Alert: Reaping The Benefits Of Ramadan By Understanding The Mistakes Made In It

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Seek The Almighty
Assalaamu 'Alaikum

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful

Pay close attention Brothers and Sisters...


Alert: Reaping The Benefits Of Ramadan By Understanding The Mistakes Made In It
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***Too much attention given to food and drink***
For some people, the entire month of Ramadan revolves around food. They spend the ENTIRE day planning, cooking, shopping and thinking about only food, instead of concentrating on Salah, Qur'aan and other acts of worship. All they can think of is FOOD. So much so that they turn the month of 'fasting' into the month of 'feasting'.

Come Iftaar time, their table is a sight to see, with the multitudes and varieties of food, sweets and drinks. They are missing the very purpose of fasting, and thus, increase in their greed and desires instead of learning to control them. It is also a kind of waste & extravagance.

"And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)" [al-A'raaf :31]

***Spending all day cooking***
Some of the sisters (either by their own choice or forced by their husbands) are cooking ALL day and ALL night, so that by the end of the day, they are too tired to even pray Ishaa, let alone pray Taraweeh, Tahajjud or read Qur’aan.

***Eating too much***
Some people stuff themselves at Suhoor until they are ready to burst, because they think this is the way to not feel hungry during the day and some people eat at Iftaar, like there is no tomorrow, trying to 'make up for the food missed.' However, this is completely against the Sunnah. Moderation is the key to everything.

The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: 'The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach; for the son of Adam a few mouthfuls are sufficient to keep his back straight. If you must fill it, then one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air.' (Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani).

Too much food distracts a person from many deeds of obedience and worship, makes him lazy and also makes the heart heedless. It was said to Imam Ahmad: Does a man find any softness and humility in his heart when he is full? He said, I do not think so.

***Sleeping all day***
Some people spend their entire day (or a major part of it) 'sleeping away their fast'. Is this what is really required of us during this noble month? These people also are missing the purpose of fasting and are slaves to their desires of comfort and ease. They cannot 'bear' to be awake and face a little hunger or exert a little self-control.

For a fasting person to spend most of the day asleep is nothing but, negligence on his part.

***Wasting time***
Other people waste away their day playing video games, or worse still, watching TV, movies or even listening to music. Subhaan Allaah! Trying to obey Allaah by DISOBEYING him!

***Fasting but not giving up evil***
Some of us fast but do not give up lying, cursing, fighting, backbiting, etc. and some of us fast but do not give up cheating, stealing, dealing in haraam, buying lotto tickets, selling alcohol, fornication, etc.

The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: 'Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, and ignorance, Allaah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.' (Bukhaari)

***Smoking***
Smoking is forbidden in Islam whether during Ramadan or outside of it, as it is one of al-Khabaa'ith (evil things).(This includes ALL eg. cigars, cigarettes, pipes, 'Sheesha' )

He allows them as lawful At Tayyibaat (all good and lawful things), and prohibits them as unlawful Al Khabaa'ith (all evil and unlawful things) [al-A'raaf :157]

It is harmful, not only to the one smoking, but also to the ones around him. It is also a means of wasting ones wealth.

The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: 'There should be no harming or reciprocating harm.'

This is especially true during fasting and it invalidates the fast. (Fatwa -Ibn 'Uthaymeen)

***Skipping Suhoor***
The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: 'Eat suhoor for in suhoor there is blessing.'(Bukhaari, Muslim).

And he (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: 'The thing that differentiates between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book is eating suhoor.' (Muslim)

Stopping Suhoor at 'Imsaak' Some people stop eating Suhoor 10-15 minutes earlier than the time of Fajr to observe 'Imsaak'. Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: This is a kind of bid'ah (innovation) which has no basis in the Sunnah. Rather the Sunnah is to do the opposite. Allaah allows us to eat until dawn:
'And eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night)' [al-Baqarah 2:187]

And the Prophet (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: 'Eat and drink until you hear the adhaan of Ibn Umm Maktoom, for he does not give the adhaan until dawn comes.'

This 'imsaak' which some of the people do is an addition to that which Allaah has enjoined, so it is false. It is a kind of extremism in religion, and the Prophet (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: 'Those who go to extremes are doomed, those who go to extremes are doomed, those who go to extremes are doomed.' (Muslim)

***Not fasting if they missed Suhoor - Very Important***
Some people are too scared to fast if they miss Suhoor. However, this is a kind of love of ease. Remember, obedience to Allaah overcomes everything.

***Saying the intention to fast 'out loud' or saying a specific dua to start fasting***
The intention is an action of the heart. The Muslim should resolve in his heart that he is going to fast tomorrow. It is not prescribed for him by the Shari'ah to say out loud, 'I intend to fast', 'I will fast tomorrow' or other phrases that have been innovated by some people. All he needs to do is to resolve in his heart that he is going to fast tomorrow.

Also, there is no specific dua to be recited at the time of starting the fast in the correct Sunnah. Whatever 'dua' you may see on some papers or Ramadan calendars is a Bid'ah.

***Delaying breaking fast***
Some people wait until the adhaan finishes or even several minutes after that, just to be 'on the safe side'. However, the Sunnah is to hasten to break the fast, which means breaking fast right after the sun has set.

Aa'ishah said: This is what the Messenger of Allaah (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) used to do. (Muslim)

The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: 'The people will continue to do well so long as they hasten to break the fast.' (Bukhaari, Muslim)

Determine to the best of your ability, the accuracy of your clock, calendar and then have tawakkul on Allaah and break your fast exactly on time.

***Missing the golden chance of having your Dua accepted***
The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be accepted at the time of breaking fast.

The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: 'Three prayers are not rejected: the prayer of a father, the prayer of a fasting person, and the prayer of a traveler.' (al-Bayhaqi, saheeh by al-Albaani).

Instead of sitting down and making Dua at this precious time, some people forgo this beautiful chance, and are too busy talking, setting the food, filling their plates and glasses. Food is more important to them than the chance to have their sins forgiven or the fulfillment of their Duas.

***Fasting but not praying***
The fasting of one who does not pray WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. This is because not praying constitutes kufr as the Prophet (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: 'Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.' (Muslim)

In fact, NONE of his good deeds will be accepted; rather, they are all annulled.

al-Bukhaari narrated that the Prophet (SalAllahu Alayahi Wasalaam) said: “Whoever forsakes ‘Asr prayer, his deeds are in vain.” (al-Bukhaari, 553). What is meant by “his deeds are in vain” means that they become invalid and will not avail him anything.

This hadeeth indicates that in the case of one who does not pray, Allaah will not accept any deed from him, so the one who does not pray will not benefit at all from his deeds, and no good deeds of his will ascend to Allaah.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning the meaning of this hadeeth: “The apparent meaning of this hadeeth is that those who do not pray are of two types: those who do not pray at all, which renders all of their deeds invalid, and those who do not pray some days, which renders his deeds on that day invalid. So the loss of all good deeds happens to those who do not pray at all, and the loss of some deeds happens to those who miss some prayers.” From Kitaab al-Salaah, p. 65

***Not fasting because of exams or work***
Exams or work is NOT one of the excuses allowed by the Shari'ah to not fast. You can do your studying and revision at night if it is too hard to do that during the day. Also remember that pleasing and obeying Allaah is much more important than 'good grades'.

***Mixing fasting and dieting***
DO NOT make the mistake of fasting with the intention to diet. That is one of the biggest mistakes some of us make (esp. sisters). Fasting is an act of worship and can only be for the sake of Allah alone. Mixing it with the intention of dieting is a form of Shirk.

***Fighting over the number of Raka'ah of Taraweeh***
There is no specific number of rak'ahs for Taraweeh prayer, rather it is permissible to do a little or a lot. Both 8 and 20 are okay.

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: 'No one should be denounced for praying eleven or twenty-three (raka'ah), because the matter is broader in scope than that, praise be to Allaah.'

***Praying ONLY on the night of the 27th***
Some people pray ONLY on the 27th to seek Lailat ul-Qadr, neglecting all other odd nights, although the Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Seek Lailat ul-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadaan.' (Bukhaari, Muslim).

:wasalam:
 

dilek

OntheWayOf ALLAH
:ma: so great article really

Today I was also thinking about such things.. because in the tv there are so many news and programs about Ramadan; however most of them about meals, how to cook, how to get benefit from Ramadan to lose weight etc...

Is this Ramadan actually :( lool sure not..

Inshaallah Allah put us the real mumins who are really be able to feel and live Ramadan accurately..

ma3assalam
 

UmmTalal

Alhumdullah!
Wa Alaykum Salam, mashAllah great advice I know here in Saudi they have new shows all through Ramadan and they try to get the most attractive young people to star on them and they are filled with music, the women do not cover and like the sister said tons of cooking shows. Many people miss night prayers bc they rather stay home and watch this stuff astagfurAllah. And its a big problem here with people sleeping all day. EVeryone stays up all night until after fajr then they sleep all day.
 
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