Wa alaykum Salam,
No, we do not do this, no matter how "good" it seems. Firstly, as all our acts of worship are done for Allah alone.
Fasting, prayer, all aspects of Islam are only done in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah.Therefore, we do not fast to commemorate any day, people, occassion. Fasting must only be done in the way prescribed.
Anyway, this fasting on special day, for whatever purpose is an innovation, something the blessed Prophet Muhammad
never did.
Infact, this is another way where Muslims are following in the footsteps of the very same enemies who are destroying Islam, i.e. the non-Muslims.
We should not copy what others do, because that does not make it right. Often, if we are to stay on the clear path, practicing Islam according to the purest beliefs we will encounter opposition.[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]
But, we must remember, Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) told us in the Qur'aan:
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"If you were to follow most of them on earth they will lead you away from the way of Allah. They follow nothing but conjecture, they do nothing but lie." (Al-Anam 6:116)[/FONT]
This has always been the case, especially these days. Everywhere people give their opinions and talk about issues without Islamic knowledge. Those who are not fit to be teaching, take up the stage or start making schools, institutions and are speakers at various places, but none of their words are remotely related to actual Islamic knowledge, which is the Quran and Sunnah with the understanding of the early generation of Muslims.
Our Islam is perfect and complete, we should do what is from the Quran and the Sunnah. We should do what is right to help the Muslims.
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"This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion" (Al-Maidah 5: 3)[/FONT]
The very reason our Ummah is weak and not united, is because Muslims have no idea about halal and haram. This is not just about getting drunk or having a ham sandwich!
It is firstly about our Worship of Allah, to do it properly, to know our Lord in the correct manner, to have correct knowledge of Allah, to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet
and stick to it and not to innovate anything into Islam.
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‘Aisha(Radhiyallahu anha) reported that the Prophet Muhammad
saw said: "Whoever innovates into this affair of ours something that we have not commanded it is to be rejected" (Bukhari and Muslim)[/FONT]
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Jaabir (Radhiyallahu anhu) narrated Muhammadsaw said,"To proceed: The best speech is the Book of Allah and the best guidance and example is that of Muhammad, and the worse of all things are the newly invented things (in the religion), for every innovation is a error and a misguidance." (Muslim)[/FONT]
For innovation, is a sin greater than many of the other harams people commit. Some of the pious predecessors would say it was better their son have illegal sexual intercourse, than die having committed innovation!
The Prophet Muhammad
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"Verily I shall proceed you to the Fountain (Al-Kawthar). Whosoever will pass by me shall drink (from it) and never get thirsty. People whom I know and who will know me will certainly come to me for drink but there will be a barrier between them and me. Then I will say, "Verily they are of me.’ It will be said, ‘You certainly do not know what bid’ah (innovation) they made after you.’ Then I shall say, "Be off those who made bid’ah after me.’
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Abdullah Ibn Masud, Radhiyallahu anhu, was an esteemed companion of the Prophet Muhammad
. He was the first to openly recite the Qur'aan infront of the pagans. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon them him.
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Abdullah Ibn Masood narrated, "The Messenger of Allah saw drew a line for us and then said, ‘This is Allah’s Straight Path.’ Then he drew lines to its right and left, then he said, ‘These are paths, upon every one of them there is a devil calling towards it.’ (Ahmad)
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Then he (Muhammad saw) recited (from the Qur’an (what means)):[/FONT]
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"Verily this is My Straight path, so follow it and follow not (other) paths, they will separate you away from His path. This He has ordained for you that you may become pious." (Al-Anam 6:153)[/FONT]
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Amr ibn Yahya narrated his father told him, "We used to sit at Abdullah Ibn Masood’s house before Fajr prayer. If he exited we would follow him to the musjid. Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari then came to us and asked us, ‘Did Abu Abur-Rahman (Abdullah Ibn Masood) come out yet?’ We said, ‘No’, so he sat with us till he emerged. We all stood up when he exited.
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He (Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari) said, ‘O Abu Adur-Rahman, I just saw something which I did not recognize, and I did not see, all thanks to Allah, but good.’ He (Ibn Masood) said, ‘What is it?’ He (Abu Musa) said, ‘If you live you will see it. I saw in the musjid people sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In each circle there is a leader, and they have stones in their hands. He (the leader) would say, ‘Say Takbir (Allahu Akbar) 100 times’, so they say Takbir 100 times. He (the leader) would then say, ‘Say Tahil (La Ilaha Illa Allah) 100 times’, so they say Tahil 100 times. He (the leader) would then say, ‘Say Tasbih (Subhana Allah) 100 times’, so they say Tasbih 100 times.
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Ibn Masood said, ‘Did you not order them to count their evil deeds, and guarantee them that none of their good deeds will be lost?’ Then he and us left till we reached one of the circles. Then he (Ibn Masood) stood next to the circle and said, ‘What are you doing?’ They said, ‘O Abu Abdur-Rahamn, (these are) stones that we count our Takbir, Tahil, tasbih, and Tah’mid (Alhumdu’lillah).’
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Ibn Masood said, ‘Count your evil deeds, for I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be lost. What is the matter with you, O nation of Muhammad? How soon you come to your destruction! The companions (of Muhammad) are still many, these are his clothes still not worn out and his cookware did not break yet. By whom my soul is in His Hands, you are either following a religion better than Muhammad’s or followers of a way of evil.’
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They said, ‘By Allah, O Abu Abdur-Rahman, we sought only what is good.’ Ibn Masood said, ‘Many people seek good, but they do not reach it. The Messenger told us some people who read the Qur’an will not have the Qur’an leave their throats (to their hearts). By Allah I do not know if most of you are from them.’ Then he left them. Amr Ibn Salamah said, ‘We saw most of those people fighting against us, in the battle of Nahrawan with the Khawarij.’" (Tirmidhi)[/FONT]
On a side note, I often wonder, where our brothers and sisters are, when it comes to other crimes committed against Muslims and also non-Muslims? This is a time to reflect upon ourselves, how far we, as an Ummah are from actually sticking to Islam properly. If so, we would care about everyone, from our family and friends to the people who suffer in Africa - Darfur, Somalia etc, in Palestine, Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Burma and so forth. People are starving to death in some parts of the world, you know? It especially shows the wickedness of those who use these situations for their own personal political gains.
We need to be aware of that, and focus on ourselves, improve ourselves and at same time to do what we can to help our brothers and sisters wherever they may need help.
