Sharing Session on 7 July 2013

NYPMSN Sharing Session

Date: 7 July 2013

Sharing Session Led By: Sister Syazreema & Muslihah Murdifi

Topic: Pre-Ramadhan

HIKMAH PUASA

• Tazkiyatun nafs (Cleanse your soul)
• Bisa mengangkat aspek kejiwaan mengungguli aspek materi dalam diri manusia.
• Pembinaan (tarbiyah) bagi kemahuan, jihad bagi jiwa dan pembiasaan kesabaran.
• Mengendalikan hawa nafsu seksual sehingga dapat menurunkan dorongan syahwat kepada lawan jenis.
• Menajamkan perasaan terhadap nikmat Allah SWT.
• Menumbuhkan jiwa kepekaan sosial.
• Mengantarkan seseorang menuju derajat taqwa.

Allah SWT berfirman dalam sebuah Hadist Qudsi:
“Sekiranya hamba-Ku mengetahui apa yang tersebunyi dalam bulan ramadhan, pastilah mereka mengharap agar setahun penuh itu adalah bulan ramadhan.”

Di bulan Ramadhan, Allah telah menurunkan kitab suci al-Quranulkarim, yang menjadi petunjuk bagi seluruh manusia dan untuk membedakan yang benar dengan yang salah.

Untuk menjadi orang yang beriman dan bertaqwa kepada Allah kita diberi kesempatan selama sebulan Ramadhan, melatih diri kita, menahan hawa nafsu kita dari makan dan minum, mencampuri isteri, menahan diri dari perkataan dan perbuatan yang sia-sia, membuat fitnah dan tipu daya, merasa dengki dan khianat, memecah belah persatuan ummat, dan berbagai perbuatan jahat lainnya.

Rasulullah s.a.w. bersabda:

"Bukanlah puasa itu hanya sekedar menghentikan makan dan minum tetapi puasa itu ialah menghentikan omong-omong kosong dan kata-kata kotor."
(H.R.Ibnu Khuzaimah)

Beruntunglah mereka yang dapat berpuasa selama bulan Ramadhan, karena puasa itu bukan sahaja dapat membersihkan Rohani manusia juga akan membersihkan Jasmani manusia itu sendiri, puasa sebagai alat penyembuh yang baik.

Jika kita makan berlebih-lebihan sudah tentu ia akan membawa muzarat kepada kesehatan kita. Boleh menyebabkan badan menjadi gemuk, dengan mengakibatkan kepada sakit jantung, darah tinggi, penyakit kencing manis, dan berbagai penyakit lainnya. 

Do’s and Don’ts

DO’S

• Sahur

• Recite al-Quran

• Giving charity

• Make a lot of du'a

• Busy ourselves with good deeds

• Giving food to person breaking fast and strengthen the ukhuwwah

• Break fast
  Du'a when breaking fast: 

“ذَهَبَ الظَّمَأُ وَابْتَلَّتْ الْعُرُوقُ وَثَبَتَ الأَجْرُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ . ”  

 Maksudnya, “Telah hilanglah dahaga, telah basahlah kerongkongan, semoga ada pahala yg ditetapkan insyaAllah.” (HR Abu Dawud)

• Pray on Time
• Perform Sunnah prayer - Terawih, Tahajjud, Before/After Obligation Prayer.
• Perfecting our ibadah - Ibadah that we do outside Ramadhan, we should do more of it in Ramadhan.

DON’TS

• Protect your body from any ill-act.

• Protect your mouth - Do not say vulgar, Do not backbite, Say good things or remain silent.

• Protect your eyes - Do not look at something offensive or things that arose your nafs.

• Protect your legs - From going to places that has maksiat

• Protect your ears - Don't listen to fruitless conversation, music that prohibited in Islam (Vulgarities etc).

DO NOT make the mistake of fasting with the intention to diet.
That is one of the biggest mistakes some of us make, especially the sisters. Fasting is an act of worship and should only and only, be for the sake of Allah alone. Otherwise, mixing it with the intention of dieting may become a form of (minor) Shirk. Sure, there are always added benefits of obeying Allah, one of them being, losing weight while fasting. That comes in automatically, so reap the benefits but don't make it part of your intention. If the side benefits come, they come. If they don't, that shouldn't stop you from obeying Allah and fulfilling your duty.

Few FAQS when Fasting

Q. What is the legal ruling if I unintentionally eat or drink when fasting?

A. Eating or drinking unintentionally does not invalidate the fast. Someone who has done so has to continue to complete his/her fast. Imam Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported a narration by Abu Hurairah R.A: That the Holy Prophet pbuh said. “Whomever eats or drinks out of forgetfulness during Ramadan has to continue that fast. Food and drink is a gift from Allah for him/her"

Q. Are we allowed to bathe, take a shower, rinse our mouth, nose etc while fasting?

A. We are allowed to do all of these as long as we do not do it excessively and we take care not to swallow water or allow water to get into our system

We read in an authentic report from 'A'isha, the beloved wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that the Prophet would sometimes wake up in a state of junaba (during Ramadhan) and "he would bathe and continue his fast." (Reported by Nasa'i on the authority of 'A'ishah)

Imam Bukhari cites a report from Anas bin Malik, one of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said, "I have a water cistern, filled with water, in which I immerse myself while fasting to cool myself off." (Cited by Bukhari in his Sahih)

Q. There are those who fast while they do not pray. Will their fast be accepted?

A. There are scholars who say that one who does not pray becomes an infidel; however the majority consider him to be an infidel only if does so considering that it is permissible to abandon prayer.

So, if anyone does not pray out of laziness, while recognizing its importance, he is still considered a Muslim, albeit a sinful one, and his fasting is acceptable. He is like any other Muslim who is guilty of grave sins.

 
Q. How severe an illness must be, in order to warrant breaking the fast in Ramadhan?

A. You are allowed to break your fast only if fasting makes your illness worse or prevents you from taking medications that you must take for the treatment. In the case of the common cold, you are not allowed to break your fast unless the cold is unbearable for you, and you are not able to function properly without taking medication.

If you think this is the case, then you should break your fast, for Allah says, "Hence, whoever of you lives to see this month (i.e. Ramadhan) shall fast throughout it; but he that is ill, or on a journey, [shall fast instead for the same] number of other days. Allah wills that you shall have ease and does not wish you to suffer hardship; but [He desires] that you complete the number [of days required] and that you extol Allah for His having guided you aright and that you render your thanks [unto Him]." (Qur'an 2: 185).

 
Q. I had a wet dream while fasting. Does it affect my fasting?

A. If you experience a wet dream, it does not affect the validity of your fast. Your fast is broken only if you ejaculate because of deliberate action or thinking on your part. Since you have no control over your dreams while sleeping, it does not affect the validity of your fast.

However, let me hasten to indicate that you ought to do ghusl (bath) in order to be entitled to perform salah (in case of a wet dream).

Q. Is it necessary to formulate the niyyah to fast every single day of Ramadhan; or is it enough to make the niyyah to fast the whole month in the beginning?

A. This is a controversial issue among scholars: One group insists that it must be done each and every day before dawn; while another group states that it is sufficient if one formulates the intention to fast the whole month ofRamadhan in the beginning.

There is no need for us to be extremely rigid on this issue; everyone who wakes up for suhoor (pre-dawn meal) has already made up their mind to fast, but the safest way to go about such matters is to formulate the niyyah each and every day. By doing so, we make sure that our acts of worships are not simply mechanical chores but deliberate acts of worship purely for seeking Allah's love, mercy and forgiveness.

Q. What level of intimacy are allowed between spouses when both or either of them fasting?

A. In obligatory fasts, one is allowed to do these only if one can control himself or herself. Breaking a Ramadhan fast through sexual intercourse is a serious offence; it entails a severe form of kaffarah (expiation), which involves fasting two months consecutively; if one cannot do this, one must feed sixty poor persons for a single day of fast.

Therefore, no conscientious Muslim should contemplate such activities while fasting if there is a risk of overstepping the boundaries. If there is no such fear, then light touching, or kissing, etc., when not accompanied by sexual desire, is permissible. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked by a young man whether he can kiss his wife while fasting, he replied, "No", but when an elderly person came and asked him the same question, he replied, "Yes".

Q. Yesterday, I woke up a little late for the pre-dawn meal. While I was having the pre-dawn meal the DJ on the radio said it was now time for imsak. Has my fast been invalidated?

A. Fasting begins at dawn (fajar/subuh) and lasts until sunset (maghrib). The announcement of imsak serves as a reminder that fajar is approaching and that one should finish eating as soon as possible. This is to avoid being caught unaware with food in one’s mouth when the call to prayer for fajar is being made. If you were still eating during imsak but have stopped before fajar, your fast is still valid

Q. Are those who frequently travel because of the nature of their work, allowed to break their fast?

A. Allah has allowed those who are travelling to skip fasting on condition they make up for the days missed later on.

So, those who are always traveling may skip fasts, but they must make up for the days they miss later. As for who may be considered a traveler, the majority of scholars are of the view that anyone who travels more than eighty three kilometers is a traveler.

However, Imam Ibn Taymiyya is of the view that it would vary according to the usage; so, a person may be considered a traveler in a society where the means of transportation are extremely primitive or basic, while the same may not be true in a modern city with the latest modes of transportation. This means, someone who is covering the same distance in a fast train may not be considered a traveler.

Q. Can one donate blood during the fast?

A. It is not recommended to donate blood while fasting unless there is an absolute necessity to do so.

Drawing a lot of blood may make a person weak and may force him or her to break the fast. So, indulging in such an action is not at all recommended as we are advised to keep our fasts intact as best as possible.

Moreover, there are scholars who are of the belief that drawing lots of blood would invalidate the fast. This is the opinion of Imam Ahmad. However, Imam Shafi and others are of the view that drawing of blood (by itself) does not break the fast; it is still not advisable to do so as it may inadvertently cause a person to break his fast.

The ruling, however, is different when faced with an emergency. That is the case when one is called upon to donate blood in order to save another person's life. In this case, one must not have any hesitation to do so, even if he or she were forced to break their fast by doing so.

Q. What is the ruling on the use of the inhaler (for asthmatics) during the fast?

A. Inserting a foreign object or substance into the body can invalidate one’s fast. However, inserting something like medicine, out of necessity, such as difficulties in breathing, is allowed. Therefore, the warranted use of an inhaler will not invalidate one’s fast.

 

Wa'Allahu alam.