Six Fasts In The Month Of Shawwal
It is commendable to keep six fasts in the month of Shawwal. The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has said:
Whoever completes fasts of Ramadan then adds to them the fast of six days in the month of Shawwal, it will carry the thawab of fasting for the whole year. (Sahih Muslim)
This hadith had described the great thawab of six fasts of this month. Therefore, the Muslims should take this opportunity of acquiring such an enormous reward from Allah. It is more preferable to start these fasts from the 2nd of Shawwal and keep fasting up to the 7th of it. However, if, they are kept in other days, it is hoped that the requirement of the above hadith may also be fulfilled.
The True Essence Of Eid al-Fitr
In this day and age, many people eagerly await the end of Ramadan and the coming of Eid al-Fitr to gain their ‘freedom’ in order to go back to committing sin and disobeying Almighty Allah . Many people start on the day of Eid itself and engage in shameful and reprehensible behavior in the name of celebration. We should remember that celebration does not mean committing sin, but rather it involves remembering Allah Ta’ala and being grateful to Allah Ta’ala for showering His Mercy and Bounties upon us. Let us look at the true essence and significance of Eid-ul-Fitr, and the way in which those pious servants close to Almighty Allah celebrated Eid.
Eid is a day of celebration for Muslims, a day of happiness. On this day, Muslims perform two rakaats of prayer, meet one another, shake hands and embrace and give charity to the poor and needy. Islam teaches protecting the poor, helping the helpless, and easing the pain and sufferings of orphans and the meek at every turn, and they should not be forgotten, especially on the day of Eid. That is why Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) ordered us to pay the Sadqa-e-Fitr before performing the Eid Salaah so that Muslims remember their poor brothers on this occasion and include them in their happiness.
It is reported on the authority of Hadrat Anas (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) that when Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) came to Madina Shareef, the people of Madina would celebrate two festivals. They were asked what these days were and they replied, “We used to celebrate on these days in the days of ignorance.” Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “Allah Ta’ala has granted you two better days than these days; Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.”
Regarding Eid-ul-Fitr, Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) once said, “When the month of Ramadan is over, and the night of Eid-ul-Fitr has arrived, that night is called the Night of Prize. Then, in the early morning of Eid-ul-Fitr Allah Ta’ala will send His angels forth to visit all the towns and cities on the earth below. Once they have made their descent, they will position themselves at the entrances to all the streets and alleys. There, in a voice that is audible to every being created by Allah Ta’ala, apart from the jinn and humankind, they will issue a proclamation saying, “O Community of Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), come forth into the presence of a Noble and Generous Lord, who will grant you gifts in abundance and forgive your terrible sin!” Then when the believers have emerged and presented themselves at their place of prayer, Allah Ta’ala will say to His angels, “O My angels, what is the recompense of the hired laborer, once he has done his job?” The angels will reply, “Our Lord and our Master, You will pay him his wages in full!” So Allah Ta’ala will say, “I now call upon you to bear witness, O My angels, that I have conferred My acceptance and My forgiveness as the reward for their fasting and night vigil during the month of Ramadan.” Allah Ta’ala will then say, “O My servants put your requests to Me now, for this I swear by My Might and My Majesty, you will not ask Me this day, in this gathering of yours for anything connected with your life hereafter, without My granting it to you; nor for anything connected with your life in this lower world, without My attending to your need. By My Might and My Majesty, I will not put you to shame, nor will I expose you to disgrace amongst those who are faithfully committed to observing the laws (of Shariah). Now you may depart, knowing that you have been forgiven. You have won My approval, and I am well pleased with you.”” [Ghunyalit Taalibi Tareeqal Haq, Vol. 3]
SubHan ALLAH! How Merciful is our Rabb, even though we are such wretched sinners.
How Kind is Allah!
There lived an idolator in the past who made an idol out of stone and would worship it everyday. He would call it upon it by saying “Ya Sanam.” For seventy years, he worshiped this idol. One day by mistake he uttered “Ya Samad” instead of Ya Sanam. Samad is a name of Allah which means The Self Sufficient Master. Allah Ta’ala immediately replied back to this idolator by saying “I am present oh My slave.” The angels asked Allah why He replied to him since he didn’t even call upon Him intentionally. Allah told the angels that for seventy years I have been waiting for this servant of mine to turn towards Me!
If a mother has only one child then how much would she love him? He would be the coolness of her eyes and the comfort of her heart. But if this son calls her saying “Mommy” more than four or five times, she would get irritated even though she loves him more than her own self. On the other hand, when we call Allah once, He replies back to us 70 times by saying “Labbaik Ya Abdi (I am here oh My slave).” How unfortunate we are that we have not recognized our Allah who is so Kind, Merciful and Forgiving.
Faizan-e-Eid
Sunnah Of The Eid
Bathing, perfume and best clothes
Naaf’i reports: “Abdullah Ibn Umar used to bathe on the day of Fitr before setting out to the Musallaa.” (Malik (1/177), Ash-Shaafi’ee (73) and Abdur-Razzaaq (5754) and it has an authentic chain of narration)
Imam Ibn Qudamah said, “It is preferred to purify oneself by bathing for Eid. Ibn Umar used to bathe on the day of Fitr. This is also reported upon Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and it is the opinion of ‘Urwah, ‘Ataa, An-Nakhaa’ee, Ash-Sha’bee, Qatadah Abu Zinaad Malik, Ash-Shaafi’ee and Ibn Mundhir…” (Al-Mughnee, 2/370)
Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “He (peace be upon him) would wear his best clothes when proceeding to the two Eids and the day of jum ‘ah.” (Zaad-ul-Ma’aad, 1/441)
Eating before prayer
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The Messenger of Allah would not set out in the morning of Eid-Al-Fitr until he had eaten some dates.” (Bukhari)
Imam Al-Muhallab said: “The wisdom behind eating before the Eid prayer is so that no person doubts that fasting remains until after the prayer. So it is as if he (peace be upon him) wanted to stop this from occurring.” (Fath-ul-Bari, 2/447)
Takbeer in the Eids
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to emerge on the day of Eid-Al-Fitr and say the Takbeer up until he reached the Musallaa and up until he had performed the prayer. So when he had performed the prayer he stopped saying the Takbeer. (Silsilatul Ahadeeth As-Saheehah, 170)
The scholar of Hadeeth Al-Albani said, “This Hadeeth contains evidence of saying the Takbeer aloud on the way to the Musallaa; even though many Muslims have become negligent of this Sunnah to such an extent that it has nearly become a “thing of the past”.
Ibn Mas’ud used to say:
“Allahu-Akbar. Allahu-Akbar. Laa ilaaha illallah. Wa-Allahu Akbar. Allahu-Akbaar. Wa lillaahil-Hamd”
(Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest. There is none who has the right to be worshipped except Allah. Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest and to Allah belongs all praise.)
Salmaan Al-Khair (may Allah Pleased with him): “Make takbeer of Allah: Say:
Allahu-Akbar Allahu-Akbar Allahu-Akbar kabeera (Baihaqee)
Different route to and fro the Musallaa
Jabir Bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “When it was the day of Eid the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to alter his route (of returning).” (Bukhari)
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawzeeyah said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to change his route on the days of Eid, such that he went by one route and returned by another. According to the most correct opinion, he did this to make manifest the rituals of Islam.” (Zaad-ul-Ma’aad, 1/449)
Praying Eid Musallaa
Aboo Sa’eed Al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on the days of Eid-Al-Fitr and ‘Adhaa, used to go out to the Musallaa and the first thing that he would begin with was the prayer…” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The aim of the prayer in the Musallaa is to gather the great majority of Muslims in one place.
Greeting
The companions when they met each other on Eid would say:
“Taqabbala Allaaha minnaa wa minkum”
May Allah accept it (the worship) from you and us. (Fath Al-Bari)
Let’s Remember On Eid
As we wear new clothes and go to the prayer place of Eid …
As we go to meet our dear ones …
As we exchange congratulations and good wishes …
As we have delicious sweets …
As we give our children Eid gifts …
As we grin from ear to ear …
As we feel overjoyed on this day … We should remember:
That Allah’s favor on us requires continuous gratitude in order to last, for Allah Almighty says: “And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: If you give thanks, I will give you more; but if you are thankless, My punishment is severe.” (14:7).
That it is our duty to be moderate in everything, for Allah has prohibited us from wastefulness in his Noble Book saying: “O Children of Adam! Take your adornment while praying, and eat and drink, but waste not by extravagance, certainly He likes not Al-Musrifun.” (7:31).
That millions of our Muslim brothers and sisters in different areas of the earth are deprived of the graces we enjoy.
That there are millions of Muslim or phans who do not find enough food, drink, or clothes.
The distressed, grieving widows.
The Muslim mujahideen who anticipate their reward from Allah.
The captives in the prisons of our enemies in occupied territories.
The defenders of Muslim lands in Palestine, Iraq , Afghanistan and Chechnya .
The banner of Jihad, which needs those who will raise it, Allah willing.
Our duties to our Lord Almighty that we must support this religion and elevate the banner of Islam.
The aim for which we we re created by Allah Almighty, Who says: “And I created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me [Alone].” (51:56).
The effective weapon the Lord Almighty granted us, with which we can shield ourselves day and night, the weapon of supplication. (Ghafir 40:60).
That it is our duty to support our religion and our Muslim brothers and sisters as much as we can at every time and every place.
That our enemies spare no effort to support their causes, and that we must exert more efforts in supporting our causes.
Fasting and Backbiting
Abu Ubaidah (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) reports: “I have heard RasuluLlah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) saying: “Fasting is a protective Shield for Man, as long as he does not tear up that protection’
Once somebody inquired from Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam), “What causes the fast to be rent[destroyed]?” He replied: ‘Telling lies and backbiting.’
During the time of our Nabi (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam), two women were fasting and suffered the pangs of hunger to such an extent that the fast became unbearable and both were on the point of death. The “Sahaaba” brought this to the notice of our Nabi (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam), who sent a bowl commanding them to vomit into it. When they both vomitted in the bowl, pieces of meat and fresh blood were found in it. The “Sahaaba” were greatly surprised, upon which our Nabi (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said: “They fasted with ‘Halaal’ food from Allah, but partook of ‘Haraam’ food by backbiting other people.”
Once the Prophet, (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam), on seeing some people, asked them to pick their teeth. They said that they had not tasted any meat that day, on which the Prophet (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, “So and so’s flesh is sticking to your teeth.” It transpired that they had been backbiting. May Allah keep us safe from this evil, because we are very neglectful of this warning. All are guilty of this; not to speak of the common man, even the people of importance indulge in it, even the religious people in their gatherings do not avoid backbiting. Worst of all is the fact that we do not even realize what backbiting is; even when we suspect ourselves of this, we try to cover it up as narration of some event.
One of the ‘Sahaaba’ inquired from Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) “What is backbiting?” Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) replied: “To mention something about your brother behind his back, which he would resent.” The ‘Sahaabi’ then said: “And is it still backbiting if the thing mentioned about him is really true?” Our Nabi (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said: ‘In that case (if that which was mentioned is really true) it is precisely backbiting; but if what is mentioned is false, then you have in fact slandered him.”
Once our Nabi (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) passed by two graves. He said: “On both the inmates of these graves, punishment is being inflicted in the grave. One is being punished because of backbiting, the other because of not having taken precautions (to stay clean) when passing urine. Rasulullah ((Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) also said: “There are more than seventy degrees of evil in (Usury) interest. The lowest form of it is comparable to committing incest with own mother; and taking one ‘Dirham’ of interest is a worse evil than having fornicated thirty five times. The worst and most evil degree of taking interest is the slandering of a Muslim.”
It is equally unlawful to listen to anything that should not be said. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) has said, ‘In backbiting, both the backbiter and the one who listens to it are equal partners in sin.’
‘What ailment is there O Allah that is not in me,
Heal me from every illness and grant me my needs
Verily I have a heart that is sick
Verily you are the Healer of the sick’
Surah Ikhlas Aur Wahdaniyat
No It’s Not Feasting, It’s Fasting
HOW often have we seen it? A beautiful table laid with all the exotic foods you can think of. Dates of a thousand kind, drinks that have been concocted from fruits you’ve never heard of. Well, this is all too common when people are invited to open their fast in the holy month of Ramadan.
I clearly remember attending one such occasion and was amazed by the plethora of foods visible on the table. I thought to myself “how many people have they invited?” The dates alone would have been enough to feed an army. As I sat and observed the people, I just couldn’t understand how this food would be finished. As the call to prayer was announced, we opened our fast. The concentration was intense – ‘Try this one’, ‘what about that one’, were the reoccurring words as plates were placed in front of me. As we ate I looked up at the clock and thought we should go to the mosque, but the food kept on coming. We were like overstuffed balloons on the verge of bursting when we went for prayer after opening the fast. Upon returning, it was really amazing that I was even expected to eat dinner.
It’s these kind of situations that we need to take care of because fasting is all about abstaining from food and not indulging in it. Some people eat so much food at dawn they are not at all hungry during the day. This defeats the whole objective of fasting, as we should experience the hunger felt by so many around the world and be thankful to Allah for what we have.
Feeding people is a virtuous act that leads to reward, but how many times have we invited the poor to come and eat with us? They too fast and we should spare a thought for the poor and needy as they are rarely invited to open their fasts with people. They shouldn’t be forgotten in this great month. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting will have a reward like the fasting person, without detracting from the fasting person’s reward in the slightest.” – Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah – classed as saheeh by Al-Albani
If we look at the life of our noble Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) we see that he would break his fast with fresh dates. If none were available, he would have old dates. If no dates were available then he would just drink some mouthfuls of water. We should keep this in mind and try our level best to follow the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him).