Sawm (fasting) is very important, as it builds up self control in Muslims and assists them to overcome selfishness, greed, laziness and other faults. It teaches them to control the love of comfort and gives them the feeling of hunger and thirst. From this, they will know how it feels to have an empty stomach and this then develops their feeling for the poor and hungry around the world. It also keeps their sexual desires within control. Comfort, hunger, and sex are three main factors which must be kept under control by Muslims to behave as Allah’s servants.
All Muslims must fast but no one should ever endanger their life or health because of it. There are people who are excused from fasting due to extreme circumstances: women who are: menstruating, pregnant, or breast-feeding; also people who are ill and fasting could make it worse; Muslim soldiers, or people on long journeys, need to keep up their strength are also excused. Finally the insane are also excused as they would suffer more if they fasted. These people have to make an attempt to make up the fast days they have missed at another time, as soon as possible.
Elderly people are not really expected to fast, but they are asked to feed the poor and needy instead, if they can obviously afford it. Young children will gradually be introduced to fasting, perhaps for just half a day at first. When they get older and reach the age of puberty (at the age of 12 in most cases), then they will have to perform the same fasts as the adults.
The following acts will break the fast:
- Deliberate eating or drinking during fasting hours
- If anything enters the body through the nose or mouth; this includes smoking or sniffing any powdered substance.
- Having any conjugal relations during fasting hours.
- An Intravenous nutritional Injection
A Muslim who deliberately breaks the fast for no good reason must give a meal for 60 people or fast for a further 60 days. There is absolutely no point at all in trying to cheat because Allah sees every action and knows the intention of the heart.
Muslims are expected to remain away from all bad actions during their fasts. They should not do anything deceitful or hurtful.
The main purpose of fasting is to make a Muslim able to control his passions, so that he becomes a person of good deeds and intentions. Fasting especially tries to control anger, which is difficult to do, but if a Muslim puts his mind to it, it is possible.
Suhur is the meal which must be eaten and is eaten before daylight mostly when Ramadan falls in long summer days. This usually begins very early in the morning because Muslims must drink or eat something before the fast begins. During the winter, when the nights are long, Suhur is often quite substantial. In the summer, it might have to be eaten only a few hours after concluding the night meal and will therefore be quite light. High energy foods are usually eaten such as: yoghurt, cheese and honey but spicy, salty foods are avoided because they make people more thirsty.
Although no food is eaten during the day, most women still have to prepare food for the night for the rest of the family. They usually cook their favourite foods to celebrate the occasion.
When the fast draws to its close, all Muslims feel excited and are proud of their endurance. They usually have a timetable sheet which is given for the month of Ramadan by their local mosque that states the IFTAR time. This is during sunset. They break their fast with iftar (breakfast), each day with some sweet dates or a glass of water. Muhammad (pbuh) used to break the fast each day with a few dates or a drink and most Muslims follow this tradition because of the Sunnah, the example of Muhammad (pbuh), but also because, they are regarded as highly nutritious and are symbolic of ancient times.
The Maghrib prayer (that consists 3 rak’ah) commences before the main meal is eaten. This meal is sometimes left until late in a form of a dinner party. The poor are given food or invited to share a meal, so that they can enjoy the pleasure of Ramadan. Some mosques in the U.K make large evening meals for hundreds of people so that the poor can join in.
In Muslim countries there is usually a party atmosphere with the children going round the streets with brightly coloured glass lanterns, singing songs at people’s doors and being rewarded with money or sweets. Families also send food to their neighbours, particularly to the needy and poor, so they can also join in the celebrations. In Cairo Egypt, they make huge evening meals for hundred and thousands of people to join and also there are tables of mercy for poor people who are homeless.
Night of Power
During this fasting month (Ramadan) all nights are considered holy by Muslims but there is one night when the Qur’an was revealed.
This night in the month is ‘better than a thousand months’. This night is known as LAILATUL-QADR (night of power). It is the holiest night during Ramadan and the whole entire year. Muhammad (pbuh) was called to be a prophet in 611 CE when he was forty years old. He had a strange, unusual experience when he was meditating in a cave on Mount Nur in the ninth month, Ramadan. The occasion is known as Lailutul-Qadr.
The prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) saw an amazing figure astride the horizon and wherever he looked the figure was still there. It was angel Jibril (Gabriel) and he ordered him to read. It was angel Jibril (Gabriel) and the angel demanded the terrified man to read. Muhammad tried to explain that he was illiterate; he could not read. Three times Jibril made his command and three times Muhammad (pbuh) gave his reply, but it felt as if the words were burning inside him. Jibril continued to speak and eventually Muhammad (pbuh) found himself repeating the words ordered by Jibril:
“Proclaim! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man, out of (mere) clot of blood. Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful- He Who taught (the use of) the pen – Taught man that which he knew not.
The angel then said, ‘O Muhammad you are the messenger of Allah and I am Jibril’, and departed.
This night was a significant moment in history of the world because it marked the origin of Islam; Islam getting its holy book and Muhammad becoming the last prophet of Islam.
He was illiterate but was forced and then realised that must recite what the angel told him. This was the first revelation of the Qur’an and on this day Islam received its holy book, the Qur’an (which means recitation) as Muhammad (pbuh) passed on the words which he believed came from the almighty Allah. According to the Hadith it occurred on the last ten nights of Ramadan but many Muslims celebrate it on the night of 27 Ramadan. It is a night of great importance, so many Muslims spend the whole night in the mosque offering special prayers and reading the Qur’an. It is said that their prayers will be answered or accepted on that night. Also during this night it is thought the gates of heaven are open so they say do perform lots of du’a (personal prayer) to become more mindful to Allah.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are put in chains.”
Throughout the month of Ramadan, other special practises are performed and one of them is ‘Itakif.
Some Muslims also spend the last ten days and nights of the month of Ramadan (when Night of Power is thought to have occurred) in the mosque and this is called Mu’takif. To remain in the mosque for this period and to devote one’s time wholly to the worship and remembrance of Allah is called ‘Itakif. I’tikaf mainly refers to going into seclusion during the last ten nights of Ramadan, in order to seek lailatul-qadr by praying and reading the Qur’an.One major reason why many people practise ‘Itakif is because Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself used to stay in ‘Itakif during the last 10 days of Ramadan. All Muslims believe that Muhammad is the perfect Muslim, so they follow his footsteps and by doing this they get rewarded by Allah.
Another special practise in this important month, besides the usual five daily prayers, is an extra salah called Tarawih which is performed only in Ramadan after Isha usually in the night. It consists of 20 raka’hs but people can read 8 raka’hs if they wish to when they are tired. During this, a whole section of the Qur'an (‘Juz', which is 1/30 of the Qur'an) is recited each day, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur'an has been completed. It is a Sunnah prayer in which efforts are made by the Imam in the mosque during prayer or Muslims at home, to recite the whole Qur’an in 1 month (Ramadan). This is considered as meritorious to recite the whole of the Qur’an in the sacred month.
This prayer is usually performed in congregation but those who can’t join are expected to read it at home. On the 27th Ramadan, also known as LAILATUL-QADR, the imam usually finishes the Qur’an in the mosque which he started reading on the first Ramadan. After Tarawih, on this day, food is offered to fellow Muslims who have attended mosque to commemorate the first night when Muhammad (p.b.u.h) began to receive revelations of the Qur’an. Only Sunni Muslims tend to perform this recitation of the entire Qur'an of this special prayer (Tarawih). Mosques are filled with worshippers who go to attend these prayers, which usually last for one and a half to two hours. These
