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Friday 2 June 2017

ETIQUETTES OF RAMADAN FAST BY YAHYA GARBA AL-YOLAWI



  THE 122NDKHUTBAH  DELIVERED AT AREA 10 JUMA’AH MASJID ABUJA, BY YAHYA GARBA AL-YOLAWI, ON 2NDJUNE, 2017/  7TH RAMADAN     1438 AH
TOPIC: ETIQUETTES OF RAMADAN FAST
 In the name of Allah the Most gracious  the Merciful.

Dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, in our series of khutbah toward Ramadan; today’s sermon will discuss the topic: Etiquettes of Ramadan fast.

 My dearest listeners, now we are already in Ramadan; all that we need to know concerning Ramadan fast had been said by our imams and scholars in various sittings and
gatherings. What left  now is to call the attentions of our brothers and sisters in Islam on how they can increase their chances of getting rewards in Ramadan and achieve maximum benefits  in this precious time which comes only once in every year.
We know that, Fasting is among the greatest things that help in controlling desires, suppressing lusts, purifying souls, and restricting them to what pleases Allah (SWT). The fasting person prevents his tongue from engaging in idle speech, abuse, defaming people, and spreading harmful backbiting and tale bearing. Fasting prevents the fasting person from cheating, deceit, giving less than due, guile, committing immorality, usury, bribery, and unjustly consuming the money of people through any means or kind of fraud. It causes a Muslim to hasten to do good deeds, like establishing the prayers and paying zakah in the correct manner and to the recipients specified by the sharia. He should be diligent in offering charity and engaging in beneficial projects. Fasting drives a fasting person to earn his living in a lawful manner and to avoid committing sins and immorality.
Some of the things that are encouraged in Ramadan include:
1. Taking of  Sahur:
We should make sure that we eat and drink something at suhur time, and that we delay it until just before the adhaan of Fajr. The Prophet (SAW) said: “Have suhur, for in suhur there is blessing (barakah).” Bukhari,
2.Taking al-Iftar immediately:
  The Prophet (SAW) was reported to have said: “The people will be in goodness so long as they do not delay iftaar.” al-Bukhri,

3. Du’a while iftar: one can say“zahabazzama’u, wa’btallat al-‘uruqu, wathabatal-ajru in sha Allah" The thirst is gone, the veins are moistened and the reward is confirmed, if Allah wills.” Abu Dawud,
4. Using date or water while iftar.
Anas (RA) Narreted that “The Prophet (SAW) used to break his fast with fresh dates before praying; if fresh dates were not available, he would eat (dried) dates; if dried dates were not available, he would have a few sips of water.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi
5. Night prayers [Qiyamullail]
6. Tried not to be provoke: Abu Hurairah (R.A) says that the  Prophet (S.A.W) said: “The Almighty and Master of Honor says: All other actions of a person are for himself, except the case of fasting which is exclusively for Me and I shall pay (recompense) for him for the same. Fasting is a protection and a shield (against the fire of Hell).” Therefore, when anyone of you is fasting he should abstain from loose talk and avoid evil talks and noisy exchange of words. If somebody starts abusing him or picks up a quarrel with him, he should tell him that, ‘I am observing a fast.’ By the almighty in whose hands is the life of Muhammad (SAW), the breath of the mouth of one who is fasting is more pleasant in the sight of the almighty than the fragrance of musk. –
7. Giving out charity;
Effective use of one’s position of authority or physical strength to help others.reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas (RA) said: “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) was the most generous of people [in doing good], and he was most generous of all in Ramadan when Jibril will meet him, and he used to meet him every night in Ramadaan and read Quran with  him. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) was more generous in doing good than a blowing wind.” Al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
 However, some   people exchange generosity for stinginess and action for laziness, to the extent that they do not do their work properly and do not treat one another properly, and they use fasting as an excuse for all this.
8. Completing recitation of the Glorious Qur’an at least one: As in the  above mentioned hadith.
9. Feeding a muslim at the time of iftar:It has been related that the Prophet (S.A.W) said:” Anybody who offers meal for the breaking of the fast of another person earns the same rewards as the one who was observing the fast without taking in any way the reward of the fasting person.
Others include:
-Effective use of time; plan & organize your time to maximize the benefits.
-Guard your tongue from lying, back- biting, fighting, bad talks etc.
- Saying alot of azkar .
-Itikaaf.
 -Making a lot of Dua
-Umrah.
-Saying:[lnnisaa’im]“ I am fasting” when someone pick a quarrel  with you.
-  Too much Prayers and supplicationsat any time in Ramadan.
-Strive hard forlaialtaulQadri( Night of Destiny).
Things that are highly discouraged disliked or even forbidden in Ramadan

1.      Excessive rinsing: the excessive mouth and cleaning the nose is disliked during performing the Wudhu' (ablutions for prayer). This action might allow some water to enter the person's stomach and thus spoil his fast.

2.      Acts that lead to sexual arousal Kissing and embracing the wife with sexual desire, watching bad movies and  all  acts that lead to sexual arousal are disliked.

3.      Not keeping away from sin The Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever does not stop speaking falsehood and acting in accordance with it, Allaah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.”  (Al-Bukhaari). The person who is fasting should avoid all kinds of haram actions, such as backbiting, obscenity and lies, otherwise his reward may all be lost. The Prophet ( SAW) said: “It may be that a fasting person gets nothing from his fast except hunger.”(Reported by IbnMaajah, )

Among the things that can reduce one’s (good deeds) and bring sin (bad deeds) is allowing oneself to be distracted by  movies, sports matches, idle gatherings, hanging arround in the streets with evil people and time-wasters, driving around for no purpose, and crowding the streets and sidewalks etc.
And to some, the months of tahajjud, zikr and worship, for many people, becomes the month of sleeping in the day so as to avoid feeling hungry, thus missing their prayers and the opportunity to pray  in congregation, then spending their nights in entertainment and indulging their desires. Some people even greet the month with feelings of annoyance, thinking only of the pleasures they will miss out for close to 30 days.


Common Mistakes in Ramadan
1.Perceiving or taking Ramadan fast as habitual instead of act of worship.
2.Time- abuse, in temples, phones, TV and sleeping.
3.Taking the whole day hours cooking.
4.Fasting but not praying and vice vasa.
5. Fasting but not wearing hijab
6.Missing  the golden chances of accepting prayers.
7.Fasting but not giving up evil.
8.Not fasting because of exams or office work.
9.Complete devotion in the 1st three days only.
10. wasting last ten days preparing for cloths and eid celebration
11.Praying only on 27th Ramadan.
12. Not giving zakat or zakatulfitri
13 Eating continuously until the time of magribis up
14. Going back to sinful acts starting from eid day.
15. fighting because of number of rakaat in Tahajjud and Taraweeh prayers


 We ask Allah the most High, to continue to guide, protect our Iman and may He spare our lives  to do the best that we can in this blessed month of Ramadan, and accept it as an act of ibadah. Ameen.


Contact: yahyalyolawi@gmail.com

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