The Blessed Month of Fasting - Time to purify and train body and soul

[admin]

A quick and easy summary on the meaning, purpose
and benefits of fasting in Islam.
 
      The month of Ramadan is around. We are happy to present information on
Ramadan which, we hope, will prove to be useful source of knowledge for you.
      This, we expect, would help you to explore more about Ramadan, appreciate
the significance of this blessed month

It is obligatory on Muslims to fast in this month

To stop eating, drinking and sexual activity from dawn until dusk

The People who are exempted from fasting are ..

“… but whoever is sick or upon a journey, then (he shall fast)
a (like) number of other days; Allah desires ease for you,
and He does not desire for you difficulty, and (He desires)
that you should complete the number and that you
should exalt the greatness of Allah for His having guided you
and that you may give thanks.” -Quran- 2:185

Why fasting?

The goal of fasting is to develop self-restraint.

Holy Quran states: “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, so that you may develop Taqwa (self-restraint) ” [2:183]

What is Taqwa?

Taqwa is an Arabic word. It is the state of heart that motivates virtuous conduct and prevents evil action.

Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
address on the eve of Ramadan:

People, a great blessed month has come upon you.

Allah has made fasting during it an obligation, and steadfastly observing its nights in worship a voluntary act.

Whoever undertakes an act of obedience to Allah during this month with a righteous deed, it is as if he has performed an obligatory act at other times,

and whoever performs an obligatory act during it is as one who performed seventy obligations at other times.

It is the month of patience, and the reward for patience is Paradise.

It is the month of goodwill, during which provisions are multiplied.

CAUTION

Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

"  Allah has no need for the hunger and the thirst of the person who does not restrain from telling lies and acting on them even while observing fast.”

“  When one of you is fasting, He should abstain from indecent acts and unnecessary talk, and if someone begins an obscene conversation or tries to pick an argument, he should simply tell him, ‘I am fasting.’”

[Ashid shah]

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar, is considered as one of the holiest months of the year. It was in 610 A.D. when the prophet Muhammad was said to have received revelations from God that later became Islam�s holy book, the Quran (Koran).

The Quran (2:185) states that it was in the month of Ramadan that the Quran was revealed. In fact, Ramadan commemorates that part, of the Muslim year, when "the Qur'an was sent down as a guidance for the people" and also for the " judgment between the right and wrong". Another verse of the Quran (97:1) states that it was revealed "on the night of determination," which Muslims generally observe on the night of 26-27 Ramadan.

The holy season begins with the sighting of the crescent moon on the evening following the new moon and lasts for 29 or 30 days depending on the lunar cycle. According to the Quran, Muslims must see the New Moon with the naked eye before they can begin their fast. The practice has arisen that two witnesses should testify to this before a qadi (judge), who, if satisfied, communicates the news to the mufti (the interpreter of Muslim law), who orders the beginning of the fast. It has become usual for Middle Eastern Arab countries to accept, with reservations, the verdict of Cairo. Should the New Moon prove to be invisible, then the month Sha'ban, immediately preceding Ramadan, will be reckoned as 30 days in length, and the fast will begin on the day following the last day of this month. Ramadan, the ninth month, is observed throughout the Muslim world as a month of fasting. The end of the fast follows the same procedure. By fasting, Muslims believe they can learn the discipline and self-restraint that Mohammed preached. Thus fasting is taken as a form of worship and a time of empowerment.

Even though from dawn to sunset, Muslims abstain from food, drink and all sensual pleasures, that doesn�t mean food is entirely out of the picture. Two main meals are taken each day during Ramadan. The souhoor begins each day before dawn and the aftar breaks the fast after sunset. At the sundown each day the fast is broken with the dates and water or the apricot drink. Mostly this is followed by a traditional soup like lentil and a salad like 'fattoushi'. However, the main meal can be anything. There are no restrictions, olives, cheeses, meats, everything just goes. Every family has its traditional dishes to enjoy. Also sweets are also an important part of Ramadan food. Usually ladies at home prepare the special Ramadan dishes for the evening meal. Many go out to give the women a break. Visits are exchanged for a community get together and feasts within their own faith. But it is not prudent to indulge in eating too much while after the fast. Because the stomach shrinks during this fast. In fact, the fast loses its meaning with an indulgence.

[Ashid shah]

For Ramadan Quiz
 Please logon
http://www.theholidayspot.com/ramadan/quiz.htm

[Ashid shah]

Ramadan Greeting Cards

Ramadan is the holiest month on the Muslim calendar, a time when Muslims fast through the day for a whole month. Strengthen your feelings for the universal brotherhood, send Ramadan greeting cards to all your Muslim friends and relatives. Exquisitely catching the mood of the observance, these Ramadan cards will convey your wishes perfectly. We also have a iftaar card of you to send. So scroll below, choose your card, and click on it to send it. All cards are free, send as many as you want.


Pls click here for Ramadan greetings

http://www.theholidayspot.com/ramadan/greeting_cards/

[Salahvt]

The Quran says about Fasting

[Azam]

How can i ADD pics here....

[Salahvt]

http://forum.msmkerala.org/smf/index.php?action=help;page=post#attachments

[Azam]

[Azam]

HAi IT woks.. sukran bhai

[Ashid shah]

Fasting is an ancient and universal practice. The Romans, the Babylonians, the Cynic, Stoic, Pythagorean and Neo-Platonist philosophers commended fasting. The followers of Hinduism, Jainism, Confucianism, and Zoroastrianism practice it. The Jews observe an annual fasting on the day of atonement in commemoration of the descent of Moses from Sinai after spending forty days of fasting in order to be able to recieve revelation. Jesus observed fasting for forty days in the desert and commanded his followers to fast. In brief, the practice of fasting has been common in one form or the other in all human societies.
 Before the advent of Islam, fasting was reported to by way of repentance or penance, or as a mark of mourning, or to celebrate some particular occasion, or to ward off an please a deity or to put pressue to achieve a certain desire end. The form of fasting also differed. For example, Jews ate only once in twentyfour hour. Among Hindus, the restriction applies only to cereal wheareas eating of fruits or taking of liquids during fasting is not prohibited. In fact, in ancient faiths and creeds, the objects of fasting were very limited, the intention generally being self-mortification, asceticism, or the satisfation of some of some superstitious urge.
  Originally, in Arabic the word 'as-Sawm' (Sawm) meant 'al-Imsak', that is, to abstain totally from any act including eating, drinking, walking, speaking, etc. Thus, the Arabs used to refer to a horse refusing to run or to be fed, as 'Saum', that is, fasting. As is clear, the word 'Sawm' is ancient and was used in a different context by the Arabs before Islam. Then, however it did not have the specific meaning given to it by Islam as a term denoted a certain religious obligation. As an Islamic term, it means to refrain intentionally from what breaks fasting.
  To a Muslim, Ramadan fasting is not just refraining from eating and drinking but carries the added significance of worship, psychological comfort, morality and legislation. It is neither the irration motionless 'Imsak' of pre-Islamic Arabs nor the mere abstaining from eating and drinking, but is, in fact, the building of one's character, control over desires and an inspiration towards social and scientific creativity.
  God has commanded this sanctified duty and enjoined it on the Muslims, as He had enjoined it on the believing nations before. He assigned the blessed month, the month of Ramadan, for every adult and healthy Muslim as a period of fasting. This sacred ordinance was prescribed by God, for all believers and revealed in the preceding month of Shaaban, nearly a year and a half after the Hijra (the Prophet's auspicious migration from Mecca to Medina [in 622 BC] which marks the start of the Islamic calender).
 Gradually, God revealed numerous other verses about the month of Ramadan and the rules of fasting. In light of these divine injunctions, the Prophet (S.A.W.) expounded the merits of fasting, its significance, regulation, effects, benefits and great reward. Hence, fasting is one of the pillars of Islam and a religious duly for all those who believe in monotheism, and consequently, whoever denies it is an unbeliever.
  It is an apparent sign of obedience, submission and servitude to God, the Exalted. By fasting, a Muslim expresses his submission to Allah's command, his response to His will, and control over his own desires and wishes at the God's behest.
  In the holy month of Ramadan, a Muslim's abstaining from food, drink, sexual intercourse, etc., during the prescribed  hours is the very manifestation of obedience to the Creator's will. This self-deprivation represents a state of self-control and of overcoming carnal pleasure, desire, and enjoyment, for the blissful love of God, His proximity, and the eagerness to desires. It is a triumph of pristine love over one's pleasures for the eternal ones promised by God, the Almighty. This response to the Divine commandments represents and incarnates true servitude and is a brilliant display of spirit, intellect and decisive willpower.
  In a moving speech, the Prophet of Allah described the believing soul that fasts for love of Allah out of truthfulness and sincerity, and thus the whole day becomes an alter of worship, and each and every activity of the fasting body, provided it abstains from loathsome acts, is nothing but worship embodied.
  A fasting person is in a state of worship, even when (asleep) in bed, except when he back bites another Muslim.

[Ashid shah]

The Objectives of Ramadan Fasting:

a) To get rid of bad habits: Ramadan fasting demands the strict and solid resolution to submit oneself to a special diet which, often corrects habits, harmful to the health, that we may get into, during the running years, thus to comply with a severely regulated died and some bad habits, as a self-willed sacrifice. This is why we notice that the Holy Quran mentions patience, tolerance, will, and preserverance as being synonyms of fasting.
b) To suffer hunger thus feel the difficult life of the poor: This endurance provokes in ourselves the feeling of association with their sorrow and deprivation. This feeling, so humane and compassionate, is much more expressive than a whole series of well-prepared speeches or well-organized public demonstrations. The rich people who never experience deprivation, discover, through fasting, the hardship imposed on needy people. Them, their hearts become more tractable, and their hands, will exercise generosity and charity towards the needy.
c) To appreciate God's beyond measure donations: The daylight is never enough estimated unless we endure the night darkness. Also we cannot know the real value of happiness until we lose it. So many other leisure's we used to enjoy before fasting. Them, we effectively evaluate the life comforts Mighty God has gifted us with.
d) To discover the sanitary advantages: Dr. Alexis Karlil, in his book... says: The exaggerated variety of our meals, their dyesri quantities and assortments, make the alimentary regulating in the human life become ineffective. With the legislation of Fasting by all religions the humanity has known to attract notice to thousands, even million of human being who never know satiety. Moreover, fasting activates the blood circulation and purifies heart and soul. Besides the modes medicine has proved that fasting is a remedy for diseases that affect the man of this century because of over eating and the variety of banned food. In this case fasting is as being a treatment, and even a preventive at the same time.
e) Recalling of evident return to God: In fact, Ramadan fasting is a stage where the human being is the closest to God. The fasting period, Ramadan is a time when one submit to spiritual and social changes.
f) One acquires loyalty, honesty and sincerity to God, by fasting: Ramadan fasting is a confidential act which occurs between the human being and his Creator. This act must be impregnated with full sincerity and the deepest loyalty. Now in case fasting loses its honesty, it becomes a hypocrisy.
g) Regulation habit: By Ramadan fasting, we acquire the habit of punctuality. We breakfast at fixed time, and we abstain from eating and drinking at a strict and special time. Moreover, becoming accustomed to regulations leads to the respect of time, of word and promise, and so one becomes trustworthy, well estimated, able to carry out one's responsibilities, and to fulfill one's social duties.
h) Spreading assistance and mutual help in the society: Ramadan fasting inspires love and tightens links among the family members who live the whole fasting period in the same routine which approaches them to God. Habits change automatically during the period, and the family members meet in the evenings to say prayers appropriated to this holy occasion. The mogals and fruitful consequences of fasting extend to the vast society, where collaboration between its members, and decent behaviour are demonstrated. Charity and mutual help occupy a remarkable place, and brotherhood and equality triumph, which that is, the most human acts and the holiest purpose of the fasting.

[Ashid shah]

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmathullah...
Again Ahlan ramadan, the holy month...prepare for the holy month