Virtues, Etiquettes and Rulings of Fasting According to the Pure Sunnah Source: “Mukhtasar Ahaadeeth as-Siyaam Ahkaam wa Aadaab” of ‘Abdullaah Ibn Saalih al-Fauzaan (pg. 7-9) Translation by: Muhammad Ibn Muneer ‘Abdul-Hameed The First Hadeeth: The Incumbency of Fasting and some of its Wisdoms One the authority of ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar radiyallaahu ‘anhumaa who reported that the Prophet sallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Islaam is built upon five things: The testimony that there is no deity worthy of worship besides Allaah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, establishing the prayer, paying zakaat, offering the pilgrimage to the Sacred House and fasting Ramadaan.” Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim In this hadeeth is a proof citing the incumbency of fasting Ramadan and the fact that it is from the pillars of Islam and its major foundations which Allah, the Exalted, has made obligatory upon His slaves for many magnificent wisdoms and brilliant secrets; whoever realizes them realizes them and whoever is ignorant of them is ignorant of them. From the wisdoms of fasting and its secrets are: 1-It is an act of worship to Allaah, the Exalted, with which the slave seeks nearness to his Lord by leaving off what he is fond of and desires by obeying his Lord and complying with His commands. So by this the truth of his faith, perfection of his worship, strength of his love, and hope of the Allaah’s reward manifests. This is because he [the slave] knows that the good pleasure of his Lord is entailed in leaving off his lusts, so he puts forth His good pleasure before his own desires. For this reason there are many Believers who would prefer to be beaten or imprisoned rather than to break their fast one day in Ramadaan without a valid excuse. 2- It is a reason behind obtaining at-Taqwaa and purification of the soul by obeying Allaah in that which He has commanded and avoiding that which He has forbade. He, the Exalted, says: {O you who believe! Observing fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you that you have at- Taqwaa.} [Soorah al-Baqarah 2: (183)] At-Taqwaa comprehensively includes all good of this life and the Hereafter and hence all fruits of fasting stem forth from it. 3- Holding one’s soul back from lusts, weaning it from things that it is accustomed to and narrowing the paths of the devil towards the slave by constricting food and drink. Hence, Shaytaan’s penetration into the slave becomes weak and conversely, acts of disobedience from him [the slave] are drastically lessened. 4- The heart becomes pure, undisturbed and void which allows it to think correctly, reflect and make remembrance of Allaah. This is because the intake of lusts and desires hardens the heart and blinds it from realizing the truth. As for fasting then it safeguards the strength and health of both the heart and the bodily limbs. 5- Coming to know of Allaah’s bounties and favors upon the slave by blessing him to be able to become full and quench his thirst throughout the entire year, when he fasts he reflects on the hunger pains of the poor, needy people. Thus, he thanks his Lord and feels the pains of his poor brethren; and the favors and bounties of Allaah cannot be truly appreciated until they go away. 6- Many health benefits are obtained by lessening the amount of food, protecting the health by properly arranging meal times and reliving the digestive system for specific period of time. In short, the wisdoms of fasting are magnificent and its benefits are countless. Allaah has made as a result of it endless rewards and tremendous incentives of such grand multitude that if the fasting soul were to imagine them, it would take flight into the sky out of happiness in hoping that the entire year would be Ramadan. O Allaah! Grant us the success to follow the guidance, keep us away from the reasons of destruction and misery, bless us with understanding in the religion and dying upon the Sunnah of the last of the Prophets, and forgive us, our parents [who are Muslims] and all of the Muslims. 
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HIGHER EDUCATION?????Freedom. Young people live for the day when they can move out of the house and go to college and finally be free. Freedom from their parents, from restrictions on their lifestyle, from everyone telling them what to do. This is why in college you... more
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