Ethics of Fasting: Episode 1

The greatest of all, Allah, has set prerequisites and ethics for fasting. Without abiding by them leads to either falsification or complete invalidation of fasting. The conditions fall into two categories:

Mandatory Conditions

The mandatory conditions are further classified into two types:

1. All the forms of worship set mandatory ('Farz') by Allah, be it verbal or action, are a must-to-do. Among them, prayer holds the highest ambience since it is the highest pillar after Shahdah. It is hence mandatory to perform it the right, defined way, in its due time, and in the mosque led by the Imam.  Allah says: "And there came people who wasted the prayer and chased their desires. They will soon bear the brunt of it" (Al-Maryam: 59). Some people, while fasting, procrastinate in praying with the Imam, though Allah, the Highest, has ordered to pray in the lead of Imam, even in the war state. The one who is in peace and at home holds no excuse not to pray in the mosque before the Imam. To exemplify,  Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) did not allow a blind man to miss prayer at the mosque. The companions of the Prophet (P.B.U.H) would consider him a hypocrite who missed praying with the Imam. Similarly, people, in the state of fasting, postpone their prayer until the last hour with no valid reason, which is not permissible under any circumstances.

2. In addition, fasting demands avoiding speaking/actions set Haram (forbidden) by Allah, the lord of all. The one who is fasting must not lie, back-bite, say the wrong to propagate conflict, dodge in affairs, and listen to music. Allah states in the Quran: "There are some among the people who buy filthy content to mock and prevent people from following the path of Allah with no knowledge." (Al-Luqman: 6) It is narrated by several companions of Prophet (P.B.U.H) that this verse relates to music. Some people consider music as permissible. However, in a hadith, Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said: "There will be some people in my Ummah who will term wine and music Halal". If a person does not distance himself from these things, he shall know Allah does not need his hunger and thirst. Hazrat Jabar said: "When you fast, then your eye, ear and tongue should also keep a fast from the forbidden. Else there is no difference in the fast and your hunger and thirst in usual days".

Note: This text is an extract from the Majalis e Ramadhan (Sheikh Ibn-ul-Uthaymeen)