Category: Saum (Fasting)

“My Ummah will continue to be upon good for as long as they hasten to break the fast and delay the pre-dawn meal.”

The other matter which I want to remind you of is what occurs in the previous hadeeth, “And they delay the pre-dawn meal” meaning: what is required here is the opposite to the case of the Iftaar. So he (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬ commanded us to hasten to perform the Iftaar. But as for the Suhoor, then it should be delayed. But what happens today is totally contrary to this, since many people eat their Suhoor before the appearance of Fajr by perhaps an hour. This is not befitting. This is contrary to the Sunnah shown by the saying of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬and by his practice. So the Companions of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬used to leave the Suhoor so late, that one of them would almost hear the Adhaan and he would still be eating because he had delayed the Suhoor.

Indeed there is an authentic hadeeth reported from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬which shows the ease afforded by Islaam, to be counted as one of the principles of Islaam, which the Muslims are proud of, especially with regard to the matter of Fasting, since Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, concluded the Aayahs concerning Fasting with His Saying:

‘Allaah desires ease for you, and He does not desire to make things difficult for you’. So from this ease is his (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬saying, “If one of you hears the call to Prayer and the vessel is in the hand of one of you, then let him not put it down until he fulfils his need from it.”

” If one of you hears the call to Prayer and the vessel” the vessel containing food, whether it be milk, some drink, water, anything which a person may take as Suhoor, and he hears the Adhaan, then he should not say, Now the food is forbidden due to the Adhaan being heard. The person who has had enough, it is not allowed for him to then have any more, whether it be a drink, or some fruit, when he has had his fill of whatever he was eating.

But as for the one who hears the Adhaan and he has not yet taken what he needs from the food and the drink, then the Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬made that lawful for him. So he clearly said, in the clear and eloquent Arabic language, “If one of you hears the call to Prayer, and the vessel is in his hand, then let him not put it down until he fulfils his need from it.”

And what is meant here by the call is the second call, the second Adhaan. It is not the first Adhaan, which they wrongly call the Adhaan of Imsaak (i.e. withholding). We must know that there is no basis for calling the first Adhaan the Adhaan for withholding (imsaak).

The second Adhaan is when we are to withhold, and this is clearly stated in the Quraan, since Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, says:

‘And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes clear to you from the black thread of the night.’

So eating becomes forbidden at the start of the time of the Fajr Prayer. There is no separation between these two things. There is no withholding from food and drink for a quarter of an hour, or less than that, or more than that, before the start of the time for the Fajr Prayer. Not at all.

Because the Prayer becomes due when the true dawn appears, and food becomes forbidden for the fasting person when the true dawn appears. So there is no separation between these two matters at all.

So therefore there occurs in the hadeeth agreed upon by al-Bukharee and Muslim, from the hadeeth of Abdullaah Ibn ¹Umar Ibn al-Khattaab -radiyallaahu `anhu, that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬said, “Let not the Adhaan of Bilaal deceive you…” meaning, the first Adhaan, “…because he gives the Adhaan in order to awaken the person who is sleeping, and so that the person who wishes to eat the pre-dawn meal can do so. So eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktoon gives the Adhaan.”

Ibn Umm Maktoom, whose name was ‘Amr, was a blind man, and he was the one about whom the Saying of Allaah, the Exalted and Most High, came down:

‘He frowned and turned away, that a blind man had come to him’ to the end of the Aayaat. So he used to give the second Adhaan, the Adhaan which means that eating becomes prohibited and that it is now time for the Fajr Prayer.

How did he used to give the Adhaan when he was blind? This is a question, which naturally occurs to some people. ‘Amr Ibn Umm Maktoom used to climb on the roof of the mosque, but he could not see the dawn, so he would wait until someone passing by saw the dawn. So when someone saw that the dawn had appeared and spread across the horizon, they would say to him, It is morning. It is morning. Then he would give the Adhaan.

So you will notice here that the Adhaan of ‘Amr ibn Umm Maktoom was after the Fajr had appeared, and had been seen by the people whilst they were walking in the streets. So when it was said to him, “It is morning. It is morning,” he would give the Adhaan.

So therefore there is latitude in the affair, since the muadhdhin would be delayed in giving the Adhaan until he heard the people telling him, “It is morning, it is morning.” And then Allaah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬said: “If one of you hears the call to Prayer and the vessel is in his hand, then let him not put it down until he has fulfilled his need from it.”

So Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, spoke truly when He said at the end of those Aayahs related to Fasting: ‘Allaah desires to make things easy for you, and He does not desire to make things difficult for you.’ and ‘…that you should complete the number of days, and that you should glorify Allaah by mentioning takbeer for His having guided you, and that you should be thankful. ‘

So therefore from the Fiqh that is to be criticized, and which runs contrary to this Sunnah, is that a person says, “If someone hears the Adhaan and has some food in his mouth, then he must spit it out.” So this is over strictness, and (ghuluww) exceeding the limits in the Religion, and the Lord of all of the creation admonished us, and reminded us, in His Book and in the Sunnah of His Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬that we should not exceed the due limits in our Religion. So He said, in the Noble Qur·aan:

‘O People of the Book! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not say anything about Allaah except the truth.’

And our Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬said to us, or he (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬said, “Beware of (ghuluww) exceeding the limits in the Religion. Because those who came before you were destroyed by their exceeding the limits in their Religion.”

So Allaah¹s Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬has made it clear to us that there is latitude and a margin of ease in the matter of a person’s taking suhoor, to the extent that he said: “If one of you hears the call to Prayer whilst the vessel is in his hand, then let him not put it down until he has completed his need from it.”

So it is opposition to Allaah and to the Messenger that a person says that one who hears the Adhaan whilst he has food in his mouth must spit it out onto the ground. This is not from the Sunnah. Rather this is contrary to the Sunnah, and is contrary to the clear command of the Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬.

And I have been asked many times, so I will not leave open the need for such a question, but rather I will precede you in (answering) it, by stating that this hadeeth is to be found in some of the most famous books of the Sunnah. From them being the Sunan of Aboo Daawood, and it is the third book from the well-known six books. The first of which is Saheehul-Bukhaaree, the second being Saheeh Muslim, and the third being the Sunan of Aboo Daawood.

This hadeeth is to be found in it, and it is likewise reported by Aboo ‘Abdillaah al-Haakim in his Mustadrak, and it is likewise reported by the Imaam of the Sunnah, Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, rahimahullaah, in his tremendous book known as the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad.

So the hadeth is not a strange hadeeth, rather it is a well-known hadeeth, and was reported by the Imaams of the Sunnah in the early times, and with an authentic chain of narration.

So here I say, to conclude this talk, since perhaps some of you have questions, which we will answer if Allaah wills, so I will conclude it with his (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬saying “Allaah loves that His allowances be acted upon just as He loves that His prescribed duties be carried out,” and in one narration, “Just as He hates that disobedience to Him be committed.”

So there are two narrations, “Allaah loves that His allowances be acted upon just as He loves that His prescribed duties be carried out”, and the second narration is, ” as He hates that disobedience to Him be committed.”

So therefore the Muslim should not practice false piety, and (as a result) refrain from obeying the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) in that which he encouraged us upon and clarified to us.

The above is posted from : (Beautiful Talk) Sunnahs Neglected in Ramadaan– Imaam Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee rahimahullaah , Translated by Dawud Burbank rahimahullaah

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Shaikh al-Albaanee, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said,

“Allaah, the Exalted and Most High, says in the Noble Quraan:

‘O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become people having Taqwaa.’ [Sooratul-Baqarah (2): 183]

So in this Aayah, as will not be hidden to all those who are present, Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, informs the Ummah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) , through this Aayah, that He has made Fasting obligatory upon them just as He had made its like obligatory upon the nations before us. This is a matter that is well-known to all of the Muslims who read this Aayah, and clearly understand its meaning. But what I wish to speak about is something else, a matter which very few of the general people notice – and this is the saying of Allaah, the Exalted and Most High, at the end of this Aayah:

 ‘…So that you may become people having Taqwaa.’

So Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, when He commands His believing servants, or obligates them with some Legislation, (then He) usually just mentions the command, without explaining the wisdom behind it. This is because the general wisdom behind Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, placing duties upon His servants is that He should test them by it, so that it should become apparent (as to) those who will obey Him and those who will disobey Him, the Exalted and Most High.

However in this Aayah, He mentioned something that is not found frequently in the Noble Quraan, which is that He mentioned the reason for the order to Fast, by His Saying:

‘…So that you may become people having Taqwaa.’

So the wisdom behind the Believers’ fasting is not just that they should prevent themselves from enjoyable and permissible good things, even though this is an obligation upon the fasting person – but this is not the only thing that is required and intended by this Fasting. Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, concluded His command to fast by saying:

‘…So that you may become people having Taqwaa.’

Meaning: that the wisdom behind the prescription of Fasting is that the Muslim should increase in obedience to Allaah, the Exalted and Most High, in the month of Fasting, and become more obedient than he was before it.

Also the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬clearly stated and completely clarified this point of divine wisdom, by his (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬saying, as is reported in the Saheeh of al-Bukhaaree (no. 1903), that he (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬said,

“Whoever does not abandon falsehood in speech and action, then Allaah has no need that he should leave his food and drink.”

Meaning: that Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, did not intend and desire, by the obligation of Fasting – which is to withhold for a stated time, well known to you all – that they should only withhold from eating and drinking. Rather they should also withhold from that which Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, has forbidden with regard to sins and acts of disobedience to Him; and from that is falsehood in speech and action.

So the Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬is emphasizing the Aayah:

‘…So that you may become people having Taqwaa.’

i.e. that you should, as an act of worship to draw you closer to Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, in addition to withholding from food and drink, also withhold from forbidden actions such as backbiting, carrying tales to cause harm to people, false witness, lying and so on, with regard to those forbidden manners that we are all aware of.

Therefore it is obligatory that all the Muslims should be aware that actions, which disrupt the Fast, are not just the physical acts, which are generally known, which are eating, drinking and sexual intercourse. The Fast is not just that you withhold from this. Therefore some of the scholars differentiate, and divide those things which disrupt the Fast into two categories, and this is what I intend by this talk of mine at this time that is blessed, if Allaah wills.

This is especially important since those who deliver Khutbahs and admonish the people during Ramadaan, when they speak about those things which disrupt the Fast, then they only speak about the material things, those things that we have just mentioned – eating, drinking and sexual intercourse. But what they should do, as sincere advisers and people who give reminder to the Muslims in general, is to concentrate a great deal upon the second category of things which disrupt the Fast. This is because the people have become used to thinking that Fasting is just to refrain from the first category, to withhold from the material things. But there is another category of things, which disrupt the Fast, which we are able to call the non-material things that disrupt the Fast. So you have just heard his (صلى الله عليه و سلم) ‬saying, “Whoever does not abandon falsehood in speech and action, then Allaah has no need that he should leave his food and drink.”

Therefore every fasting person should examine himself and see: is he just withholding from the material things, or is he also withholding from those non-material things? Meaning: has he made his manners and behavior good when the blessed month of Ramadaan comes? If that is the case, then he has fulfilled the Saying of Allaah, the Exalted and Most High, at the end of the Aayah: ‘…So that you may become people having Taqwaa.’

But as for the one who restricts himself in his fasting to just withholding from food and drink, but who continues and persists upon the evil manners which he was upon previously, before Ramadaan, then this is not the Fasting that is desired and required from the wisdom behind the legislation of this noble month, which our Lord, the Mighty and Majestic indicates in His Saying:

‘…So that you may become people having Taqwaa.’

So therefore we advise and remind our brother Muslims that they should remember this other category of things, those that are non-material, which disrupt the Fast, and it is something which the admonishers and those who seek to direct the people to the correct way rarely speak about, not to mention the general people, who are not aware of this category of things which disrupt the fast, i.e., the non-material things.

This is what I wanted to remind our brothers who are present in this fine gathering about, if Allaah wills, so that it may be a cause for their increasing in acts of worship, seeking to draw closer to Allaah, the Exalted and Most High, in this blessed month, the month of Fasting, which is such that we hope that Allaah, the Exalted and Most High, will guide and grant us all the success of fulfilling the due right of this blessed month, which is that we withhold from both the material and the non-material things that disrupt the Fast.

The above is posted from : (Beautiful Talk) Sunnahs Neglected in Ramadaan– Imaam Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee rahimahullaah , Translated by Dawud Burbank rahimahullaah