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Session Details
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| Guest Name |
Dr. Muhammad Abu Laylah
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Professor of the Islamic Studies & Comparative Religions at Al-Azhar Univ.
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| Subject |
Fatwas of the Last Third of Ramadan
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| Date |
Monday,Nov 25 ,2002
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Time |
Makkah
From...
15:25...To...
17:00
GMT
From... 12:25...To...14:00
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Host
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| Answer |
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, the session has already started. You can submit your questions. Please, make your questions short and clear so as to help us answer all your questions.
Yours,
Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
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| Name |
khalid
- Netherlands
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student
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| Question |
Can you give me advice to strengthen me in these last days of Ramadan. Tell me about the importance of taqwa, iman, and tell me about the pain we will feel when we are about to die?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear Khalid,
"Fasting in Ramadan is the best means to purify our souls and to set our thinking right. Fasting strengthens not only our bodies but also our spirits. The purpose of fasting as Allah says in the Qur'an is to establish taqwa firmly in the heart. Allah Almighty says, "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that ye may ward off evil)" (Al-Baqarah: 183)
Taqwa (piety being conscious of Allah is an all-embracing concept. The Arabic noun taqwa is derived from the Arabic verb "ittaqa" i.e. took a shelter or protected himself by any means. The verb taqawwa means strengthening him/her self or getting more powerful or draw a force from a spiritual or materialistic source.
As you can see taqwa means protection and power, to have taqwa in heart means to be strong in body and spirit and to be able to resist the temptation of evil and human lusts. Thus the impious person has nor resistance or power to protect himself.
That is why he can easily be overcome by evil and can easily follow his whims and personal longing which at last can lead him to destruction and put him in agony. The taqwa which is as we said the purpose and the fruit of fasting is wide in its sense. It impresses every thing that can harm or benefit man.
As you know Ramadan is the month of the intensive `ibadah. We worship Allah in Ramadan by bodies, spirits, hearts, souls and minds. Abstaining from food and drink and beverages are not enough to have your fast complete.
Fasting is a good behavior and straightforwardness in everything. We should fast against idle talk, bad feelings towards other, backbiting, insult, accusation and any harm that can touch any Muslim or human fellow. Even if someone insults or provokes a fasting person and totally extorted him what the fasting person should do is to run away and seek safety in taking refuge with Allah not to answer or exchange abusive words or aggressive behavior otherwise his fasting will be fruitless. If we are commanded not to do evil this means that we should do good deeds and works instead. This is because fasting teaches us how to self-conscious and self-disciplined and be aware that we are in a direct relationship with Allah. Fasting is the core and most important act among all acts of worship.
Every day of Ramadan is honored by Allah and the Prophet because the Qur'an which is called by Allah as spirit, guidance, light, and source of laws was revealed in this month to our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
But the last ten days have special place in Islam because among them comes the night of qadr. The Prophet said about this majestic night "Any Muslim who stands in prayer during the night of qadr out of Faith and sincerity his/her previous sins shall be forgiven."
The Prophet used to enter i`tikaf in these last ten days and so his wives. I`tikaf generally means to be holy with Allah, to stay in the mosque or any place you choose for yourself and spend your time in prayer, reading Qur'an, making dhikr, glorification of Allah. This definitely will help you to develop a better sense of taqwa and shake off your sins, worries and anxieties. May Allah help and guide you!"
You can also read:
Recommended Acts of Worship in Laylatul-Qadr
Seizing the Opportunity of the Last Third of Ramadan
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Muslim
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| Question |
What is the significance of i`tikaf in Islam? Why should Muslims retreat in the mosque for ten days? Is not this bad for the production in Islam?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear brother, i`tikaf is a Sunnah and according to many jurists it is confirmed Sunnah upon able Muslims. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do it all his life and the mothers of believers continued to do it after the death of the Prophet.
The Prophet even before he received the revelation used to retreat in the cave of Hiraa' in Makkah every Ramadan to spend a number of days and nights in this cave praying in the same way as the Prophets of Allah were praying, contemplating and thinking about Allah and His creation.
As a Muslim you know that in this cave the Prophet saw Gabriel, talked to him and heard the first verses of the Qur'an from him. Why should we do i`tikaf then one may ask. The simple and direct answer to this hypothetical questions is that we do following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). But to explain this to you and any interested Muslim or non-Muslim we say that i`tikaf is mentioned in the Qur'an and is the context of the mosque and as fasting was prescribed to the preceding nations. I`tikaf also was practiced by these nations. Allah says in the Qur'an: " Lo! those who disbelieve and bar (men) from the way of Allah and from the Inviolable Place of Worship, which We have appointed for mankind together, the dweller therein and the nomad; whosoever seeketh wrongful partiality therein, him We shall cause to taste a painful doom." (Al-Hajj: 25)
As you know in many religions it is doctrinally and spiritually required that the monks and herms should isolate themselves from people and live in cells and monasteries all their life. Allah says: " Then We caused Our messengers to follow in their footsteps; and We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow, and gave him the Gospel, and placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him. But monasticism they invented. We ordained it not for them. Only seeking Allah's pleasure, and they observed it not with right observance. So We give those of them who believe their reward, but many of them are evil livers." (Al-Hadid: 27)
But in Islam as you know it is just ten days that should be spent in i`tikaf according to the persons circumstances as well.
I`tikaf may seem as a negative act but if you think about it deeply and if it is done perfectly it is a positive and hygienic act. Staying in the mosque for ten days spending time in worship, reading Qur'an, positive thinking of Allah and His creation charges our spirits and empowers our bodies and thinking and teaches us how to be self-disciplined and have full control over ourselves.
How to measure out the real value of life and to make sure that we are on the right track, to shake off the dust of sins of our souls, to enrich and deepen our spiritual sense, to sharpen our vision, to look forward towards Life After before it is eminent for us. I`tikaf does not mean to be negative to perform your duties in life or to run away from people and live by your own. This is not in any sense the aims of i`tikaf.
As you know not all Muslims should do i`tikaf but some of them and it should be inside the mosque so you are still with Muslims not away from them. You have a spiritual and hygienic environment around yourself, you are not isolated or neglected. If i`tikaf can affect your living standard or affect the work in general or harm the society in any way it is not obligatory to do it in this case.
In our daily routine, we should have a vacation or holidays some spend his holiday in traveling abroad near to the see coast in a nightclub and places of amusement and in this way may spend lots of money just to feel happy. I`tikaf can provide you with great happiness, tranquility, stability in mind and soul with hardly little cost."
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
ayman
- Malaysia
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medical student
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As-Salamu `Alaykum. I just want to ask about tradition of the Malay Muslims who lit up candles and lights on the 27th night of Ramadan, as part of Malay tradition. Is it permissible to celebrate that particular night with such way?
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
"Thank you for informing us about something interesting in Malay tradition. We are commanded by the Prophet to celebrate and commemorate the night of `qadr (Power and distinction) by fasting in the daytime and praying in the night time.
We are commanded to pray tarawih every night of Ramadan but in this particular night we are commanded to offer more and more prayers and acts of charity and purity.
The celebration of this night as we said is through prayer, reading the Qur'an, making dhikr, sharing food together, conducting lessons on Islamic issues related to Ramadan and making du`a for oneself and for the whole Ummah allover the world.
The Malay tradition cannot be sanctioned from the Shari`ah point of view. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never lit candles in this night nor the Sahabah or Tabi`een, and a part from Malay tradition we have never heard of this practice before. It is a non-Muslim practice that should be kept away from the celebration of the night of qadr in which the Qur'an was revealed and the angels descended to earth and the peace prevailed. Allah says: "Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Power. Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Night of Power is! The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees. (That night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn." (Al-Qadr: 1-5)"
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Faruqi
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What are the duties of Muslims in the last Third of Ramadan?
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In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
"The last third of Ramadan is the time for the release from Hell-fire as the Prophet said in the Hadith reported by Salaman al-Farisi in which he said: "O People, a great and a blessed month is approaching you. In this month there is a night that is better than one thousand months. Allah has made fasting during the its daytime obligatory and prayers at night commendable during this month. Whosoever will do a voluntary good deed during this month, it is as if he performed an obligatory good deed at another time and whosoever will perform an obligatory good deed, it is as if he performed seventy obligatory good deeds at another time. This is the month of patience and the reward of patience is Paradise. This is the month of kindness and charity. In this month the believer’s provision is enlarged. Anyone who will give food to a fasting person in this month, it will bring forgiveness for his sins, will save him from the hellfire and he shall have his reward without the person who is fed losing any of his reward…The first third of the month of Ramadan is the time for Rahmah, the second third is for forgiveness, the third is for the release from Hellfire…"
The duties of the Muslim in this last third of Ramdan is to try his best to perfect his fasting, to avoid any shortcomings or sins that can harm his fasting, to offer more prayers preferably in jama`ah, to advance in reading the Qur'an, making dhikr and helping others to be more committed to religion, to enter i`tikaf if it is possible for him/her and to remember that the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to give extra attention to the last ten days. He hardly could sleep and his family used also to stay in vigilance with him, the Prophet's generosity in this month and particularly in the last ten days was compared to a fast wind.
We should not miss to remind you and all Muslims to try to settle disputes and pay back one's dues to any one asking him for forgiveness in this month. It is the best occasion to forgive one another and forget about all enmities and grudges. We should come out of Ramadan in a better shape, understanding, and moral behavior. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it clear that if any Muslim comes out of Ramadan without gaining forgiveness and goodness is a real loser."
You can also read:
Seizing the Opportunity of the Last Third of Ramadan
Allah Almighty knows best.
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wafaey
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What is the Islamic view concerning a step mother who raised her husband's son telling him that she is his mother? She even changed the birth certificate to show her name as the mother? Also is the father to blame for not telling his son about that?
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In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
"Dear Wafaey,
Happy Ramadan to you and your family.
We highly appreciate the problem presented before us. We also praise Allah and thank him for giving this child a good step mother to look after him and to love him in such away.
As you know, human feelings especially motherly feelings are hard to control or to limit. But when it comes to Shari`ah every one should leave out his feelings and longing desires and accept what Allah says. This will bring more happiness to us.
In this case, the father should let the son know that he lost his mother and explain to him that his step mother loves him and care for him. The step mother should accept this fact and she is not allowed to change the child's name and force him to forget his own mother.
Besides this attempt to change the fact and claiming a real motherhood to this child our sister, the step mother, is preventing the son to be kind to his own mother, to make dua` for her and this is also is not good.
The step mother should not be worried to this extent it is enough that the child is in her custody and he can afford to love her dearly as a living mother and love his real mother and be spiritually committed to her in the same time. This will do good for both and helps this family to run their life in a normal way. Truth is the core of religion and telling lies is the most ugly sin and punishable in Islam. May Allah guides her!"
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Muslim
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If a woman is menstruating then how can she pray in lalatul qadar?
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In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
"A menstruating woman should not pray nor touch the Qur'an but she can enter the mosque and make du`a' and share other Muslims their prayer by watching and listening.
She can put the Mushaf and read from it without touching it. She can take a cassette and listen to Qur'anic recitation. Attending a place where Allah's Mercy or rahmah is descending is a guarantee to have a share in this mercy and to be blessed with the congregation."
Allah Almighty knows best.
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shafiq
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student
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As-salamu `Alaykum. Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stay up all night during the last ten days or Ramadan or he slept a little during the last days? Is it advisable for the Muslim not to sleep at all during the last ten nights to offer prayer and supplication?
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Wa`alaykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
"Dear Shafiq,
Happy Ramadan for you, your family, and all Malay people!
Qiyam al-Layl means to commemorate the night and spend it in prayer, Qur'an reading, and other acts of worship. The Prophet used to do all of this in Ramadan and especially in the last ten days and the night of qadr. Qiyam al-Layl does not mean that you should stay all night without sleep or taking rest. This is something beyond our human capabilities and is contrary to our nature.
Allah never commands us to do anything that we cannot manage. If we stay praying all night this means that in the daytime we may feel asleep and thus fail to perform the rest of our duties. Qiyam al-Layl means to stand at night in prayer as much as you can and to pray so far your mind can concentrate, your heart can take, and your body can manage. Once you feel weak, and lack concentration you should stop and have rest. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A Muslim shall not reap or gain anything out of his prayer except that which he/she is conscious of."
Regarding Qiyam al-Layl Almighty Allah says: "O thou wrapped up in thy raiment! Keep vigil the night long, save a little. A half thereof, or abate a little thereof. Or add (a little) thereto and chant the Quran in measure." (AlMuzammil: 1-5)"
You can also read:
Qiyam Al-Layl: Merits & Significance
Allah Almighty knows best.
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, we are so sorry for not answering all your questions because the time is over. We apologize for any inconvenience. Do keep in touch. Join us in coming sessions.
Yours,
Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
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| All Fatwas published on this website (Islamonline.net) represent the juristic views and opinions of eminent scholars and Muftis. They do not necessarily form a juristic approach upheld by this website. Click here to read Full Disclaimer. |
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