Thank you so much for your articles, they are really interesting and beneficial.
My problem is that I'm feeling lonely, and I'm depending on Ramadan to make a change in my life. However, it seems that it won't work since I have kids and I work 7 hours a day. By the time the kids go to sleep I become exhausted. Tell me what to do!
Answer
Wa alaykum salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu, sister. Thank you for your kind comment.
You know, part of the answer is already in your question. Ramadan is a time when fasting helps us to appreciate the good things we have in life and draws us closer to Almighty Allah. He knows the secrets of our hearts and He knows what our hearts need.
The fact that you have children is surely one of the great blessings to be thanking Almighty Allah for in Ramadan. Just imagine how you would feel if they were not there or if something happened to them. This is the first point.
Why not try to say a little prayer with them (you don't say how old they are) or talk a little bit about Ramadan.
If your intention this Ramadan is that Almighty Allah will help you to make changes in your life, then surely He will reply - in ways in which He chooses.
Getting up early (even ten minutes early) before the children wake is a chance to speak to Almighty Allah. You can also make prayers and invocations throughout the day. Perhaps your lifestyle doesn't allow for great gesture at the moment, but your intention of fasting for the sake of Allah is surely what counts.
Inshallah, you will have a truly blessed Ramadan - you and your children.
Name
David
- United States
Profession
student
Question
I'm a new Muslim, I'm trying to understand the philosophy of fasting in Ramadan. This doesn't mean that I'm not going to fast, no, in shallah I'll fast, but there is something inside asks me "Why shall I fast for 30 days?"
Answer
Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu. Congratulations on being a new Muslim. Welcome.
The answer to why Muslims fast and why you will be fasting is really very simple: because Almighty Allah commands us to do so. What a beautiful reason. We fast to please Allah.
We read in the Holy Qur'an:
"Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you: that ye may learn self-restraint." (Al-Baqarah 2:183)
Allah tells us that the effect of the fast is to teach us to restrain our unruly bodies, not giving in to their every whim. This teaches us to put spiritual things first in our lives, becoming grateful for the least thing and thinking more of those who are less fortunate than us.
Inshallah, your fast will bring you great blessings.
Name
MA
-
Profession
Question
Sir, what does Ramadan mean to you?
Answer
Asalaamu alaykum. I have spent all of today in a school and, when school was finished, the students were telling me how excited they all are because Ramadan will start soon. I asked them what was the cause of their excitement and they listed different things: social time with family and friends, special foods and drinks, lanterns and decorations. All of them, though, said that Ramadan is also a time when they feel close to Allah.
For me, this is what Ramadan means. It is a time of thinking about Almighty Allah more than we usually do. It is a time when we can actually feel that we are doing something for Allah throughout the day. He wills us to fast and so that is what we do. When the fast is over each day it gives a wonderful feeling of having achieved something important and something really useful.
I think, because we are more tuned in to listen, we also hear what Allah is saying to us more clearly, perhaps, than at other times.
I pray each day that Allah will make me a better Muslim. Inshallah, Ramadan is a time for us to allow Allah even more into our lives.
Name
John
-
Profession
Question
As we still have 2 days left to Ramadan, how can we prepare ourselves for it?
Answer
Asalaamu alaykum. I think the best way is to carry on calmly being faithful to our prayers, perhaps reading a little more of the Holy Qur'an. There are some very good links here at islamonline which can give a little spiritual food before the fasdting begins.
Every day of our lives, Almighty Allah is callng us back to Him. Our hearts were made for Allah alone and yet we stray from Him, choosing other things to worship.
Ramnadan is one of those truly special times when we have a heightened awareness of the importance of Allah in our lives. Because we are fasting for His sake and doing extra prayers and extra reading of the Holy Qur'an, our hearts become more disposed to receive Almighty Allah.
Forget all the hype surrounding feasting and decorations and excitement. Ramadan is a chance to come back to Allah, to the One for whom we were made. Yes, Ramadan, inshallah, can make a difference.
Name
Selma
-
Profession
Question
What is special about Ramadan?
Answer
Asalaamu alaykum. As I was saying in the last answer, Ramadan is indeed special. It has been chosen by Almighty Allah of all the months of the year as a special time when we devote all our energies to Him.
We fast for His sake, because He has commanded us to do so. Fasting heps us to place our lives in the right context, denying the body what it wants, whenever it wants it, and thinking of others who have less than us.
Ramadan helps us to remember in our bodies that we belong to Allah and that we were made for Him. There are few other people in the world who are given such a chance to turn their lives around and dedicate themselves totally to their creator.
Name
me
-
Profession
Question
Salams. I'm a new Muslim. I don't know any Muslims near me and I live too far from a mosque to go there for Tarawih prayers. I don't read Qur'an in Arabic and I only know a few short surahs. How can I get the benefit from Ramadan? I feel that it won't be a very spiritual month for me, but I would like it to be.
Thank you.
Answer
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu. May Almighty Allah shower you with blessings this Ramadan and help you to be the best of Muslims.
Yours is a very good question because there are many people in the same siuation as you, being perhaps the only Muslim in their area.
First of all, I would suggest that you really try, as one of your Ramadan resolutions, to get to know other Muslims, either by travelling to visit a mosque to meet the Muslims there, or to find other Muslim companions on the internet.
You will not have all the natural supports that many living in Muslim lands do have, and often take for granted. Almighty Allah asks that you fast. That is thge requirement of Ramadan. All else is extra. If you cannot prayer Tarawiyah prayers in a mosque, you can pray at home at the same time as your muslim brothers and sisters around the world will be praying. If you do not know much Arabic, use the little you hacve to pray what verses from the holy Qur'an that you know.
Try to read the meaning of the Holy Qur'an in translation as much as possible. Try to increase your good deeds towards others. Make invocations and prayers to Allah during the day. Try to get up during the night and especially for the Fajr prayer.
You need not feel alone since there are millions of muslims who will be doing the same as you.
May this Ramnadan, inshallah, be very special for you.
Name
Corey
- Belgium
Profession
student
Question
I don't like to go to the masjid! Last year I have seen a bad experience at the masjid, and this prevents me from going to it. What can i do in Ramadan?
Answer
Asalaamu aslaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
We have no control over the events of the past, but we can play a part in shaping our own future, cooperating with Allah in His plans for us.
As a Muslim you will feel the blessing of visiting the mosque. It is the place where we encounter other Muslims and it is a place to pour out our hearts in humility and submission to Allah.
If you know other Muslims, perhaps choose one of them to go with you to a different mosque - not the one for which you have bad memories. In your prayers, beg Allah Almighty to help you to come to love the mosque. Beg Him to touch your heart this Ramadan and to make you feel His presence in your life. Whether you at first say them in the mosque or not, be faithful to the five daily prayers. In Ramadan be faithful to the fast.
If you are constant in these things, Almighty Allah will surely, inshallah, bless and reward you.
Name
Linda
- Austria
Profession
Question
This will be my first Ramadan, I heard from some Muslims that I have to break my fast with dates, and I'm allergic to dates.
My question is that if I didn't break my fast with dates, does this mean that I commited a sin?
Answer
Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
You do not have to break your fast with dates and so you will not be committing any sin. It is true that our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) used to break the fast of Ramadan by eating dates, and Muslims like to imitate what he did in this life. However, there is absolutely no compulsion to do so.
You are so lucky to be celebrating your first Ramadan. I hope that the fast draws you close to Allah and builds up your sense of being one with the millions of other Muslims throughout the world.
Name
Jacky
- Cyprus
Profession
Question
Hello.
I'm not a Muslim yet, but I'm willing to convert soon. Lately, I've been listening to a radio program, the speaker was talking about how Muslim men beat there wives, and he also mentioned that the Muslim men prevent the females in the family to go to the masjid in Ramadan! Is that correct?
Answer
Welcome to IslamOnline.net.
I, personally, don't know any men who beat their wives and it is against our beautiful religion for them to prevent their wives from praying. People do present such distotted images of Islam. It is up to Muslims, by the example of their own lives and their faithfulness to fasting and prayer, to give good example and to show non-Muslims what Islam is really like.
Name
Shaimaa
- Egypt
Profession
Medical student
Question
Alssalmu Alaykum wa rahmat Allah Wa Barkatu Mr.Idris happy to see this wonderful dialogue with you.
How can we represent our Islam to the other people and make them respect our religion specially after all offensive insults against Islam and our dear beloved Prophet Muhammad tell us how can we show them our beautiful Islam?
Answer
Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
Islam has nothing to be ashamed of. Islam has the answers to the deepest needs in men's hearts. It has existed since the beginning of time and it is the natural religion of mankind. Some Muslims act in a way which brings others to regard it with suspicion and fear, but islam itself does not need the approval of anyone.
In a similar way, there are many who would say bad things about our religion and try to make our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) seem less than the kind and gentle man, the best of men, to have lived.
I firmly believe that we can teach others about Islam by the way we behave. Especially in Ramadan we have a chance to show others what islam is like. Moaning an complaining that we are hungry or thirsty will not draw the respect and the admiration of others. Cheerfully going about our business whilst we are fasting will teach others how sweet our religion is and how happy and privileged we feel to be called to be Muslims.
Name
Shaimaa
- Egypt
Profession
Medical student
Question
Alsslamu Alikum wa rahmat Allah wa barkatuh
Mr. Idris how can we manage our time in Ramadan specially we have to study in this blessed month and we want to benefit form this blessed month as possible to be more close from our Allah please give us an advice.
wassallam.
Answer
Wa alaykum salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.
The five daily prayers give a routine to our lives. In Ramadan we also have extra prayers in the evening, which we can attend if we are able to.
It is very important to carry on with all of our normal duties in life during Ramadan. Staying up late at night during Ramadan is not an excuse for going late to work or not doing our work properly. If we are students we have a duty to study to the best of our ability.
Inshallah, Allah will help us to use the routines of Islam to lead us closer to Him. The prayers fit in well with our work and our studies, providing a natural break for us to re-dedicate our time to Allah.
We should eat sensibly, taking sahur and eating well but not too much in the evening. Ramadan has a way of calming our bodies down so that our hearts are more disposed to listen to what our Maker is telling us.
We can also spend more time in doing good deeds and helping those in life for whom fasting is not a luxury but a daily necessity.
May Allah make your Ramadan full of blessings.
Name
Wansbrough
-
Profession
Question
Why do you Muslims care a lot about seeing the moon?
Answer
Welcome to Islamonline.net.
Muslims care nothing about seeing the moon, in itself. The Muslim calendar is a lunar one, unlike the Western calendar which depends on the sun for times and seasons. Sighting the moon is important simply because it heralds the start of every new month. Sighting the new moon for Ramadan is especially important because it begins the blessed month when Muslims try to turn with all their hearts once more to Allah.
As a new Muslim, tell us about your first Ramadan?
Answer
Asalaamu alaykum.
Before I embraced Islam I worked in a school in London. Almighty Allah used the pupils in the school to call me to Islam. During Ramadan the pupils asked if they could pray in my classroom. I watched and listened to their prayers. I even fasted with them out of solidarity.
When it came to my first Ramadan as a Muslim I worked in the same school. To celebrate the night of Laylat -ul-Qadr, when our beloved Prophet received the first revelation of the holy Qur'an. we all stayed behind after school for a celebration. First, we watched s film of the Prophet (peace be upon him) together. After this we prayed Maghrib prayer together. It was so beautiful that it seemed as though angels had joined us to pray. After the prayers we had an iftar party. Each one had brought something to share.
This first Ramadan was truly special. It was a deeply spiritual occasion and it reminded us all of the brotherhood of Muslims. It is a Ramadan I will never forget.
