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About the Author
Ustaadhah Asma bint Shameem
Professionally she is a Medical Doctor but currently she dedicates her

time as a Daaiyah and a Student of Knowledge.
She first began her study of Islaam about 18 years ago under Shaykh Dr
Muhammad Salah (of Mishkah University and Huda TV fame).
She was blessed to study directly under him and gain from his immense
knowledge for several years, including the science of Tajweed and
Arabic.
And she still continues to learn and benefit from him.
Ustaadhah Asma formally received her education of Islaam and its

Sciences through the American Open University, an online Islaamic
University.
Ustaadhah Asma has been teaching and holding weekly halaqas for
sisters in various masaajid in English and Urdu, on the aqeedah of Ahle
Sunnah wal Jama'ah based on the Qur'aan and authentic Sunnah.
3
Currently she is teaching the explanation of "The Forty Hadeeth of
Imam an-Nawawi" at two of the masaajid in her area.
nd Authentic
ahaadeeth, upon the practice and understanding of the Noble
Sahaabah.
She is also regularly invited to various Women's Conferences to teach,

give lectures or hold workshops for the sisters.
She also teaches classes for younger sisters of the preteen and teen age
group in English.
Alhamdulillah she teaches all the various Islamic sciences such as

aqeedah, science of hadeeth, seerah, fiqh, the various Qur'aanic
sciences including the science of tajweed, tafseer, etc.
Uataadhah is also a freelance writer and regularly write articles about

everyday issues from an Islaamic point of view.
Her articles have been published in various newspapers, magazines,

and are regularly posted on various websites and blogs.
Ustaadhah Asma also has many What
understanding of the Noble Sahaabah.

4
She feels that it is an honor and her Islaamic duty to teach what she
learns. This is a responsibility that Allaah has placed on her and will ask
her about.
May Allaah forgive us and accept from us. May He gather us all
together under His Shade on that Day with the people who love each
other for His sake. Ameen.
Wassalaamu Alaikum
5
Word from the Author
Assalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Baraakaatuh
I have compiled this ebook so that we can educate ourselves with

fasting and its related issues, and thus make the most of this beautiful
month of Taqwa, according to the authentic practice and teachings of
the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam.
ried to use simple language for every one of us to understand and I hope
that this ebook will reach far and wide and be a source of motivation and
inspiration for all of us and a means to attain the Pleasure of Allaah
6
Table of Contents
The month of Ramadhaan

1. Preparing for an Amazing Ramadhaan 12
2. Moon- 23
3. Ramadhaan is here ....... 35
4. Some Common Mistakes in Ramadhaan ...... 37
...58
6. False Hadeeth warning 62
Taraaweeh
7. Taraaweeh and its Issues . 66
8. Any difference between Qiyaam al-Layl, Tahajjud and Taraaweeh . 82
9. Praying Taraaweeh at Home 85
10. Is Taraaweeh Bid'ah .. 93
11. Can I hold the Qur'aan (Mus-haf) while praying Taraaweeh BEHIND an
IMAAM 96
12. Can I read directly from the Mus-
Taraaweeh or Tahajjud or any other Nafl on my own 99
13. Want to get the reward of praying the ENTIRE NIGHT .102
14. Is Taraaweeh 8 or 20 rak'aat 107
15. Is it permissible for my young son to lead us in the fardh prayer ..112
Sharee'ah ....... 116

17. If the Imaam is praying Taraaweeh when I get to the Masjid, but I have not yet prayed 'Ishaa,
prayed what should I do 121
18. Can I pray Taraaweeh at home following an Imaam on TV or online . 124
19. Perfecting the Rows: as Important as Perfecting the Prayer 127
Ramadhaan and Ibadah:

20. Do you have to finish the WHOLE QUR'AAN during Ramadhaan 137
21. All about Sajdah at-Tilaawah 139
22. Are there any specific duaas for the month of Ramadhaan . 149
23. Is it true that whoever dies in Ramadhaan will enter Jannah without account
Even non Muslims .. . 152
24. Yet ANOTHER day and counting . 158
25. Don't make HOLES in your SHIELD 160
26. Is this YOUR HOUSE . 163
27.Are there any specific Duaas at Suhoor time and iftaar time?.........................................166
Fasting and related issues

27. Fasting, Toothpaste and Miswaak 170
28. Can I use Mouth wash while fasting 173
29. What to do when you have nothing to break your fast with .. 175
30. Fasting and Vomiting 177
31. Fasting and the Doctor's office .... 180
.. 185
33. Up till what time can I eat suhoor ... 189
34. I'm out of dates. What do I break my fast with .. 194
35. Can I taste food while I'm fasting 196
36. Is it better for women to pray Taraaweeh in the masjid or at home 198
37. Can a Woman lead Other Women in prayer
38. Is your Fasting COMPLETE 206
39. How to benefit in Ramadan even during Menses 15
. 231
41. Fasting and Feminine Issues 236
42. Is it allowed to take the "Ramadhaan pill" to delay your menses 243
43. If I am pregnant or nursing, do I have to fast in Ramadhaan 246
because of pregnancy or breastfeeding, should I makeup the
fast only OR feed a poor person only OR both 250
45.I did not make up any of my Fardh fasts that I missed during menses, from previous years
Should I make them up now 254
Friday and Ramadhaan :

46. Fridays and NEW Clothes . 257
47. DOUBLE TREAT . 262
.. 265
The last ten days of Ramadhaan and itekaaf

49. What to do in the last Ten Nights of Ramadhaan . .274
50. Worship Allaah on ALL of the LAST TEN NIGHTS of Ramadhaan and NOT just the ODD
numbered ones 282
51. Al I'tekaaf 286
52. Can a woman observe itekaaf at home .297
Can I do it for less than that 303
54. Signs of Laylatul-Qadr ...307
311
56. End Ramadhaan with ISTIGHFAAR 15
57. Signs of an accepted Ramadhaan ..319
24
Beyond Ramadhaan
59. Eid Salaah 28
60. Mistakes related to Eid Al Fitr 34
61. The Annual Muslim Fashion Show called Eid Prayer
62. What to do if Eid falls on a Friday 351
.355
64. The SIX fasts of Shawwaal and related issues 56
Preparing for an Amazing Ramadhaan
by Asma Bint Shameem
Imagine.
Someone really, really important is coming to visit you. Surely, you
would cook, clean, shop, prepare and plan everything for them, well
ahead of time. You would make sure they are comfortable and well
taken care of.
You would ascertain that everything is perfectly ready and adequately
in place before they arrive.
Now imagine someone coming to visit you that is even more important
than that....more precious, more valuable, more honorable. Wouldn't
you prepare even more and give it the best you got?
Well, the best month of the year, the most blessed and most precious,
is coming up.
The month that brings the fragrance of Jannah and the sweetness of
Imaan....the tears of Taubah and the forgiveness of your Lord....
And it's bringing with it a night that is equivalent in worship and

reward, to more than a thousand months.
Wouldn't you want to prepare for that?
Wouldn't you want to be ready for it with all your heart and soul so that
you don't miss this great opportunity?
They say the more prepared you are for something, the easier it is for
you to handle it and the greater the chances that you will be successful
at it.
And what better opportunity to prepare for something than preparing

for the blessed month of Ramadhaan.
This is a month of Rahmah and Barakah, a month of taubah and

istighfaar, a great opportunity for training oneself... to give up your bad
deeds and build on your good ones.
So what to do?
1. Mental Preparation
Prepare yourself mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually for

this great month.
Be really EXCITED for this upcoming month and be absolutely
determined to do your utmost BEST and exert yourself for this
magnificent month of Forgiveness and Mercy from your Lord.
RACE with one another and compete with each other for it!
Come on!
Be excited. Be energized. Get electrified!
Get all pumped up and feel vitalized.
After all, this is a time when the gates of Jannah are all open. W..I..D..E
open...
And all the gates of Jahannum are closed.
Yes, alhamdulillaah CLOSED.
And here is a chance for you to get all your sins forgiven.
Get invigorated and motivated.

Realize that the month of Ramadhaan is a month of amazing ibaadah
and intense dua, astounding khushoo' and remarkable hope, sincere
taubah and extraordinary istighfaar.
And it is NOT a month of laziness or sleeping, cooking and feasting, or

just being plain grouchy and irritable.
Don't let the thought of the heat or the long day get to you or dampen
your spirit.
It is only the Shaytaan trying to play with your mind and spoil this
wonderful time for you.
2. Purify your intention
The next thing to do is to purify your niyyah from NOW.
You are going to fast because it is the ORDER of Allaah and NOT
because it is culture or your family does so, or even because you want
to lose weight.
Fasting is a deed absolutely loved by Allaah and you want to PLEASE

Him.
"O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it has been
prescribed for people before you so that you will (learn how to) attain
Taqwa" [al-Baqarah, 2:183]
3. The Qur'aan and You
Have full intention from now, to read as much of the Qur'aan as you
can.
LOVE the Qur'aan. Build a close relationship with it. Realize that these
are the Words of your Lord....Words that will take you to Jannah, your
Ultimate Goal.
Don't just read it with your eyes.

Read it with your HEART.
Let it sink into your very SOUL.
Savor the joy and cherish the delight in reading the Book of Allaah.
Taste the sweetness of Imaan.
Don't be in a rush to quickly finish the reading.
Rather, take your time to ponder over the words and understand the
meanings.
Don't think..."when am I going to finish this Surah?
Rather ask....when am I going to implement this in my life?"

Remember, nothing is sweeter and more pleasurable than the ayaat of
the Qur'aan that you can understand.
4. Lots of Sujood
Prepare yourself to do plenty of sujood....long, drawn out sujood, in

Taraweeh and Tahajjud.
Feel close to your Rabb when you do that sajdah.
Realize that this is most HONORABLE position for you...placing the thing
you value most, your head, on the ground, humbled before your
Creator.
You are the slave and He is the Ultimate Master.
You are the 'abd and He is your Owner.
5. Dua, Dua and more Dua
Resolve from today, to make a LOT of dua.

Make a dua list.
Prepare it from now.
And when you sit down to break your fast, or when you stand in front
of your Creator in Salah, in Taraaweeh or in the middle of the night, or
any time during the night or day, spread out those hands and ask al-
Kareem, the Most Generous, the One Who gives to one and to all.
Make sincere, heartfelt dua whenever and wherever you can.

Don't let a moment slip by. And don't forget to be thankful to the One
Who gave you everything.
6. True repentance
Be ready from now to do abundant istighfaar, lots and lots of it.

Do it every single day.
In the darkness of the night, when the whole world is asleep, have full
realization, that this is no ordinary time, no time to waste away
sleeping.
Ar-Rahmaan is calling. Wouldn't you want to respond??
So knock on the door of the Almighty. He is al-Ghafoor, the Oft-Forgiver

and you are nothing....just a weak and sinful human being.
Bend your head with shame, and cry....
Cry like you've never cried before....
Ask for His forgiveness.
Make firm resolve never, ever, to go back to your sins...never, ever to
do those bad deeds again.
Go ahead...spread out those hands and be sincere and then be certain

He will surely respond....
7. Determination to change for the better
Most importantly, have FIRM DETERMINATION from this moment on,

to continue all the good deeds and habits that you will develop during
Ramadhaan to continue even after Ramadhaan is over.
Remember, you are not a good Muslim just during a special month of
the year. Rather you are a Muslim THROUGHOUT the three hundred
and sixty five days.
Use the upcoming month of taqwa and training to coach and develop
your nafs, to cultivate virtuous deeds and actions and to give up your
bad ones.
Tell me, are you going to let all that hard work of fasting, waking up in
the middle of the night, reading all that Qur'aan, standing up for
Taraaweeh and prayers, and all that dua go to waste???
Other tips:
1. Make a schedule or time-table for all your activities during
Ramadhaan and write it down.
Allocate specific times for reading Qur'aan, waking up for tahajjud,
cooking, sleeping, etc and stick to it.
You will find you have much more time at hand now that you are
organized about your activities.
2. Get to know the rules of fasting from NOW, so that your fasting can
be closest to the Sunnah and thus be more beloved and acceptable to
Allaah.
3. CLARIFY any doubts that you may have and don't be afraid to ask a
scholar.
4. CLEANSE your heart of any anger, hatred, grudges, etc from now.
And forgive EVERYONE.
That's because forgiveness is delayed for the one who has anger and
grudge against his Muslim brother/sister.
The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:

"The gates of Paradise are opened on Monday and Thursday, and
everyone who does not associate anything with Allaah is forgiven,
except a man who has had an argument with his brother. It is said:
'Wait for these two until they reconcile, wait for these two until they
reconcile, wait for these two until they reconcile." (Muslim)
5. FINISH up on your Ramadhaan and Eid preparation, cooking,

shopping, etc. from NOW so that you can free up all the time during
Ramadhaan for Ibaadah.
6. If you are like most people who give their zakat during Ramadhaan,
get it all calculated and worked out BEFORE the month starts.
7. DO NOT spend all day in the kitchen.
Remember this is a month of FASTING, not FEASTING.
Our focus should be on fasting and Ibaadah, not on food.
Conclusion
To conclude, think positive and have firm resolve.

Strive with all your effort to do your best so that this will be an
amazing, awe-inspiring, heart-stopping experience of a lifetime....
Your best Ramadhaan EVER!
Set your goals at the highest.

Don't settle for anything less than JANNAH!
May Allaah enable us to make this our best Ramadhaan, one that is
accepted by Him and He is pleased with. Ameen.
And Allaah knows best

Moon-
by Asma bint Shameem
I remember when I was a kid, we would go up to the roof of our house
but smile at the happiness and excitement that I felt as a kid trying to
sight the new moon, perching on tiptoes, competing with my brother to
spot it before he could!
I also remember the joy, simply at the anticipation of sighting the new
tomorrow???
Will it be Eid tomorrow???
Sighting the moon was such a sweet joyful experience and it was part of
the whole spirit of Ramadhaan.
It only added to the sacred beauty and sanctity of the blessed month,
and to our Ibaadah and submission to Allaah.
And now, many years later, as another Ramadhaan approaches us, I
look forward to another chance to look for the moon, this time with my
kids, teaching them the importance of this Sunnah, sharing with them
crescent that brings glad tidings of a blessed month full of mercy and
barakah.
Yet nowadays, people have abandoned this beautiful Sunnah and have
resorted to calculations, without even attempting to sight the moon.
They just sit at home, rely on a calendar and start their fasting based on
calculations.
They forget that, to search for the new moon is an ACT OF IBAADAH
and a means of EARNING REWARD from Allaah.
The Order from Allaah is to SEE the new moon

Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'ala commands us to SEE the moon and then
to start fasting.
He said:
whoever among you SIGHTS (the crescent on the first night of) the
-
Baqarah 2:185]
Here Allaah uses the word which means to SEE something with the
EYE.
It is the SUNNAH of our beloved Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam)
above the horizon.
There is a major difference between the 'birth' of the moon and

actually 'seeing' it.
The moon might be 'born' but it is not always possible to immediately

'see' it.
It may NOT be visible to the human eye.
We need to realize that the month of Ramadhaan does NOT BEGIN with
the 'BIRTH' of the moon.
It does not even begin when it becomes 'possible' to sight the moon.
The month of Ramadhaan, begins according to the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam), with the actual
SIGHTING of the moon.
There are many, many Ahaadeeth encouraging u

eyes) for the new moon.
The Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
days of
Reflect on the words of the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam).
What is he telling us to do?
He is clearly telling us to start and stop fasting when we sight the moon
and then he's saying something really important.
He's telling us "if it is concealed by clouds".
That means that he is well aware of the fact that the moon might be
behind the clouds.
So it is 'born'.
It is there behind the clouds.
It is present.
Yet if we cannot SEE it, we are not supposed to start fasting, even if it is
there behind the clouds.
Nothing could be clearer than that!
Aaishah (Radhi Allaahu anha) said:
"The Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) used to count the days in
when he SIGHTED (the new moon) of Ramadhaan." (al-Daaraqutni--

saheeh).
The Sahaabah would actually SIGHT the moon:
Fadl said:
Medina at the end of the month.

Abdullah ibn Abbas asked me (about the new moon of Ramadhaan) and
said: When did you SEE it?
I said: We SAW it on Friday night.
He said: (Did) you SEE it yourself?
I said: Yes, and the people also SAW it so they observed fast and
And Anas ibn Maalik Radhi Allaahu anhu said:
between Makkah and

Madeenah and we LOOKED for the new moon. I was a man who had
keen eyesight and I SIGHTED it..."
Now if something is a clear Order of Allaah, an established Sunnah of

the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) and an undisputed practice
of the Sahaabah, why would anyone want to go against it or do
otherwise?
Yet there are people who resort to calculating the beginning or end of
an Islaamic month.
Allaah knew exactly what progress would be made in astronomy and

other sciences.
He knew that there will come a time when it would be easy to calculate
the birth of the moon.
Yet, in spite of that, He ordered us with His Infinite Knowledge and
Wisdom, to 'see' the new moon and He instructed His Messenger (sal
Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) to teach his Ummah the same.
Argument:
Now someone might say that at the time of the Prophet (sal Allaahu
alayhi wa sallam) there were no calculations, but now that we do,
what's the harm in it?
But the fact of the matter is that astronomical calculations DID exist at
the time of the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) and even way
before that.
Astronomy and its calculations have been around for literally thousands
of years before the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam)'s time, some
even say as early as around 2000 BC.
Yet he (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) specifically told us NOT to calculate

the birth of the moon; rather he told us to try and see it.
He (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

is such-and-
-
and- e gestured with all of his fingers, meaning that the
month may be twenty- -Bukhaari,
Muslim)
In this hadeeth, when the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) is

saying that "we do not write or calculate", he is telling us to stay away
from calculating the birth of the new moon and that there is no need to
resort to astronomical calculations.
He (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) is not telling us to be ignorant or

uneducated.
He is also not saying that Muslims shouldn't calculate other things.

Actually, if you think about it, Islaam is the religion of knowledge.
In order for us to be good practicing Muslims, we have to CALCULATE.

Don't we calculate zakaat every year?
Doesn't inheritance and the distribution of property after someone dies
require calculations?
the new moon.

Ibn Taymiyah said:
"It is a basic fact of Islaam that we must SIGHT the crescent moon with
the lunar calendar.
There are many texts from the Prophet which indicate that, and the
Muslims are unanimously agreed on that.
NO difference of opinion was known concerning that in the past or in
who claimed that if the new moon is covered by clouds it is permissible

for an astronomer to follow calculations himself, so that if his
calculations indicate that the moon could have been sighted he may
fast, otherwise he should not.
This view, even though it is subject to the condition that there be

clouds and it applies only to the astronomer, it is an ODD VIEW that is
outweighed by the consensus on the opposite view.
With regard to following calculations when the sky is clear or applying

the results of the calculations to the general public, this is something
that NO Muslim has EVER suggested.
The scholars were unanimously agreed that it is not permissible to rely
on calculations for proving the beginning and end of the fast and so on.
Al-Haafiz narrated in al-Fath (4/127) that al-Baaji said: "The CONSENSUS
of the salaf is that calculations should not be relied on, and their
consensus is PROOF for those who come after them."
-Fataawa)
The Council of Senior Scholars issued an important statement on this

topic:
"The Council has studied the issue of proving the new moon by means
and they have studied the comments of the scholars on this matter.
They have decided UNANIMOUSLY that astronomical calculations carry
no weight in determining the new moon with regard to Islamic matters,
ast until you see it, and do not stop fasting
(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-
Can we use a TELESCOPE to spot the moon?

It is permissible to use telescopes etc. to sight the moon, because the
telescope is just an aid to assist the human EYE, and it is different from
calculating the time of the birth of the moon.
Someone asked Shaikh al-Munajjid about using telescopes.

He said, "Yes, it is permissible".
Sighting the new moon of Ramaadhan is a Fardh Kifaayah
The majority of scholars are of the view that sighting the new moon of
Ramadhaan on the first night of the month is a Fardh Kifaayah
(communal obligation).
This means that if everyone abandons 'looking' for the moon, then we
are all sinful.
"It is obligatory to witness the new moon for establishing certain acts of
worship. If these acts are obligatory, such as fasting Ramadhaan and
Hajj, then witnessing the new moon also becomes obligatory on at least
a part of the Muslim Ummah (Fardh Kifaayah).
The Sunnah Dua upon seeing the new moon:
The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) even taught us the dua to read
when we see the new moon.
He Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to say:
- - -salaamah
-islaam. Rabbiy wa rabbuka Allaah
(O Allaah, make the new moon rise on us with blessing, faith, safety and
-Tirmidhi - saheeh by al-
Albaani)
So make an effort to sight the Ramadhaan moon with full attention and
eagerness and say this prayer on sighting it.
And Allaah knows best.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Ramadhaan is Here
Ramadhaan...
A Journey of the Soul

A process of Change
A means of Growth
An Evolution, a Transformation, a Renewal.
I may make a LONG list of things to DO during Ramadhaan.
I might fast the whole 30 days.
I might pray Taraaweeh with the Imaam throughout the month.
I may do ALL that and even MORE.

But in the end...
A Change for the BETTER...
A Step CLOSER...
Something HIGHER...
Are you up for the CHALLENGE? :)
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Some Common Mistakes in Ramadhaan
By Asma Bint Shameem
1. Taking Ramadhaan as a ritual
For many of us Ramadhaan has lost its spirituality and has become
more of a ritual than a form of Ibaadah.
We fast from morning till night just because everyone around us is

fasting too.
We forget that it's a time to purify our hearts and our souls from all
evil....we forget to make dua, forget to beseech Allaah to forgive us and
ask Him to save us from the Fire of Hell.
Sure we stay away from food and drink but that's about all.
Although the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
"Jibreel said to me, 'May Allaah rub his nose in the dust, that person to
who Ramadhaan comes and his sins are not forgiven,' and I said,
'Ameen'...." (Tirmidhi, Ahmad, others. Saheeh by al-Albaani)
2. Too much stress on food and drink
For some people, the ENTIRE month of Ramadhaan revolves around

FOOD.
They spend the entire day planning, cooking, shopping and thinking
about only food, instead of concentrating on Salaah, Qur'aan and other
acts of worship.
All they can think of is food; so much so that they turn the month of
'fasting' into the month of 'feasting'!
Come Iftaar time, their table is a sight to see, with the multitudes and
varieties of food, sweets and drinks.
They are missing the very purpose of fasting, and thus, INCREASE in
their greed and desires instead of learning to CONTROL them.
Remember, too much food is also a kind of waste & extravagance, as

Allaah says:
".....and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He

(Allaah) likes not Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)"
[al-A'raaf :31]
3. Spending ALL day COOKING
Some of the sisters (either by their own choice or forced by their

husbands) are cooking ALL day and ALL night, so that by the end of the
day, they are too tired to even pray Ishaa, let alone pray Taraaweeh or
Tahajjud; too exhausted to even read Qur'aan.
This is the month of mercy and forgiveness, dua and Ibaadah, to

increase in your taqwa and to improve your relationship with Allaah.
And how can you do that if you spend all your time in the kitchen
cooking?
So turn OFF that stove and turn ON your Imaan!
4. Eating too much
Some people stuff themselves at Suhoor until they are ready to burst,
because they think this way, they will not feel hungry during the day.
And some people eat at Iftaar, like there is no tomorrow, trying to

'make up for the food they missed.'
However, this is completely against the Sunnah.
Remember, moderation is the key to everything.
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
"The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach; for
the son of Adam a few mouthfuls are sufficient to keep his back
straight.
If you must fill it, then, keep one-third for food, one-third for drink and
one-third for air." (Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah. Saheeh by al-Albaani).
Besides, too much food distracts a person from many deeds of

obedience and worship, makes him lazy and also makes the heart
heedless.
It was said to Imam Ahmad:
"Does a man find any softness and humility in his heart when he is
FULL?"
He said,
"I do not think so."
5. SLEEPING all day

Some people spend their entire day (or a major part of it) 'sleeping
away their fast'.
Is this what is really required of us during this noble month?
These people are also missing the very PURPOSE of fasting and just
falling prey to laziness and lethargy.
All it needs is to exert a little self-control.
If we sleep all day, how will we

TRAIN our Nafs to resist desires and learn self control?
We are SUPPOSED to feel hungry and thirsty.

And we are SUPPOSED to exert patience and learn to CURB our
impulses.
6. Wasting TIME
The month of Ramadhaan is a precious, precious time, so much so that
Allaah calls this month "Ayyaamum Ma'doodaat" (A fixed number of
days) (Surah Baqarah: 184).
Before we know it, this month of mercy and forgiveness will be over.
We should try and spend EVERY MOMENT possible in the worship of

Allaah so that we can make the most of this blessing.
However, there are some of us who waste away their day playing video
games, or worse still, watching TV, movies or even listening to music.
Subhaan Allaah! Trying to obey Allaah by DISOBEYING him!
7. Fasting but not giving up bad deeds
Some of us fast but do not give up lying, cursing, fighting, backbiting,

etc. and some of us fast but do not give up cheating, stealing, dealing in
haraam, buying lotto tickets, selling alcohol, committing fornication,
etc. and all kinds of impermissible things without realizing that the
purpose of fasting is to not stay away from food and drink; rather the
aim behind it is to fear Allaah.
Our Rabb says:

"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed
for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)"
[al-Baqarah 2:183]
And the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
"Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, and
ignorance, Allaah has no need of him giving up his food and drink." (al-
Bukhaari)
8. Smoking while fasting
Smoking is forbidden in Islam whether during Ramadhaan or outside of

it, as it is one of al-Khabaa'ith (evil things).
And this includes ALL kinds of 'smoking material' whether it is cigars,

cigarettes, pipes,'Sheesha', hookah or even worse than that.
May Allaah protect us from all that is evil. Ameen.
Allaah says:
"He allows them as lawful At Tayyibaat (all good and lawful things), and
prohibits them as unlawful Al Khabaa'ith (all evil and unlawful things)."
[al-A'raaf :157]
Smoking is harmful, not only to the one smoking, but also to the ones
around him.
It is also a means of wasting one's wealth.
"There should be no harming or reciprocating harm." (al-Haakim-

saheeh by al-Albaani)
-Ibn 'Uthaymeen)
9. Skipping Suhoor
Some of us are too lazy or sleepy to eat Suhoor or just don't think it's
important.
Even if you don't feel like having a lot of food, just eat something little;
a few dates, even a glass of water.
That's because of the following hadeeth.
"Eat suhoor for in suhoor there is blessing."

(al-Bukhaari, Muslim).
And he (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
"The thing that differentiates between our fasting and the fasting of the
People of the Book is eating suhoor."
(Muslim)
Besides, ANGELS PRAY for the ones who eat suhoor as the Prophet sal
Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said in an authentic hadeeth.
t you want angels to pray for you?
9. Stopping Suhoor at 'Imsaak'
Some people stop eating Suhoor 10-15 minutes earlier than the time of
Fajr to observe 'Imsaak'.
They think they cannot eat beyond that time and that it would be
wrong if they did.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said:
"This is a kind of bid'ah (innovation) which has no basis in the Sunnah.

Rather the Sunnah is to do the opposite.
Allaah allows us to eat until dawn: "and eat and drink until the white
thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread
(darkness of night)" [al-Baqarah 2:187]
And the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said: "....eat and
drink until you hear the adhaan of Ibn Umm Maktoom, for he does not
give the adhaan until dawn comes." (al-Bukhaari)
This 'imsaak' which some of the people practice, is an ADDITION to
It is a kind of extremism in religion, and the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi

wa Sallam) said:
"Those who go to extremes are doomed, those who go to extremes are
doomed, those who go to extremes are doomed." (Muslim)
10. Not fasting if they missed Suhoor
Sometimes, our alarm doesn't go off on time and we miss the time for
eating, just barely waking up with the adhaan. I'm sure this has
happened to all of us one time or another.
In this situation, there are some people who are too scared to fast if
they miss Suhoor.
They think they will feel too weak during the day or that, by default,
missing Suhoor automatically means NO fast that day.
But, if you think about it, unless a person has a genuine health problem,
it is not such a big deal after all.
What if you missed a few morsels of food?
You'll be fine insha Allaah.
Alhamdulillaah most of us have enough fat stored in our bodies to keep

us going for several days without food!
Remember, obedience to Allaah takes precedence over everything and

takes hard work and perseverance.
11. Saying the intention to fast 'out loud' or saying a specific dua to
start fasting
The intention is an action of the HEART.
We should resolve in our HEART that we are going to fast tomorrow.
That is all we need.
It is not prescribed by the Shari'ah for us to say out loud, "I intend to
fast", "I will fast tomorrow" etc as some people do.
Also, there is NO SPECIFIC DUAA to be recited at the time of starting

the fast in the correct Sunnah.
Whatever 'dua' or SPECIFIC WORDS that you may see on some papers
or Ramadhaan calendars, etc. as something you HAVE to say at the
beginning of fasting is NOT proven from the authentic Sunnah and so
falls under Bid'ah.
12. Delaying breaking fast

Some people wait until the adhaan finishes or even several minutes
after that, just to be 'on the safe side'.
However, the Sunnah is to HASTEN to break the fast, which means

breaking fast whenever the adhaan starts, right after the sun has set.
Aa'ishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:
"The people will continue to do well so long as they hasten to break the
fast."
(Bukhaari, Muslim)
So, determine to the BEST of your ability, the accuracy of your clock,
calendar, etc. and then have tawakkul on Allaah and break your fast
exactly on time.
13. Eating continuously until the time for Maghrib is up

Some people put so much food in their plates when breaking their fast
and continue eating, enjoying dessert, drinking tea, etc., until they miss
Maghrib.
That is obviously not right.
The Sunnah of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) was that once
he broke his fast with some dates, them he would hasten to the prayer.
Once you are done with the prayer, you can always go back and eat
some more if you wish.
14. Missing the golden chance of having your Dua accepted
The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be accepted at the

time of breaking fast.
"Three prayers are NOT REJECTED: the prayer of a parent, the prayer of
a fasting person, and the prayer of a traveler." (al-Bayhaqi, saheeh by
al-Albaani).
Instead of sitting down and making Dua at this precious time, some
people forego this beautiful chance, and are too busy frying 'samosas',
talking, setting the food, filling their plates and pouring drinks into their
glasses and they lose this golden opportunity.
Think about it....
Is food more important than the chance to have your sins forgiven or
the fulfillment of your Duas?
14. Fasting but not praying
REALIZE that the fasting of one who does not pray WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED.
This is because not praying is a MAJOR MAJOR SIN, so much so that

according to some ulama, leaving prayer constitutes kufr!
Astaghfirullaah!

"Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer."
(Muslim)
And he sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
-
Bukhaari)
15. Fasting and not wearing Hijaab
Not wearing the Hijaab is a MAJOR SIN as it is obligatory for Muslim

women. (See Surah Nur, Surah Ahzaab).
So fasting and not wearing hijaab certainly takes away enormously

from the rewards of fasting, even if does not invalidate it.
she is disobeying her Lord

thereby, but her fast is still valid, because sins, including not wearing
hijaab, do not invalidate the fast, but they detract from its reward, and
(Islamqa fatwa # 107624)
16. Not fasting because of exams or work

Exams or work is NOT one of the excuses allowed by the Shari'ah to not
fast.
You can do your studying and revision at night if it is too hard to do that
during the day.
Also remember that pleasing and obeying Allaah is much more

important than 'good grades'.
Besides, if you will fulfil your obligation to fast, even if you have to
study, Allaah will make it easy for you and help you in everything you
do.
Allaah says:
"Whosoever fears Allah, He will appoint for him a way out and provide
for him from where he does not expect, Allah is Sufficient for
whosoever puts his trust in Him." (Surah at-Talaaq 2-3)
17. Mixing fasting and dieting
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 Allaah, 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 Allaah and fulfilling your duty.
18. Fighting over the number of Raka'ah of Taraweeh
There is no specific number of rak'ahs for Taraweeh prayer, rather it is

permissible to do a little or a lot.
BOTH 8 and 20 are OKAY.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said:

"No one should be denounced for praying eleven or twenty-three
(raka'ah), because the matter is broader in scope than that, praise be to
Allaah."
(Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 1/407)
What is really important, my brothers and sisters, is the command to

observe night prayers during Ramadhaan, which is encouraged without
specifying a particular number.
As long as we are praying our Taraaweeh, it shouldn't be a matter of

dispute or disunity whether it is 8 or 20 or even more.
And of course, what really counts is that Allaah accepts it from us, even
if it is two rakaat, right?
19. Praying ONLY on the night of the 27th
Some people pray ONLY on the 27th to seek Lailat ul-Qadr, neglecting
all other odd nights, although the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa
Sallam) said:
"SEEK Lailat ul-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten
nights of Ramadhaan." (Bukhaari, Muslim).
20. Wasting the last part of Ramadhaan preparing for Eid

Some people waste the entire last 10 days of Ramadhaan preparing for
Eid, shopping and frequenting malls, etc. neglecting Ibaadah and
Lailatul Qadr, although, the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam)
used to strive the hardest during the last ten days of Ramadhaan in
worship and NOT in shopping.
Aa'ishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:
"When the (last) ten nights began, the Messenger of Allaah (Sal Allaahu
Alaiyhi wa Sallam)) would tighten his waist-wrapper (i.e., strive hard in
worship or refrain from intimacy with his wives), stay awake at night
and wake his family."
(al-Bukhaari, Muslim).
Solution: Get all your Eid shopping and preparation done BEFORE
Ramadhaan starts.
21. Lavish Iftaar parties
Although inviting each other for breaking fast is something good and
encouraged, some people go to extremes with lavish 'Iftaar parties'
with all sorts of disobedience to Allaah, from flirting and mixing of the
sexes, to show-off and extravagance, to heedlessness to Salaah and
Taraaweeh, to even music and dancing.
May Allaah protect us. Ameen.
pleasing to Him. Ameen.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Is it true that the month of Ramadhaan is divided into
ANSWER
That is not the correct understanding regarding this blessed, BLESSED

month.
limitless.
The WHOLE, ENTIRE month of Ramadhaan is FULL of Mercy and

Forgiveness and His Favors.
And He Subhaan Allaah ransoms whoever He wants from the Fire

EVERY SINGLE DAY of this beautiful month; not just in the last ten
days...
And as for making specific duaas during this time, we CAN NOT limit a
certain time or place or number or manner to a certain act of ibaadah
into three parts
Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam EVER SAID THAT or DID THAT or
EVER APPROVED of that.
t sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam himself tell us:
-
Tirmidhi - saheeh by al-Albaani).
The ONLY hadeeth that is AUTHENTICALLY narrated about a SPECIFIC

duaa In Ramadhaan is what the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam
taught Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa.
-Qadr,
He said:
Say:
"
"O Allaah, You are forgiving and

(at-Tirmidhi - saheeh by al-Albaani)
So go ahead and make all the Duaas you want in this month,
THROUGHOUT this blessed month, without limiting or restricting it to
Remember, with Allaah lie the TREASURES of the Heavens and Earth.
His Bounties are PLENTY...
His Mercy...LIMITLESS...
His Forgiveness...
UNSURMOUNTABLE...
RAMADHAAN SERIES
FALSE HADEETH WARNING
By Asma bint Shameem
Now that Ramadhaan is soon coming up, a baseless so-

is making its rounds on WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media.
The so-
Fire will be forbi
Please note that this is a FALSE FABRICATED hadeeth.

There is NO PROOF of this in the authentic sources.
something with the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam that he did
not say
-called) hadith about the Fire being

prohibited to a person for simply uttering this greeting comes under
the heading of reckless talk and exaggeration which indicate that a
We do not know of any source for the hadith mentioned, and it is

clearly fabricated. Hence it is not permissible to attribute it to the
Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam because that comes under the
heading of telling lies against him, and telling lies against him is haraam
A PLACE IN HELL-FIRE!
The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam said:
-Bukhaari)
MOST EVIL PERSON

Such a person is one of the MOST EVIL of people in the sight of Allaah!
He says:
"Who is greater in evil than he, who, without knowledge, invents a lie
about Allaah to mislead people? Allaah does not guide the evildoers."
(An'aam: 144)
SIN UPON SIN

It's a HUGE responsibility on us when we say something about the deen
and if it's not correct, we're SINFUL in the sight of Allaah and
ANSWERABLE to Him for our actions.
And not only will we ourselves be sinful, but we will ALSO be
RESPONSIBLE for the MISGUIDANCE of whoever will read the wrong
information that WE forwarded without confirming its authenticity.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

"Whoever starts a bad thing in Islaam, and others do likewise after him,
there will be written for him a burden of sin like that of those who
followed him, without it detracting in the least from their burden.'"
(Muslim)
Imam Ash-Shafi'i said, "Whosoever considers an innovation to be good

has corrected the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam." (Bulugh al-
Maram)
And Ibrahim al-Masayrah said, "He who honors an innovator has

assisted in the demolition of Islaam." (Sharh Usul I'tiqad)
SE
Think about it!
of Hell be forbidden for him?!
For what?
such an immense reward?

What special deed did he do to deserve that?
get him a better reward with Allaah??!
Subhaan Allaah how Shaytaan plays with our minds and makes us blind
to the simplest and most logical of things...
HELP STOP FALSEHOOD from spreading

It's our DUTY as a Muslim to advise politely and try to correct and stop
anyone who spreads wrong information about the deen.
Otherwise we become SILENT PARTNERS in letting that wrong
information or bid'ah spread.
So SPREAD THIS MESSAGE.
Tell everyone about the dangers and humongous sin of spreading false
ahaadeeth and lies about our beautiful Deen.
May Allaah guide us to TRUE comprehension of HOW to implement the

Deen instead of just following blindly and without understanding.
Ameen.

Taraaweeh and its Issues
Alhamdulillaah Ramadhaan is here and we've been praying Taraaweeh.
This prayer is a perfect chance to have our sins forgiven and earn the pleasure of Allaah.
But there are some issues or points associated with this beautiful prayer that may need some
clarification.
Here are some of them:
1. What is Taraaweeh?
Taraaweeh is the prayer that is prayed in Ramadhaan at night after praying Ishaa'. It is a confirmed
Sunnah of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) and a regularly established practiced of the
Sahaabah.
It is called 'Taraaweeh' because the Sahaabah used to make their prayers very long in Ramadhaan, eager
to please Allaah and do their best to earn Jannah.
And when they got tired, they would rest (istaraahu) after every two or four rak'ahs.
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever prays qiyaam (Taraaweeh) in Ramadhaan out of faith and in the hope of reward, all his
previous sins will be forgiven."
(al-Bukhaari, Muslim)
Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab said:
"Note that in the month of Ramadhaan the believer engages in jihad al-nafs on two fronts: during the
day by fasting and during the night by praying qiyaam. Whoever combines these two types of jihad will
be given reward without limit."
2. Don't make it more important than Ishaa'
People are very keen to read the Taraaweeh prayer, which is very good, of course.
That is to be highly encouraged.
But the problem arises if we give things more importance than what Allaah places on it.
Some people will give so much importance to Taraaweeh that they make it even more important than
the Ishaa' prayer.
They may miss Ishaa', that's acceptable to them.
But they will never, ever miss Taraaweeh.
And we all see,and know, so many people doing that.
They never pray or maybe pray occasionally here and there.
We never see them at the masjid, not even for Jumu'ah.
And come Ramadhaan, they will come every single day to the masjid, even if they are tired, even if it is
late.
But they will not miss Taraaweeh.
Or they may even be regular in their daily prayers in Ramadhaan but after Ramadhaan is over, they stop
praying altogether, although they are very, very regular and very keen to pray Taraaweeh.
Now, please don't get me wrong.
I'm not discouraging them from coming to Taraaweeh.
At least they are making the effort, alhamdulillaah.
It becomes an issue when Taraaweeh takes precedence and greater importance than Fardh prayers.
Dear brothers and sisters, we have to keep our priorities straight.
Remember that Taraaweeh prayer is MUSTAHABB, and recommended while Ishaa prayer is FARDH.
Allaah will NOT PUNISH US if we don't pray Taraaweeh.
But Allaah WILL ask us if we don't pray our FARDH prayers.
The questioning will be about the Faraidh, the obligations, NOT the voluntary or nawaafil Ibaadaat.
3. Missing Taraaweeh and not praying it at all
Indeed, Taraaweeh is one of the greatest acts of worship by means of which we can come closer to
Allaah, our Lord, beg Him for forgiveness and hope for His Mercy, all the while earning immense reward
from Him.
Yet, some people don't understand the virtues of this beautiful prayer and have a very casual attitude
towards it.
They either just sit at home doing nothing, although they are awake, or they spend their time at the
gym, or shopping, eating, playing, watching TV or movies, etc. and miss out on this golden chance.
And although, we will not be sinful if we don't pray Taraaweeh, what a waste of abeautiful opportunity!
Here Allaah is handing it out to us by the handfuls!
He's showering us with blessings upon blessings...mercy upon mercy....forgiveness upon forgiveness!
And we just sit at home and let this chance of a lifetime pass by?
What could be a greater loss than that?!!
4. Taraaweeh in the masjid is much better than Taraaweeh at home
It is much better for the brothers to pray Taraaweeh in the masjid.
That's because the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) led the people in the masjid to pray
Taraaweeh for three consecutive nights, as was narrated in Saheeh Bukhaari by Aaishah Radhi Allaahu
anha.
Also that was the practice of Umar Radhi Allaahu anhu and the other Sahaabah because the Prophet (Sal
Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever prays qiyaam with the imam until he leaves, it will be as if he spent the whole night in
prayer."
(Tirmidhi-- saheeh by al-Albaani)
It was said to Ahmad ibn Hanbal:
"Do you prefer a man to pray with the people in Ramadhaan or on his own?
He said:
He should pray with the people." (Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi)

5. But Taraaweeh can also be prayed at home
If some people cannot go to the masjid for some reason, they miss the Taraaweeh prayers all together
thinking that it can only be prayed in the masjid.
Although it is better for them to pray it in the masjid, it is also allowed to pray Taraaweeh at home.
So don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity, thinking that you cannot pray this virtuous prayer at
home.
6. Oh no! I missed Ishaa and they're praying Taraaweeh! What should I do?
Sometimes you may get to the masjid late for whatever reason, and the Ishaa prayer has already
finished. The Imaam is praying Taraaweeh, but you have not yet prayed 'Ishaa.
So what to do?
Don't be the like the ones who go to the back, quickly read four fast Rakaat Ishaa', separate from the
rest of the congregation while they are praying Taraaweeh and then quickly join the congregation.
That is against the etiquette of prayer, and there's no khushoo' in your fardh prayer.
Solution:
Since the Taraaweeh prayer is read ONLY after you're done with Ishaa' so what you can do is to join the
congregation and pray with them. However, you make the intention for your Ishaa prayer while they are
praying with the intention of Taraaweeh.
Then, when the Imaam finishes and says salaam after two rakaat, you don't say salaam; rather you stand
up and complete the rest of your Ishaa prayer. It is perfectly OKAY for you to have a different intention
and the Imaam has a different intention.
Shaikh Ibn Baaz said:
"There is nothing wrong with his praying with them with the intention of praying 'Isha', according to the
more correct of the two scholarly views. When the imam says the tasleem he should stand up and
complete his prayer. It was proven in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and Muslimfrom Mu'aadh ibn Jabal that he
used to pray 'Isha', then he would go back to his people and lead them in 'Isha' prayer, and the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not denounce that. This indicates that it is permissible
to offer a fard prayer behind someone who is praying a naafil prayer."
(Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz)
7. Stay till the end
Some people leave the congregation before the Imaam is finished because of various reasons. It could
be that they want to pray more Nawaafil once they go home or they think that one shouldn't be praying
more than eight rakaat (if the Imaam is reading more than that) or because they want to pray witr just
before suhoor, etc.
But in doing so, they miss out on the reward of praying the whole night.
That's because the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever prays with the imam until he finishes, Allaah will record for him as if he spent the whole night
in prayer" (al-Tirmidhi--saheeh by al-Albaani)
So whoever finishes with the Imaam will have the reward of spending the whole night in prayer, even if
you go home and sleep! Subhaan Allaah!
And whoever left early, will only get the reward of whatever he prayed.
Someone asked Shaykh Ibn Baaz:

If a person prays in Ramadhaan with someone who prays twenty-three rak'ahs, but he only prays eleven
and does not complete the prayer with the imam, is this action of his in accordance with the Sunnah?
He replied: "The Sunnah is to complete the prayer with the imam, even if he prays twenty-three rak
'ahs, because the Messenger Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam
said:
"Whoever stands (in prayer) with the imam until he finishes, Allah will record for him (the reward of)
spending a night in prayer."
According to another report: "... The rest of that night."
It is better for one who is praying behind an imam to stay with him until he finishes, whether he prays
eleven rak'ahs or thirteen or twenty three or whatever.
That is preferable, to follow the imam until he finishes."
(Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn Baaz)
And Imam Ahmad used to pray with the imam and not leave until he finished, acting in accordance
with the hadeeth.
8. More than one Imaam?
If there are two or more Imaams leading Taraaweeh in the masjid, then Taraaweeh prayer is the prayer
of all the imaams.
So if you want to attain the reward of spending the whole night in prayer, then do not leave until all the
imaams have completed his prayer.
9. What if I can't stay till the end?
Try and do your best to stay till the Imaam finishes so that you can get the reward of praying the whole
night.
However, it happens that sometimes we just have to leave even if we so desperately want to stay till the
end.
And this may be because of very valid reasons such as work, school, kids, health reasons, etc.
In this situation, stay as much as you can and pray whatever Allaah enables you to.
Allaah says:
"Therefore fear Allah as much as you are able" (Surah at-Taghaabun)
Praying even two rakaat with the Imaam is much better than not praying at all.
And of course, Allaah is well aware of your situation and your niyyah.
So do your best and hope in the Mercy of Allaah.
ibn al-Mubaarak said:
"Maybe a small action is made great by its intention, and maybe a great action is made small by its
intention."
10. I want to finish with the Imaam but I want to delay my Witr
There are many well-known ahaadeeth which encourage us to delay our Witr, and to make it the last
prayer.
That is indeed a preferred thing to do.

"Make the last of your prayer at night Witr." (Bukhaari, Muslim)
And he (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Night prayers are two by two, and when you feel that dawn is approaching, pray one rak'ah." (Bukhaari,
Muslim)
So you want to follow the hadeeth and make Witr your last prayer of the night but you also want to get
the reward of praying the whole night when you finish with the Imaam.
How does one do that?
When the Imaam stands up for Witr, you stand up with him and join him in the prayer. However, you
make your intention to pray more rakaat for taraaweeh, although the Imaam will have the intention of
praying witr. Then when the Imaam says salaam, you dont say salaam; rather you stand up and add a
rakah to the Witr and make it an even number. This way you finish with the Imaam and you can then go
home and pray as much Tahajjud as you want before Suhoor and then pray your witr so as to make it
your last prayer of the night.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked:
"When some people pray Witr with the imam and the imam says the salaam, they stand up and do
another rak'ah so that their Witr will be at the end of the night.
What is the ruling on doing this?
Is it regarded as finishing the prayer with the imam?"
He replied:
"We do not know of there being anything wrong with this.

The scholars stated that there is nothing wrong with doing that so that one will pray Witr at the end of
the night. It is still true that he has stood with the imam until he finishes, because he stayed with him
until the imam finished, then he prayed an extra rak'ah for a legitimate shar'i purpose, so that his Witr
will be at the end of the night.
There is nothing wrong with that, and that does not mean that he did not stay with the imam, rather he
11. Can I pray witr twice in one night?
If you have prayed Witr with the Imaam, it is not allowed to pray Witr again at night later on.
If I have prayed Witr at the beginning of the night, then I get up to pray qiyaam at the end of the night,
how should I pray?
He replied:
If you have prayed Witr at the beginning of the night then Allaah enables you to get up at the end of the
night, then pray whatever you can two by two - without Witr, because the Prophet (sal Allaahu alaiyhi
wa sallam) said:
"There cannot be no two Witrs in one night." (al-Tirmidhi-- saheeh by al-Albaani) (Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn
Baaz)
12. Can I pray Tahajjud/Nawaafil even after I have prayed witr?
Indeed, the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) told us to make the Witr our last prayer of the night,
However, this command is in the sense of it being mustahabb and preferable, not in the sense of it being
obligatory and compulsory.
Proof:
When Aa'ishah Radhi Allaahu anha was asked about the Witr of the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa
sallam) she described the way he (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam)prayed and then she said: ".... then he
would pray two rak'ahs after that, whilst sitting down."
(Muslim)
Al-Nawawi said:
"The correct view is that he (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) performed these two rak'ahs after Witr sitting
down, to demonstrate that it is permissible to pray after Witr, and to demonstrate that it is permissible
to offer naafil prayers sitting down."
Shaykh Ibn Baaz also said, explaining the reason why the Prophet (sal Allaahu alyahi wa sallam)
prayed two rak'ahs after Witr:
"The reason for that - and Allaah knows best - is to show to the people that it is permissible to pray after
Witr." (Fataawa Islamiyyah)
Ibn Hazm said:
"Witr at the end of the night is better, but whoever prays Witr at the beginning of the night, that is fine.
It is permissible to pray after Witr but one should not repeat Witr."(al-Muhalla)
So if you want to pray Tahajjud at night, it is permissible for you to pray Witr with the congregation,
then to pray more Nawaafil after that.
You can pray as many rak'ahs as you want two by two.
It does not have to be only two rakaat and do not repeat Witr.
13. Should I pray 8 or 20?
Some people go to extremes and fight with each other over the number of rakaat in the Taraaweeh
prayer.
They refuse to pray in the masjid that has eight rakaat or twenty rakaat and or just sit in the back if the
Imaam is reading more than eight.
Dear brothers and sisters, there's no need to fight, argue or get angry.
It is perfectly OKAY to read EIGHT rakaat and it is ALSO OKAY to read TWENTY.
Proof:
A man came to the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) and asked:
"How are the night prayers done? He (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
"The night prayers are two by two, then when you fear that dawn is about to break, pray Witr with one
rak'ah."
(al-Bukhaari)
Here we see that the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) told the man how to do the night prayer but
did not specify the number of rakaat.
Yes, the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) himself used to pray eight at night but when the man
asked him about it, he did not tell him to pray only eight.
Rather he left the number to him.
This shows that the matter is FLEXIBLE and broad in scope.

A person may pray two, twenty or two hundred rakaat if he likes, and then he can pray Witr.
Imam Ahmad said:
"There is no set number of rak'ahs for qiyaam during Ramadhaan, because the Prophet (Sal Allaahu
Alayhi wa sallam) did not set a number."
Shaykh Ibn Baaz said:
e Sahaabah to
pray eleven rak'ahs, and it is also proven that they prayed twenty-three rak'ahs based on his command.
This indicates that the matter is broad in scope and that the matter was flexible according to the
Sahaabah.
That is also indicated by the words of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) :"The night prayers are
two by two."
(Majmoo' al-Fataawa)
14. Can I hold the Qur'aan (Mus-haf) while praying Taraaweeh?
It is much BETTER and more preferred that one should NOT be reading from the Qur'aan while praying
Taraaweeh, in order to have full concentration and better khushoo' and avoiding excessive movements.
However, IF reading from the Qur'aan while praying Taraaweeh, gives you better UNDERSTANDING of
what the Imaam is reading, (that goes especially for non-Arabic speaking people), and gives you more
KHUSHOO' and concentration, then some Ulama allowed holding the Qur'aan and following the
recitation of the Imaam.
15. Taraweeh is NOT a bid'ah
The Taraaweeh prayer is a CONFIRMED SUNNAH of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) and the
established practice of his Sahaabah.
The Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) HIMSELF prayed it and led the people as did the Sahaabah,
Tabi'een and the great Ulama of the following generations, following his example.
Proof:
Aa'ishah Radhi Allaahu anha said that the Messenger of Allaah (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) prayed one
night in the masjid, and the people followed him in prayer. Then he prayed the next night, and many
people came. Then they gathered on the third or fourth night, and the Messenger of Allaah (sal Allaahu
alaiyhi wa
sallam) did not come out to them.
The next morning he (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"I saw what you did, and nothing kept me from coming out to you except the fact that I FEARED that it
would be made OBLIGATORY for you." And that was in Ramadhaan."
(al-Bukhaari and Muslim)
This proves that praying Taraweeh in congregation is prescribed according to the Sunnah of the Prophet
(sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam), but he (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) refrained from doing it continuously
because he feared that it might become fardh on me and you.
When the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) passed away, Umar Radhi Allaahu anhu revived this
Sunnah since this reservation was no longer there, because the Sharee'ah was established and
complete.
When Ali Radhi Allaahu anhu passed by the masaajid in which there were lamps during the month of
Ramadhaan, he said:
''May Allaah illuminate Umar's grave for him as he illuminated our mosques for us." (al-Mughni).
16. Any specific duas to be read in between every two or four rakaat
There is a very common misconception that there are some specific duas (called 'Dua Taraaweeh') to be
read in between the rakaat.
You see people reading it and even some masaajid have overhead projectors that highlight and show
these duas to the people so that they can read them.
There is NO PROOF in the Sharee'ah for that.
And neither the imam nor those praying behind him should read those duas.
That's because acts of worship are 'tawqeefi' which mean that Ibaadah is governed by the principle that
nothing is permitted except that which was prescribed by the Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam).
Constantly doing a particular act of worship at a particular time without any evidence for that from the
H or innovation.
"Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected."
17. Finishing the Qur'aan in Taraaweeh early does NOT mean there's no more Taraaweeh
Some people are under the impression that if they finish the recitation of the Qur'aan early in
Ramadhaan, then there's no more Taraaweeh.
That's absolutely NOT TRUE.
The main goal in Ramadhaan is to stand in qiyaam at night...every single night, read a lot of Qur'aan and
reflect on the ayaat....NOT to quickly finish the Qur'aan from cover to cover whether in five days or ten
days or whatever and then the rest of Ramadhaan, you are 'off' from Taraaweeh!
Reading the Qur'aan in Taraaweeh is not a 'chore' or 'burden' that you get off your head. It is to humble
yourself before Allaah, get yourself away from the dunya and its glamor and bring yourself back to the
reality that one day we have to face our Lord and give account of ourselves.
It is hard to believe that there are masaajid in Pakistan that hold Taraaweeh prayers in the first ten days
of Ramadhaan ONLY.
Why?
So that they are 'done' with Taraaweeh and they don't have to pray this beautiful prayer for the rest of
the nights of Ramadhaan because they 'finished' the Qur'aan.
Now they can do what they want; relax, shop, have fun, go to sleep... basically go back to their 'pre-
Ramadhaan' state!
May Allaah guide us all and enable us to see and realize the real purpose of fasting and qiyaam and
enable us to achieve that. Ameen.
And Allaah knows Best.
RAMADHAAN SERIE
Any difference between Qiyaam al-Layl, Tahajjud and
Taraaweeh?
Qiyaam al-Layl:
Qiyaam al-Layl is the time someone spends at night in ibaadah, praying
Tahajjud:
night.
The majority of the u

order for you to pray Tahajjud; rather Tahajjud can be prayer any time
after
Salat al-Ishaa.
Taraaweeh:
Taraaweeh is a kind of Night Prayer or Qiyaam al-Layl, that is
-Ishaa.
because when the Sahaabah used to pray their Night prayers in

Ramadhaan, they would stand for LONG periods of time, reading a lot
Thus they would get tired because of standing for so long, and would
So Alhamdulillaah, no need to get confused anymore.
Tahaajud, Taraaweeh and Qiyaam al-Layl are ALL pretty much the
SAME prayer except that Qiyaam al-
Nawaafil PLUS other acts of Ibaadah.
Ramadhaan.
Shaikh ibn Baaz said:
With regard to Taraaweeh, the scholars use this word to refer to

Qiyaam al-layl in Ramadhaan at the beginning of the night... It may also
be called Tahajjud or Qiyaam al-
(Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 11/317)
RAMADHAAN SERIES
*Praying Taraaweeh at Home*
So how can we pray this beautiful Sunnah prayer at home?
Since Taraaweeh prayer is a kind of Night Prayer or Qiyaam al-Layl, we
"The night prayers -Bukhaari)

When a man asked the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam about
the night prayer, (in the hadeeth above), he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa
Sallam did not specify a fixed number for the Night prayer; rather he
left the matter open.
QUESTION
g to the masjid and not reading behind an
Taraaweeh as we want.
How?
Read from the Mus-haf DIRECTLY.
Just hold the Mus-haf or place it on a table or something in front of you
Book.
se
Or read a bit more than that or a bit less; whatever Allaah enables you
to do.
the same time Alhamdulillaah.
-obligatory
Salah.
Someone asked Imaam az-Zuhri about reading from the Mus-haf in

Ramadhaan.
He said:
-
prayer, whether it is from the Mus-haf or from memory. It was proven

told her freed slave Dhakwaan to lead her in praying qiyaam in
Ramadhaan, and he used to read from the Mus-haf. Al-Bukhaari
mentioned this in his Sahe
(Fataawa Islaamiyah, vol.2 Shaykh Ibn Baaz)
QUESTION
But I heard that too much movement like picking up the Mus-haf or
turning the pages etc, will invalidate the prayer!
That is a weak opinion.
the Mus-haf directly in prayer.
How can I say that?
Proof:
Our Mother Aaisha radhi Allaahu anhaa used to do that.
Imaam al-Bukhaari said:

a slave who used to lead her in
[al-Bukhaari (1/245)]
enough for us.
Imaam az-Zuhri said about reading from the Mus-haf in Ramadhaan.
Mus-
Imaam an-Nawawi said:
-haf that does not invalidate his prayer,

whether he had memorized it or not.
Rather he should do that if he has not memorized al-Faatihah, and if he
turns the pages sometimes whilst praying that does not invalidate his
(al-

d be recited in
prayer, whether it is from the Mus-haf or from memory.
Dhakwaan to lead her in praying qiyaam in Ramadhaan, and he used to

read from the Mus-haf. Al-
Moving the pages and picking up the Mus-haf does NOT invalidate
the prayer.
Proof:
Abu Qutaadah al-Ansaari radhi Allaahu anhu said:
Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam

used to pray whilst he was carrying Umaamah, the daughter of Zaynab
bint Rasool-Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam.
(al-Bukhaari 494 and Muslim 543).

Surely picking up a child while praying and then putting her down for
sujood is MUCH MORE movement than simply flipping a page. Or
picking up a Mus-haf.
And if the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam picked up a child and
put her down every time he went into sujood, then that proves that
such movement does NOT invalidate the prayer.
B
movements by opening the Mus-haf to a particular page that he wants
to recite, then place it on a table in front of him.
ead
to read from the Mus-haf directly.
Conclusion
-haf and
read directly from it.
And benefit from the Book of Allaah.
May Allaah accept our ibaadaat, our duaas, our Taubah. Ameen.

*Praying Taraaweeh at Home*
So how can we pray this beautiful Sunnah prayer at home?
Since Taraaweeh prayer is a kind of Night Prayer or Qiyaam al-Layl, we
-Bukhaari)
I pray?
When a man asked the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam about
the night prayer, (in the hadeeth above), he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa
[2:49 PM, 4/17/2020] Alhamdulillah: 9.Praying Taraaweeh at Home

[2:51 PM, 4/17/2020] Alhamdulillah: 10.Is Taraweeh Bid'ah
[2:51 PM, 4/17/2020] Alhamdulillah: Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
ANSWER
not based on any authentic practice or teachings of the Prophet sal

Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam.
When we look at the authentic practice or teachings of the Prophet Sal

Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam, we find that the Taraaweeh prayer is actually
a CONFIRMED SUNNAH of the Prophet Sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam and
the established practice of his Sahaabah.
The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam HIMSELF prayed it and led the
people as did the Sahaabah, Tabi'een and the great Ulama of the
following generations, following his example.
Proof:
Aa'ishah Radhi Allaahu anha said that the Messenger of Allaah (sal
Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) prayed one night in the masjid, and the
people followed him in prayer.
Then he prayed the next night, and many people came. Then they
gathered on the third or fourth night, and the Messenger of Allaah (sal
Allaahu alaiyhi wasallam) did not come out to them.
The next morning he (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "I saw what
you did, and nothing kept me from coming out to you except the fact
that I feared that it would be made obligatory for you." And that was in
Ramadaan."
(al-Bukhaari and Muslim)
This PROVES that praying Taraweeh in congregation was already an

ESTABLISHED PRACTICE of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam and
is prescribed according to his Sunnah.
However, he sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam REFRAINED from reading

Taraaweeh continuously because he FEARED that it might become
fardh on me and you.
Thus when the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam passed away, Umar
Radhi Allaahu anhu REVIVED this already established Sunnah since
there was no more fear of the Taraaweeh being made obligatory.
The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam had passed away and the
Sharee'ah was complete.
On the contrary, Taraaweeh is a beautiful act of ibaadah most beloved

to the Sahaabah and the righteous before us.
When Ali Radhi Allaahu anhu passed by the masaajid in which there
were lamps during the month of Ramadhaan, he would say:
'May Allaah illuminate Umar's grave for him as he illuminated our

mosques for us."
(al-Mughni).
May Allaah guide us and enable us to establish the Sunnah of the

Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam in our lives. Ameen.
Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
Can I hold the Qur'aan (Mus-haf) while praying

Taraaweeh BEHIND an IMAAM?
ANSWER
Generally speaking, it is more preferred that one should NOT be

holding the Qur'aan or reading from it directly while praying Taraaweeh
in Taraaweeh, in order to follow the etiquettes of salah and avoid
excessive movements.
HOWEVER, if reading from the Qur'aan, iPad or phone, while praying

Taraaweeh, gives you BETTER UNDERSTANDING of what the Imaam is
reading, (that goes especially for non-Arabic speaking people), and
gives you MORE KHUSHOO' and CONCENTRATION, then it is ALLOWED
to hold the Qur'aan and look at it in order to follow the recitation of the
Imaam.
The purpose of Taraaweeh is to CONCENTRATE and REFLECT on the
meanings of the Qur'aan recitation so that it affects our heart and
makes us understand His Book.
Then only can we stand in front of Him humble and ashamed,
fearful of His Punishment ...yet hopeful of His Mercy and Forgiveness....
so that we can turn over a new leaf and try and prepare for that
inevitable meeting with our Rabb.
This is for the person who's reading behind the Imaam.
As for the one who's reading any prayer except the fardh prayer, on
his OWN, it's perfectly fine to look at the Qur'aan and read it while
praying.
And there's no problem in it.
*What if I am the Imaam and leading others in Taraaweeh?

Can I look at the Qur'aan and lead the people in prayer?*
Yes that's allowed.
PROOF
read from the Mus-haf (Qur'aan). (al-Bukhaari)

What to Do Series
QUESTION
Can I read directly from the Mus-

praying a voluntary prayer such as Taraaweeh or
Tahajjud or any other Nafl on my own?
I only know small surahs.
ANSWER
ook in the Mus-haf and read directly when praying

any voluntary prayer.
Just because we have not memorized the bigger Suwar (plural of Surah)
How to do that
Just hold the Mus-
something in front of you and read as much of it as you want in each
in the
Or read a bit more than that or a bit less; whatever Allaah enables you
to do.
at the same time Alhamdulillaah.
non-obligatory Salaah.
Someone asked Imaam az-Zuhri about reading from the Mus-haf in

Ramadhaan.
He said:
-
prayer, whether it is from the Mus-haf or from memory.

told her freed slave
read from the Mus-haf.
al-
ad and open the

Mus-haf and read directly from it.
And benefit from the Book of Allaah.
May Allaah accept our ibaadaat, our duaas, our Taubah. Ameen.

Want to get the reward of praying the ENTIRE NIGHT?
Want to get the reward of praying the ENTIRE NIGHT?
congregation until the prayer completely ends.
"Whoever prays with the Imaam until he finishes, Allaah will record for
him as if he spent the whole night in prayer" (al-Tirmidhi--saheeh by al-
Albaani)
So whoever finishes their prayers with the Imaam, they will have the
reward of spending the whole night in prayer, even if they go home and
sleep!
Subhaan Allaah!
And whoever left early, will only get the reward of whatever he prayed.
Someone asked Shaykh Ibn Baaz:

If a person prays in Ramadhaan with someone who prays twenty-three
rak'ahs, but he only prays eleven and does not complete the prayer
with the Imaam, is this action of his in accordance with the Sunnah?
He replied:
"The Sunnah is to complete the prayer with the Imaam....It is better for
one who is praying behind an imam to stay with him until he finishes,
whether he prays eleven rak'ahs or thirteen or twenty three or
whatever. That is preferable, to follow the imam until he finishes."
QUESTION
with him. I want to DELAY my Witr till just before Fajr.

So what to do?
There are many well-known ahaadeeth which encourage us to delay

our Witr, and to make it the last prayer.
That is indeed a preferred thing to do.
For example, the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Make the last of your prayer at night Witr." (Bukhaari, Muslim)

And he (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Night prayers are two by two, and when you feel that dawn is
approaching, pray one rak'ah." (Bukhaari, Muslim)
So you want to follow the hadeeth and make Witr your last prayer of
the night but you also want to get the reward of praying the whole
night when you finish with the Imaam.
How does one do that?
When the Imaam stands up to pray Witr, you should also stand up with
him and join him in the prayer.
HOWEVER, at this time you should make your intention to pray MORE
intention of praying witr.
rather you should stand up and ADD a rakah to the Witr and make it an
EVEN number.
This way you finish with the Imaam and you can then go home and pray
as much Tahajjud as you want before Suhoor and then in the end, pray
your witr so as to make it your last prayer of the night.
"When some people pray Witr with the Imaam and the Imaam says the
salaam, they stand up and do another rak'ah so that their Witr will be
at the end of the night. What is the ruling on doing this?
Is it regarded as finishing the prayer with the Imaam?"
He replied:
"We do not know of there being anything wrong with this. The scholars
stated that there is nothing wrong with doing that so that one will pray
Witr at the end of the night. It is still true that he has stood with the
imam until he finishes, because he stayed with him until the imam
finished, then he prayed an extra rak'ah for a legitimate shar'i purpose,
so that his Witr will be at the end of the night. There is nothing wrong
with that, and that does not mean that he did not stay with the imam,
rather he stayed with the imam until he finished, but then he did not
finish with him, rather he delayed a little.
Alhamdulillaah double rewards!

You can have your cake and eat it too!
May Allaah enable us to worship Him sincerely and to the best of our
abilities. Ameen.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Taraaweeh is a Sunnah of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi
wa Sallam led his family and people in Taraaweeh.
wa sallam that gives a

Taraaweeh.
But unfortunately we see some people going to extremes and fighting

with each other over the number of rakaat in the Taraaweeh prayer.
They refuse to pray in the masjid that has eight rakaat or twenty rakaat
and or just sit in the back if the Imaam is reading more than eight.
Dear brothers and sisters, there's no need to fight, argue or get angry.
It is perfectly okay to read eight rakaat AND it is ALSO OKAY to read
twenty.
Proof:
A man came to the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) and asked:
"How are the night prayers done?

He (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
"The night prayers are two by two, then when you fear that dawn is
about to break, pray Witr with one rak'ah." (al-Bukhaari)
Here we see that the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) told the
man HOW to do the night prayer but did NOT specify the NUMBER of
rakaat.
Yes, the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) himself used to pray
eight at night but when the man asked him about it, he did not tell him
to pray only eight.
Rather he left the number up to him.
If it was good to pray only 8, surely he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam
would have told the man so.
This shows that the matter is FLEXIBLE and broad in scope.
A person may pray two, twenty or two hundred rakaat if he likes, and
then he can pray Witr.
Imam Ahmad said:
"There is no set number of rak'ahs for qiyaam during Ramadhaan,

because the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) did not set a
number."
It is proven that 'Umar Radhi Allaahu anhu told the one whom he
appointed among the Sahaabah to pray eleven rak'ahs, and it is also
proven that they prayed twenty-three rak'ahs based on his command.
This indicates that the matter is broad in scope and that the matter was
flexible according to the Sahaabah. That is also indicated by the words
of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) :"The night prayers are
two by two." (Majmoo' al-Fataawa)
It is true that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam used to pray not
t in his night prayer but his standing
(while praying) was very long.
Sometimes he would pray the whole of Surah al-Baqarah, Nisaa and

Aal-
Taraaweeh and their standing was long too.
the people were not used to standing for so long.

And if the Imaam had made the prayer too long, this would be too
difficult for the people and that might put them off the prayer and
discourage them.
read even 36 and some even more) and made the recitation shorter.
Any more or less is also allowed.
Point to ponder:
20, a lot of us also do read some nawwafil for tahajjud before Fajr.
So we end up praying more than 8 or more than 20 anyway!
Conclusion:
The night prayer is two by two.
Whether you pray 8 or you pray 20 or you pray as many as Allaah wills,
HEART with which you stand in front of your Rabb, with faith and
hoping for a reward from Him, that matters.
Our beloved Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
-Bukhaari, Muslim)

Is it permissible for my young son to lead us in the fardh
prayer or Taraaweeh
ANSWER
Yes. It is permissible for a young boy to lead adults in obligatory or

Taraaweeh prayers.
As long as he knows the basic rulings about tahaarah, Salaah etc., it is

permissible for him to lead the prayer.
Proof:
and it was as
if it took root in my heart.
When Makkah was conquered, then every tribe hastened to embrace
Islaam, and my father urged our tribe to hasten to embrace Islaam.
When my father returned (from the Prophet) to his tribe, he said,

u Alaiyhi
The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam afterwards said to them,
-and-such a prayer at such-and-such a time, and when the

time for the prayer becomes due, then one of you should pronounce
the Adhaan (for the prayer), and let the one amongst you who knows
So they looked for such a person and found none who knew more
Qur'aan than I, because of what I used to learn from the people.
So they made me their Imaam (to lead the prayer) and at that time I
(al-Bukhaari, 4051)
This proves that even a young boy, as little as six or seven years of age
can lead the prayer.
But he should know the rulings on Salaah, tahaarah, etc. because in

case he makes a mistake, he should know how to handle the situation.
And actually it migh
the prayer because sometimes it so happens that the father is not that
well-
the proper Tajweed rules.
In such cases it would be BETTER for the son to lead the family in prayer
even though he is young under the age of puberty.
knowledge of the Book of Allaah; if they are equal in knowledge of the
(Saheeh Muslim, 1530)
heart, train him to lead prayers in the future, and help build confidence
in him.
A woman asked Shaikh Salih al-Munajjid if her young son can lead
her in prayer.
He said:
prayer when he was six or seven

years old.
This indicates that a boy who has reached the age of discernment can
lead the prayers.
If that were not permitted, there would have been Revelation to say
that it was not allowed.
If your son fulfils all the conditions and obligations of the prayer, then
(Islamqa Fatwa # 9933)
And the prayer of those praying behind him would be valid.

A 'tasbeeh' or 'duaa' that people read between the
Answer
This is a COMMON MISCONCEPTION that there is a specific duaa (called

'Duaa Taraaweeh or Tasbeeh Taraaweeh') to be read in between the
rakaat of Taraaweeh.
You see people reading it and even some masaajid have posters and
overhead projectors that highlight and show these duas to the people
so that they can read them.
But dear brothers and sisters, there is NO proof of that in the

Sharee'ah.
You see, any kind of duaa, tasbeeh or dhikr is a form of worship.
And all acts of worship are 'tawqeefi' which mean that nothing is
permitted as Ibaadah except that which is prescribed and proven by the
Qur'aan and the Sunnah of the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam.
and his Sahaabah.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam himself prayed Taraaweeh

and led his Sahaabah as well.
And the Sahaabah also prayed Taraaweeh individually as well as in
of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam.
But they did NOT say this duaa or ANY OTHER specific duaa in between
The ulama also do not report any such SPECIFIC dhikr or tasbeeh being
said specifically after two or four rakaat of Taraaweeh.
Shaykh Muhammad al- -Haaj said:
religion is forbidden.
The best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi
wa Sallam then the four caliphs who came after him, then the
Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them all), and it is NOT narrated
that ANY of the salaf did that, and we should be content with what was
(Al-Madkhal, 2/293, 294)
If it was good to say this specific dhikr at this specific time, the Prophet
Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam surely would have done it himself and
taught his Sahaabah as well.
But he didn't.
And if he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam didn't do it, why should we?
Surely, following the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam is much

more important and beloved to all of us than following 'culture' and
what we've 'seen' people around us do, without any proof!
Constantly doing a particular act of worship at a particular time without

any evidence for that from the Sharee'ah comes under the heading of
bid'ah or innovation.
"Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours (Islam)
will have it rejected."
(Bukhaari, Muslim).
and someone wants to utilize this time by remembering Allaah, reading

the Qur'aan or saying some kind of dhikr or duaa, it is absolutely
allowed and even recommended to do so.
HOWEVER, we should NOT SPECIFY a particular dua or dhikr, EVERY

TIME.
Taraaweeh....
read Qur'aan some times, or do Istighfaar some times, or send salaams
on the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam some times....
VARY your acts of ibaadah so that there's no specific dhikr you're

binding yourself to, in this interval in between the rak'aat of Taraaweeh
and you're not FIXING a specific ibaadah at a specific time.
Remember this GOLDEN rule:
All goodness lies in following the ways of the Prophet Sal Allaahu
Alaiyhi wa Sallam and his noble Sahaabah.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
If the Imaam is praying Taraaweeh when I get to the
Masjid, but I have not yet prayed 'Ishaa, what should I
do?
ANSWER
Since the Taraaweeh prayer is read ONLY AFTER you're done with
Ishaa', so what you can do is to JOIN the congregation and pray with
them.
However, you should make the intention for your Ishaa prayer while
the rest of the people are praying with the intention of Taraaweeh.
Then, when the Imaam finishes and says salaam after the two rakaat,
you should not say salaam; rather you should stand up and complete
the rest of your Ishaa prayer.
What NOT to Do
Don't be the like the one who goes to the back, quickly reads four
SUPER FAST Rakaat Ishaa', alone on his own, separate from the rest of
the congregation who are praying Taraaweeh and then after he
finishes, he quickly joins the congregation.
That is NOT correct and is against the etiquette of prayer.

Besides, there's also no khushoo' in your fardh prayer.
QUESTION
Is it allowed to have DIFFERENT intentions in the same prayer?
It is perfectly OKAY for you to have a different intention and the Imaam
has a different intention.
PROOF:
-
Allaahu anhu
would pray with the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam
Of course the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi
prayer behind the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam and then
leading his people in Ishaa prayer later.
And that counted as Nafl prayer for him.
If it was wrong, surely the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam would
Rather his silence is his approval.
"There is nothing wrong with his praying with them with the intention
of praying 'Ishaa', according to the more correct of the two scholarly
views.
When the Imaam says the tasleem, he should stand up and complete
his prayer.
It was proven in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and Muslim from Mu'aadh ibn
Jabal that he used to pray 'Isha', then he would go back to his people
and lead them in 'Isha' prayer, and the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa
Sallam did not denounce that.
This indicates that it is permissible to offer a fard prayer behind
someone who is praying a naafil prayer."
(Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz)

Can I pray Taraaweeh at home following an Imaam on
TV or online
ANSWER
In order for your prayer to count, you have to fulfill the following
conditions
1. -be PHYSICALLY present as PART of the congregation
2. - the rows of the people praying should be UNINTERRUPTED and

CONTINUOUS.
Someone asked the Standing Committee about the same issue

(praying by following the Imaam from their house) and they said:
reach his house and he is able to follow the imam by seeing him or
hearing his voice, in which case it is valid.
But if the condition mentioned is not met, it is NOT VALID, because
what is required of the Muslim is to offer the prayer in congregation in
the houses of Allaah with his fellow Muslim, because the Prophet Sal
Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
-Daaraqutni and
al-Haakim)
And because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said to the blind
man who asked him whether he could pray in his house:
[Fataawa al-Lajnah al-
Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said about this issue:
a radio or TV,
because prayer in congregation means being together in the same
place, so it has to be in one place and the rows should be connected to
one another (i.e. immediately behind one another).
It is NOT PERMISSIBLE to pray via radio or TV because they do not meet
these criteria. If we were to allow that, anyone could pray all five
and prayer in congregation.

Based on this, it is not permissible for women or anyone else to pray
following the radio or TV.
-Fataawa (15/213)]
Besides, think about it this way:
If praying in your home following the Imaam from far, without actually
being physically present in the masjid was okay, why would the
They would have each just prayed in their homes.
After all, their houses were right there, next to the masjid.
prayer.
Yet they would actually, physically get out of their houses and GO to
the masjid and join the Imaam for each prayer.
Conclusion:
s not allowed to follow the Imaam in prayer from home.
You must actually, physically, be present at the masjid in order for your
prayer to count.

Perfecting the Rows: as Important as Perfecting the
Prayer
Perfecting the rows when we stand for prayer in congregation is clearly

a very important matter in Islaam.
However, we don't pay much attention to it.

Many people think it is not an important matter.
So, insha Allaah the following points will shed some light on the virtue
and importance of perfecting them.
1) Straightening the rows is an ORDER from Rasul Allaah (Sal Allaahu

Alayhi wa sallam):
Anas ibn Maalik said that the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam)
said:
Muslim)
And he said:
Muslim).
2) Straightening the rows is part of perfecting the prayer:
(al-Bukhaari)
3) SEVERE WARNING for those who do NOT perfect the rows:
When the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) saw a man sticking
out his chest he said,
(al-Bukhaari)
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) used to straighten our rows,
as if he was straightening the shaft of an arrow, until he saw that we
had learned it.
Then he came out one day and was about to say the takbeer, when he
noticed a man whose chest was sticking out from the row.
undoubtedly a WARNING to those who fail to straighten their rows.

Hence some scholars are of the view that it is obligatory to make the
rows straight.
If something is enjoined and a warning issued against doing the
If the congregation does not straighten the rows, then they are
SINNING. This is the apparent meaning of the words of Shaykh al-Islam
-Sharh al-
When Anas ibn Maalik radhi Allaahu anhu came to Madeenah after
the death of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam), someone asked
him:
"What do you find has changed in us since the time of the Messenger of
Anas radhi Allaahu anhu said:
ghten your rows."

(al-Bukhaari)
4) Stand shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot with your neighbor:
Making the rows straight and compact is achieved by standing foot-to-

foot and shoulder-to-shoulder.
Foot-to-foot does NOT mean your two feet next to each other as some
people misunderstand..
It means your LEFT foot next to the foot of your neighbor on your LEFT
and your RIGHT foot NEXT to the foot of your neighbor on your RIGHT.
the people and said,
straighten your rows or Allaah will create DIVISI

And I saw men standing shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, ankle to
(Abu Dawood--Saheeh by al-Albaani)
5. Do NOT leave GAPS
Another part of making the rows complete and perfect is not leaving
any gaps in between.
shoulders in line with one another, and FILL THE GAPS, and do not leave
any room for the Shaytaan.
Whoever joins a row to complete it, Allaah will reward him and
--
Saheeh by al-Albaani)
6) Align your heels:
the shoulders at the top of the body, and the heels at the
bottom of the body.
As for the toes, they do not count, because toes vary; some people
7. Do NOT exaggerate in this matter and do NOT FIGHT over it:
a) Some people exaggerate in trying to follow this matter and spread
force their neighbor to actually end up standing with his feet close
together in a very uncomfortable way and not be able to stand with his
feet spread at a balanced distance.
b) Also, making the rows compact does NOT mean crowding and
cramming people in, because there is a DIFFERENCE between making it
COMPACT and making it CROWDED.
c) Feet to feet means to gently lay your foot next to your neighbor's
foot.
It DOES NOT mean to jam your foot against your neighbor's foot or
push down, hurt, slam, squish or otherwise abuse your fellow Muslim
praying next to you as some people who take it to the extreme do.
It also does NOT mean that you insist on putting your foot next to his if
he does not want to or he moves away.
Realize that you are disturbing and annoying your Muslim brother and
distracting him from his salah when you do so.
Let this matter not to be a reason of division amongst you. Deal with it
with wisdom, gentleness and love.
At the end of the day, it's about bringing people closer to Allaah and
salaah and NOT push them away.
8) The BEST row for the men is the first row and for the women, the
last is the best.
This is because the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said:
and the best rows for women are the last rows and the worst are the
(al-Na -- saheeh by al-Albaani)

However, if there is a PARTITION in between the men and women, then
the FIRST row is BEST, even for the women. (Fatwa--Shaykh Ibn Baaz)
9) Complete the FIRST row and then the next.
This is also part of straightening the rows. The second row should not
be begun until the first row is complete, and the third row should not
begin until the second row, and so on.
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) urged completing the

first row and said:
-
Bukhaari, Muslim)
And he (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
nd if there is to be any
- Saheeh
by al-Albaani)
10) The rows should start from BEHIND the imam; NOT from the
extreme right:
The scholars said:
t from the right hand

side of the masjid or the left, as some people do.
Rather they should start from right behind the imam, then the row
should be completed to both the right and the left, so as to follow the
islam-qa)
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
the right and the left, not from the farthest point to the right . The
(Al-Lajnah al-
11) Make the rows close to one another and close to the Imaam:
The Sunnah is for the Imaam to be close to the people who are praying
behind him, and the people should be close to the imam, and each row
should be close to the other. The definition of close is that there should
be enough room between them to do sajdah and a little more.

RAMADHAAN SERIES
Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
Ramadhaan
ANSWER
highly encouraged.
of course the more you read the better it is.
Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
great deal in Ramadhaan, as

that is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa
Sallam and he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to review it with
Also remember that it
for us and MORE BELOVED to Allaah that we read maybe LESS of the
Remember:
Islaam is NOT about QUANTITY.
of being counted.

All about Sajdah at-Tilaawah
Sajdah at-Tilaawah is the sajdah that is performed when you come
These are the ayaat where the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam
made sujood when he read them.
And there are 15 such places
the Shaytaan withdraws, weeping and saying: Woe unto him (in
another narration- Woe unto me) the son of Adam was commanded
to prostrate and he prostrated, so Paradise will be his; I was
How to do Sajdah at-Tilaawah
Sajdah at-Tilaawah is just like any regular sajdah.
So when you reach any sajdah at-Tilaawah, you should

- say Allaahu Akbar
- go into sajdah
- read the same tasbeeh like you do for a sajdah in Salah. (That is, say
-
-
t up after making this sajdah while
say takbeer when going into sajdah as well as when you get back up
movement of
Salah.
Do I need to say the tashahhud or tasleem?
No, there no proof of that from the action of the Prophet sal Allaahu
Alayhi wa sallam.
Do I have to have wudhu or face the qiblah?

Is there one sajdah or two?
Sajdah at-Tilaawah is only ONE sajdah.
-tilaawah consists of one
(Al- -Fiqhiyyah, 24/331)
Should I stand up and then go into the sajdah?
to do sajdat al-
(Al-Lajnah al- -Buhooth al- -
Can I add my own duaa after reading the Tasbeeh for sujood?
-Tilaawah, after you

say the prescribed Tasbeeh.
rophet sal
Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam.
One of the duaas that he said in the sajdah for tilaawah:
) (
"
(O Allaah, record for me a reward for this (prostration), and remove

from me a sin. Save it for me and accept it from me just as You
-Tirmidhi- saheeh)
Do I HAVE to do the sajdah when I come across such aayaat?
h at-Tilaawah when you reach such an

Umar radhi Allaahu anhu
prostrated when reciting surah an-Nahl when he was delivering a
khutbah to the people on the minbar, but on the following Friday when
he read the same Surah,
he
(al-Bukhaari)
Do I have to do the sajdah right away or can I delay it?

do them all
The Sunnah is to do the sajdah when you reach the Aayah which
contains the sajdah of Tilaawah.
Ibn Umar radhi Allaahu anhu said:
he would say Takbeer and prostrate and we would do like -

Bukhaari, Muslim)
Can I do sajdah at-Tilaawa in the prohibited times of prayers?

Sajdah at-
Salah.
-Tilaawah at all times even the times
when the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam prohibited praying.
dhikr instead?
Since doing sajdah at-Tilaawah is something mustahabb and NOT
Saying Subhaan Allaah or some other dhikr instead of the sajdah is not
proven from the practice of the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam
or his Sahaabah.
sajdah, he just kept quiet.

He did NOT say some other dhikr instead.
her.
What if I hear someone ELSE reciting the Aayah with the sajdah of
Tilaawah? Should I do the sajdah?
t prescribed for the one who is listening to prostrate unless the

reciter prostrates, because Zayd ibn Thaabit recited Soorat al-Najm to
the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and he did not prostrate, and
neither did the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam.
This indicates that the prostration of recitation is not obligatory,
because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam did not rebuke Zayd
for not prostrating. The hadeeth also indicates that the listener should
not prostrate unless the reader pros
prostration again and again, should I repeat the sajdah too?
just do it ONCE an
again and again.

suffice for th
-Fataawa, 14/318)
What happens if the Imaam said Allaahu Akbar and went into
Sajdah at-
realize my mistake until after I heard
Do I have to offer sujood as-Sahw?
If you realize that the Imaam went into sajdah at-Tilaawah although
mistakenly you were in rukoo, obviously you should immediately go
into sajdah as well and follow the Imaam.
stands back up, and you were still in rukoo, all you do is stand back up
for Sujood as-Sahw.
Shaikh ibn Uthaymeen said:
gets up from prostration. In that case we say to the person who bowed:
stand up now and follow the imam, and bow with your imam and carry
on, and the prostration of recitation is waived in your case, because the
prostration of recitation is not a pillar or essential part of the prayer
such that you need to do it after your imam, rather you are obliged to
follow your imam. You missed out on following, and it is a Sunnah that
was missed at the proper time, so you should carry on with your
ataawa al-
Can a woman on her menses do sajdah at-Tilaawah?
Yes because this is not Salah and does not take the same rulings as
Salah. So purity is not a condition for it to be valid.
because it is not salaah (prayer),

rather it is an act of submission to Allaah and worship, like other kinds
(Al-Lajnah al- -Buhooth al- -
Does a woman have to wear hijaab for sajdah at-Tilaawah?
Again, since sajdah at-Tilaawah itself is not Salah and it does not take
the same rulings as Salah.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
Are there any specific duaas for the month of
Ramadhaan
ANSWER
There are NO specific duaas for the month of Ramadhaan except the
duaa that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam taught Aaishah radhi
Allaahu anhu for the LAST 10 days of Ramadhaan.
She asked the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam:
-Qadr, what
He Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

Say:
(at-Tirmidhi -saheeh)
Otherwise there are NO other duaas that are SPECIFIC for Ramadhaan.
But the BEST duaa comes from the HEART.
This is the time to POUR your heart out to Allaah.

TALK to Him.
CRY.
BEG.
SPREAD out your hands and SAY what you need to say and ASK what
you need to ask.
Develop a CLOSE relationship with the One Who LOVES you the Most,
the One Who TAKES CARE of you the Most,
the One Who KNOWS you the Most.
The One Who can address all your problems and solve all your issues.
Show Him how BROKEN you are and how much you NEED Him.
NOT the QUANTITY.

Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
Is it true that whoever dies in Ramadhaan will enter
Jannah without account? Even non Muslims?
ANSWER
It is true that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
-saheeh by al-Albaani)
So whoever believes in Allaah Alone, does good deeds and is a
enter Jannah.
But to generalize this hadeeth and apply it to all, is NOT CORRECT.
And it certainly does NOT apply to non-Muslims.

eth.
But what about the hadeeth of the

Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam:
mean that if a person dies in Ramadhaan, he will straight

away enter Jannah because the doors of Jannah are open and doors of
Hell are closed?
That hadeeth is authentic.

But that is NOT the correct understanding of the hadeeth.
And it does NOT apply to those who were disobedient to Allaah.
The scholars explain that the gates of Jannah being opened means that
Allaah is ENCOURAGING us to obey Him and strive in His Path.
from SIN.
Allaah is ready to forgive anyone and everyone, whoever makes
SINCERE Taubah ALL the time but especially so in the month of
Ramadhaan.
And the scholars say that it ALSO means that Allaah makes it EASY for
the believers to do good deeds and to stay away from bad ones,
because the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.
Ibn Taimiyyah said:
motivated to do good and righteous deeds, through which, and

because of which, the gates of Paradise are opened, and they are
discouraged from doing evil, because of which the gates of Hell are
opened.
The devils are chained up, so they are not able to do what they usually
do when people are not fasting, for the one who is chained up is
restricted, and they are only able to gain control over the sons of Adam
because of whims and desires, so if people refrain from whims and
desires, the devils are chained u
-Fataawa (14/167)]
The hadeeth does NOT mean that just because someone died in
Ramadhaan, will enter Jannah right away, without account, even if they
commit major sins or live a life of evil or disobedience.
The ones who will enter Jannah are those that believed in Allaah Alone,
without associating partners with Him and believed and FOLLOWED the
Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam and his teachings.
So LIVING and PRACTICING Islaam is the KEY.
As for the Muslims who committed major sins, they will EVENTUALLY
enter Jannah AFTER being PURIFIED in HellFire, for as long as Allaah
seems fit for the person, to purify him.
be heard; ask, it will be given to you; intercede and your intercession
he weight
of a grain of mustard-
So I will go and do that, then I will come back to my Lord and I will
praise Him with those words of praise, then I will fall down prostrating
raise your head.
Speak, you will be heard; ask, it will be given to you; intercede and your
and whoever has in his heart faith that is smaller, smaller, smaller than
a grain of mustard-
Someone asked Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen about a person who dies in

Ramadhaan entering Jannah right away.
He said:
Rather what this means is that the gates of Paradise are opened to
encourage people to strive hard, so that they can enter it, and that the
gates of Hell are closed, so as to encourage the believers to refrain from
sin, so that they will not go through these gates.
That does NOT mean that the one who dies in Ramadhaan will enter
Paradise without being brought to account;
rather those who will enter Paradise without being brought to account
are those whom the Messenger Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam described
when he said:
or believe in omens, or use cautery, and they put their trust in their
Those who did NOT believe in Allaah or committed Shirk, will NEVER
enter Jannah even if they died in Ramadhaan.
Allaah says:
religion OTHER than ISLAAM, it will NEVER be

Yet ANOTHER day and counting
Most of this amazing month of forgiveness, mercy and blessings is

already gone.
Today is yet another day....
Ibn al-Jawzi said:
"When the race horse knows that it is nearing the END of the track, it
EXERTS ALL of its EFFORT to WIN the race.
Do not allow the race horse to be MORE CLEVER than you.
For verily, deeds are judged by their CONCLUSIONS.
So if you didn't do well with welcoming Ramadhaan then perhaps you

will do BETTER bidding it FAREWELL."
With each NEW day we have YET ANOTHER CHANCE to ask for
forgiveness.....
Yet another chance to beg for Allaah's Mercy.....
Yet another chance to earn His Pleasure....
Yet another chance to turn our life around.
The last lap is the most important of all...
The FINAL few steps are even MORE IMPORTANT than the first....
A strong finish can compensate for a flimsy start.
Are you making every minute, EVERY SECOND count?
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Don't make HOLES in your SHIELD
The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
"Fasting is a SHIELD.
So if it is a day in which one of you is FASTING, then he should not be
OBSCENE in speech nor should he be SINFUL nor should he be
IGNORANT." (al-Bukhaari, Muslim)
Hafsah bint al-Sireen said:
"Fasting is a shield, so long as one does not make HOLES in it it."

Someone asked,
" How can one make holes in it?
She said:
"By LYING and BACKBITING."

THIRST, and it may be that ALL a person who prays at night gets from
(Ahmad-- saheeh by al-Albaani)
Subhaan Allaah!
No reward?
Only hunger and thirst!
And he also said:
NO NEED of his g -Bukhaari)
Umar ibn al-Khattaab radhi Allaahu anhu said:
"Fasting does not mean abstaining from food and drink only, rather it is
also abstaining from lying, falsehood and idle speech."
Jaabir ibn Abdullaah al-Ansaari radhi Allaahu anhumaa said:
"When you fast, then let your HEARING, SIGHT and TONGUE FAST from
LYING and SIN and stop abusing servants.
Be tranquil and dignified on the day of your fast, and do not let the day
you do not fast and the day you fast be the same."
Dear brothers and sisters,

ds.
USE the shield of fasting and stay away from ALL bad deeds.
And watch that tongue of yours,

Your hands...
your eyes...
your ears.
Let that shield protect you from all that displeases your Rabb.
THAT is the TRUE fast.
THAT is the REAL fast.
Is this YOUR house
The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said,
poor, fast regularly, and pray to Allah at night while people are
-Tirmidhi-- hasan by al-Albaani)
This month of Ramadhaan is our chance to acquire these beautiful

houses in Jannah!
Don't we already fast in this month? And pray when people are asleep?
Yes Alhamdulillaah we do.
So we're already doing two out of four.

We need to pay attention to the other two characteristics: feeding the
poor and speaking kindly.
So be generous and spend on the poor.

And when the Shaytaan comes to you, and tells you, "you've spent
enough", then spend some more.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam was the most generous of
(al-Bukhaari, 6; Muslim, 2308)
Having good manners is one of the best things one can do and is the
heaviest on the scale on the Day of Judgment.
What better month is there for training our tongues and perfecting our
manners than this month of Taqwa and ibaadah?
his voice, and if anyone reviles him or wants to pick a fight with him, let
So speak kindly and softly to people. Be nice, polite, patient, pleasant
with them.
And if someone irritates you...take a deep breath.
Think of the awesome houses waiting for you in Jannah.
And then SMILE.
Perhaps Allaah will count us among those who will qualify for these
houses in Jannah.
Let us not let this opportunity slip away

Fasting, Toothpaste and Miswaak
QUESTION
Can I use toothpaste while fasting
ANSWER
Yes it is allowed to use toothpaste while fasting. However just be

careful that you don't swallow any of it. Otherwise that will break the
fast.
Want to earn double benefits?
Use the siwaak instead.
This way you get rewards for following the Sunnah AND also get to
clean your teeth at the same time!
The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam LOVED to use the siwaak
and would would use it all the time during his day and nights.
In fact he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam loved it so much that he said:
And he said:
- -
saheeh by al-Albaani)
Recommendation:
How about using both, toothbrush AND siwaak?
Clean your mouth using the toothbrush and toothpaste after Suhoor
and before you go to bed.
Use the siwaak with every wudhu.
So you get to have your cake and eat it too!

RAMADHAAN SERIES
Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
Can I use Mouthwash while fasting?
ANSWER
Yes using mouthwash is allowed while fasting.
Someone asked Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan:
grance for the mouth, which

is a type of spray.
Is it permissible to use it during the day in Ramadhaan to remove odor
from the mouth?
He said:
use the siwaak which was encouraged by the Prophet Sal Allaahu
Alaiyhi wa Sallam.
If the spray is used and none of it reaches the throat, there is nothing
wrong with it.
But the smell that comes from the mouth of the fasting person as a
result of fasting should not be disliked, because it is the effect of
obedience and is beloved by Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. In
(al-Muntaqa min Fataawa 3/121)

What to do when you have nothing to break your fast
with
ANSWER:
If you're in a situation where you're fasting but you don't have access to
any food or water, like maybe stuck in the middle of the highway, and
it's time to break your fast, what should one do?
How would you break your fast?
Well, in such situations you break your fast with your INTENTION.
That's because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
-Bukhaari and Muslim)
You see, in our Deen, if a person forms a firm intention to stop doing an
act of worship while he is doing it, it becomes invalid.
"The one who forms the intention to break the fast has broken the
fast." (Zaad al-Mustanqi)
So next time if you're stuck someplace where there's no food or water

available and it's maghrib time, you just make the firm intention that
you're NOT fasting any more and WOULD HAVE eaten or drank SOME
thing, had it been available.
Side note:
Do keep a few dates with you handy in a plastic bag in your purse or in
the car, etc during Ramadhaan, just in case!
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Fasting and Vomiting
QUESTION
I vomited during the day while I was fasting. Is my fast valid? What
should I do?
ANSWER:
is still GOOD.
BUT if you vomited DELIBERATELY by putting your fingers down the

throat or by any other means, then the fast is INVALIDATED.
Proof:
ne who cannot help vomiting does not have to make up the fast,
(at-Tirmidhi- saheeh by al-Albaani)

What if I swallowed some of my vomit?
If it was UNINTENTIONAL, your fast is still valid.

But
back down, then that will break the fast.
not help it then his fast is not invalidated. Similarly it is not invalidated
[The Standing Committee (10/254)]
What about reflux/burping that brings up food?
The same rulings apply to reflux or burps that bring up food.
So if you feel the food in your throat, try to spit it out and do not
swallow it.
not invalidate the fast, even if you unintentionally swallow some of it.
Ibn Hazm said:

long as the person does not deliberately swallow it back after it reaches
[al-Muhalla (4/225)]
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Fasting and the Doctor's office
Can I get a blood test done while fasting?
YES. Drawing a few vials of blood for testing purposes does NOT
invalidate the fast because the blood is only a small amount.
If it was a larger amount like in cupping, donating blood, etc. then that
would break the fast.
Injections?
Any type of injection whether intravenous or intramuscular, are

ALLOWED during fasting EXCEPT those injections that will provide
NOURISHMENT to the body and act indirectly as food and give energy.
Eyedrops? Ear drops? Nose drops? Nasal sprays?

Just avoid swallowing anything if it reaches the throat.
Ultrasound?
Ultrasound and X-ray by themselves don't have any effect on the fast
itself. BUT if the ultrasound test requires that you drink a lot of water
before the test then if you can delay the test till after Ramadhaan that's
better. Or at least delay it until after maghrib if possible.
BUT if it's something urgent, then you're allowed to break your fast for
that day if you need to drink water for the test. Just make up this day
later.
At the gynecologist's office:
IUD etc do NOT invalidate the fast.
And ghusl is NOT due after such procedures.
At the dentist's office:

Tooth extractions, root canals, fillings, cleaning, polishing the teeth etc.
do NOT invalidate the fast itself.
But since the procedures usually involve rinsing with a lot of water, it
would be better if you can delay it till after Ramadhaan.
However if i
allowed to have such dental procedures done.
Just be careful not to swallow any water or rinsing material used during
the procedure.
Fasting and inhalers
If someone suffers from asthma or other diseases where inhalers are
stomach.
Fasting and sublingual medicines

the mouth and does not enter the stomach.
Fasting and anesthesia
hesia during fasting.
If you need to get surgery done during the day and that requires
GENERAL anesthesia that would put you to sleep, your fast would STILL
be VALID as long as the anesthesia lasts for only PART of the day.
Ibn Qudaamah said:
erson loses consciousness for the entire day and does not wake
up for any part of it, then his fast is not valid.
If the one who lost consciousness WAKES up for PART of the day, then
his fast is VALID, whether it was at the beginning or the end of the day
[al-Mughni (3/12)]
fasting, then his fast is valid and it is not invalidated by that. But if he
was given the anaesthetic before Fajr, and he remained asleep under
the influence of the anaesthetic until the sun set, then his fast on that
Reference: "Seventy Matters of Fasting" by Shaikh Muhammad Salih Al-

Munajjid, Islaamic Fiqh Council.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Fasting in the month of Ramadhaan is fardh on every adult, sane

Muslim.
However, if someone is too weak or too sick to fast in Ramadhaan,
If someone is sick, there are two scenarios:
The sickness is TEMPORARY and it is EXPECTED that will get BETTER in

a few days.
Some examples: fever, flu, diarrhea, toothache, etc
For such people who are sick TEMPORARILY and are expected to get
BETTER in a few days, paying the fidyah and feeding a poor person is
NOT AN OPTION.
Rather they should MAKE UP the days that they missed, once they get
well.
Th
(Surah al-Baqarah :185)
The sickness is PERMANENT and it doesn t seem likely that they will
recover.
Some examples: diabetes, cancer, kidney disease etc
For such people whose sickness is PERMANENT and ONGOING and
days later: rather, they should pay the fidyah and feed one poor person
for each day they miss of fasting.
The fidyah should be in the form of FOOD according to the majority of

the ulama.
Shaikh ibn Baaz said:
which there is no hope of a cure, then you must feed one poor person
for every day of Ramadhaan, and you do not have to fast. The measure
it is dates, rice or something else. If you invite a poor person for a meal,
lunch or dinner, that is sufficient.
But if the doctor determines that there is hope for recovery from your
sickness, then you do not have to feed a poor person, rather you have
to MAKE UP the MISSED FASTS when Allaah grants you healing from
-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (15/221)]
fasting.
g the fidyah will NOT BE VALID in this

case.
you live.
That is equivalent to about one and half kilo.

You may also give MONEY to an individual or organization who will
FEED on your behalf and buy FOOD with that money.
A small group of ulama allow giving the fidyah as money IF money is of

more BENEFIT to the poor person.
That comes to about $10/- in the US and Canada.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
Up till what time can I eat suhoor
or so before Fajr adhaan
ANSWER
of Fajr.
We can eat and drink UP UNTIL DAWN, meaning up until the ADHAAN
of FAJR.
Allaah says:
e thread (light) of dawn appears to you
distinct from the black thread (darkness of night), then complete your
(Surah al-Baqarah:187)
And the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
om gives the adhaan, for he does

-Bukhaari, Muslim)
OBJECTION
wa sallam ate suhoor before Fajr adhaan, the time it takes to recite 50
Aayaat
ANSWER
correct understanding of the hadeeth.
Zaid ibn Thaabit radhi Allaahu anhu said:

(al-Bukhaari)
What this hadeeth means is that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa
sallam DELAYED his suhoor.
And he ATE when there was about that much time LEFT before adhaan.
That does NOT mean that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam
stopped eating a certain time before the adhaan and started fasting
BEFORE the adhaan of Fajr. Or thought that he cannot eat beyond that
time.
No.
Rather, he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam ATE TILL the break of DAWN.
The ulama explain this further.
that the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam

used to eat suhoor this amount of time before the adhaan; NOT that
the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam started to fast and stopped
eating and drinking this amount of time BEFORE Fajr.
There is a DIFFERENCE between the TIME of SUHOOR and the TIME of
STOPPING eating and drinking.
This is clear, praise be to Allaah.
This does not mean that you started fasting from that time, rather you are simply stating what time you
ate suhoor.
What may be understood from the hadeeth of Zayd ibn Thaabit radhi Allaahu anhu is that it is
MUSTAHABB to DELAY suhoor and it is NOT MUSTAHABB to STOP EATING and drinking a WHILE BEFORE
(Islamqa Fatwa # 38068)
Someone asked Shaikh Ibn Baaz about Imsaak and stopping eating and drinking a certain time before
fajr comes in.
He said:
should stop eating and drinki
In fact, if a person woke up late and does not have enough time to eat or drink before the break of
dawn, he can even eat WHILE the adhaan is STILL GOING ON!
- saheeh by al-Albaani)
This is for the person who did not have a chance to eat his fill and the adhaan of Fajr is called.
If we were supposed to STOP all eating and drinking 15 minutes or so before the adhaan of Fajr, would
THINK ABOUT IT.
Conclusion
food or drink a certain time before dawn and the adhaan of Fajr, is BASELESS.

Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
I'm out of dates. What do I break my fast with?
ANSWER
No dates? No problem!
You can still follow the Sunnah.
If you're out of dates, but you still want to follow the Sunnah of the
Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam what should you break your fast
with?
Water.
Yes that's right. Water.
Not salt. (
we heard this when we were kids!)
Not sweets.
But WATER.
Anas radhi Allaahu anhu said:
"The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam

used to break his fast with fresh dates before praying. If no fresh dates
were available, he would break his fast with dried dates, and if none
were available, he would break his fast with a few sips of WATER."
(Abu Dawood and at-Tirmidhi --saheeh by al-Albaani)

Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
ANSWER
PROOF:
what is being cooked or
(al-Bukhaari-
necessary, and his fast is still valid so long as he does not deliberately
swallow it, but you should not do that unless there is a need for it; in
that case (even) if a little of it reaches your stomach by accident your
[Fataawa al-Siyaam (p. 356)]
So if you forgot whether you put salt in that soup or not, or you want to
make sure the sugar is just right in the dessert or if the chicken needs
Then rinse your mouth WITHOUT swallowing anything.

o be short-
to do that.
Alhamdulillaah our Deen is EASY

QUESTION
Is it better for women to pray Taraaweeh in the masjid

or at home?
ANSWER
GENERALLY SPEAKING, it is BETTER and more REWARDING for women

to pray in their homes.
PROOF:
When one of the Sahaabiyaat called

Umm Humayd, radhi Allaahu anhaa
came to the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam, she said:
I love to pray with you.
He said: "I know that you love to pray with me, but praying in your
house is better for you than praying in your courtyard, and praying in
your courtyard is better for you than praying in the masjid of your
people, and praying in the masjid of your people is better for you than
praying in my masjid."
So she ordered that a Musalla (prayer area) be built for her in the
furthest and darkest part of her house, and she always prayed there
until she met Allaah (that is, until she pass
(Ahmad - saheeh al-Albaani)
heart, or there are some lectures there that she can gain knowledge
from,
encouraged women to pray at home, he allowed women to gather and

pray together during Ramadhaan.
Someone asked Shaikh al-Albaani:
Shaikh al-Albaani said:
the righteous believing women of the Righteous Predecessors used to

do, which is performing it with the congregation of Muslims in the
So go ahead and pray at the masjid, if you want.
The only thing to pay attention to when going to the masjid is to be

dressed appropriately
-with the hair and rest of body completely covered,
- the clothes should not be tight or revealing the shape of the body
-the hijaab should not be see through,
- there should be no makeup or perfume
- there should be no mixing of the genders at the masjid etc

Can a Woman lead Other Women in prayer?
gathered somewhere.
One of the women can lead other women in Salaah whether it is a

Fardh prayer or Taraaweeh.
PROOF:
-
Musannaf-
Abdur Razzaq and Daraqutni)
Similarly Umm Al-Hasan narrated that she saw Umm Salamah radhi
Allaahu anhaa leading women in prayer while she stood in the middle
(Ibn Abee Shaybah)
Umm Waraqah radhi Allaahu anhaa narrated that "the Messenger

of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) used to visit her at her house. He
appointed a mu'adhdhin to call adhaan for her and he commanded her
to lead the inmates (women) of her house in prayer."
(Abu Dawood - Hasan by al-Albaani )
All these narrations are authenticated by Shaikh al-Albaani.
And he said, after narrating these reports:
especially since they confirm the general meaning of the words of the
are the twin halves of
(Sifat Salaat al-Nabi, p. 153-155.)
Shaikh ibn Uthaymeen said about women praying together:
woman to lead other women in prayer, are things that are permitted in
And the scholars said:
- -Fiqh al-Islami)
You will pray exactly how you would if you were praying behind a male
Imaam, except there are certain points we have to pay attention to.
The female Imaam will stand in the middle of the first row with the
sisters to her left and right.
She will not stand ahead of them like a male Imaam does.
Al-Nawawi said:
her women in prayer to

stand in the middle of the row, because of the reports which state that
(Al- -Muhadhdab, vol. 4, p. 192)
Adhaan or iqaamah for the women?

ly or
However ulama such as shaikh al-Albaani said:
It is allowed for women to give the adhaan and iqaamah when they
themselves based on the fact that Aaisha radhi Allaahu anhaa used to do that when she led other
women in Salaah.
But she should lower her voice so that nonmahrams may not hear her.
(Silsilatul-Hudaa wan-Noor 697/3)
If it s a loud prayer, like Fajr, Maghrib or Ishaa, the female Imaam may recite out loud.
But if there are nonmahrams present, she may recite quietly.
Ibn Qudaamah said:
loud, but if there are any men
(Al-Mughni, 2/17)
All the other rules of praying in congregation will apply, like you have to follow the Imaam, and not
precede him, etc.
CAN WOMEN LEAD MEN
NO. Absolutely not.
own son.
NO ONE ever did that before and anyone who allows it is going against the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa
sallam, the Sahaabah, and the consensus of the ulama of all the generations.
And if any man prays behind a woman, his prayer is NOT VALID.
s are agreed that it is not permissible for an adult man or a boy to pray behind a
Taraweeh and all supererogatory prayers. This is our view and the view of all the scholars from the
earlier and later generations may Allaah have mercy on them. Al-Bayhaqi narrated this from the seven
(al-Majmoo(4/152)

Is your Fasting Complete?
What if you hire someone to do something for you, but they only do
PART of the job and leave the rest incomplete?
Will you recompense them fully for a job completed?
And what do you think a teacher would say if a student turns in only
some of his homework and fails to do the rest of it? Will he get full
marks for it?
And what about a child who is supposed to clean his whole room, but
he only cleans HALF of it? Do you think he did what was required of
him? Would you reward him for a job well done?
The answer to all of the above is an obvious NO.
That's because they did not complete what they were supposed to do
and only did part of it. And thus they do not deserve to be fully
rewarded.
Similarly, my dear sister, is the case when you fast but you don't wear
hijaab.
Do you realize, dear sister, that by not wearing hijaab, you are only
doing PART of the job and not doing whole of it?
You see, just as much as fasting is a fardh (obligation) on you, in like

manner, the hijaab is also, just as equally, FARDH on you.
The One Who made the FAST an obligation on you and me is the same
Rabb, Who also made the HIJAAB an obligation on you and me.
Allaah says:
"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at
forbidden things), and protect their private parts and not to show off
their adornment except only that which is apparent, and to draw their
veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. over themselves) and not to reveal their
adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their
husband's fathers, or their sons, or their husband's sons, or their
brothers or their brother's sons, or their sister's sons, or their (Muslim)
women, or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old
male servants who lack vigor, or small children who have no sense of
feminine sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what
they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you
all, O believers, that you may be successful"
[al-Noor 24:31]
There are so many other ayaat and so many authentic ahaadeeth that
clearly order believing women to cover themselves.
Do you not want to be one of them?
Don't you want to obey the One who created you, gave you life, food,
health, family, friends and everything that you know and don't know of
??!!
Masha Allaah, you work SO hard in Ramadhaan!
You wake up for suhoor, you fast all day, you take care of your family.
You cook, you clean, you do all your chores.

You are tired yet you stand at night for Taraaweeh.
You're exhausted, yet you take time out to read the Qur'an.
May Allaah accept all your good deeds and sincere effort.
But, my dear sister, do you realize that by not observing hijaab, you
only get part of the reward of all your hard work and not 100 percent of
it?

"If a woman does not wear hijaab, then she is disobeying her Lord
thereby, but her fast is still valid, because sins, including not wearing
hijaab, do not invalidate the fast, but they detract from its reward, and
may cause it to be lost altogether."
Realize, dear sister, that not wearing hijaab is a major sin and sins may
take away some or all of the reward, and the fasting person may be left
with nothing from his fast apart from hunger and thirst.
"It may be that the fasting person gets nothing from his fast apart from
hunger, and it may be that the one who prays qiyaam at night may get
nothing from his qiyaam but a sleepless night."
(Ibn Majah-authentic)
And he (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
"Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, Allaah has
no need of his giving up his food and drink." (al-Bukhaari)
Imagine! All that hard work.....all that effort you put into fasting, and
some of it or even all of it may be lost!
What a terrible loss indeed!
And just because you didn't cover yourself the way your Rabb, your
Creator, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, ordered you to.
Do remember, that the purpose of fasting is not just to give up food

and drink, but to attain piety.
The real aim is to stay away from sins and those deeds that displease
Allaah.
And to train oneself to OBEY Allaah and SUBMIT to Him.
Allaah says:
"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed
for those before you, that you may attain piety"
[al-Baqarah 2:183]
So submit to Allaah fully. Obey Him in wearing hijaab, just like you obey
Him in fasting and praying.
Don't let the Shaytaan keep you away from getting full reward for all
your hard work in Ramadhaan.
Let your fasting motivate you to obey Allaah and keep away from that
which He has forbidden.
Use this perfect chance for you to start wearing hijaab....

No, not from tomorrow.....but from today.
Don't say you're not ready.
Do it NOW.
BEFORE Ramadhaan starts.
What a beautiful way to start a beautiful month....with the obedience

of Allaah!
Some sisters might say...
CORRECTION Sister!
Do remember, my dear sister:
"And whosoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed

achieved a great achievement (i.e. saved from Hell-fire and admitted to
Jannah)"
(al-Ahzaab 33:71)
Conditions of Hijaab
There are certain conditions that have to be met for the clothes of a
woman to be appropriate according to our Deen.
In order for our Hijaab to count, we MUST cover hair COMPLETELY.

Just loosely placing a scarf on your head, with hair showing from the
sides, is NOT hijaab.
We MUST cover our necks and chest.

Our sleeves should be LONG, ALL the way to the wrist;
our scarves and dupattas can NOT be see-through;
Our clothes can NOT be tight.
the shape of our thighs can NOT be seen because the of the long slits of
our shirts.
Shaikh al-Albaani outlines the conditions of Hijaab.
He said:
1. It should cover all the head and body, apart from whatever has been
exempted (meaning face and hands).
2. It should not be an adornment in and of itself.
-through"
4. It should be loose, not tight so that it describes any part of the body
5. It should not be perfumed with fragrance.
6. It should not resemble the clothing of men.
7. It should not resemble the dress of non-Muslim women.
8 It should not be a garment of fame and vanity.

How to benefit in Ramadan even during Menses
I see many sisters, who are ma sha' Allaah, very enthusiastic about their
prayers, duas and Ibaadah during the month of Ramadhaan. But, come
their time for menses, it's like someone turned their switch 'off'. They
completely stop all forms of worship and think that their menses is a
reason to take a 'vacation' from remembering Allaah....totally. They
start spending their time shopping, watching TV or just doing other
stuff, just because they are 'on it', although previously they were very
eager to spend their time remembering Allaah.
And then, there are some of my sisters, who are genuinely very
distraught and feel kind of deprived and sad and so helpless that they
cannot pray or fast during these days.
Naturally, they stop praying and fasting, as per the orders of Allaah, but
then, they also stop all other forms of worship and means of coming
close to their Rabb.
This is so much so that even during the last ten nights of Ramadhaan,
instead of searching for Laylatul Qadr, the night in which worship is
better than a thousand months, although they feel bad about missing
out, they sleep through it, just because they are having their menses,
thinking there is nothing they can do.
And thus, they lose out on the countless blessings, tremendous
goodness and precious moments of this beautiful month.
So what's a woman to do during this time?
1. Submit to the decree of Allaah:
Dear sister, don't feel sad or deprived. Realize that Allaah has decreed
for all women to have menses. It's not just you. All women have to go
through this. And when the time for it comes, it comes.
Once our Mother, Aaisha Radhi Allaahu Anha was accompanying the
Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) on Hajj when she got her period.
This made her sad and she started crying.
The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) consoled her, saying:
"This is something which Allaah has decreed for the daughters of

A
Dear sister, never forget that Islaam means submission....submission to

Allaah and His rules. Submitting to His rules IS Ibaadah.
Realize that you were obeying Allaah when you were fasting and
praying and you are still obeying Allaah when you are NOT fasting and
praying.
Because it was Allaah that ordered you to pray and fast and it is Allaah
Who is ordering you NOT to pray and fast in your menses. Thus, not
praying or fasting during your menses is also Ibaadah itself.
Remember, it's all about doing things the way Allaah wants. That's
Islaam. That's Ibaadah.
Also know that if you can not fast due to a valid Shar'i reason then
Allaah will reward you, just as if you were fasting. The Prophet (sal
Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:
"When a slave of Allaah falls ill or goes on a journey, he is credited with

the same amount of recompense as he used to do in his state of health
or when he was at home". (Bukhaari)
2. Reciting the Qur'aan:
Although there is a difference of opinion, many of the scholars,

including Ibn Abbaas, Imaam Bukhaari, Ibn Taymiyah, Ibn Baaz, Shaikh
al-Albaani, etc said that it is okay for a woman on her menses to read
the Qur'aan, without touching it directly.
Shaykh al- aheeh text to
is known that women used to menstruate at the time of the Messenger

of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he did not
forbid them to recite Qur'aan, or to remember Allaah (dhikr) and offer
And Shaikh Ibn Baaz said: "It is permissible for the woman who is
Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 10/209)
If you want to be extra careful about not touching the Mushaf, you can
also read the Qur'aan off of the Internet or on your cell phone.
3. Read the meanings and tafseer of the Qur'aan:
Pick up a good tafseer of the Qur'aan and read it.

There is no Tahaarah required for it.
Reflect on the words of your Rabb, ponder over the meanings and
understand what Allaah is saying to us.
These ayaat,my sister, are not there just for us to read; rather to
interact with them, and implement them in our lives. Allaah says:
"(This is a) Book that We have sent down to you, full of blessings, so

that they may ponder over its aayaat, and that those of understanding
may remember." [Surah Saad:29]
And what better time would we have than now, to read the translation
and tafseer, to understand the meanings of this Noble Book, so that we
can achieve guidance?
"And We have indeed made the Qur'aan easy to understand and

remember, then is there any that will remember (or receive
admonition)?" (Surah al-Qamar:17)
4. Listening to the Qur'aan:
There's nothing like listening to a beautiful recitation of the Qur'aan,

especially at times when you are feeling down, such as because of your
period.
It fills the heart with such tranquility, such peace that no words can
describe.
It increases Imaan and brings you great rewards since listening to the
Qur'aan with an attentive heart is an act of Ibaadah in itself.
The Sahaabah loved to listen to the Qur'aan being recited and even the
Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) would sometimes listen to the
Qur'aan from other people and he would cry.
"The Messenger of Allaah (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said to me:
- when I reached the verse,
We bring you (O Muhammad ) as a witness against

-
flowing.. (Bukhaari, Muslim)
So play a beautiful recitation of your favorite Qaari, close your eyes and
listen attentively.
Let the Words of the Lord of the Worlds echo in the room, filling your
ears, your mind, your whole being.
Let those ayaat penetrate deep into you until your heart shakes and
your skin shivers...and then Believe. And Submit.
5. Do a lot of Dhikr:
Keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allaah, when you are
on your period and when you are not. There is nothing like it. It is one
of the most beloved deeds to Allaah and His Messenger (sal Allaahu
Alaiyhi wa sallam) and gets you tremendous rewards. And yet, it's so
easy, Alhamdulillaah.
The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said:
"The uttering of the words: "Subhaan Allaah, Alhamdulillaah, La ilaha

illAllaah and Allaahu Akbar' is dearer to me than anything over which
the sun rises.'' (Muslim)
And he (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said to Abu Dardaa',
"Shall I not inform you of the best of your action which is the purest to
your Rabb, which raises your status, which is better for you than
spending gold and silver, and better for you than that you meet your
enemies and cut off their necks or you yourselves achieve martyrdom?''
They said, "Certainly.'' He (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said, "It is the
remembrance of Allah the Exalted.'' (Tirmidhi-hasan)
"He who utters a hundred times in a day these words: `La ilaha illallahu,
wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa `ala
kulli sha'in Qadir (there is no true god except Allah. He is One and He
has no partner with Him; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise,
and He is Omnipotent),' he will have a reward equivalent to that for
emancipating ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be recorded to his
credit, hundred of his (minor) sins will be blotted out from his scroll,
and he will be safeguarded against the devil on that day till the evening;
and no one will exceed him in doing more excellent good deeds except
someone who has recited these words more often than him. And he
who utters: `Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi (Allah is free from
imperfection and His is the praise)' one hundred times a day, his sins
will be obliterated even if they are equal to the extent of the foam of
the ocean.'' (Bukhaari and Muslim)
Subhaan Allaah!
Could anyone ask for more?
So keep yourself busy with the dhikr of Allaah and recite the morning
and evening adhkaar (supplications) and other forms of dhikr
prescribed from the Sunnah, while eating, drinking, sleeping, wearing
clothes, going out of the house, etc. and Allaah will remember you in
turn.
Besides, there is also no need for Tahaarah to remember Allaah.

You can do this even when you are cooking, cleaning, driving the kids to
school, etc.
Such immense rewards for such easy tasks....Subhaan Allaah!
6. Make lots and lots of dua:
Ramadhaan is the month of blessings, mercy and forgiveness.

And it is also the month for begging.
Yes, begging.
For, He is al-Kareem, the Most Generous and we are destitute.
He is the Giver and we are in desperate, desperate need of His Mercy,
His Kindness, His Blessings and His Forgiveness.
So go ahead and make dua, lots and lots of it; for dua is one of the best
acts of Ibaadah.
-saheeh by Albaani).
And don't just make dua.

Beg.
Beg for you dunya.
Beg for your Aakhirah.
Beg for yourself and for your family. And for the Ummah. Beg for every
possible thing you can think of.
Spread out those hands in humble submission to the One Who gives all
and sustains all from His limitless Treasures and Bounties.
Ask and He will give you.
Beg and He will suffice you.
7. Do plenty of Istighfaar:
My sister, Ramadhaan is THE month of repentance.
The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said: "Jibreel said to me,
`May he be destroyed, the person who Ramadan comes and his sins are
not forgiven,' and I said, Ameen'....." (Saheeh al-Jaami')
Subhaan Allaah!
What better a chance to have your sins forgiven than this?
Now is your chance.
The gates of Jannah are open and the gates of Hell are shut, and the
So don't let this chance go by just because you are on your menses.
Make sincere repentance to Allaah and cry over your sins. He is al-
Ghafoor, the Oft-Forgiver and He will forgive you.
Allaah is calling out to you and me......
themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the
Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful." (Surah Zumar: 53)
And don't forget to make the best form of dua when seeking Laylatul
Qadr.
Laylat al-Qadr, what should
(Tirmidhi- saheeh)
8. Send blessings upon the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam):
Send blessings upon the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) in

abundance as this is one of the greatest means of having duas
answered, and is a great way of earning rewards from Allaah.
It can easily be done any time, in almost any place with no prerequisites
of tahaarah.
Allaah Himself sends his blessings upon the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi
wa sallam) and so do the angels. And this act has been enjoined upon
us by Allaah.
"Allaah and His angels praise and venerate the Prophet (Muhammad).
O you who believe! Praise and venerate him (Muhammad) and
pronounce peace upon him in abundance." (al-
9. Thank Allaah:
All Praise is due to Allaah Alone, Who gives His sinful slaves a chance to
earn multiple rewards, have their sins forgiven and their duas accepted.
It is only He Who gave you a chance to do this.
It is only He Who blessed you with the biggest blessing that could ever
be.
And that is the blessing of Islaam.
It is He Who made you Muslim, enabled you to live to witness

Ramadhaan and Who give you the opportunity to worship Him.
And even having your period is a reason for you to give thanks to Him.
So give thanks to Him from the bottom of your heart, and show your
gratitude to the one Who gave you all that you possess, for this season
of goodness and blessing that He has bestowed upon you, and for all
the bounties and immense blessings for which He has singled you out.
10. Seek knowledge:
Seeking Islaamic knowledge is one of the best forms of Ibaadah and a

great source of blessings and rewards. It is the way that leads to
Jannah.
"He who embarks on the path of seeking knowledge, Allah will ease for
him the way to paradise." (Muslim)
And he said:
Allaah, His angels and all those in the heavens and in the earth, even
the ants in their holes and the fish in the water, pray for those who
instruct people in beneficent knowledge." (Tirmidhi)
You don't have to have Tahaarah for seeking knowledge so pick up
some good books of authentic Islaamic information or go on the
Internet.
There are wonderful, lectures and reminders by great shuyookh as well

as Imaan-boosting articles and other audio/video material where a lot
can be learned.
11. Give charity:
most generous of the people, and he used to be even more so in the

month of Ramadan....he would be more generous than a swift wind
-Bukhaari)
So give and give and give for the sake of Allaah during this month.
Be the most generous at the time of your menses and you will earn
great rewards, bi idhnillaah.
Spend in the path of Allaah, feed the poor, sponsor an orphan and
donate to your masjid.
Also charity is not just about money.

You can be generous with your time, with your help to someone in
need, and in your manners.
So having good manners is charity and helping your non Muslim
neighbor is charity and making iftar for someone is charity.
Looking after someone's young children while they can go pray at the
masjid is charity and cleaning up the masjid after everyone leaves is
also charity.
12. Do all kinds of good deeds:
Ibaadah just isn't about praying and fasting.
It's also about how you deal with people and doing all kinds of good
deeds. So you can earn rewards and worship Allaah in your menses by
serving your parents, keeping up the ties of kinship, being kind to
everyone, giving dawah, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is
wrong, etc. etc.
Conclusion:
The bottom line, my dear sister, is that there is absolutely nothing

preventing you from worshipping your Rabb and gaining tremendous
rewards during the month of Ramadhaan or even at other times.
Your menses is NOT a hindrance in your path to Jannah.
All that is needed is your effort, the right good intentions and sincerity
on your part. Just leave the rest to Allaah.
May Allaah accept our deeds from us and enable us to worship Him and
thank Him in this month and at all times of our lives. Ameen.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
You want to read it because you love it....
Or will you be sinful if you do?
Many of the scholars, including Ibn Abbaas, Imaam Bukhaari, Ibn

Taymiyah, Ibn Baaz, Shaikh al-Albaani, etc are of the opinion that it is
allowed for a woman on her menses to read the Qur'aan, without
touching it directly.
specifically prohibits t
menses.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
menstruate at the time of the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi

wa Sallam, and he did not forbid them to recite Qur'aan, or to
And Shaikh Ibn Baaz said:
"It is permissible for the woman who is menstruating or bleeding
the two scholarly opinions." (Majmo
Just think about it.

His Book, learning from it, memorizing it, benefitting from it for such a
long time?
We need it Every Single Day of our lives.

How can it be that we would not be able to access this treasure for a
whole week in a month?!!
Can I read it complete sentences or I have to break up the aayaat?
menses, but they don't allow to read the whole aayah at a time. Rather
the aayah and say each word with a pause in
reading all of them put together in a complete aayah?
What about touching the Mus-haf?

The majority of the ulama are of the opinion that we should NOT be
touching the Mus-haf directly with our hands during the period.
So you can use gloves, a piece of cloth or pencil etc to turn the pages.
desktop, laptop, iPad or smart phone during the menstration period.

And it
You see, these are electronic devices and they DO NOT take the rulings
of the Mus-haf.
the bathroom even if
-Rahmaan ibn Naasir al-Barraak said:
may be recorded do not come under the same rules as the Mus-haf.
Based on this, it is permissible to touch the mobile phone or tape on

So go ahead and enjoy this enormous blessing of Allaah and read the
Read it. Learn from it. Implement it.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Fasting and Feminine Issues
1. QUESTION
What happens if I get my period during the day while
fasting?
If you get your menses ANY time during the day, your fast gets
invalidated.
ENTIRE day.
And once the menses starts, the fast is automatically invalidated.
Imaan an-Nawawi said:
are menstruating or bleeding following childbirth to fast and that their

-
2. QUESTION
But I heard that if you get your period AFTER 12 pm or midday, then
your fast is valid.
Is that correct?
Even if you get your period A FEW MINUTES BEFORE MAGHRIB, the
fast is invalidated.
even if that is a moment just before sunset, and she has to make up
[al- - -
3. QUESTION
What if my period finishes around fajr time?
If your period finishes at night at ANY time up until BEFORE Fajr, you
have to fast that day, even if you become pure a FEW minutes before
Fajr.
g woman becomes pure before dawn, even if it is
one minute before, but she is CERTAIN that she is PURE, and that is
during Ramadhaan, then she MUST FAST, and her fast on that day will
(Fataawa Ramadaan, p. 345)
4. QUESTION
What if my period finishes right AFTER SUNRISE.

Can I fast that day?
In this situation, the fast is NOT valid because for a fast to be valid, it
has to last from DAWN to SUNSET.
And once Fajr sets in, if you were not free of menses b
too late and you cannot fast.
ghusl because even though the FAST is not valid, the PRAYERS are still
obligated.
ffer the
prayers that are left for the remainder of the day.
5. QUESTION
Can I DELAY my ghusl till after Fajr?
you to take ghusl before Fajr, you can make the intention to fast and
then take the purification bath later, after Fajr adhaan.
But be sure to hurry up and not delay your ghusl too long because you
Similarly, you can delay your purification bath after having intimacy
earlier.
But you should have your INTENTION to fast BEFORE Fajr.

she does not do ghusl until after dawn. This is like the one who is junub
if he intends to fast when he is junub and does not do ghusl until after
Allaahu anhaa who said: The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used
to wake up junub as the result of intercourse, not a wet dream, and he
-Bukha
6. QUESTION
Do I have to wait for 7 days before making ghusl, although my period

ended in 5 days?
period has ended.

It is sinful if we delay the ghusl for no reason.
Some women have their period for 3, or 5 days, some 7, some 9 or 10

or even more.
Each woman is different and each has to judge for herself when her
period ends.
Then she should make ghusl as soon as she is pure.
7. QUESTION
I took my purification bath and started fasting. Then after few days, I
saw some brown discharge.
Should I stop fasting?
completely over, is to be ignored and counted as Istihaadhah or

irregular bleeding.
e after a
(Abu Dawood - saheeh by al-Albaani)
Your fast is valid in this situation. All you have to do is to make fresh
wudhu for every fardh prayer.

RAMADHAAN SERIES
Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
ANSWER
harmful for you.
The Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas said:
rmissible for a woman to use pills to delay her period at the

time of Hajj if she fears she may get her period, but that is only after
consulting a specialized doctor to make sure that this will not affect her
health.
She may do likewise in Ramadhaan if she wants to fast with the
(Fataawa al- - -Muslimah, 2/495)
However, having said that, speaking as a doctor, I discourage their use

because even if there are no contraindications to using these pills, I
Allaah knows your intentions and knows you want to worship Him.
-
the last ten days of Ramadhaan.
You ca
Besides all this, DO realize that you NOT reading Salaah or fasting while
on your menses, is ALSO ibaadah.
Who told you to pray and fast?
And Who told you NOT to pray and fast during your menses?
That is ALSO Allaah.
me
And submission to Him is what ibaadah is all about.
make up the fasts you missed, later on etc. then it is permissible to take
these pills.
you.

If I am pregnant or nursing, do I have to fast in
Ramadhaan?
ANSWER
- Some said you ONLY need to FAST to make up the days.
- Some said you should PAY the FIDYAH ONLY (feed one poor person
per day of fasting you missed)
- And some said you should do BOTH.
Ulama like Ibn Baaz and others said:
obliged to fast during her pregnancy, unless

she fears that fasting may affect her or her foetus, in which case she is
allowed not to fast, and she should make up the fasts after she gives
(Fataawa al-Lajnah al- h (10/226)

However other ulama like Shaikh Bazmool, Shaikh al-Albaani etc said
she does NOT have to make up the fasts.
Shaikh al-Albaani said regarding this issue:
feeding of a poor person is.

This is the correct answer ....
-sallahu alayhi wa salaam-
Allah has lifted(the obligation) of fasting from the pregnant woman and
the one nursing and or suckling.
Thus the conclusion is that it is permissible for every pregnant woman
and every woman nursing and/or suckling to break her fast and feed a
poor person (for each missed day), and there is no making up of the
(Fataawa Shaikh al-Albaani)
So here comes the confusion
One group of very trustworthy ulama are telling us to make up the

days.
have to make up the days; rather we just have to feed one poor person
per day.
So what to do?
Perhaps what Shuyookh such as Kareem Abu Zayd and Salah as-Sawy
said shows us the MIDDLE ground.
Shaikh Salah as-Sawy said after discussing the different opinions on the
subject:
on a woman due to unbroken excuses, e.g. unbroken (continuous)

pregnancy, and breast-feeding for many years, then she is EXEMPTED
from making up for the missed days, and she should only feed poor
person(s).
However, it would be PRUDENT to make up for the missed days when

the excuse ceases to exist, and she is able to fast.
Nonetheless, if the missed days ACCUMULATE to the extent you

become unable to make up for them, then the obligation to MAKE UP
(AMJA Fatwa# 79980)
So in other words:
breastfeeding, you should definitely FAST.
TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE.
later and/or a LOT of fasts

have accumulated for you, then you DO NOT have to make up the days.
Rather just PAY the FIDYAH and feed one person for each day that you
missed.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
breastfeeding, should I make up the fast only OR feed a

poor person only OR both?
ANSWER
- Some said you ONLY need to FAST to make up the days.
- Some said you should PAY the FIDYAH ONLY (feed one poor person
per day of fasting you missed)
- And some said you should do BOTH.

Ulama like Ibn Baaz and others said:
unless
she fears that fasting may affect her or her foetus, in which case she is
allowed not to fast, and she should make up the fasts after she gives
However other ulama like Shaikh Bazmool, Shaikh al-Albaani etc said
she does NOT have to make up the fasts.
Shaikh al-Albaani said regarding this issue:
feeding of a poor person is.

This is the correct answer ....
-sallahu alayhi wa salaam-
Allah has lifted(the obligation) of fasting from the pregnant woman and
the one nursing and or suckling.
Thus the conclusion is that it is permissible for every pregnant woman

and every woman nursing and/or suckling to break her fast and feed a
poor person (for each missed day), and there is no making up of the
al-Albaani)
So here comes the confusion
One group of very trustworthy ulama are telling us to make up the

days.
have to make up the days; rather we just have to feed one poor person
per day.
So what to do?
Perhaps what Shuyookh such as Kareem Abu Zayd and Salah as-Sawy
said shows us the MIDDLE ground.
Shaikh Salah as-Sawy said after discussing the different opinions on the
subject:
any missed days accumulate

on a woman due to unbroken excuses, e.g. unbroken (continuous)
pregnancy, and breast-feeding for many years, then she is EXEMPTED
from making up for the missed days, and she should only feed poor
person(s).
However, it would be PRUDENT to make up for the missed days when

the excuse ceases to exist, and she is able to fast.
Nonetheless, if the missed days ACCUMULATE to the extent you
become unable to make up for them, then the obligation to MAKE UP
for missed days TURN INTO FEE
So in other words:
breastfeeding, you should fast.
BETTER to make them up

JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE.
have accumulated for you, then you DO NOT have to make up the days.
Rather just pay the fidyah and feed one person for each day that you
missed.

Ramadhaan Series
QUESTION
I did not make up any of my Fardh fasts that I missed
during menses, from previous years.
Should I make them up now?
ANSWER
Yes you should make up those days as they are a kind of DEBT due to
Allaah.
Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:
meaning menstruation used to happen to us and we were

told to make up the fasts but we were not told to make up the
So what to do
Make sincere Taubah to Allaah for not making up the fasts in time
Calculate the number of days that you missed, add them up and fast
them one by one.
You can make up these days on any day, but you can also fast on
Mondays and Thursdays, or on the 13th, 14th and 15th of every month
(ayyaam al-Beedh) or on the 9th and 10th of Muharram or on the day
of Arafah, or in the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah etc.
This way, you get the reward of fasting these Sunnah days as well.
Some of the ulama are of the opinion that you should also feed one
person for each day you missed.
But others sai
MUSTAHABB to do that.
In other words, if you are ABLE to do that and you want to be on the
safe side, then feed a person for each day you missed.
subject to further discussion if it goes against the apparent meaning of
In this case, saying that it is obligatory to feed a poor person goes
enjoined making up the same number from other days, and He did not
mention more than that.
Based on this, we should not oblige the slaves of Allaah to do any more
than they need to fulfil their duty.
interpreted as referring to what is mustahabb, not what is obligatory.

The correct view with regard to this issue is that a person does not have
to do anything more than making up the missed fasts, but he is sinning
if he delays doing so.
(Al-Sharh al-
Based on this, then what is necessary is to make up the fasts only, but
if a person wants to be on the safe side and feed one poor person for
each day missed, then that is good.

Fridays and NEW Clothes
QUESTION
Ramadhaan especially on Fridays.

Is that true
ANSWER
That is absolutely NOT true.
Some people buy new clothes and wear them especially on a Friday in
Ramadhaan thinking there will be no accountability for buying/wearing
those clothes just because they wore them in Ramadhaan and
especially on Friday.
Some even buy their ENTIRE WARDROBE for the YEAR in Ramadhaan
based on this misconception.
something like this.
Nothing.
Actu
how we SPENT it.

And our clothes are PART of our wealth.
wealth in Ramadhaan or not.

is questioned about his life and how he spent it, about his knowledge
and what he did with it, about his WEALTH, from where he acquired it
and on what he spent it, and about his body and for what he wore it
(at-Tirmidhi -saheeh by al-Albaani)
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
Allaah will ask each person about what He bestowed upon him of His
blessings and whether he fulfilled His rights over him.
The blessings that will be asked about are of two types:
a) those that he acquired by PERMISSIBLE means and disposed of in

lawful ways:
he will be asked about whether he gave thanks for them;
b) those that he acquired by PROHIBITED means and disposed of in

unlawful ways:
he will be asked about how he acquired them and how he disposed of
[Ighaathat al-Lahfaan (1/84)]
So t
or worn in Ramadhaan will not be asked about.
And that goes for ALL the blessings of Allaah.
Someone asked Shaikh Assim al-Hakeem
friday in Islaam?
He said:
Bottom line:
You may wear NEW clothes in Ramadhaan.
You may wear OLD clothes in Ramadhaan.
You can wear whatever you like.
buy or wear in this month.

This is a MISCONCEPTION that we need to get rid of.

RAMADHAAN SERIES
DOUBLE TREAT
Alhamdulillaah today Allaah

al -Kareem is giving us a DOUBLE TREAT!
Because today is FRIDAY.

And today is also one of the days of FASTING.
GUARANTEED to be accepted.
And both these times occur around Maghrib.
has twelve hours, in which there is no Muslim slave

who asks Allaah for anything but He will grant it to him, so seek it in the
(Abu Dawood, and an- - saheeh by al-Albaani)

-Istijaabah (a time when Duaa is answered)
And he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam ALSO said:
FASTING person when he breaks his fast, and the prayer of one who has
(at-Tirmidhi - saheeh by al-Albaani)
the Duaa when breaking the fast is also answered!
And BOTH are just before Maghrib.
businesses, leave the world behind and confine themselves to the

masjid after Asr, just to make Duaa.
So be SURE to combine the POWERFUL DUAA of a FASTING person with

uaa is accepted on Fridays, this evening.
What a beautiful opportunity for a slave to beg his Master!

QUESTION
Is there any significance of the LAST FRIDAY of
ANSWER
There are many MISCONCEPTIONS regarding the last Friday of

Ramadhaan.
NONE of these beliefs are TRUE.
ne.
MISCONCEPTION # 1
Thinking that the last Friday of Ramadhaan has some SPECIAL VIRTUE
and SIGNIFICANCE.
And deeds done this day have SPECIAL REWARDS.
than the rest of Fridays of the year.
And they spend this entire day praying special prayers and making
They wait for it, and prepare for it the entire year.
FACT
Yes of course Fridays are very special in our Deen.
But that goes for EVERY SINGLE FRIDAY of the year.

And NOT just the last Friday of Ramadhaan.
And the first, second and third Fridays are NO LESS than the last Friday
of Ramadhaan.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam or the Sahaabah did NOT
attach ANY SPECIAL VIRTUE to the last Friday of Ramadhaan or having
any extraordinary value.
And they did NOT gather together on the last Friday of Ramadhaan for
ANY SPECIAL WORSHIP or PRAYER.
Anybody who singles this Friday out for some special acts of worship or
considers this Friday more virtuous than others, is doing something that
was NOT done by the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam and this
Dr Bilal Philips says:
' (Farewell Jumu'ah). It is a

FABLE made up with FALSE PROMISES.
The LAST Jumu'ah of Ramadhaan has NO MORE SIGNIFICANCE than the
MISCONCEPTION # 2
missed in their lives.
- -
(Salaah that makes up the missed Sala
FACT
And the so-called hadeeth is FABRICATED.
month of Ramadan, this will make up for any deficiencies for his prayer
This is NOT an authentic hadeeth.
These are NOT the words of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam.
It is FAKE, MADE UP and a LIE upon the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa
sallam.
Astaghfirullaah!
Ash-Shawkaani said about this so-
And then he said:
- - -ahadeeth al-
If a person missed prayers when he was younger, then the time for that
prayer is GONE.
That time will never come back.
PROOF:
Allaah said that the time for each prayer is FIXED.
Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed
hours
(Surah al-Nisaa :103)
"Whoever forgets a prayer, let him offer it as soon as he remembers,

-Bukhaari, Muslim)
So basically there's no "qaza umri" as they call it where years later, you
count all the prayers you missed and then make them all up one at a
time.
QUESTION
So what can we do in this situation ?
1. Make sincere taubah to Allaah and ask forgiveness for missing Salah.
2. Make firm resolve never ever to miss any prayer again.
3. Try and do as many good deeds as possible such as nawaafil prayers,

charity, helping people, voluntary fasts, and any other good deeds in
the hope that Allaah will accept them and make the scale of good
deeds heavy that will outweigh the bad deeds and sin of previously
missing the prayers.
That's because Allaah says:
"Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds" (Surah Hood :114)
And the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam told us that good deeds
are multiplied ten times or more while the bad deeds is written only as
one.
So we hope with Allaah that He will forgive the one who repents from
missing the prayer and his good deeds would outweigh his bad ones.
MISCONCEPTION # 3
in Ramadhaan especially on the last Friday.
Some people buy new clothes and wear them especially on Fridays in
Ramadhaan thinking there will be no accountability for buying/wearing
those clothes just because they wore them in Ramadhaan and
especially on the last Friday.
Some even buy their entire wardrobe for the whole year in Ramadhaan
based on this misconception.
FACT
And that includes our CLOTHES.
earned it and how we spent it.
And it does NOT matter if we used the wealth in Ramadhaan or not.
is questioned about his life and how he spent it, about his knowledge
and what he did with it, about his wealth, from where he acquired it
and on what he spent it, and about his body and for what he wore it
(at-Tirmidhi -saheeh by al-Albaani)

Ibn al-Qayyim said:
upon him of His blessings and whether he fulfilled His rights over him.
The blessings that will be asked about are of two types:
- Those that he acquired by permissible means and disposed of in lawful

ways: he will be asked about whether he gave thanks for them;
- And those that he acquired by prohibited means and disposed of in

unlawful ways: he will be asked about how he acquired them and how
[Ighaathat al-Lahfaan (1/84)]
or worn in Ramadhaan will not be asked about.

And that goes for ALL the blessings of Allaah.
May Allaah forgive us, enable us to gain AUTHENTIC knowledge of His

Deen and keep us clear of all misconceptions. Ameen.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
What to do in the Last Ten Nights of Ramadhaan
Worship ALL TEN nights of this blessed month if possible, to

be SURE to catch Laylatul-Qadr Bi idhnillaahi
Remember that Laylatul-Qadr starts at MAGHRIB time.
Do NOT waste a single moment.

Rather take advantage of EACH MINUTE and EACH SECOND
Pray Qiyaam al-Layl.
looking at it, in your prayer.
recitation done.
Also do LONG Rukoo and Sujood.

Make your rukoo long by glorifying Allaah and making duaa.
Prolong your sujood by making LONG duaas in your OWN

language and in your own words.
Go SLOW and ENJOY your solitude with your Rabb.

SAVOR every moment of it.
PONDER and REFLECT. And try to UNDERSTAND what Our Rabb is

commanding us.
Make a LOT of duaa.

Beg. Cry. Implore.
Do lots of ISTIGHFAAR esp the duaa that the Prophet sal

Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam taught Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa.
Send peace and blessings on the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi
wa sallam.
LOTS of it.
Be SURE to give SADAQAH.
It could be even something small.

Just do it SINCERELY for the sake of Allaah, to PLEASE HIM.
COOK Iftaar and suhoor and SHARE with the people at the
masjid.
Or send it to someone needy.
Salaah.
Just be careful not to touch it directly.

Or use an electronic device.
You can also volunteer to baby sit the kids at the masjid or at
your home and let others pray.
Helping others in ANY way is a great act of worship in itself.
May Allaah enable us to witness Laylatul-Qadr.
Him, and accept from us.

May He forgive us and our families and loved ones and save us all
from the Fire of Hell.
Ameen.

Worship ALL TEN nights of this blessed month if possible, to be
SURE to catch Laylatul-
Remember that Laylatul-Qadr starts at MAGHRIB time.
Do NOT waste a single moment.

Rather take advantage of EACH MINUTE and EACH SECOND
Pray Qiyaam al-Layl.
at it, in your prayer.

This way you read BOTH your Salaah as well as your Q
done.
Also do LONG Rukoo and Sujood.
Make your rukoo long by glorifying Allaah and making duaa.
Prolong your sujood by making LONG duaas in your OWN language and
in your own words.
Go SLOW and ENJOY your solitude with your Rabb.

SAVOR every moment of it.
PONDER and REFLECT. And try to UNDERSTAND what Our Rabb is

commanding us.
Make a LOT of duaa.

Beg. Cry. Implore.
Do lots of ISTIGHFAAR esp the duaa that the Prophet sal Allaahu
Alayhi wa sallam taught Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa.
Send peace and blessings on the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa

sallam.
LOTS of it.
Be SURE to give SADAQAH.

It could be even something small.
Just do it SINCERELY for the sake of Allaah, to PLEASE HIM.
COOK Iftaar and suhoor and SHARE with the people at the masjid.
Or send it to someone needy.
If
Just be careful not to touch it directly.

Or use an electronic device.
You can also volunteer to baby sit the kids at the masjid or at your
home and let others pray.
Helping others in ANY way is a great act of worship in itself.
May Allaah enable us to witness Laylatul-Qadr.
and accept from us.

May He forgive us and our families and loved ones and save us all from
the Fire of Hell.
Ameen.
Worship Allaah on ALL of the LAST TEN NIGHTS of
Ramadhaan and NOT just the ODD numbered ones
Laylatul-Qadr is the MOST AMAZING and BLESSED night of the entire

year.
Worship during this night is as if we worshipped Allaah for more than

83 years.
Who would want to miss this beautiful opportunity to have his sins
forgiven and collect rewards of 83 years?!
adhaan with faith and seeking

reward (from Allaah), ALL his previous sins would be FORGIVEN, and he
who observed prayer on Laylat-ul- Qadr with faith and seeking reward
And he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

-ul-
in ALL of the LAST TEN nights
QUESTION
lls us to look for Laylatul-Qadr in

the ODD nights of Ramadhaan
ANSWER
Yes the hadeeth is authentic and it is said that we should look for
Layatul Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadhaan.
BUT in order to make SURE we don't miss Laylatul Qadr, the Ulama say
it is better to worship ALL of the LAST TEN NIGHTS of Ramadhaan, if
possible.
WHY IS THAT
The best example for us is the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam
and he spent ALL TEN NIGHTS worshipping Allaah Subhaanahu wa
Ta aala and strived the HARDEST in them like he NEVER did at any other
time of the year.
He did NOT worship Allaah ONLY on the odd nights.
Rather, he did it on ALL ten nights, EVEN AND ODD.
Alayhi wa sallam) would stay up at night, wake his family and tie his
And she said:
There are other ways of understanding the authentic ahaadeeth of

the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) regarding Laylatul Qadr.
For example:
left, and seven days left, and five days left."

(al-Bukhaari)
Ibn Taymiyah explains this hadeeth:
-numbers have to do with what is PAST [i.e., when one starts

counting from the beginning of the month], so it should be sought on
the twenty-first, the twenty-third, the twenty-seventh or the twenty-
ninth.
OR it may be with regard to what is LEFT of the month, as the Prophet

Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
On this basis, if the month has THIRTY days, these will be EVEN
NUMBERED nights, so on the twenty-second there will be nine days
left, on the twenty-fourth there will be seven days left.
This is -Khudri in the saheeh
hadeeth, and this is how the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam
prayed qiyaam during this month.
If this is the case, then the believer should seek it in ALL of the LAST
TEN DAYS."
-285)
-Qadr might be on the EVEN

nights.
Also put into consideration, the difference among the Muslims when
they start Ramadhaan.
Some start a day earlier and some start a day late.
So what is an EVEN night for YOU, will be an ODD night for the OTHER
group.
Having said all that, yes indeed Laylatul Qadr is most likely to fall on the
odd nights and according to the majority of the Sahaabah and Ulama, it
is most likely on the 27th.
But of course we don't know that for sure.
So try your BEST to seek it in ALL of the LAST TEN nights.
STRIVE HARD in worship so that you will FOR SURE 'CATCH it' in one of
those nights bi idhnillaah. :)
May Allaah enable us to witness Laylatul-Qadr. Ameen.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
al-
sallam, and the Sunnah of his Sahaabah.

sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam used to observe i'tikaaf
during the last ten days of Ramadaan until Allaah took his soul, then his
What is the purpose of observing Itekaaf?
The purpose of Itekaaf is to seclude oneself for some time in the masjid
to worship Allaah and to seek Laylatul Qadr.
That was the main reason the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam
observed Itekaaf.
He Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said regarding Laylatul Qadr:
said to me that it is in the last ten days, so whoever among you wishes
Where is Itekaaf done?

ou
-
-Darb(8/176)
How long should I do Itekaaf for?
The Sunnah Itekaaf lasts for ten nights.
hours?
nights, we can stay for
Ibn Hazm said:
mosque for the sake of Allaah with the intention of drawing closer to
(Al-Muhalla, 5/179)
When do I begin my Itekaaf?
The last ten nights start with the night of the 21st of Ramadhaan.
And since the night comes before the day in Islaam, we should start
Itekaaf when the sun sets on the day of the 20th fast.
be done when the sun sets on the night of the twenty-first, because
[Fataawa al-Siyaam (p. 503)]
When does it end?
see the new moon of Shawwaal.
(Fataawa al-Siyaam, p. 502)
and seek Laylatul Qadr.

So we should keep to ourselves and get busy with Nawaafil, reading
of our ability.
Can I talk to people or visit with them?

ibaadah of Allaah.
Safiyyah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:
Ramadhaan, and she spoke to him for a while, then she got up to leave,
and the Prophet
(Al-Bukhaari and Muslim)
Based on that Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
(Jalasaat Ramadhaaniyyah(18/15)
Can I use my phone or laptop?
We can use our phones or laptops etc if we want to listen to some good
Islaamic lecture or read something about our Deen, etc.
Can I bathe, etc?

etc and generally be clean and hygienic.
Our Mother Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:
comb his hair (wash it- according to another narration) when I was
-Bukhaari)
Can I leave the Masjid for any reason?
or take a shower, or buy food, etc if such things are not available to us
while at the masjid.
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam left his Itekaaf for a short
while to drop Safiyyah radhi Allaahu anhaa back home as per the
hadeeth above from al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
to stay at the masjid for worship and turn away from all else.
The scholars said:
or attend any funeral, or touch his wife or be intimate with her, or to go

t sick
obligatory.
Imaam al-Nawawi said:
in the masjid because he needs to be in his bed, and he needs to be

helped and to be visited by the doctor etc, it is permissible for him to
-
Can I do Itekaaf on days other than Ramadhaan?
do so during the last ten days of Ramadhaan, following the example of

the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and his
companions (may Allaah be pleased with them). It was narrated that
the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam also observed i'tikaaf during
(Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas,

Fataawa al-Lajnah, 10/410)
However they have to do it at the masjid and not at home.
else.
t correct for a man or a woman to observe i'tikaaf anywhere

except in the masjid. It is not valid in the prayer-
house or the prayer-
(al-

Can a woman observe itekaaf at home?
ANSWER
Itekaaf is isolating oneself to worship Allaah in seclusion

and is only valid in the masjid.
And that goes for both men and women.
(Surah al-Baqarah:187)
Here Allaah is specifically telling us that Itekaaf is done

only in the masjid.
Also we know that our Mothers, the wives of the Prophet
sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam used to observe Itekaaf in
the masjid ONLY.
Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said that the Prophet Sal

Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to spend the last ten
nights of Ramadaan in i'tekaaf until he passed away, then
-Bukhaari,
Muslim)
According to a hadeeth in saheeh al-Bukhaari, and

Muslim, when the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam
was observing Itekaaf, his wives wanted to do it too.
So they asked him permission and he allowed them. But
then, the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam saw that
his wives had set up multiple tents in the masjid and he
did not like that. So he sent them back home and they
did not continue their Itekaaf.
That shows that Itekaaf is only valid in a MASJID.

If it was allowed for women to observe itekaaf at home,
then why would the wives of the Prophet sal Allaahu
Alayhi wa sallam stop observing Itekaaf once he sent
them back home?
And later when the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam

passed away, our Mothers continued to observe Itekaaf
in the masjid; and NOT at home.
The houses of the wives of the Prophet Sal Allaahu

Alaiyhi wa Sallam were right there, next to the masjid.
If it was allowed to observe Itekaaf at home, what better

and safer and more secluded place than the home itself?
Observing Itekaaf at home would be more appropriate,

considering the importance of modesty and hijaab for
women, especially the wives of the Prophet sal Allaahu
Alayhi wa sallam.
homes.
Rather they would move to the masjid in a secluded area

and observe Itekaaf.
home all these years?
If a woman has been observing Itekaaf at home, her

seclusion in her room making Duaa, praying, reading
And is a wonderful means to achieve nearness to Allaah.
That will only be valid if she does it in the masjid.

ibaadah go to waste and will still reward her if she was
sincere.
He is al-Ghafoor, ar-Raheem and ash-Shakoor.
He rewards us out of His Generosity and accepts from us

out of His Mercy.
So she can move about, do her chores, cook, clean, and

othe
Itekaaf would not do.
them) would have done that at least once to show that it

is permiss - -Fiqhiyyah (5/212)
So what is a VALID Itekaaf for women?

If a woman wants to observe Itekaaf, she has to do the
following:
2. Ask permission from her Wali, or guardian such as

father, husband etc.
3. The masjid should have a proper place for women
accommodate women staying overnight.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Can I do it for less than that?
ANSWER
Although, it is from the practice of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa

sallam
Ramadhaan, it is allow
than that.
for a long time or a short time, because as far as I know there is no

report to indicate a set time, whether one or two days or more. ....This
-Fataawa (15/441)
And Ibn Hazm said:

masjid for the sake of Allaah with the intention of drawing closer to
(Al-Muhalla, 5/179)
0
days.
Obviously, the longer the stay the bigger the reward.
So try and stay in the masjid maybe over the weekend or for a day or
two or more or less, whatever is possible for you.
You can do it even for a few hours!
Next time you go to the Masjid for your prayer, make your intention to
Plan to stay just a little while longer and turn a simple trip for prayer
reward of fulfilling a Sunnah of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa

sallam.
What can I do in these hours
Dedicate your time to the worship of Allaah to the best of you ability.
Duaa.
wa Sallam taught Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa to say on the Night of

Qadr.
aid:
-Qadr, what
-
(at-Tirmidhi -saheeh)
May Allaah have mercy on us, forgive us all and enable us to turn our
Ramadan Series
Signs of Laylatul-Qadr
Nobody really knows when Laylatul-Qadr exactly is.
Allaah in all the last ten nights of Ramadhaan and thus earn even more
rewards and have a greater hope of having our sins forgiven.
Here are some signs that only point to the timing of Laylatul-Qadr but
these signs are not absolute
The sun rises without rays
"On the morning following Laylatul-Qadr the sun rises not having any
rays, as if it were a brass dish, until it rises up."(Muslim)
The moon is like half a plate

Abu Hurairah radhi Allaahu anhu said :
"We were discussing Lailatul-Qadr in the presence of Allaah's

Messenger so he said : 'Which of you remembers [the night] when the
The night is very calm, tranquil and pleasant.
"Laylatul-Qadr is calm and pleasant, neither hot nor cold, the sun arises
on its morning being feeble and red." [at-Tayaalisee, Ibn Khuzaimah
and al-Bazzaar with a Hasan Isnad].
-Qadar is that it is a calm night and

the believer's heart is delighted and at peace with it, and he becomes
active in doing good actions, and the sun on the following morning rises
(Fataawa Ramadhaan - Volume 2, Page 852)
There might be light rain

but it is in the odd nights of the last 10 nights. I saw in my dream that I
wa
In those days the roof of the masjid was made of branches of date palm
trees.
At the same time the sky was clear and no cloud visible, but suddenly a
cloud came and it rained.
The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam led us in the prayer and I saw
the traces of mud on the forehead and the nose of the Prophet Sal
(al-Bukhaari)
These are SOME of the signs of Laylatul-Qadr.
-Qadr for sure.
But we HOPE with Allaah that we may have witnessed this blessed night
and we make duaa that Allaah accepts it from us.
So do your VERY BEST.

Strive HARD in worship
Make FIRM resolve
Seek SINCERE Taubah.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Why not?
Eid.
the authentic ahaadeeth of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam.
.
Thus, the night starts at MAGHRIB and lasts till Fajr. Then the day starts
AFTER Fajr and lasts till the next Maghrib.
So when Allaah forgives people in the last night of Ramadhaan, that

forgiveness happens in the LAST NIGHT of RAMADHAAN, which is the
night BEFORE the last day of fasting.
and the next day is Eid.
So DO NOT think that the night before Eid should be spent in special
ibaadaat or that this night has extra virtues.
night in special worship is either EXTREMELY WEAK or even

FABRICATED.
-
"Whoever stays up on the night of Eid, his heart will not die on the day
when hearts die."
This hadeeth is NOT saheeh. And it was classified as FABRICATED by

Shaykh al-Albaani.
(Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da'eefah wa'l-Mawdoo'ah by Sheikh al-Albaani)
That means that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam DID NOT
spend the night of Eid in any SPECIAL ibaadaat and he DID NOT TEACH
the Sahaabah to do that either.
They spent the night of Eid, as they USUALLY spent the rest of the
nights of the year.
Ibn Taymiyah said:

"The ahaadeeth in which the nights before the two Eids are mentioned
are FALSELY attributed to the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam)."
Ibn al-Qayyim said regarding the actions of the Prophet sal Allaahu
Alayhi wa sallam in the night of Eid:
NOT pray any night prayers that night, and nothing is established from
[Zad al- ]
for any specific ibaadaat.

HOWEVER , if you wake up every day for Qiyaam or Tahajjud and it is
part of you NORMAL nightly routine to pray and worship at this time,
then it is okay to do so.
But to PICK OUT this night thinking there is extra reward and special
status to worship this night is not correct.
We should only go by PROOFS from the authentic sources when it

comes to acts of ibaadah.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
End Ramadhaan with ISTIGHFAAR
The beautiful month of Ramadhaan has come to an end.
Istighfaar and seeking forgiveness.
wonderful way of smoothing out any imperfections it may have....

It helps remove any shortcomings, any mistakes, any flaws, any
weaknesses....
after ALL acts of goodness.
Allaah three times after every Salah? (Saheeh Muslim)
(an- -saheeh by al-Albaani)

And after getting up from a gathering, the duaa we make also includes
Istighfaar.
(Abu Dawood- saheeh by al-Albaani)
After performing tahajjud, the most beloved prayer to Allaah after the
five daily prayers, Allaah praises those who make Istighfaar.
(Surah adh-Dhaariyaat 51:17-18)
Even after the day of Arafah, when Allaah forgives ALL SINS, Allaah
STILL commands us to make Istighfaar and seek His Forgiveness!
(Surah al-Baqarah:198-199)
Subhaan Allaah!
So every good deed and every act of ibaadah needs Istighfaar to

CLEANSE it of any mistakes, to PURIFY it of any shortcomings.
Even our Istighfaar needs another Istighfaar, leave alone the act of
ibaadah itself.
It is said that Istighfaar is like the FIRE to the GOLD.

Just as fire purifies the gold of any impurities, similarly Istighfaar
purifies the act of ibaadah of any faults or mistakes.
Ibn Rajab said:
-fire, as long as one does not damage
Shaikh as-
ime he finishes an act of

worship, he should ask Allaah for forgiveness for his shortcomings, and
- - p. 92)
Dear brothers and sisters,
Our ibaadah is not perfect.

It can never BE perfect.
But Alla
to clean out our ibaadaat of imperfections and wash away any
shortcomings with Istighfaar.
Then what better way to end this month of Forgiveness with seeking
even more forgiveness and making lots and lots of Istighfaar?
May Allaah forgive us and accept from us. Ameen.

Eid Mubarak everyone!
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Signs of an accepted Ramadhaan
Ramadhaan is over.
Alhamdulillaah you worked hard this Ramadhaan.
The ulama say that although only Allaah knows for SURE if any deed is
accepted or not, there ARE definitely certain SIGNS that point to
whether our good deeds were accepted by Allaah or not.
So what are those signs?
Was our ibaadah, our duaa, our fasting and praying accepted by Allaah
If we IMPROVE ourselves after the month of fasting, and develop a
BETT
You see, just as the significance of establishing Salaah, is to remember
similarly the significance of fasting is to develop Taqwa (God-

consciousness) in ourselves.
Allaah says:
for those before you, so that you may develo -Baqarah,

2:183)
So if your attitude, your conduct and manners, your lifestyle, and your
relationship with your Rabb and His creation have CHANGED for the
BETTER and show a POSITIVE TRANSFORMATION after Ramadhaan,
h has accepted your Ramadhaan.
Just as you can tell that a treatment is effective when your sickness
disappears, and you feel better;
Similarly, the effectiveness of your fasting for a whole month should
manifest itself in a POSITIVE CHANGE in you... a beautiful and gentle
transformation of your character, your manners, a keen consciousness
of the pleasure of your Rabb, the ultimate desire to obey Him.
desired or intended result....which is TAQWA of Allaah Subhaanahu wa
And hate to disobey Him...

Hijaab...
if
then these are some signs that your Ramadhaan is accepted.
So KEEP UP all the good work.

PUSH yourself to continue.
of your
Rabb.
And make Duaa to Allaah that He keeps you STEADFAST on His Deen
and ACCEPTS from you.
idh hadaitana wa hab lana
You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the
Bestower."
(Surah Aal Imraan:8)
May Allaah accept from all of us and forgive us. Ameen.

STAND FIRM, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their
death) (saying):
have been promised!
Hereafter.
Therein you shall have (all) that your inner selves desire, and therein
-31)

Don't lose your hard work on the night before Eid
You worked SO hard this Ramadhaan.

You fasted.
You prayed.
You stayed up nights.
You read the Qur'aan.
You made taubah....
Those are a LOT of good deeds for sure. Alhamdulillaah!

And your hard work was amazing.
May Allaah accept ALL of them and MORE. Ameen
Now don't SPOIL all those hard earned good deeds by doing things that
may be DISPLEASING to Allaah.
Things such as listening to music, and dancing, girls going out not
properly covered, guys mixing with girls, neglecting Salaah, smoking
hookah, or a'oodhu billaah something even worse.
And all this in the name of celebrating "Chaand Raat", the night before
Eid?!
Did you know that bad deeds may ERASE some good ones?
Find it hard to believe?
Here are some examples:
-
Bukhaari)
Once a man said about another: "By Allaah, Allaah will not forgive
So and so.
and so? I have forgiven So and so and I have cancelled out your good
deeds." (Muslim)
Hudhayfah radhi Allaahu anhu said:
"Slandering a chaste innocent woman cancels out the good deeds of a

hundred years."
And Ata said: "A man may say a word in anger that destroys the
good deeds of sixty or seventy years."
Al-Fadl ibn Ziyaad said: "No one of you can be sure that he will not
steal a glance that will cancel out his good deeds."
My brothers and sisters!
Raat"!
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
"The things that cancel out or spoil good deeds are too many to count.
It is not the deeds that count, rather it is the protection of one's good
deeds from that which may spoil them or cancel them out."
(Al-Waabil al-Sayyib)
Side note:
There's nothing wrong with celebrating the end of Ramadhaan and

thanking Allaah for being able to worship Him by gathering with family
and friends, enjoying food and drink, girls can apply Henna, and even
sing to the daff amongst themselves.
But don't cross the limits set by Allaah.
Don't get involved in His disobedience and ruin all your hard work.
Don't even come close to that which you KNOW is wrong.
Otherwise we're at the risk of losing SOME or ALL of our good deeds
and our hard work.
So PROTECT it.
PRESERVE it.
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Eid Salaah
Some people think it is not a big deal if they don't pray Salaatul Eid.
They either sleep through it or just don't think it's important.
However, it is unanimously agreed that the Eid prayer is prescribed in

Islaam and it is a very highly recommended act of worship;
so much so that some Ulama even considered it "Fardh 'ayn" (an
individual obligation), and that not doing it is a sin.
And some ulama said it is Fardh kifaayah (communal obligation).
In any case, we should definitely try and attend the Eid Salaah and not
be negligent about it.
How to pray Salaatul Eid?
Ei
There are several different opinions about the number of takbeeraat
but the strongest opinion and the opinion of the majority of the
scholars is that there are SEVE
recitation of al-Faatihah. And FIVE takbeeraat before the recitation of
al-
Our Mother Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa said:
The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to say

takbeer in the prayer on (Eid) al-Fitr and (Eid) al-Adha, seven takbeers
(Abu Dawood - saheeh by al-Albaani)
Al-
Takbeerat al-
And we follow him and do the same.
2. Raise the hands and say six or seven more takbeers

3.Recite al-Faatihah, and another Surah.
4. Go into rukoo and sujood.
while raising the hands.
6. Recite al-Faatihah and another Surah.
7. Go into rukoo and sujood and finish off the Salaah just like any other
Salaah.
8. End the prayer with tasleem on both sides.
9. Follow the Salaah with the Eid Khutbah.
-Allaah radhi Allaahu anhu said:
Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam came out on the day of al-

-Bukhaari,
Muslim)
Difference in the number of Takbeeraat?
The majority of the scholars are of the opinion that the Takbeeraat are
seven in t
But there are also OTHER opinions among the Sahaabah about that.
from the above, that is ALSO ACCEPTABLE.
Imam Ahmad said:
Sallam DIFFERED concerning the takbeers, and ALL their views are
-
Which Surah should be recited?
The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam used to recite Surah Qaaf in
-
Or Surah al- -Ghaashiyah in the second.
RECOMMENDED.
The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam commanded us

to bring them (women) out on (Eid) al-Fitr and (Eid) al-Adha, and to
bring out adolescent girls, menstruating women and virgins, but the
menstruating women were to stay away from the prayer, but were to
witness goodness and
Can women pray Eid Salaah at home on their own?

Women are instructed to go out to the Eid prayer place and offer the
prayer WITH THE MEN (in congregation); they should be behind them
and avoid mixing with them.
With regard to doing the Eid prayer in her house, this is a GRAVE
MISTAKE. There is NO REPORT from the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa
Sallam or from his Companions that the women offered the Eid prayer
-Darb (189/9)]
The Scholars of the Standing Committee said about the Eid Salaah:
should offer this prayer in the prayer place with the Muslims, because
the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam INSTRUCTED them to do
[Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-
RAMADHAAN SERIES
Mistakes related to Eid al-Fitr
Mistake #1: Spending the night of Eid in worship.
Some people think that it is prescribed to spend the night of Eid in

worship.
They even call it "Laylatul Jazaa'" claiming that this is the night that
their efforts will be 'paid off' by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'ala.
However, there is NO SAHEEH HADEETH legislating such a practice in

any of the authentic hadeeth books.
Rather this practice is based on a VERY WEAK hadeeth and some

scholars even consider it FABRICATED.
The so called hadeeth says:
"Whoever stays up on the night of Eid, his heart will not die on the day
when hearts die."
This hadeeth is NOT saheeh as classified by Shaykh al-Albaani. (Silsilat

al-Ahaadeeth al-Da'eefah wa'l-Mawdoo'ah by Sheikh al-Albaani)
Ibn Taymiyah said:
"The ahaadeeth in which the nights before the two Eids are mentioned
are FALSELY attributed to the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam)."
So do NOT single out the night of Eid for Ibaadah, as this is a kind of
bid'ah that is NOT proven from the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa
sallam) or his Sahaabah.
If it was a good thing to do, the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam)."
or his sahaabah would have done it and we would have evidence for it.
However, if you wake up every day for Qiyaam or Tahajjud and it is part
of you NORMAL nightly routine to pray and worship at this time, then it
is okay to do so.
But to PICK OUT this night thinking there is extra reward and special
status to worship this night is not correct.
Mistake #2: Celebrating the night before Eid ("Chand Raat") in

FORBIDDEN ways:
Some people do the exact opposite of the above and spend the night
before Eid, singing, dancing , listening to music, with free mixing of men
and women, lack of hijaab and hayaa'.
They forget the promises they made to Allaah during Ramadhaan to
stay away from haraam.
Do you really want to throw away all your hard work and effort you put
in worship during Ramadhaan for just a few hours of utterly useless
waste of time?
Having said that, there is nothing wrong with applying henna, getting
together with mahram family members and having halaal fun, if you
want as a celebration for Eid.
But just remember moderation is the key to everything.
Mistake #3: Fasting on the Day of Eid
It is haraam to fast on the Day of Eid, as most of us know

Alhamdulillaah.
"He (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) forbade fasting on the day of (Eid) al-
Fitr and the day of al-Nahr (Eid al-Adha)." (Bukhaari, Muslim)
Mistake #4: Visiting graves specifically on the day of Eid ONLY
visit the graveyard.

Do not make it a point to visit graves on Eid Day ONLY.
To do so goes against the teaching of the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi

wa sallam).
It comes under the general meaning of the Prophet's prohibition on
visiting graves on a specific day and making that like a festival. (Ahkaam
al-Janaa'iz wa Bida'uha by al-Albaani)
However, if one visits the graves throughout the year, without singling
out the day of Eid, there is no harm.
Mistake #5: Women mixing with the men
It is not right for women and men to freely mix and mingle and hang
out with each other for no reason, if they are not mahrams, whether
throughout the year or during Eid.
each other on Eid, although Allaah has told both the believing men and
the believing women to lower their gaze.
Worse than that is when we see some totally non-mahram brothers
and sisters shaking hands with each other or even hugging non-
mahrams for "Eid"!
Do -mahrams, EVEN if it is
Eid!
'If one of you were to be struck in the head with an iron needle, it
would be better for him than if he were to touch a woman he is not
allowed to." (al-Tabaraani; saheeh by al-Albaani).
Mistake #6: Women going out wearing perfume and makeup, tight
clothing and no hijaab
This is such a serious issue, yet many people take this matter so lightly.
Throngs and throngs of young beautiful Muslim girls walk out into the
prayer area and other places, all decked up with the most beautiful
clothes, jewelry, make-up, perfume... for all the world to see.
Subhaan Allaah!
What happened to all your ibaadaat, the ayaat of the Quraan you read
about Hijaab, the promises you made to Allaah to be good?
Did you not read in the Qur'aan that it is FARDH for an adult Muslim
woman to wear hijaab and cover herself and her hair?
Remember sisters, we will be asked about Hijaab on the Day we stand

in front of Allaah.
Allaah says:
"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the believing
women to draw their cloaks all over their bodies. That will be better,
that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be
annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful" [al-
Ahzaab:59].
And the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said: "Any woman who
puts on perfume and passes by people so that they can smell her
fragrance, is an adulteress."
(al-Nasaa'i, al-Tirmidhi-hasan )
Mistake #7: Listening to music and attending Eid parties with

haraam things.
It is forbidden in our Deen to listen to music, yet people take this
matter very lightly too. It's everywhere...on TV and on the radio, in cars,
homes and marketplaces, and even on cell phones.
On Eid day, you see people driving by, music playing full blast, 'enjoying
Eid',, thinking it's ok to do so.
They forget that there is no joy, no blessing in the disobedience to

Allaah.
This confirms the words of the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam)
who said: "There will be among my ummah people who will regard
adultery, silk, alcohol and musical instruments as permissible."
(Bukhaari)
Yes, it is from the Sunnah to enjoy the celebration of Eid, but always
remember to observe the limits prescribed by Islam.
Mistake #8: Not praying the Eid prayer.
Some people think it is not a big deal if they don't pray Salatul Eid.
They either sleep through it or just don't think it's important.

However, it is unanimously agreed that the Eid prayer is prescribed in
Islam and it is a very highly recommended act of worship; so much so
that some Ulama even considered it "fard 'ayn" (an individual
obligation), and that not doing it is a sin. (Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn
'Uthaymeen)
The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) commanded even the

virgins and women in seclusion, i.e., those who did not ordinarily come
out to pray, to attend the Eid prayer place.
Mistake #9: Not saying the Takbeeraat out loud (for men) or at the
right time
Saying the takbeeraat out loud is one of the greatest Sunnahs on the
day of Eid because Allaah says:
"(He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and
that you must magnify Allaah [i.e. to say Takbeer (Allaahu Akbar) for
having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him" [al-Baqarah:185]
According to Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, the time for takbeer begins when
it is proven that the new moon of Shawwaal has been sighted or thirty
days of Ramadaan have been completed. And it ends when the Eid
prayer begins. (Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen)
Men should raise their voices reciting this dhikr wherever they may be,
in the masjids, in their cars or homes, etc. but women should say it
softly, without raising their voices.
'relief' once it ends, as if released from some kind of jail, Aaoodhu

Billaah.
It's like they were waiting for their 'sentence' to end and now they are
'free'!
May Allaah protect us from that kind of thinking.
Remember, this fasting, this Ibaadah, this opportunity for dua and
forgiveness is really a blessing on us, rather than hardship.
It is really for our own good and it is nobody but US that will benefit at
the end.
Not only does fasting help us control our desires and trains us for the
rest of the year, but it also gives us compassion for the poor, as well as
many physical and spiritual benefits.
But most of all, it brings us closer to Allaah and instills Taqwa in our
hearts and is a means for attaining Jannah and avoiding the fire of Hell.

The Annual Muslim Fashion Show called Eid
Prayer
Subhaan Allaah! Eid seems to be becoming more and more bizarre with
each passing year!
up for the annual (well, actually twice yearly) Muslim fashion show, also
made up faces, salon done hair, shimmering clothes and glittering

jewelry, not to mention the sleeveless shirts, stilettos, and waves after
waves of perfume!
Subhaan Allaah!
Is this what Eid is all about?
Is this what a whole month of fasting teaches us?

Yet, it seems like we completely missed the very essence of Ramadhaan
and the beautiful message it teaches us.
Allaah says in Surah al-Baqarah
for those before you, that you may become Al-
modestly in front of non-Mahram men?
lieving
women?
- -Tirmidhi: hasan
by al-Albaani)
Did we forget that the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said:
others astray, with their heads looking like the humps of camels,
leaning to one side. They will not enter Paradise nor even smell its
fragrance, although its fragrance may be detected from such and such a
My sisters need to realize that they are being sinful in more than one
way:
Not only are these sisters being sinful themselves dressing this way, by
openly defying the direct order of Allaah to cover and dress modestly,
but they also share a part of the sin when they make the brothers look
at them by dressing inappropriately.
And they also set a distorted, misleading example for all the young girls
who come for the Eid prayer, giving them the impression that its OK to
dress like that.

of those who follow him, without it detracting from their burden in the
And what about the Eid Khutbah?
If you ask most of the sisters what the khateeb said,

the slightest idea whatsoever.
Why?
Because they are so busy chatting.
Did we come to the Eid prayer to pray or to socialize?
Sure, we are all happy to see our friends and family and want to wish
o get together.
thankful to Allaah for enabling us to fast and guiding us?
Allaah says:
difficult for you. (He wants that you) must complete the same number
(of days of fasting), and that you must magnify Allah for having
And yes, Eid is a celebration for us and we should rejoice and be happy.
But th
hard work and effort we put in the last 30 days just for a few hours of
What excuse will we have in front of Him regarding our inappropriate
loud music?
How can we use our eyes and ears and mind and body to disobey the
One who gave us all these blessings in the first place?
And that too, right after Ramadhaan.
My dear brothers and sisters, there is SO MUCH MORE to Eid than

dressing up and hanging out with friends.
REFLECT on what has gone and what is to come.

How can we think that Eid Prayer is the time to let our guards down
and stop performing good deeds?
Let's not throw away all of the good deeds that we have gained during
the blessed month of Ramadhaan.
Think of ways to multiply your deeds well into the year and continue to
improve.
Let's celebrate, talk, wear make-up, and dress up on Eid.
But let's do it in our homes and in our private parties.
a time to be humble and obedient.

Let's go to the Eid Prayer with the intention of submission to the
Almighty, doing only those things that would please Him.
Look at what one of the righteous people said when they passed by
some people who were engaged in idle entertainment on the day of
Eid:
to give thanks for
that.
If you did badly in Ramadhaan, this is not the way that the one who did
What to do if Eid falls on a Friday
If Eid falls on a Friday, then the strongest opinion among the ulama is
An
AND Friday Prayers.
Proof:
1. The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
Whoever prays
- authentic
by al-Albaani)
-Zubayr radhi Allaahu anhu led us in Eid prayer early one Friday
morning. [Later that day] we went out to pray Friday prayer, but we
az-Zubayr not praying Friday prayer with us. Ibn Abbaas answered by
-Zubayr did (not praying Friday prayer) was in
(Abu Dawood)
This was the opinion of many of the Sahaabah such as Omar, Uthman,
Ibn Masoud, Ibn Abbas and others, radhi Allaahu anhum.
knowledge of any disagreement among them (the Sahaabah) on this.
Shaikh Saleh al-Fawzaan said:
prayer, it is not obligatory for him to pray Friday prayer. Rather Friday
prayer becomes recommended (sunnah) for him. However, as it relates
to the Imam [of the community], it is obligatory for him to pray both
because those who choose to pray Friday prayer need an Imam.
What about Dhuhr

Obviously the obligation of Dhuhr is till there. So whoever does not

Ibn Rajab said:
-Ma
Brothers and sisters

Let us REFLECT on these WORDS OF WISDOM.
Ramadhaan is not just ONE month of fasting for us.

It's a WHOLE LIFESTYLE.
You lived that lifestyle for an ENTIRE month.

And now you MUST live it BEYOND that.
Have the courage to do the right thing.

Keep up with the night prayers...
The sadaqah...all the good deeds.
Have the courage to CHALLENGE yourself.... the courage to CHANGE

your bad habits...
To admit your mistakes...
As they say...
So CHALLENGE yourself to LIVE the lifestyle of Ramadhaan.
You did it for a WHOLE MONTH.
You must do it for the REST of your LIFE.

The SIX Fasts of Shawwaal and related issues
1. Rewards for fasting your ENTIRE life!
Want rewards as if you fasted your ENTIRE LIFE?
Alhamdulillaah it's EASY.
All you have to do is to fast any six days in Shawwaal and you'll get that
reward in Shaa Allaah.
"Whoever fasts Ramadhaan and follows it with six days of Shawwaal, it

will be as if he fasted for a lifetime."
(Muslim)
How is that?
Well, the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam himself explained
further.
He said:
"Fasting for the month of Ramadaan brings the reward of ten like it,
and fasting for six days brings the reward of two months, and that is the
fasting of the whole year."
(Ibn Khuzaymah- saheeh)
Subhaan Allaah how many opportunities He gives us, to earn His

Pleasure and get our sins forgiven!
Allaah in His Infinite Mercy has told us that each good deed that we do,
is multiplied 10 times.
Since 1 good deed = 10
That makes 1 month of Ramadhaan equal to 10 months.
And the 6 days of shawwaal equals 60 days or 2 months.
So if you add it up, 10 + 2 = 12 months or the whole year.
And if we do this every year, that means we fasted our ENTIRE life !
Subhaan Allaah!
2. The Shawwaal fasts will compensate for any shortcomings in our
fardh fasts.
Just as Allaah will look at the nawaafil salah on the Day of Judgment
and ask the angels to fill in any shortage a person may have in his fardh
salah, similarly these 6 days of Shawwaal will come in handy and fill in
any shortfalls we may have in our Fardh Ramadhaan fasts.
"The first thing for which people will be brought to account on the Day
of Resurrection will be their salaah (prayer). Our Lord, may He be
glorified and exalted, will say to His angels - although He knows best -
'Look at the salaah of My slave, whether it is complete or incomplete.' If
it is perfect, it will be recorded as perfect, and if something is lacking,
He will say, 'Look and see whether My slave did any voluntary (naafil)
prayers.' If he did some voluntary prayers, [Allaah] will say, Complete
the obligatory actions of My slave from his voluntary actions.' Then all
his actions will be dealt with in a similar manner."
(Abu Dawood- saheeh by al-Albaani).
3. Can I fast six days of Shawwaal first, BEFORE my fardh Ramadhaan

fasts that I need to make up?
In order to get the reward of fasting the ENTIRE year, we have to
complete our Ramadhaan FIRST, as per the words of the hadeeth. And
THEN fast the six days of Shawwaal to get this immense reward.
You see, fasting six days of Shawwaal is dependent upon having

completed the fasting of Ramadan.
Look at the words of the hadeeth:

"Whoever fasts Ramadaan, 'THUMMA' (then) follows it with six days of
Shawwaal, it will be as if he fasted a lifetime."
(Muslim)
The word 'thumma' (then) shows that it must be done in this order,
that is, complete Ramadhaan first, THEN donthe six days of Shawwaal.
If we still owe fasts from Ramadhaan, that means we've only fasted
PART of Ramadhaan; we cannot say that we have fasted Ramadaan.
Another point to consider is that Shawwaal fasts are VOLUNTARY while

the fasts of Ramadhaan that you still owe are FARDH.
Obviously the fardh takes priority over the nafil, since it's a DEBT that is
owed to Allaah. And it needs to be repaid as soon as possible.
Would you keep praying nawaafil salah although you still have Dhuhr,
Asr or any other fardh prayer still due?
Of course not.
Well, that's how it is with these fasts as well.
4. Can I COMBINE the niyyah of fasting these six days of Shawwaal

with my days that I owe from Ramadhaan?
No that's not valid.
That's because these Shawwaal fasts are SPECIFIC and CONNECTED to

the fasts of Ramadhaan. And one cannot combine those ibaadaat that
are specific or connected to each other.
For example, if someone wants to pray two rakah at the time of Fajr
with the intention to combine the two Sunnah with the two Fardh,
obviously that's not valid.
That's because the Sunnah of Fajr is specific and directly connected to

the Fardh of Fajr, and cannot take its place.
Similar is the case with the fasts of Shawwaal.
They're specific and directly associated or connected to the fasts of

Ramadhaan and therefore cannot be combined.
Shaikh ibn Uthaymeen said:
"With regard to fasting the six days of Shawwaal, they are connected to
Ramadaan and can only done after making up missed Ramadaan fasts."
(Fataawa al-Siyaam)
On the other hand, any act of ibaadah that's NONSPECIFIC or not

connected with any other act of ibaadah CAN be combined.
For example if you enter the masjid, and people are praying Salatul
Ishaa, you don't have to pray tahiyyatul masjid separately; rather your
praying in Jama'ah will suffice.
That's because tahiyyatul masjid is nonspecific and not connected with

any specific act of ibaadah.
The point of tahiyyatul masjid is to pray before sitting down. And

praying with the Ishaa Jama'ah will fulfill that need.
5. Can I fast the six days of Shawwaal on Mondays and Thursdays?
Yes, that's possible. That's because the recommendation to fast

Mondays and Thursdays is a general recommendation and if we
combine the niyyah to fast our six days of Shawwaal on Monday and
Thursday, we hope to get TWO rewards from Allaah; one for fasting the
six days of Shawwaal and two for fasting on recommended Sunnah
days.
6. Do these 6 days have to be consecutive?
No they don't.
You have the entire month to fast these six days. Of course except the
first of Shawwaal which is Eid Day and it's not permitted to fast this
day.
May Allaah give us the Taufeeq to utilize this amazing opportunity to

earn tremendous rewards from Allaah and may He accept from all of
us. Ameen.

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About the Author

Ustaadhah Asma bint Shameem

Professionally she is a Medical Doctor but currently she dedicates her

And she still continues to learn and benefit from him.

Ustaadhah Asma formally received her education of Islaam and its

She is also regularly invited to various Women's Conferences to teach,

Alhamdulillah she teaches all the various Islamic sciences such as

Uataadhah is also a freelance writer and regularly write articles about

Her articles have been published in various newspapers, magazines,

Ustaadhah Asma also has many What

understanding of the Noble Sahaabah.

Assalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Baraakaatuh

I have compiled this ebook so that we can educate ourselves with

The month of Ramadhaan

Sharee'ah ....... 116

Ramadhaan and Ibadah:

Fasting and related issues

Friday and Ramadhaan :

The last ten days of Ramadhaan and itekaaf

And it's bringing with it a night that is equivalent in worship and

And what better opportunity to prepare for something than preparing

This is a month of Rahmah and Barakah, a month of taubah and

Prepare yourself mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually for

Yes, alhamdulillaah CLOSED.

Get invigorated and motivated.

And it is NOT a month of laziness or sleeping, cooking and feasting, or

2. Purify your intention

The next thing to do is to purify your niyyah from NOW.

Fasting is a deed absolutely loved by Allaah and you want to PLEASE

Don't just read it with your eyes.

Don't think..."when am I going to finish this Surah?

Rather ask....when am I going to implement this in my life?"

Prepare yourself to do plenty of sujood....long, drawn out sujood, in

5. Dua, Dua and more Dua

Resolve from today, to make a LOT of dua.

Make sincere, heartfelt dua whenever and wherever you can.

Be ready from now to do abundant istighfaar, lots and lots of it.

Ar-Rahmaan is calling. Wouldn't you want to respond??

So knock on the door of the Almighty. He is al-Ghafoor, the Oft-Forgiver

Go ahead...spread out those hands and be sincere and then be certain

7. Determination to change for the better

Most importantly, have FIRM DETERMINATION from this moment on,

The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:

5. FINISH up on your Ramadhaan and Eid preparation, cooking,

7. DO NOT spend all day in the kitchen.

Remember this is a month of FASTING, not FEASTING.

Our focus should be on fasting and Ibaadah, not on food.

To conclude, think positive and have firm resolve.

Set your goals at the highest.

And Allaah knows best

I remember when I was a kid, we would go up to the roof of our house

Will it be Eid tomorrow???

The Order from Allaah is to SEE the new moon

It is the SUNNAH of our beloved Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam)

above the horizon.

There is a major difference between the 'birth' of the moon and

The moon might be 'born' but it is not always possible to immediately

There are many, many Ahaadeeth encouraging u

The Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: