Thursday, January 3, 2013

Saum (Fasting, Rozah)

Fasting

Alläh said:
يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَي الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُوْنَ   ١٨٣؁ۙ (البقرة: ١٨٣)
O you who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as they were enjoined upon those before you, so that you may be God-fearing.
Alläh said:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيْٓ اُنْزِلَ فِيْهِ الْقُرْاٰنُ ھُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَ بَيِّنٰتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدٰى وَالْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ  ۭ (البقرة: ١٨٥)
The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur‘an was revealed as guidance for mankind, and as clear signs that show the right way and distinguish between right and wrong. So those of you who witness the month must fast in it.
Alläh’s Prophet said:
بُنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَالحَجِّ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ.
Islam is based on (the following) five (principles):
1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle.
2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.
3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity).
4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca)
5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.[1]
There is a consensus in the Islamic community that fasting in the month of Ramaz̄än, the ninth month of the Islamic Hijrï calendar, is an individual obligation for every responsible[2] person. No Muslim has voiced a differing opinion regarding its obligatoriness.
The literal meaning of the Arabic word for fasting, As̈ S̈aum is: to abstain.
In Shari'ah, As̈ S̈aum means abstaining from the fast-breaking acts[3] with the intention of fasting from the break of dawn till sunset.

Upon whom is Ramazän fasting obligatory?

The fasting of Ramazän is obligatory – to be observed immediately or to be late-observed – upon the people who fulfill the following prerequisites:
1.       He should be adult[4]. Fasting is not obligatory upon a child.
2.       He should be a Muslim. It is not obligatory upon a Disbeliever.
3.       He should be sane. It is not obligatory upon an insane person.
4.       He should be living in the Islamic land, or he should be aware of the obligatoriness of fasting if living in a land of conflict.

Upon whom is the immediate observance of Ramazän fasting obligatory?

1.       Immediate observance of fasting is obligatory upon a resident person. It is not obligatory for a traveler.
2.       It is obligatory upon a healthy person, not upon a sick person.
3.       It is obligatory upon a woman when she is pure from menstruation and postnatal discharge.
·         It is not obligatory upon a woman undergoing menstruation or postnatal discharge. In fact, fasting by such women will be invalid.

When is the observance of fasting valid?

The observance of fasting is valid when the following prerequisites are met:
1.       The person should make intention of fasting at a time when making intention is valid[5].
2.       The woman should be pure from menstruation and postnatal discharge.
3.       The person should not do any fast-breaking act like eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, or any other contact considered de jure as one of them.
Being pure from major de jure filth occurring on account of ejaculation and intercourse is not a prerequisite for the validity of the fasting-observance.

Kinds of fasting

Fasting is categorized into three kinds:
1.       Obligatory
2.       Compulsory
3.       Traditional
4.       Desirable
5.       Detestable
6.       Prohibited

1.       Obligatory: It is the fasting of Ramazän.
2.       Compulsory:
a.       Late-observance of a supererogatory fasting which he had broken earlier.
b.      Fasting of vow[6]
c.       Fasting of expiation[7]: It becomes necessary in the following cases:
                                                               i.      Eating or drinking intentionally without any excusable difficulty while observing a Ramazän fasting
                                                             ii.      Engaging in sexual intercourse intentionally while observing a Ramazän fasting
                                                            iii.      Zihär: It refers to the act of a person who prohibits his wife upon himself by saying to her: “You are like the back of my mother for me.”
                                                           iv.      Oath-breaking
                                                             v.      Committing some forbidden acts while in the state of Ihräm
                                                           vi.      Mistaken homicide, or an act considered de jure as mistaken homicide
3.       Traditional: It is the fasting on the day of 10 Muharram[8] along with either 9 or 11 Muharram.
4.       Desirable:
a.       Fasting on any three days every month
b.      Fasting on the bright days: 13th, 14th and 15th of every Hijrï month
c.       Fasting on Monday and Thursday every week
d.      Fasting on six days in Shawwäl, the 10th month of Hijrï calendar
e.      Fasting on the day of 'Arafah (9 Zul Ḧijjah[9]) for people not performing the major pilgrimage
f.        Dawüd’s عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ fasting: observing fast on one day and not observing it on the next day. This is the best kind of fasting and the most loved by Alläh.
5.       Detestable:
a.       Fasting on 10 Muharram, if a person fasts on this day alone
b.      Fasting on Saturday, if a person fasts on this day alone
c.       Fasting without break; that is, the person does not break the fast after sunset and joins this fast with the fast on the next day.
6.       Prohibited:
a.       Fasting on the day of Ïd of fast-breaking (1 Shawwäl)
b.      Fasting on the day of sacrifice (10 Zul Hijjah)
c.       Fasting on the days of Tashrïq: 11, 12 and 13 Zul Hijjah

Time of making intention for fasting

Fasting without intention is not valid.
The place of intention is the heart.
If intention is made at any time from the night till a little before midday, then the fasting is valid in the following cases:
1.       On-time observance of a Ramazän fasting
2.       Fasting for a vow for specific day
3.       Supererogatory[10] fasting
On-time observance of Ramazän is valid with the intention of fasting alone[11] or with the intention of supererogatory fasting.
Fasting for a vow for specific day is likewise valid with the intention of fasting alone or with the intention of supererogatory fasting.
Supererogatory fasting is also valid with the intention of fasting alone or with the intention of supererogatory fasting.
However, for the following fasts, intention of fasting with specification as well as making it at night is a prerequisite[12].
1.       Late observance of Ramazän fasting
2.       Late observance of a supererogatory fasting which he had prematurely broken earlier
3.       Fasting of expiation
4.       Fasting for a vow without date-specification

How is crescent-sighting established

Alläh’s Prophet said:
صُومُوا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ وَأَفْطِرُوا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ، فَإِنْ غُبِّيَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَأَكْمِلُوا عِدَّةَ شَعْبَانَ ثَلاَثِينَ. (البخاری ١٩٠٩)
Start fasting on seeing the crescent (of Ramadan), and give up fasting on seeing the crescent (of Shawwal), and if the sky is overcast (and you cannot see it), complete thirty days of Sha'ban. (EQ 1804)
The onset of the month of Ramazän is established either
1.       By sighting the crescent, or
2.       By the completion of 30 days of the month of Sha'bän, if crescent could not be sighted at the end of the 29 days of Sha'bän
Sighting of crescent for Ramazän is established by the report[13] of a man or a woman.
Sighting of Ïd crescent is established by the testimony of two male, or one male and two female witnesses, if the sky is unclear on account of cloud, dust or smoke.
If the sky is clear, then the sighting of the crescent of both Ramazän and Ïd is established only if such a large number of people sights it that its truth becomes overwhelming probable.
For all months other than Ramazän, Shawwäl and Zul Hijjah[14], the sighting of crescent is established by the testimony of two male, or one male and two female witnesses, provided that the witnesses are trustworthy and they have never been sentenced to Alläh-decreed punishment for slander.
If crescent-sighting for Ramazän is established in a region, then it is established for all the neighboring regions for which the usual crescent-sighting day is the same, provided that the news reaches them through means which make fasting compulsory.[15]
If a person sights the crescent of Ramazän alone but his report is rejected by the Qäzï, then observing the fasting on the next day is essential for him.
If a person sights the crescent of the Ïd of fast-breaking alone and his report is rejected by the Qäzï, then also he will have to observe fasting on the next day. Being without fasting is not permissible for him.

Ruling of fasting on the day of doubt

The day of doubt is the day succeeding 29 Sha'bän, if it is not known whether the crescent appeared or not.
Fasting on the day of doubt with the intention of obligatory fasting or with the intention vacillating between obligatory and supererogatory is detestable.
Fasting on the day of doubt with the intention of supererogatory is not detestable if the person strictly intended the supererogatory.
If a person keeps vacillating between fasting and not fasting while keeping away from the fast-breaking acts, then his fasting will not be valid.
On the day of doubt, a Muftï should ask the common people to wait till a little before midday without making the intention of fasting. When the midday passes and the issue of crescent-sighting remains undecided, he should ask them to stop fasting.
If a person observes fasting on the day of doubt with the intention of supererogatory, and later it becomes clear that the day was the first of Ramazän, then that fasting will be sufficient for him. He does not need to late-observe the fasting for that day.

Things which do not break fasting

1.       Eating forgetfully
2.       Drinking forgetfully
3.       Having sexual intercourse forgetfully
4.       Applying oil to the head or body
5.       Applying kohl, even though he feels the taste in his throat
6.       Undergoing cupping[16]
7.       Backbiting somebody
8.       Making intention of breaking the fasting but not actually doing it through a fast-breaking act
9.       Dust enters his throat without his action, even if the dust is from a flour-mill.
10.   Smoke enters his throat without his action.
11.   Housefly enters his throat.
12.   At the break of dawn, he is in a state of major de jure filth on account of sexual intercourse or ejaculation.
The fasting is also not broken if the person remains in that state all day. However, it will be highly detestable on account of leaving out Salähs, as they are not valid in that state.
13.   The person enters a river and water enters his ear.
14.   Mucus enters his nose and he intentionally sucks it in or swallows it.
15.   Vomiting overpowers him, but the vomit goes back inside without his action, no matter whether the vomit was in small quantity or large quantity.
16.   He vomits intentionally but the vomit returns inside without his action, provided that the vomit is in small quantity, that is, less than mouthful.
17.   Eating something sticking to his teeth, provided that the thing is smaller than a chickpea.
18.   He takes into mouth something of the size of a sesame seed, chews it till it vanishes, yet he does not feel its taste in his throat.
19.   Vaccination, no matter whether it is applied to the skin or to a vein
20.   He scrubs his ear with a wooden stick which comes out with earwax over it, then he reenters the stick several times into his ear.

When is expiation along with late-observance compulsory?

In the following cases, fasting is broken and expiation as well as late-observance becomes compulsory for a person observing Ramazän fasting:
1.       He eats a food to which one feels disposed by nature and which fulfills the craving of stomach.
2.       He consumes a medicine without facing a difficulty excusable in the eyes of the Shari'ah.
3.       He drinks water or some other beverage.
4.       He engages in sexual intercourse.
5.       He swallows the rain-drop that has entered his mouth.
6.       He chews a wheat grain and eats it.
7.       He swallows a wheat grain without chewing it.
8.       He takes in a sesame seed or some other edible thing similar in size to it from outside his mouth and swallows it.
9.       He eats a small quantity of salt.
10.   He smokes a cigarette or a narghile.
11.   He eats soil, provided he is in the habit of eating soil.
·         If he is not in the habit of eating soil, then expiation is not required.

Prerequisites for expiation to become compulsory

1.       The person eats or drinks during on-time observance of Ramazän fasting.
·         Expiation is not compulsory if the person eats or drinks during observance of a fasting outside Ramazän.
·         It is also not compulsory if the person eats or drinks during late-observance of a Ramazän fasting.
2.       The person eats or drinks intentionally.
·         Expiation is not compulsory if the person eats or drinks forgetfully.
3.       He is not mistaken in his eating or drinking.
·         Expiation is not compulsory if he eats or drinks by mistake, thinking that dawn has not yet started or that the sun has set. Later it turns out that this was not the case.
4.       He is not in dire necessity of eating or drinking.
·         Expiation is not required if he is in dire necessity of eating or drinking.
5.       He is not coerced into eating or drinking.
·         Expiation is not required if he is coerced into eating or drinking.

Description of expiation

The expiation that we have been talking about consists of one of the following:
1.       Freeing a slave, no matter whether he is a Muslim or a non-Muslim
2.       Fasting for two months at a stretch, not interrupted by the days of Ïd or days of Tashrïq[17]
3.       Feeding 60 poor persons to the amount of what they usually eat on an average.
Expiation is compulsory in the above order only. If a person is not capable of freeing a slave, he should observe fasting for two months at a stretch. If he is incapable of that too, he should feed 60 poor people such that each poor person gets two full meals.
It is compulsory that the poor people should not include a person whose expenses are obligatory upon him like parents, children or wives.
If a person wants to give cereals to poor people as expiation, then he should give to each poor person 1.632 kg[18] of wheat, its flour or the price of 1.632 kg of wheat.
In place of the above, he may give 3.264 kg of barley, dates or the price of either of them.

When is late-observance without expiation compulsory?

In the following cases, fasting is broken. Its late-performance becomes compulsory but expiation is not required.
1.       A faster[19] breaks his fast due to a difficulty excusable in the eyes of the Shari'ah like journey, sickness, pregnancy, lactation, menstruation, postnatal discharge, swooning or insanity.
2.       A faster eats something which is not usually eaten and which does not satiate the craving of stomach, like medicine when consumed on account of an excusable difficulty, flour, dough, salt in large quantity when consumed in a single gulp, cotton, paper, endocarp, or soil when he is not in the habit of eating it.
3.       A faster swallows one of the following: gravel, iron-object, stone, gold, silver, copper, etc.
4.       He is coerced into eating or drinking and he eats or drinks as a result.
5.       He is in dire necessity of eating or drinking, and so he eats or drinks.
6.       He eats by mistake, thinking that the night remains and the dawn has not yet started, or that the sun has set. Later, it turns out that the dawn had broken or that the sun had not yet set.
7.       He gargles or sniffs water into his nose and overdoes it due to which water slips into his stomach.
8.       He intentionally vomits and the vomit amounts up to a mouthful.
9.       Rain drop or snowball enters his throat provided he does not swallow it by his own action.
10.   He breaks a fasting other than on-time observance of Ramazän-fasting.
11.   He enters smoke into his throat by his action.
12.   Food particle of the size of a chickpea or larger remain among his teeth and he swallows it.
13.   He eats intentionally after having eaten forgetfully.
14.   He eats in a fasting for which he made the intention in the day, not in the night.
15.   He starts his morning as a traveler. Later, he intends to become a resident, and then eats something.
16.   He starts his morning as a resident. Later he starts traveling, and then eats something.
17.   He keeps away from eating and drinking all day without making an intention of either fasting or not fasting.
18.   He enters oil-drop or water inside his ear.
19.   He enters medicine into his nose.
20.   He applies an ointment to a wound in the stomach or head, and the ointment reaches inside.
If a person breaks his fasting in any of the ways mentioned above, it is compulsory for him to keep away from eating and drinking during the rest of that day honoring the sacredness of the month of Ramazän.

Detestable acts during fasting

The following acts are detestable for a faster. He should keep away from them lest his fasting should become defective.
1.       Chewing or tasting something without necessity
2.       Accumulating saliva inside the mouth, then swallowing it
3.       Any act that would weaken him like the treatments of cupping and bloodletting

Acts which are detestable for a faster

1.       Applying oil to moustache and beard
2.       Applying kohl
3.       Bathing for getting cool
4.       Wrapping oneself in a wet sheet of cloth for getting cool
5.       Rinsing out one’s mouth and sniffing water into the nose outside of ablution
6.       Cleaning the tooth with tooth-stick when the day is about to end: In fact it is a tradition just as it is a tradition in the early part of day.

Desirable acts for a faster

1.       To take pre-dawn meal[20]
2.       To delay the pre-dawn meal
·         However, the faster should stop eating and drinking a few minutes before the break of dawn so that he does not get confused whether his fasting was valid or not.
3.       To take the fast-breaking meal[21] early, soon after it becomes certain that the sun has set
4.       To take bath before dawn to purify himself from major de jure filth so that he starts the worship of fasting in a pure state
5.       To protect his tongue from falsehood, backbiting, slander and swearing at others
6.       To benefit from the blessed hours of Ramazän by engaging in recitation of the glorious Qurän, or by reciting any of the remembrance formulas reported in the traditions.
7.       Not to get angry, or rage over trivial things
8.       To protect his spirit from sexual desires even if it is permissible

Excusable difficulties which make breaking of fast prematurely permissible

Islam is a dïn in sync with the nature, so it does not lay upon man responsibility beyond his capability. Moreover, Alläh is merciful to His servants, so He has permitted them to break the fast prematurely or to leave it out and then late-observe it on some other day, if the fast causes them harm or difficulty. Thus, for the following persons, leaving out a fast is permissible:
1.       For a sick person, if it harms him, or he fears aggravation of the sickness or delay in cure.
2.       For a traveler who is on a journey long enough to warrant shortening of Saläh[22]
3.       For a person suffering from severe hunger or thirst wherein it looks overwhelmingly probable to him that he would die if he does not leave out the fast
4.       For a pregnant woman, if the fast harms her or the fetus
5.       For a breast-feeding woman, if the fast harms her or the suckling baby
6.       For a woman undergoing menstruation or postnatal discharge: In fact, it is compulsory for her to leave out fast. If they observe fast, it will be invalid.
7.       For a very old person who is not capable of observing fasts
For him there is no late-observance as well. Instead, he should pay the penalty[23].
8.       For a person observing a supererogatory fast, breaking it prematurely is permissible even if there is no excusable difficulty. However, it will be compulsory for him to late-observe it on some other day.
9.       For a person engaged in fighting the enemy
It is desirable for a person on whom late-observance of a fast is compulsory to do it soon. However, if he delays the late-observance, it is permissible.
It is permissible for him to late-observe the missed fasts continuously or with breaks.
If a person delays the late-observance till the next Ramazän arrives, he should give priority to the on-time observance of Ramazän fasts over the late-observance. There is no penalty on him due to delay in late-observance.

When is fulfilling a vow compulsory?

Alläh’s Prophet said:
مَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يُطِيعَ اللَّهَ فَلْيُطِعْهُ، وَمَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يَعْصِيَهُ فَلاَ يَعْصِهِ. (البخاري ٦٦٩٦)
Whoever vows that he will be obedient to Allah, should remain obedient to Him; and whoever made a vow that he will disobey Allah, should not disobey Him. (EQ 6325)
Fulfilling a vow is compulsory if three prerequisites are fulfilled:
1.       The act of vow should be one in whose category there is some compulsory act, like Saläh and fast.
2.       The act of vow should be one which is intended in its own right.
3.       The act of vow should not be compulsory upon him before making the vow.
Thus, making a vow of freeing a slave, doing Itikäf, performing a supererogatory Saläh or fast is valid.
Making a vow of doing ablution is not valid, as it is not intended for its own sake. Instead ablution is performed to make the Saläh valid.
Making a vow of performing prostrations of recitation is not valid as it is compulsory even without making a vow.
Making a vow to visit a sick person is not valid as there is no compulsory worship in this category.
If a person makes a vow to observe fast on a day of Ïd or a day of Tashrïq[24], his vow is valid.
But it will be compulsory for him to leave out fast on these days as fast is prohibited on these days. He should late-observe it later.

Itikäf

Itikäf is staying with the intention of performing the worship of Itikäf in a mosque where congregational Salähs are held.

Kinds of Itikäf

There are three kinds of Itikäf:
  1. Compulsory: It is the Itikäf of vow. If a person vows to perform Itikäf, then this Itikäf will be compulsory for him.
  2. Emphasized sufficiency tradition: It is performed in the last ten days[25] of Ramazän.
  3. Desirable: It is the Itikäf other than that of vow and that of the last ten days of Ramazän.

Duration of Itikäf

The duration of Itikäf varies with the kind of Itikäf.
The duration of Itikäf of vow is the period specified in the vow.
The duration of the traditional Itikäf is the last ten days[26] of Ramazän.
For the desirable Itikäf, the minimum duration is a moment of time and the maximum duration is unlimited.
Itikäf is valid only in a mosque where congregational Salähs are regularly held, in other words, a mosque where Imäm and Saläh-announcer have been appointed.
A woman should perform Itikäf in the Saläh-place of her own house.
For the Itikäf of vow, fasting on the day is a prerequisite. It will be invalid without fasting.
But for the validity of traditional and desirable Itikäfs, fasting is not a prerequisite.

Invalidators of Itikäf

Itikäf is broken on account of the following:
  1. Going out of the mosque without an excusable difficulty
  2. Start of menstruation or postnatal discharge
  3. Engaging in sexual intercourse or foreplay like kissing or lustful fondling

Excusable difficulties which make going out of mosque permissible

Such excusable difficulties are three in number:
  1. Physical needs: like relieving oneself on urine or excreta, or bathing to purify oneself from major de jure filth arising from ejaculation or intercourse
A person performing Itikäf may get out of the mosque for bathing for purification from the above-mentioned major de jure filth, or for relieving himself from urine or excreta provided that he does not stay outside more than is required for his need.
  1. Needs on account of the Islamic law: like Friday Saläh, in case it is not held in the mosque where he is performing Itikäf
  2. Compulsive difficulties: like fear for one’s life or goods on staying in the mosque
Similarly, if the mosque collapses, he should go out of that mosque with the intention of immediately going to another mosque for performing Itikäf.
An Itikäf-performer may eat, drink and carry out business transaction to obtain something which he needs. But he should not bring the product being traded to the mosque.

Avoidable acts for Itikäf-performer

It is detestable for an Itikäf-performer to carry out business transaction inside the mosque merely for business purpose[27], no matter whether he brings the product to the mosque or not.
It is detestable to bring the product-on-sale to the mosque for a business transaction he is conducting for the needs of his or his family.
Keeping quiet is detestable if he believes it to be form of worship. If he does not believe that, then it is not detestable.

Etiquettes of Itikäf

The following acts are desirable in Itikäf:
  1. To speak only what is beneficial
  2. To select the holiest mosque for Itikäf, which is Masjid Haräm for the residents of Makkah, then Masjid Nabawï for the residents of Madïnah, then Masjid Aqsä for the residents of Al Quds, then the mosque of Friday Saläh.
  3. To engage in Qurän-recitation, traditional remembrances, supplication of blessings upon the Prophet, and study of Islamic books

Charity of fast-ending[28]

It is the charity-money that a Muslim spends from his wealth upon the needy on the day of the Ïd of fast-breaking to purify his soul and to compensate for the defects that entered his fasts like useless conversations, obscene words, etc.
Abdulläh bin Abbäs رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ said:
فَرَضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ زَكَاةَ الْفِطْرِ طُهْرَةً لِلصَّائِمِ مِنَ اللَّغْوِ وَالرَّفَثِ، وَطُعْمَةً لِلْمَسَاكِينِ. (أبو داود ١٦٠٩)
Alläh’s Prophet prescribed the alms relating to the breaking of the fast as a purification of the fasting from empty and obscene talk and as food for the poor. (EQ 16298)
The charity of fast-ending is compulsory.

On whom is the charity of fast-ending compulsory?

The charity of fast-ending is compulsory on people who fulfill the following three prerequisites:
  1. He should be a Muslim. It is not compulsory for a Disbeliever.
  2. He should be free. It is not compulsory for a slave.
  3. He should own Zakäh-cutoff[29] in addition to debts, his basic needs and the needs of his family-members.
So the charity of fast-ending will not be compulsory for a person who does not own the Zakäh-cutoff in addition to debts and his basic needs.
The following things come under basic needs:
  1. House
  2. Household chattels
  3. Clothes
  4. Vehicles and animals used for travel
  5. Devices which he uses in his profession
That a complete lunar year should pass after he possessed the Zakäh-cutoff, is not a prerequisite.
The prerequisite for the charity of fast-ending to become compulsory is that he should own the Zakäh-off at the break of dawn on the day of the Ïd of fast-ending.
Being adult or sane is not a prerequisite for the charity of fast-ending to become compulsory.
The charity of fast-ending must be given from the wealth of a child or an insane if he owns the Zakäh-cutoff.

When does the charity of fast-ending become compulsory?

The charity of fast-ending becomes compulsory at the break of dawn on the day of the Ïd of fast-ending.
If a person dies or becomes poor[30] before that time, then it will not be compulsory for him.
If a person is born, embraces Islam, or becomes rich[31] after the break of dawn on the day of Ïd, then also the charity of fast-ending is not compulsory for him.
Preponing or postponing the payment of this charity is permissible.
However, it is desirable that he spend this charity before going out to the Ïd-mosque.
If a person spends the charity of fast-ending in Ramazän, it is permissible; in fact, it is recommended. This will enable the poor to make clothes and purchase other necessities for Ïd for himself and his family-members.
Delaying the payment of the charity of fast-ending over the Ïd Saläh is detestable unless it is because of an excusable difficulty.

On whose behalf should the charity of fast-ending be paid?

It is compulsory to pay the charity of fast-ending on behalf of:
  1. Himself
  2. His non-adult poor offspring
If his offspring is rich, then the charity of fast-ending should be paid from the offspring’s wealth.
It is not compulsory for a man to pay the charity of fast-ending on behalf of his wife. But if he volunteers for it, it will be permissible.
It is also not compulsory for a man to pay the charity of fast-ending on behalf of his adult, poor offspring if the offspring is sane. But if he volunteers for it, it will be permissible.
If his adult, poor offspring is insane, then it is compulsory for him to pay the charity of fast-ending on the offspring’s behalf.

Amount of charity of fast-ending

The things which have been mentioned under charity of fast-ending in scriptural texts are four:
  1. Wheat
  2. Barley
  3. Dried dates
  4. Raisins
The amount of charity of fast-ending on behalf of one person is 1.632 kg[32] of wheat or its flour; or 3.264 kg of barley, dried dates or raisins.
If a person wants to pay the charity of fast-ending with some other cereals, it is permissible. He should pay that quantity of the cereal which is equivalent in price to 1.632 kg of wheat or to 3.264 kg of barley.
Paying the equivalent price in terms of currency notes for the charity of fast-ending is also permissible. In fact, it is preferable as it is more beneficial to the poor.
It is permissible to distribute the charity of fast-ending on behalf of one person among several poor persons.
Similarly it is permissible to pay the charity of fast-ending on behalf of a group of people to a single poor person.
People to whom the charity of fast-ending may be paid are the same as the ones mentioned in the Quränic verse for Zakäh:
اِنَّمَا الصَّدَقٰتُ لِلْفُقَرَاۗءِ وَالْمَسٰكِيْنِ وَالْعٰمِلِيْنَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوْبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغٰرِمِيْنَ وَفِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيْلِ ۭفَرِيْضَةً مِّنَ اللّٰهِ  ۭوَاللّٰهُ عَلِيْمٌ حَكِيْمٌ       60؀ (القرآن ٦٠:٩)
The Zakäh (prescribed alm) is (meant) only to be given to the poor, the needy, to those employed to collect them, to those whose hearts are to be won, in the cause of the slaves and those encumbered with debt, in the way of Allah and to a wayfarer. This is an obligation prescribed by Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, Wise.
Alläh willing, we will discuss them in detail under the topic “People to whom Zakäh may be paid”.




[1] Bukhärï 8, EQ 7
[2] Sane and adult Muslim
[3] The fast-breaking acts are eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, and any other act that is considered de jure as one of them.
[4] A boy is considered adult when nocturnal ejaculation occurs to him, he ejaculates at the time of sexual intercourse, or he makes a woman pregnant. If none of these occurs to him then he becomes adult on completing 15 years. The minimum age for him to become adult is 12 years.
A girl is considered adult when menstruation, nocturnal ejaculation or pregnancy occurs to her. If none of these occurs, then she becomes an adult on completing 15 years. The minimum age for her to become an adult is 9 years. (From Al Hidäyah 3/281)
[5] The time to make intention for immediate observance of Ramazän fasting and for supererogatory fasting is: after sunset and up to a little before midday.
The time to make intention for late-observance of Ramazän fasting, fasting of expiation and fasting of vow without time specification is: the entire night. The intention will not be valid after the break of dawn.
The time to make intention for fasting of vow with time specification is: after sunset and up to a little before midday.
[6] Fasting of vow: It is the fasting which a person makes compulsory for himself to get closer to Alläh. Such a fasting becomes compulsory with the details specified while making the vow. If a person makes a vow to fast on a specific day or on specific days, then fasting is compulsory on the specified day(s). If the person makes a vow without specifying the time, it will be compulsory upon him without time specification.
The fasting of vow is obligatory according to some jurists. But according to authoritative Hanafï scholars, it is compulsory as its denier is not considered Disbeliever.
[7] Fasting of expiation is obligatory according to some jurists, and compulsory in the opinion of authoritative Hanafï  scholars as its denier is not considered Disbeliever.
[8] Muharram is the first month of Hijrï calendar.
[9] Zul Ḧijjah is the 12th month of Hijrï calendar.
[10] Supererogatory: traditional or desirable
[11] The person makes intention of fasting only. He does not specify whether the fasting he is observing is obligatory or supererogatory, nor does he specify whether the fasting is for Ramazän.
[12] While making intention he should specify what kind of fasting it is. Moreover, he should make the intention in the preceding night before the break of dawn.
[13] It is not a prerequisite for establishing the sighting of Ramazän crescent that the person say the words “I witnessed” in his report.
The reporter should be trustworthy. (Bidäyatul Mubtadï 1/39)
[14] The rulings for sighting of the crescent of the Ïd of sacrifice are like those for the Ïd of fast-breaking. (Hidäyah 1/119)
[15] The means which make fasting compulsory is the report of a trustworthy man or woman when the sky is unclear, and the report of a very large number of people when the sky is clear.
[16] Cupping: A treatment in which evacuated cups are applied to the skin to draw blood through the surface
[17] The days of Ïd are 1 Shawwäl and 10 Zul Hijjah. The days of Tashrïq are 11, 12 and 13 of Zul Hijjah.
[18] It is half sä', an old Arabic measure of quantity. One sä' is equivalent to around 3.264 kg.
[19] A faster is a person who observes fasting.
[20] The Arabic word for pre-dawn meal is Saharï which is taken a little before dawn to make the fasting more easily bearable.
[21] Popularly known in the Indian sub-continent as Ifẗär, the Arabic word for fast-breaking meal is Fiẗr.
[22] It amounts to about 89 km or, to be exact, 88.704 km. (Al Fiqh-ul Islami wa Adillatuh 2/477)
[23] The penalty for one fast is feeding a poor person two full meals consisting of what he usually eats on an average, or giving 1.632 kg of wheat or its market-price, or 3.264 kg of barley or its market-price.
[24] The days of Ïd are 1 Shawwäl and 10 Zul Hijjah. The days of Tashrïq are 11, 12 and 13 of Zul Hijjah.
[25] Nine days, if the month turns out to be of 29 days
[26] Nine days, if the month turns out to be of 29 days
[27] If it is to obtain something which he needs, then the business transaction is permissible.
[28] Sadaqatul Fitr, in Arabic
[29] The Zakäh-cutoff is the price of 595 gram of silver (=₹32,070 at Hyderabad on 11 Aug 2012, source: indiagoldrate.com). For certain special cases, it may be different.
[30] In Islamic law, any person not owning the Zakäh-cutoff is poor.
[31] In Islamic law, any person owning the Zakäh-cutoff is rich.
[32] It is half sä', an old Arabic measure of quantity. One sä' is equivalent to around 3.264 kg.

No comments:

Post a Comment