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Inner Peace Reality and Obligation of Ramadan Speak a Good Word or Remain Silent “The Prophet used to like to start with the right side…” The Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad in Sighting the Moon -

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Inner Peace Reality and Obligation of Ramadan

Speak a Good Word or Remain Silent “The Prophet used to like to start with the right side…”

The Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad in Sighting the Moon

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O People! Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah.

A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which with Allah is the best of months.

Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours.

It is the month which invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him.

Each breath you take glorifies him; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered.

So, ask Allah, your Lord to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite his book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah's forgiveness during this great month. Remember the hunger and thirst of the day of Qiyamah (Judgment) with your hunger and thirst; give alms to the needy and poor, honor your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain re-lations with your blood relations; guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permis-sible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people so com-passion may be shown to your

orphans. Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in dua during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards his creatures with kindness, replying to them dur-ing the hours and granting their needs if he is asked...

O People! Indeed your souls are dependant on your deeds, free it with Istighfar (repentance) lighten its loads by long prostrations; and know that Allah swears by his might:

That there is no punishment for the one who prays and pros-trates and he shall have no fear of the fire on the day when man stands before the Lord of the worlds.

O People! One who gives Iftaar to a fasting person during this month will be like one who has freed someone and his past sins will be forgiven.

Some of the people who were there then asked the Prophet (s): "Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?"

The Prophet (s) replied: "Allah gives this reward even if the Iftaar (meal) is a drink of water."

One who has good morals dur-ing this month will be able to pass the ‘Siraat’...on the day that feet will slip...

One who covers the faults of

others will benefit in that Allah will curb His anger on the day of Judgement...

As for one who honors an or-phan; Allah will honor him on the day of judgment,

And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah will spread His mercy over him on the day of Judgment. As for the one who cuts the ties of relation; Al-lah will cut His mercy from him.

Who so ever performs a recom-mended prayer in this month Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him...

Whoever performs an obligator prayer Allah will reward him with seventy prayers [worth] in this month.

And who so ever prays a lot during this month will have his load lightened on the day of measure.

He who recites one verse of the holy Qur’an will be given the rewards of reciting the whole Qur’an during other months.

O People! Indeed during this month the doors of heaven are open, therefore ask Allah not to close them for you; The doors of hell are closed, so ask Allah to keep them closed for you. During this month Shaytan (Satan) is im-prisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you."

Reception of the Month of Ramadan The Sermon Given By The Prophet (s) On The Last Friday Of Sha'ban On The Re-

ception Of The Month of Ramadan

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Among the most important duties for a Muslim is fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan, which is the ninth of the twelve months in the Islamic lunar calendar.

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Fasting the month of Ramadan is an obligatory duty for all Muslims It helps one to feel compassion for those who are less fortunate and underprivileged, since each day Muslims feel greater appreciation for what they have as a result of feeling hunger and thirst. It allows one to build a sense of self-control and willpower, which can be beneficial throughout

life in dealing with temptations and peer pressure.

Through fasting, Muslims learn to control their natu-ral urges such as hunger and thirst, and thus are able to better resist temptations for things which are not necessary, such as drugs or other unhealthy or harmful substances and behaviors.(

It offers a time for Muslims to "purify" their bodies as well as their souls, by developing a greater sense of humility, spirituality and community. Ramadan is a very spiritual time for Muslims, and often they invite each other to one another's homes to break the fast and pray together. A greater sense of generosity and forgiveness is also characteristic of this time.

As with other duties in Islam, fasting becomes obligatory (i.e. one becomes accountable) after the age of puberty.

After the end of Ramadan, a very festive and joyous holiday is celebrated by Muslims, known as Eid al-Fitr [eed ul fit-ur], the Festival of Breaking the Fast. On the day of the Eid, Muslims attend special con-gregational prayers in the morning, wearing their nicest clothes.

After the completion of prayers and a special ser-mon, Muslims rise to greet and hug one another, saying "Eid Mubarak," which means "Holiday Bless-ings."

ICSFP takes this opportunity to ask Allah to bless us upon the start of this great month, to make it an affair of worship and praise for Him, filled with good deeds toward mankind for His sake, and ended upon a note of repentfulness and committed adher-ence to the straight path. Amen.

Sources: ICSFP.com & Sound Vision

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Inner peace is the source of all peace. When a person is at harmony with himself, he is able to live in har-mony with others. Allah says: “When you enter houses, greet yourselves with peace.” [Sûrah al-Nûr1���] Believers recite the following words in all of their prayers: “Peace be upon us and upon Allah’s pious ser-vants.” In the Qur’ân, we encounter the word “self” being used in the context a group of people. Indeed, it is from the depths of the self that peace radiates forth. Inner peace requires that a person’s relationship with himself is clear, and that his goals and objectives are un-derstood and at harmony with his inner being. Indeed, after knowledge of the Lord, the most important thing for a person to have knowledge of is knowledge of his self and how to perfect it and purify it. He needs to be sensitive to his own gifts and tal-ents, aware of his weaknesses and strengths. Would he describe himself as patient or hasty, forthright or timid, tenacious or easily bored? A person needs to know the truth about himself so he can go make good progress in a direction where he can best capitalize on his strengths and potential. This does not mean that a person must explore the nature of his exis-tence and of the human soul. Such knowledge is outside of our grasp except for what is revealed to us in the sacred texts. Allah says: “They ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is from the affair of my Lord, and you have not been given of knowledge save a little.” [Sûrah al-Isrâ’1�2#] At the same time, it is quite possible

for a person to become acquainted with the dimensions of his personal-ity, his latent talents, and his true nature. He can then use this knowl-edge to help him toward what is good and to safeguard him from mis-fortune. Islamic Law takes a person’s nature into account and often legislates in accordance with it without blame or reproach. This applies even to the Prophets and Messengers when they acted according to their in-stincts and their natures, for they were human beings, no more and no less. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “We re more deserving of doubt than Abraham was when he said: ‘My Lord, show me how you resurrect the dead.’ And (Allah) said ‘Do you not believe?’ And he said: ‘Yes, but it is just to make my heart content.’ And may Allah have mercy on Lot, for he had betaken himself to a powerful support. Had I languished in prison as long as Joseph had, I would have complied with their de-mands.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sa-hîh Muslim] Abraham (peace be upon him) had sought after knowledge and desired to be acquainted with the true nature of things. This was just to satisfy his natural, human curiosity. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “I would have complied with their demands” he was alluding to our natural, human love of liberty and freedom and our loathing of be-ing confined and having our poten-tials held back, especially for a long period of time. Moses (peace be upon him) knew himself well, and he was frank about

his feelings, speaking about them unequivocally and without shame. He spoke about his natural fears when he said: “And I had fled from you when I was afraid of you.” And: “Our Lord! Truly, we fear that he will fall upon us or transgress against us.” When a person knows himself in this way and accepts himself, it keeps him to what is within his natu-ral capacity and his abilities and de-fines for him his goals so he can go forward with a clear vision. Our submission should be to our principle and values in our heart, the values by which we relate to our Lord, and according to which we should speak and act. These true and established values should be the basis of our conduct. Otherwise, by always seeking to please this per-son or avoid that person’s displeas-ure, our lives become nothing more than perpetual pretentiousness and flattery, in surrender to those around us so that we lose our individuality and our independence. One aspect of inner peace is for our inner selves to be in harmony with our outward conduct. What we pro-fess should be reflected in what we do. Allah says: “It is a grievous mat-ter with Allah that you say what you do not do.” [Sûrah al-Saff1�-] This requires us to be upright and correct in our approach. The Prophet (peace be upon him) defined what it means to be upright on the occasion when Sufyan b. Abd Allah al-Thaqafî asked: “O Messenger of Allah! Tell me about Islam what will suffice me so I will not have to ask anyone else about it.”

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����������� By Salmaan ibn Fahd al-'Awdah

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The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “Say: ‘I believe in Islam.’ Then be upright.” [Sahîh Muslim] Our worship should be in harmony with the way we treat others. Our worship should give direction to our affairs and make us uphold justice and honor the rights that other peo-ple have. We should not lead a dou-ble life, one persona for the mosque and an utterly different one for the outside world. Many failures take place and rever-sals take place because of the abys-mal state of those who live lives of outward piety accompanied by in-ward wretchedness. We really need to strengthen and deepen our faith, so that it can be a pillar to support us through all of life’s trials and tribula-tions. We are faced with problems and disappointments at home, at work, and within ourselves, and our faith in Allah must be strong if we are to endure them and prevail. This faith must be accompanied by genuine devotion that emanates from deep within the heart before manifesting itself in our outward worship. Inner peace requires our wants and aspirations to be in keeping with our abilities and with what is possible for us. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “O you who believe! Assume the works that you are capable of carrying out, for indeed Allah does not become disinterested until you do, and indeed the most beloved of works to Allah are those that are most constant, no matter how small they might be.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî] This applies to everything. In the pur-suit of material gain, a person can destroy himself with avarice. Inner peace in what we call towards. No one of us can expect the whole

world to respond positively to what he advocates, nor is it right that it should. This did not even happen for Allah’s select Messengers. Whatever one of us works for, there is always someone else working to the contrary and who may obliterate our achieve-ments. Inner peace requires being at peace with our own unique dispositions. A person cannot compel himself to as-sume what is alien to his nature or at conflict with it. He must be in har-mony with himself. We can see how Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), when he was served a spiny-tailed lizard to eat, refrained from partaking in it. Khâlid b. al-Walîd no-ticed this and asked if eating the meat of the spiny-tailed lizard was unlawful. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “No. It is just that it is not found in the land of my people, and I find myself disinclined to it.” He did not eat it, simply because it did not agree with his disposition. It was not a question of whether or not its flesh was permitted by Islamic Law. The same can be said for the Com-panions; each of them had his or her own unique disposition. Abû Bakr was different than Umar. The ques-tion of ow to deal with the prisoners of war at Badr is a clear case in point Each of them offered an opinion that concurred with his own personality and outlook, as long as the matter was open to more than one point of view. Abû Bakr was a man of gentleness and forbearance, and Allah’s Mes-senger (peace be upon him) ac-knowledged this about him. Umar was forceful and strict, and likewise, Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) took this into consideration. We must recognize our unique per-

sonalities and come to terms with them. We cannot force ourselves into a pretence of denying our individual qualities and temperaments. Umar b. Abd al- Azîz had said: “The

most pleasurable of things is a per-sonal predilection that is in accor-dance with Islamic teachings.” We must be at peace with what Allah decrees for us, though we should seek by way of Allah’s decree to avoid the harm of Allah’s decree. It is as Umar had said when he avoided entering a plague-stricken region: “We flee from Allah’s decree towards Allah’s decree.” A believer is resigned to Allah’s de-cree and accepts it fully, so much so that he does not want to hasten what has been delayed nor defer what has been hastened on. The terminally ill, those homely of appearance,, the feeble-minded, the bachelors and spinsters, the orphans, and all those who suffer from misfortunes – such people have a pressing need to come to make peace with what Allah has decreed for them, and then go forward with their lives, taking re-course to all practical means at their disposal while resigning themselves to that which is beyond their power. Being fair and just is also an impor-tant factor in attaining inner peace. This requires us to do away with self-ishness, vain desires, and avarice. Ammâr, the illustrious Companion,

used to say: “There are three things that if someone possesses them all he will have comprehended faith: applying justice to yourself, greeting the world with peace, and spending in charity under straitened circum-stances.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî]

Continued on the next page

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3���������������&�'��#) When some of us disagree

with one another, why do we not try to put ourselves in

the other’s place and try to see things from their point

of view, and accept that for them at least what they

accept for themselves? I am almost certain that there

is no one on Earth who is truly fair with himself except

the extremely few whom Allah graces with that ability.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “One of you

sees the dust in his brother’s eye but fails to see the

crud in his own.”

Inner peace also requires that we reconcile our minds

to the knowledge of the unseen that the Messengers

have brought us. That knowledge never contradicts

with accurate scientific knowledge or with sound rea-

son. We accept this knowledge of the unseen without

allowing ourselves to succumb to the mindset of my-

thology that readily concedes every tale that is told

without any discretion or discernment. Matters of the

unseen are matters that are beyond the powers of the

human mind to ascertain, while fables and myths are

beneath the level of the human mind. We must employ

reason and eschewing blind acceptance. Indeed, the

mind is for discernment; it is not a mere repository for

information.

The eminent jurist and legal theorist Izz al-Dîn b. Abd

al-Salâm pointed out that questions pertaining to wel-

fare and harm are discernable by reason even before

the revelation of the Law. I would like to ad that these

matters are still discernable to reason even after the

Law has been revealed. This is how we understand the

Qur’ân and Sunnah and how we weigh various legal

rulings against one another. We take matters of wel-

fare and harm into due consideration, neither deriding

the true worth of our minds nor exaggerating our esti-

mation of their powers and burdening them with mat-

ters that are beyond their scope. There are limits be-

yond which or minds must not transgress.

We must also bring under control the misgivings that

our human minds can fall victim to and that can spoil

our lives by troubling us in both our worship and our

worldly affairs. Most of these things that disquiet us so

much are psychological in nature. The best and most

effective treatment for such misgivings is to force our-

selves to ignore them, to simply refuse to give them the

time of day. We must beseech Allah’s to help us in this

effort and seek refuge with Him in the manner shown

to us by our Prophet (peace be upon him) by reciting

Sûrah al-Ikhlâs.

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Aisha relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to like to start with the right side when putting on his sandals, combing his hair, engaging in his ritual purifications, and in all of his activities.

This is an authentic hadîth related in Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim among other books. The meaning of the hadîth: Starting with the right side has two meanings. When there are activities that involve both sides of the body, it means to start with the right side of the body. This is the case when it comes to such activities as washing the hands and putting on shoes. When the activity relates to coming in contact with something, it means to use the right hand instead of the left, as is the case with giving and taking. In this hadîth, it refers mainly to ac-tivities involving the hands and feet. The phrase “in all of his activities” is a general statement that includes his entering and departure from build-ings and from rooms. However, other evidence specifies this gener-ality in this case. Therefore, the pref-erence for the right foot is on occa-sions where a place of respect is being entered, like a mosque or a person’s home. In other places, like a lavatory, it is preferred to enter with the left foot. Â’ishah relates that the Prophet

(peace be upon him) used to use his right hand for eating and for his puri-fications and use his left hand for when he went to the bathroom or dealt with things that were harmful. Hafsah relates that Allah’s Messen-

ger (peace be upon him) used to use his right hand for eating, drink-ing, and getting dressed and his left hand for other things.” [ This specification of the general preference for the right is also evi-denced by the Prophet’s saying: “If one of you puts his sandals on, let him start with his right foot. When he takes them off, let him start with his left, so that his right foot is the first to wear the sandal and the last to be taken out of it.”

These hadîth and others explain to us the meaning of Â’ishah’s state-ment: “...in all of his activities”. It means activities like entering the mosque, putting on shoes, and the like. Activities of an opposite nature, like blowing the nose and removing filth, should be done with the left hand. Its legal implications: This hadîth has significance for the performance of wudû’. It indicates that when washing of the paired limbs, we should start by washing the right. As for the singular limbs, like the face, and the head, we wash them at once using both hands together, as is indicated by the various hadîth that discuss the wiping of the head. It is not Sunnah to start with the right half of the head and then the left. However, in a situation where a per-son for some reason is unable to use both of his hands, then he should start by washing the right side of his face and then the left and likewise he should wipe the right side of his head before the left. The ears, which are considered as con-sequential to the head, are also

wiped together simultaneously by one who is able to do so. Therefore, in the case where a person cannot use two hands, he should wipe his right ear before the left. Scholars agree that starting with the right side in wudû’ and in ghusl is a Sunnah act and that it is not obliga-tory. Al-Nawawî declares it to be a matter of consensus in al-Majmû` 3�4-2-). Some benefits of this hadîth: �. This hadîth shows the preferenti-ality of starting with the right hand for all good and clean activities. It is Sunnah to do so. Â’ishah says: that the Prophet (peace be upon him) 5�$�������6�7�������$�(�*��$�$��$�

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���������(� �. It shows the permissibility of being concerned with one’s outward ap-pearance, like one’s clothes, one’s grooming, and one’s shoes. The fact that a person should put his right shoe on first and take it off last shows that the activity of dressing is a respectful, dignified one.

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During this Ramadan do not let the sweetness of our deeds vanish into the night, leaving only emptiness. When one contemplates the texts on fasting, its wisdom and goals in Shari'ah, and looks at the reality of the Muslim communities, one real-izes a wide gap between the reality and our obligations. Remember that Ramadan is a bounty that Allah blessed His servants with, to strengthen their faith, and increase their piety (Taqwa). Allah said:

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This article is an attempt to present the essential causes of this gap, and to some remedies. Primary reason for the gap is ignorance about the goals of fasting and the wisdom be-hind it. Many Muslims ignore the pur-pose and wisdom of fasting. Fasting is done merely to conform to the so-cial environment without contempla-tion. If one is not aware of the divine wisdom of Shari'ah and its fruits in this world and in the hereafter, one will not apply it in the right way.

Goals of Fasting

Achieving Taqwa: Is one of the most important wisdom of fasting. Fasting brings on Taqwa as it less-ens the desire of the stomach and mutes the sexual appetite. Whoever fasts frequently would overcome these two desires more easily. This deters against committing abomina-tions and sins and assist in control-ling life leading to Taqwa.

Strengthening willpower and ac-quiring patience: The Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, called Ramadan the month

of patience as it increases one's will power to control his desire and the selfishness of his soul. This training allows him to be strong in following Allah's commands. The most impor-tant being to carry the Message and propel it forward. The person trains himself to be patient in obeying Allah by stopping at the limits set by Allah both by way of action and abstention. Allah said:

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Fasting is pure worship: The fact that he is abstaining from food and drink both in public and in secret shows his honest faith and strong love of Allah, and his knowledge and feeling that Allah is all-knowing of everything. For this reason Allah has made the reward for fasting greater than for any other type of worship. Allah said in the hadith Qudsi: "Every deed of the son of Adam will be mul-tiplied [in rewards], the good deed by ten of its like, up to seven hundreds, up to whatever Allah wills, except fasting, it is for Me and I will reward it. He abandons his desire and his food for My sake.." (Related by Mus-lim) lbn al-Qayyim said:

(((/And people may see that a person is not eating in front of them, but the fact that he is really abandoning his food and his desire for the sake of .����$�������'����������������������

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Relieving Muslims from life's dis-tractions: Eating, drinking, and so-cializing all distract a person and weaken ties with Allah. It is by the Mercy of Allah that Muslims are or-dered to fast so as not to be bothered by the intrusion of these activities. Nor by the thought about them nor

the anticipation for them when devot-ing themselves to the all types of worship either reading the Qur'an, offering additional prayer or making I'tikaf. For this reason the Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Fasting is a shield and a secure fortress against Hell fire" (Related by Ahmad)

Discovering Allah's Blessings: A person experiences the hardship of the poor. He should then be thankful to Allah Who has blessed him with His bounty while others are deprived. This should make him more sympa-thetic and willing to share this bounty. The poor rediscovers that fasting helps a person be more devoted to worship. More able to concentrate and meditate. He should then be able of this devotion all year long, a bless-ing he should thank Allah for.

Acquiring strength and endurance: It has been discovered that depriving the body of food for a period of time helps its defense and endurance mechanism. This in turn this protects the body from certain diseases.

Remember that fasting is not only dependent on abstentions: Many believe that fasting consist only of certain abstentions, forgetting that Allah established certain acts of wor-ship with fasting. Among which are:

Qiyamul-layl: The Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Whoever performed the night-prayer during Ramadan out of belief and anticipating God's rewards, will be forgiven his previous sins."(Related by Muslim).Performing Umrah: The Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "An Umrah during Ramadan is like a Hajj with me." (Related by al-Hakim).

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Offering Iftar (meal) to those who fasted. The Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Whoever feeds a fasting person has the same reward as him, except that the reward of the fasting person will not be diminished." (Ahmad)

Reading and completing the Qur'an: The Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Fasting and [reading] Qur'an will intercede for the person: fasting will say: O Lord I forbade him eating and drinking so let me intercede for him, and the Qur'an will say: I deprived him from his night sleep so let me intercede for him," he then said: "So they will intercede." (Related by Ahmad). The Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, used to recite the whole Qur'an to Angel Jibreel each Ramadan.

Giving in charity: Ibn Abbas, May Allah be pleased with him, said: "The Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, was the most generous among people, and he was more generous during the month of Ramadan." (Muslim).

I`tikaaf: which is to confine oneself in the masjid for prayer and invoca-tion leaving the worldly activities. Ibn Abbas, May Allah be pleased with him, said: "The Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, used to perforrn I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan." (Related by Muslim). It is surprising that many people have abandoned I'tikaf though the Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, never abandoned it from the time he arrived to Madinah until he died.

Supplication: In the verses dealing with fasting, Allah said:

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This is an encouragement for the fasting person to increase his invo-cation. The Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Three invocations will be answered: The invocation of the fasting person, the invocation of the oppressed, and the invocation of the trav-eler." (Muslim).

Repentance: Ramadan is the time of repentance and return to Allah, for it is a time when the devils are chained, and when many people are saved from hell fire every night by the grace of Allah.

Applying oneself in all good deeds in the last ten days of Ramadan: A'sha, May Allah be please with her, said: "When the last ten days come, he, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, would pray most of the night and wake his family, and apply himself, and tighten up his loincloth.", and she also said: "The Messenger of Allah, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, used to strive in the last days of Ramadan more than he did during the other days." (Muslim).

Abstaining from vain talk: Sins decrease the reward of fasting al-though they do not annul it. The Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Fasting is not [only] abstaining from eating and drinking, but abstaining from vain and obscene talk, so if someone insulted you or wronged you say: I am fasting." (Related by al-Hakim)

Common errors made during Ramadan

Excessive spending: Ramadan should be a time to avoid being wasteful, and learning to be pre-pared in facing harder times by dis-tinguishing the needs from the luxu-

ries. Unfortunately, many people go beyond their limits to spend during Ramadan. Whether in the varieties of food that they savor each night, or by the other types of spending.

Staying awake during the night and sleeping during the day: Some people sleep during most of the day when they are fasting. Ramadan is not a time of being lazy, and this do not allow the full benefit from the experience of fasting. It is as if they have only inverted their nights into days and vice versa. In addition, some may spend a great portion of the night indulging in eat-ing and drinking and socializing

Spending more time in socializ-ing: Because people invite each other more often during Ramadan they do tend to spend more time socializing with friends, and rela-tives. While it is a good deed to feed the fasting person, this should not result in precious time lost in vain talk. Use the occasion for remem-bering Allah and offering additional prayers, and for the Da'wah to Allah.

Insisting on performing a certain number of Rakaas during the Ta-rawih (night) prayer to the point of not praying behind the Imam and thus forfeiting the benefit of congre-gational prayer. This might also bring hatred and disagreement be-tween the Muslims of one commu-nity.

The ways of doing good are numer-ous in Ramadan Many people try to perform more than they are able to. By going beyond their capabilities, they end up not performing any deed in the desired way. The Muslim should apply himself to deepen his sense of following the Sunnah in every aspect of his life, at all times and especially during the month of Ramadan. We ask Allah to accept our fast and our good deeds.

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Abû Hurayrah relates that Allah's-Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak a good word or remain silent. And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should show hospitality to his neighbor. And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should show hospitality to his guest.” [ Sa-hîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim ] The importance of this hadith: This hadith discusses some of the ways a Muslim's faith should affect the way he relates to others. Ibn Hajar al- Asqalânî writes: “This hadith speaks about three matters, and in doing so it brings together everything that good manners entail with respect to both word and deed.” Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day… This is a conditional sentence. It is repeated three times in this hadith, each time with a different condition. The first of these three conditions is to either speak a good word or re-main silent, the second is to show hospitality to one's neighbors, and the third is to show hospitality to one's guests.

This hadith is showing us that these three qualities are among the many qualities of faith. A person who fails to fulfill any of these conditions is a person whose faith is incomplete and in want of improvement.

Speaking a good word or remain-ing silent: This is an encouragement to speak what is good and beneficial; at the same time it is a warning, caution-ing us to be careful in what we say, lest we say something that is harm-ful or false.

It is part of a Muslim's faith to speak the truth and to say things that bring about benefit to others. Allah says: “O you who believe! Fear Al-lah and speak a word that is right. He will set right for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And who-ever obeys Allah and His Messen-ger has certainly attained a great achievement.” [ Sûrah al-Ahzâb 1�>"->�] Allah informs us in the Qur'ân some of what constitutes good in our speech and benefits other people.

He says: “No good is there in much of their private conversation, except for those who enjoin charity or that which is right, or bring reconciliation between people. And whoever does that seeking Allah's pleasure, then we shall grant him a great re-ward.” [ Sûrah al-Nisâ' 1����] When we have nothing beneficial to say, silence is golden. Once, Mu âdh b. Jabal asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) to inform him of some good work that would ad-mit him into Paradise and distance him from the Hellfire. The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned to him the virtues of many good deeds, then said: “Shall I inform you of the foundation of all of that?” Mu âdh said: “Certainly.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) took hold of his tongue and said: “Restrain yourself from this.” Mu âdh then asked: “O Prophet of Allah! Are we held to task for the things that we say?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: “May your mother be be-reaved of you, O Mu âdh! Does anything topple people headlong into the Hellfire save the harvests of their tongues?” [ Sunan al-Tirmidhî and Sunan Ibn Mâjah ] We should avoid speaking ill of oth-ers. We should rather remain silent unless we are seeking justice for some wrong that has been perpe-trated against us. Allah says: “Allah does not like that evil should

“Our tongues are like double-edges swords. They can work for us

and against us, both in this world and the

Hereafter. We will be held accountable for

what we say. “

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Praise be to Allaah.

It is permissible to use telescopes etc. to sight the moon, but it is not permissible to rely on astronomical data to confirm the beginning or end of the blessed month of Ramadaan, because Allaah has not pre-scribed that for us in His Book or in the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and bless-ings of Allaah be upon him). What He has prescribed for us is to confirm the begin-ning and end of Ramadaan by sighting the new moon of Ramadaan to start fasting, and the new moon of Shawwaal to end the fast and gather to offer the Eid prayers.

Allaah has made the new moons to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the Hajj, so it is not permissible for Muslims to use any other method to determine the times for acts of worship such as fasting, celebrating Eid, performing Hajj, fasting for two months as expiation (kafaarah) for kill-ing someone by mistake or divorcing one’s wife by zihaar, and so on.

Allaah says (interpretation of the mean-ings):

5… So whoever among you sights (the ���$���������������$����'�����G�����������3���

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And He says:

5They ask you (O Muhammad) about the �������$(����1����$�� ����$�'�$�������6�

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The Prophet (peace and blessings of Al-laah be upon him) said: “Fast when you see it [the new moon] and stop fasting when you see it, and if it is cloudy then complete the month with thirty days.” On this basis, the one who does not see the new moon from the time it rises on a clear or cloudy night must complete the month (of Sha’baan) with thirty days. (Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah)��"4�"").

This is the case if the sighting of the new moon is not confirmed in another country; if the moon is sighted according to the guide-lines of Sharee’ah, then fasting is obliga-tory, according to the majority of scholars. And Allaah knows best.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid www.islam-qa.com

Question: ������������������������������ ������ ���������������������������������hours old, and in addi-tion to that, it is sometimes not possible to see it at all because of the weather conditions. On this basis, is it permissible to resort to using astronomical information to calculate the likely time for sighting the new moon and the start of Ramadaan, or do we have to actually sight the new moon before we start fast-ing the blessed month of Ramadaan?

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