Category Archive

…in the month of shaban.  A short talk by Sh. Husain Abdul Sattar that everyone should have time to listen to.

1.  Bloody heck, it’s cold!  I hope I left a sweater here at work last winter, cuz I’m shivering.   I can’t imagine how cold it must be for the people wearing short skirts and short sleeves.  Turn down the air conditioning!

2.  Ramadan in the summer is going to be haaaard.  I envision coming home after work and sleeping until an hour before maghrib.

3.  Suhoor is veryimportant in the summer.  Up until now, I’ve managed to do fine just drinking water for suhoor.  But when it’s hot, you need a little extra something something in your stomach to give you the energy to persevere.

4.  Aspirin does not cut it for fasting headaches.  Note to self – get aleve for suhoor and iftar.

5.  It is possible to fast with a headache.  But it takes all the fun out of it.

6.  Is there more baraka in fasting long hot days?

7.  Isra wa Miraj Mubarak!   Currently listening to this talk by Sh. Abdul Sattar on Isra and the Miraj and inshaAllah will dig out this Hamza Yusuf CD when I get home.

Practical Tips in Preparation for Ramadan (from soundvision with added links by moi)

Ramadan is an event that occurs in the life of the faithful, as individuals and as an Ummah, once a year. It is intended by Allah to help us to recharge our spiritual batteries and thus prepare us for the great mission of realizing His will on earth. Therefore, in order to benefit from Ramadan, we may do well to prepare for it by opening our hearts and minds to embrace it. Let me offer a few tips:

1. We should empower ourselves by learning as much as we can about the precise laws as well as the benefits of fasting. Fiqh of Fasting Hanafi, Basics of Fasting – Shafi’i, Maliki book on Fasting, Fiqh us Sunnah on Fasting, general

2. We should ensure that we gain true benefits from our fasting, let us make sure to realize the spirit of fasting: this can only be done by abstaining, not only from food, drink, and sex, but also by strictly restraining our minds, hearts as well as our eyes, ears, hands, tongue, and so on. Inner Dimensions of Fasting by Imam al Ghazali

3.We must embrace the spirit of fasting as stressed in Hadith: to be charitable and compassionate as much as we can. The Concept of Charity in Islam, Muslim Character by Muhammad Ghazali

4. We should strengthen our relationship with the Qur’an; for Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an. Way to the Qur’an, Ulum al Qur’an

5. We should engage in dhikr and condition ourselves to make it second nature. My page of dhikr resources

6. Last but not least, we should build up our community through acts of charity and compassion and extending help to those in need as much as we can. Agenda to Change our Condition

Let us pray that we come out of Ramadan with our faith recharged, gaining strength in our faith and commitment and relationship with Allah.
 

*doing a happy dance complete with a pot stir*

Allahumma baariklanaa fee rajabi wa sha’ban wa ballignaa shara ramadan

O Allah! Bless us in the holy months of Rajab and Sha’ban and make us reach the holy month of Ramadan!

Which means only 2 more months to Ramadan *it’s almost raaamadan, it’s almost raaamadan*

Time to amp up your fasting and get your prayers in order!

Mr. Moo is a genius:

Fasting During Sha’ban by Imam Zaid

 Usama b. Zayd relates:  “The Prophet, peace and mercy of God upon him, used to fast so many days in succession that we said, ‘He will never break his fast.’ At other times he would go without fasting for so long until we said, ‘He will never again fast;’ except for two days, which he would fast even if they occurred during the times he was not fasting consecutive days. Furthermore, he would not fast in any month as many days as he fasted during Sha’ban. I said: ‘O Messenger of God! Sometimes you fast so much it is as if you will never break your fast, at other times you leave fasting for such a long stint it is as if you will never again fast [voluntarily]; except for two days that you always fast.’ He asked: ‘Which two days are those?’ I replied: ‘Monday and Thursday.’ The Prophet, peace upon him, said: ‘Those are two days in which the deeds are presented to the Lord of the Worlds. I love that my deeds are presented while I am fasting.’ I said: ‘I do not see you fasting in any month like you fast during Sha’ban.’ The Prophet, peace and mercy of God upon him, said: “That is a month occurring between Rajab and Ramadan that many people neglect. It is a month in which the deeds ascend to the Lord of the Worlds, be He Mighty and Majesty, and I love for my deeds to ascend while I am fasting.” Related by Imam Ahmad and Imam Al-Nasa’i

The Night of the 15th of Sha’ban

It is reported from Sayyiduna `Ali (Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Let all of you spend the night of mid-Sha`ban in worship (i.e. partly) and its day in fasting. Allah descends to the nearest heaven during this night, beginning with sunset, and says: Is there no one asking forgiveness that I may forgive them? Is there no one asking sustenance that I may grant them sustenance? Is there no one under trial that I may relieve them? Is there not such-and-such, is there not such-and-such, and so forth until until dawn rises. [Narrated by Ibn Majah with a weak chain.]

There are many other narrations from the Companions and early Muslims confirming this matter, as mentioned by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali in his Lataif al-Ma`arif, and others.

There is general consensus that weak hadiths may be acted upon for virtuous acts, such as voluntary fasting and prayer, as long as the hadith is not excessively weak, returns to a general basis in the Shariah, and one is not convinced that the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) specifically prescribed it.

Via Deenport:

Ramadan Health and Spirituality Guide – Print this out and spread it far and wide.   It has some things that aren’t applicable to NA muslims (a 2006 England timetable and UK contacts), but the health info is excellent.

Inner Dimensions of Fasting – from Imam al Ghazali.  There’s more to fasting than being hungry and thirsty.

DeenIslam’s Fasting Section – tons of reads and lectures.

Food for Thought – text of a lecture by Sheikh Hamza Yusuf.

What is fasting? Abstaining from food and drinks, and sexual satisfaction? This is but the basic level a muslim should seek to keep when they intend to fast.

In his Ihya’ Ulom ud Din, Imam al-Ghazali writes about 3 grades of fasting – ordinary, where one abstains from food, drink and sexual satisfaction, special fasting, where one keeps their organs from sin, and extra special fasting, a level where one’s only concern is with God, and not with anything in this dunya.

While I aspire to the extra special fast, I know I first need to get the basis of my deen in order. What good is it to strive to be one of the true friends of God (awliya) if I don’t do my best to follow the guidelines He has set down for us? So I’m on a fast from backbiting.

Prophet Muhammad (saws) said :”Do you know what backbiting is?” They said, “God and His Messenger know best.” He then said, “It is to say something about your brother that he would dislike.” Someone asked him, “But what if what I say is true?” The Messenger of God (saws) said, “If what you say about him is true, you are backbiting him, but if it is not true then you have slandered him.” (Muslim)