasting and its benefits
saying: "It is mandatory on every person who is sick to restrain from
food certain days in a year whether he be wealthy or poor because if
bacteria can find food in abundance in the body, it will grow and
multiply. But with fasting it becomes weak.'' He then praised Islam. It
should be considered as the wisest religion, for as it mandated fasting it
has mandated health care. He continued: "Indeed, Muhammad, who
brought this religion, was the best physician who succeeded in his
teachings, for he called for prevention before ailment, that is apparent
in fasting and the nightly prayer (Taraweeh) that Muslims observe after
fast breaking every day of Ramadan, for these physical acts contain big
benefits in digesting food." (Arkanul Arba`ah by Abul Hasan Nadwi)
 Heath Care
• There was a discussion between Ali Bin Husain bin Waquid (raa)
and a Christian physician to the Khalifah, Haroon Ar-Rasheed,
about Islam's outlook on the science of medicine and health care.
The physician said to Ibn Waquid: "There is not in your Book, Al-
Qur`an, anything about medicine. For if Al-Qur`an is a book of
science, what about this science?. Aren't there two kinds of
sciences: the science of the body and the science of the soul?" Ibn
Waquid responded: "Allah, the Most High has combined both
sciences in half of a verse, when He states: "...Eat and drink but
waste not by excess, for Allah loves not the wasters." (Al-Qur`an,
7:31)
• The physician said: "Why, then, has nothing been mentioned about
medicine from the mouth of your Messenger?" Ibn Waquid replied:
"Our Messenger (saas), has combined the sciences about medicine
in a few words when he says: "The stomach is the house for
disease and prevention is the essence of medicine." The Christian
physician then said: "Then your book, Al-Qur`an, and your Prophet
Muhammad left nothing about medicine for Jalienas (a famous
physician of the ancients)." (Arkanul Arba`ah by Abul Hasan Nadwi)
 Patience
• Fasting helps in conditioning the heart,
the soul, and the body on the virtues of
patience, persistence, and
steadfastness in the face of difficulty.
• Patience is to turn the phrase "I can't"
into "I can." It is to say, the difficult is
easy. It is an inner and psychological
demolition of things supposed by others
as impossible.
 Social Outlook
• Socially, fasting is an expression of solidarity with the
poor, the family and the whole society. This is a period in
which the rich have first-hand experience of what it is to
be poor, the pains the indigent suffers in normal living
conditions. The process of disciplining resulting from
Islamic fasting, introduces in the rich the virtue of mercy,
Rahmah, which is very important in terms of social well -
being and propagation of harmony. Allah bestows his
mercy upon those who themselves are merciful to
others. "Those who are merciful to others, the Merciful
will have mercy upon them," the Messenger said. He
continued, "Have mercy upon those on earth, and those
in heaven will have mercy upon you." (Abu
Dawud/Tirmidhi)
 Family Ties
• Fasting strengthens family ties, especially in that the
family is an endangered institution in western society. It
helps the family gather together to break fast, at Iftar,
and eat sahuur together at least twice a day for a month.
• Fasting enhances and energizes friendship, as Ramadan
is known as the month of invitations and visitations.
Friends, family members and neighbors extend
invitations to each other to come to their homes to have
Iftar together. The Messenger said, "When a believer
invites you, you should respond." Besides, Muslims
gather together in the Masajid for taraweeh and
ta'aleem.
 Inner Dimensions of Fasting
• Three Grades
• It should be known that there are three grades of Fasting:
ordinary, special and extra-special.
• Ordinary Fasting means abstaining from food, drink and
sexual satisfaction.
• Special Fasting means keeping one's ears, eyes, tongue,
hands and feet -- and all other organs -- free from sin.
• Extra-special Fasting means fasting of the heart from
unworthy concerns and worldly thoughts, in total disregard of
everything but God, Great and Glorious is He. This kind of
Fast is broken by thinking of worldly matters, except for those
conducive to religious ends, since these constitute provision
for the Hereafter and are not of this lower world. To this third
degree belong the Prophets, the true awliya and the intimates
of God.
• It consists in utmost dedication to God, Great and Glorious is
He, to the neglect of everything other than God, Exalted is He.
 Inward Requirements
1. See not what displeases god
2. Speak not what displeases god
3. Hear not what displeases god
4. Do not what displeases god
5. Avoid overeating
6. Look to god with fear and hope
 Significance of Fasting
• There are many reasons why people do fast, depending upon the
social, cultural, religious, and economic understanding of the people or
the individuals. Dr. Allan Cott in his book, Fasting The Ultimate Diet,
explains some of the reasons why people do fast. The following is a
partial list of the aims of fasting as seen by the author of that book.
• To lose weight the quickest and easiest way
• To feel better physically and mentally
• To look and feel younger
• To save money
• To clean out the body
• To give the whole system a rest
• To lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels
• To cut down on smoking and drinking
• To get more out of sex
• To let the body heal itself
• To relieve tension
• To end dependence on drugs
 Significance of Fasting
• To sleep better
• To digest food better
• To regulate bowels
• To feel euphoric
• To sharpen the senses
• To quicken mental processes
• To save time
• To boost self-esteem
• To learn better eating habits
• To share with the hungry
• To gain control of oneself
• To seek spiritual revelations
• To observe religious rites
• To call attention to social issues
• To slow the aging process
However, Muslims do fast as a religious obligation upon them, so as to
please Allah (SWT) and to earn His blessings and rewards.