Fasting

q. is Niyyat necessary for fasting?
a. yes, Niyyat is necessary for fasting. a fast will not be considered fast, if one keeps away from all those things which break the fast and does not take anything from Subh-e-Sadiq to sunset without Niyyat.

q. at what time should one express the Niyyat?

a. one should do Niyyat for fast during the night or before mid-day in the morning, for Ramadan, Nazr-e- mu'aiyan and Nafil fasts. "day" in Shari' at means the time from Subh-e-Sadiq to sunset. if Subh-e-Sadiq appears at 4 a.m., and the sun sets at 6 p.m., the day will be 14 hours long, and mid-day will be at 11 a.m. so one should express, at the latest, the Niyyat for fasting by 11 am

for qadr fasts for Ramadan, Kuffara or Nazr-e-Ghair mu'aiyan, the Niyyat should be expressed before Subh-e-Sadiq.

q. how to express the Niyyat?

a. it is not necessary to do Niyyat for fasting of Ramadan, Nazr-e-mu'aiyan, Sunnat and Nafil fasts, only a wish, and intention to fast will do. the fast for Ramadan, during the month of Ramadan, Nazr-e-mu'aiyan on the fixed date and Sunnat or Nafil on any day will be completed in this way. but in the case of Ghair-e-mu'aiyan, Kuffara and qadr of Ramadan, the expression of Niyyat for particular fasts is necessary.

q. is it necessary to express the Niyyat by words?

a. Niyyat is to will and to intend. it is enough to do the Niyyat in heart. it is better however, to do so by tongue. there is no harm if it is not expressed in words.

the qadr in fasting

q. what are the conditions in which qadr for fast become Wajib ?

a. (1) if Fard or Wajib-e-mu'aiyan fasts were not kept without an excuse. (2) some fasts were missed due to some excuse. (3) fast kept but broken due to or without some excuse. then it becomes Fard to keep qadr of these fasts.

q. when the qadr of fasts should be done?

a. it is better to do it as early as possible. to delay without an excuse is bad.

q. it is necessary to keep qadr fasts continuously and without any break?

a. they can be kept either continuously or with intervals. both the ways are allowed.

q. what to do, if another Ramadan month comes and the qadr of the last Ramadan is still due?

a. keep fasts for this Ramadan now, and after Ramadan observe qadr for the previous fasts.

q. what if one keeps and breaks a Nafil fast?

a. its qadr will be necessary because Nafil fasts and prayers once begun become Wajib and must be completed.

q. what to do, if one has no strength to keep qadr fasts?

a. one can give Fidya if he is too old to keep fasts and there is no hope of his gaining strength in future, or he is so ill that there is no hope of regaining health.

q. what is Fidya for fasting?

a. to give 3 1/2 lbs. of wheat or 7 lbs. of barley or the price of any of these two. or giving any other food grain like rice, millet, etc., equal to the same price or quantity.

the quantity of Fidya for each Fard or Wajib Namaz is also the same. but saying prayers is Fard till one can do it even by gestures. prayers will no longer be Fard if one is not able to perform them by gestures and dies in this condition, or this period extends to six times of prayers. Fidya can be given if the prayers become qadr when there was strength to say them and the person died without completing them.

q. is it allowed for any other person to keep fasts for a person, who dies with some fasts qadr?

a. no. the responsibility will not be shifted from the dead person, but his successors can give Fidya.

Kuffara (compensation)

q. what is the compensation for breaking the fast?

a. the Kuffara is to free a slave. but in the countries where there are no slaves, the Kuffara can be given only by these two means; first, keeping fasts continuously for two months. second, if one has not strength enough to keep fasts for two months, he should feed 60 poor persons to their fill both the times, or give each of the 60 poor persons 3 1/3 lbs. of wheat or pay its equal price or give rice, millet, etc , of the same amount.

q. is it allowed to give the food grains of 60 poor persons, that will be 210 pounds of wheat, to only one person?

a. it is allowed if one person is given 3 1/3 lbs. of wheat every day or he is fed twice a day for 60 days. but if he is given each day more than what is to be given to him, by cash or in kind, then only the required quantity will be added to the Kuffara and not the surplus.

q. is it allowed if one deserving person is given less than 3 1/3 lbs.?

a. no, it is not allowed to give less or more than 3 1/3 lbs. of wheat in Kuffara as one day's quantity of food grains to a poor person.

q. what if several fasts in one Ramadan were broken ?

a. only one Kuffara will be Wajib.

q: what id the virtue of fasting during Ramadan?

a: there is a great blessing for during Ramadan and its virtue and superiority has been referred to in many Ahadith. for example, the holy prophet has said that instance, the holy prophet has said that those who keep fast during the month of Ramadan, for Allah pleasure, the sins of their whole life are pardoned. another Hadith says that to Allah the smell from to fragrance of musk. a third Hadith says that Allah has said that fasting is entirely for him and he will reward its returns. in the same way there are many Ahadith which seek to signify the value of fasting during Ramadan.

q: for whom fasting in Ramadan is Fard?

a: it is Fard on every major, sane Muslim man or woman. one who denies its compulsion is Kafir and one who leaves it without any excuse is sinful and Fasiq. though it is not compulsory for minors to keep fasts and perform prayers, but it has been ordered that they be asked to keep fasts and perform prayers from young age it has been said that when a child is seven, he should be ordered to say the prayers and at the age of ten, he should be beaten if he does not say the prayers. in the same way he should be asked to keep as many fasts as possible when he becomes capable of keeping fasts.

q: what are the excuse which permit leaving of fasts?

a:(1) traveling. a Musafir is allowed not to keep fasts while he is traveling; but it is better to fast during the travel if one can do it without much trouble. (2) if one is suffering from a disease and fasting aggravates it. (3) too old of age. (4) if a woman is pregnant and fasting may do her of her pregrency and harm.(5) a feeding mother, if fasting harms the mother of the child. (6) if one is so much overwhelmed with hunger that he will die if he does not eat or drink. (7) fasting is also not allowed.

Mustahibbat of fasting

q: what things are Mustahab during the fasting?

a: (1) to eat meals before the break of Subh-e-Sadiq. (2) Niyyat in the night to keep fast. (3) to take meals till the last minute but it should in any case be finished before Subh-e-Sadiq. (4) to hurry in Iftar (breaking the fast in the evening when there is no doubt about sun having set. (5) to avoid telling lies, abusing and backbiting. (6) to do Iftar with dry, or fresh dates. if they are not available, with water.

q: what is Sehri and what is the time for it?

a: Sehri is eating meals in the last hours of the night before Subho Sadiq. Sehri is Sunnat and brings great blessings. one should take one or two mouthful even if one if not hungry.

Makruhat in fasting

q: what things are Makrooh during fasting?

a: (1) to chew gum or putting anything into mouth. (2) to taste something. but a woman can taste the soup, etc., by the tip of her tongue if her husband is ill-temperature. (3) to stretch one's legs too much during washing the private parts and passing too much into mouth or nose. (4) collecting much saliva in the thirst. (5) telling lies, backbiting or abusing (6) to show nervousness or restlessness. (7) if there is necessity to take bath, to delay knowingly till after the Subho Sadiq. (8) to clean the teeth by rubbing powder or by crushing coal in the mouth.

q: what things do not make the fast Makrooh?

a: (1) to put antimony into one's eyes. (2) to rub oil on one's body or to put oil into the hair. (3) to take bath for keeping cool. (4) to do Miswak of a fresh branch or a root. (5) to apply scent or smell it. (6) to eat or drink unknowingly. (7) to vomit unknowingly. (8) to swallow one's saliva. (9) swallowing flies or smoke, down to the throat unknowingly. all these things neither break the fast nor make it Makrooh.

Mufsidat in fasting

q: what is meant by Mufsidat?

a: Mufsidat are the factors which break the fast. these are of two types. one type makes only qadr necessary and the other necessitates Qaza as well as Kuffara (compensation).

q: what are the Mufsraat which make qadr Wajib?

a: (1) if anybody puts by force something into the mouth of one who is fasting and such a things goes down the throat. (2) one has an idea of fast in one's mind but the water unknowingly goes down the throat while gargling. (3) one was to vomit but returned it down the throat knowingly. (4) vomiting knowingly mouthful. (5) swallowing knowing a pebble, a piece of paper. (6) swallowing something eatable, equal to or bigger than a grain of gram which remained in between the teeth, by pushing it with the tongue. but if it is first taken out of the mouth and then swallowed, then swallowed, then whatever the size, Kuffara becomes Wajib. (7) putting oil in the ear. (8) to put snuff in the nostrils. (9) swallowing the blood in the gums, if the quantity of this blood is more than the saliva with which it is mixed. (10) eating something unknowingly, then taking the fast broken, eating of drinking more, knowingly. (11)to take Sehri thinking that it is not yet Subho Sadiq and learning later on that it was morning already. (12) knowingly breaking fast in other than Ramadan days. (13) to break the fast before the sunset, mistaking cloudily or dusty sky for sunset. each of these things make qadr of fast Wajib.

q: in what conditions both qadr and Kuffara are Wajib?

a: during the Ramadan fasting: (1) eating or drinking knowingly a thing, which is used as medicine, food or is taken for pleasure. (2) doing sexual intercourse knowingly. (3) putting antimony into the eye or having ones vein punctured, and then eating knowingly, thinking that the fast has already been broken. in all these conditions qadr and Kuffara area both Wajib.

q: if one's Ramadan fast is broken, is it right for him to eat and drink?

a: no, it is necessary for him to wait till the evening. in the same way if a traveler arrives at home or the minor becomes major, the woman having monthly course becomes clean or the having monthly course becomes sane, they should wait till the evening like those fasting.

q: is Kuffara necessary for breaking any fast other than that of Ramadan?

a: no, it is Wajib only in breaking the Fard Ramadan fast. Kuffara is not Wajib for Ramadan. breaking even the qadr of Ramadan fast does not make Kuffara Wajib.