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AlwaysIslam
09-07-2010, 01:15 AM
I'm now 19 years old, and I'm ashamed to say that I have broken multiple fasts (too many to count) including those from previous Ramadans :-[. These were fasts that I either made the intention of fasting, or I never woke up for Fajr to make the intention in the first place. I didn't find out that fasting has severe consequences until this Ramadan of 2010, for if I had known about these consequences I would not have broken my fasts without a real legit reason. I don't know if one can actually make up for the fasts that they missed, but how do I show Allah that I am truly ashamed of my actions, and that I will never break a required fast again without legit reason?

JazakAllah Khair.
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manaal
09-07-2010, 01:24 PM
:sl:
What exactly do you mean by "making the intention to fast"? Your intention is not to be spoken. Allah knows your intention as it is in your heart. Once you make the intention to fast In Ramadan on the first night, it is good for the entire month. No need to make the niyah daily.

Missing a fardh sawm on purpose does have serious consequences.
Refer to the link I have posted here.

Do you know anyone you could talk to the imam of your local masjid to get help?
Reply

AlwaysIslam
09-07-2010, 10:33 PM
Oh well I had just thought that for one's fast to be counted, one needs to wake up and eat sehri: a date a few, sips of water, anything... and that's when you make niyah that you will be fasting that day. Atleast this is what people have told me. Correct me if I am misunderstanding you, but from what I understand that you have said, is that one can just say from the first night of Ramadan that he or she will fast that entire month, and they don't have to get up for sehri either since the intention was already made from before.
Reply

Muslim Woman
09-07-2010, 11:35 PM
Salaam

Fatwa :

Q. ......what is the ruling if he missed fasts in the past two Ramadans, and the fasts were missed INTENTIONALLY? Is there an expiation? Do the same rules apply about it being occasionally or consecutively? Please reply ASAP, insha'Allah.
Answer


Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

Any Muslim who neglects fasting in Ramadhan, without a reason accepted by the Shari'a, commits a major sin and should first repent to Allah because he has violated Ramadhan which is a pillar of Islam.




Narrated Abu Dawood, Al Tirmizi and Ibn Majah from Abu Huraira that the Prophet said: "Whoever leaves fasting a day in Ramadhan without an excuse, that Allah has set out for him, will not be able to make up for it even if he fasts for the whole eternity. "



Imam Al Dhahbi said: "It is established among all Muslims that whoever gives up fasting in Ramadhan, without a legal excuse such as an illness or a travel, is worse than the alcoholic, the adulterer and the fornicator. They even doubt his true belief and suspect him of infidelity and decadence. Moreover, he should make up for any days he missed to fast.



The evidence for this is the order given by the Prophet to the man who had sexual intercourse with his wife in the day of Ramadhan. He ordered him saying: "Fast a day instead of it" (Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah). So since it is obligatory on sick people and travelers, who are legally excused, to make up for the days they missed to fast, it is at least obligatory on those who did not fast although they were fit and not traveling, to make up for the days they neglected to fast.



On the other hand, one is not obliged to make up for the days he missed on a consecutive basis unless the number of days he is supposed to fast and the number of days remaining before the coming Ramadhan are the same. In this situation one must fast successive days for the Hadeeth narrated by Aisha she said:" Sometimes I missed some days of Ramadan, but could not fast in lieu of them except in the month of Sha'ban." Said Yahya, a sub-narrator, "She used to be busy serving the Prophet."



Albukhari "Delaying to make up for the missing days without a legal reason until the coming Ramadhan is not allowed. But if one happens to do so he should then make up for the missed days and feed a Miskeen 'poor' for each missed day as an expiation.



This is narrated from Ibn Omar, Ibn Abbass and Abu Huraira. In addition, if one has sexual intercourse during daytime in Ramadhan he should make an expiation for that as described below:


Freeing a slave exempt from defects, if he can not do so he should fast two consecutive months. If he can not do so he should feed sixty poor/needy people as narrated by Abu Huraira in the following Hadeeth: "A man came to Allah's Apostle and said, "I am ruined." The Prophet asked, "What do you mean?" He said, "I had a sexual intercourse with my wife during Ramadan (while fasting)."




The Prophet asked him, "Can you manumit a slave?" He replied in the negative. He then asked him, "Can you fast for two successive months continuously" He replied in the negative. The Prophet then asked him, "Can you feed sixty poor persons?" He replied in the negative. In the meantime an Ansari came with a basket full of dates. The Prophet said to the man, "Take it and give it in charity (as an expiation of your sin)."



The man said "Should I give it to some people who are poorer than we O Allah's Apostle? By Him Who has sent you with the truth, there is no family between Medina's two mountains poorer than we." Allah's Apostle told him to take it and provide his family with it. Allah knows best.

http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/in...twaId&Id=82187
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AlwaysIslam
09-08-2010, 12:23 AM
[QUOTE=Muslim Woman;1365149]Salaam

Fatwa :

Q. ......what is the ruling if he missed fasts in the past two Ramadans, and the fasts were missed INTENTIONALLY? Is there an expiation? Do the same rules apply about it being occasionally or consecutively? Please reply ASAP, insha'Allah.
Answer


Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.



Any Muslim who neglects fasting in Ramadhan, without a reason accepted by the Shari'a, commits a major sin and should first repent to Allah because he has violated Ramadhan which is a pillar of Islam.




Narrated Abu Dawood, Al Tirmizi and Ibn Majah from Abu Huraira that the Prophet said: "Whoever leaves fasting a day in Ramadhan without an excuse, that Allah has set out for him, will not be able to make up for it even if he fasts for the whole eternity. "



Imam Al Dhahbi said: "It is established among all Muslims that whoever gives up fasting in Ramadhan, without a legal excuse such as an illness or a travel, is worse than the alcoholic, the adulterer and the fornicator. They even doubt his true belief and suspect him of infidelity and decadence. Moreover, he should make up for any days he missed to fast.



The evidence for this is the order given by the Prophet to the man who had sexual intercourse with his wife in the day of Ramadhan. He ordered him saying: "Fast a day instead of it" (Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah). So since it is obligatory on sick people and travelers, who are legally excused, to make up for the days they missed to fast, it is at least obligatory on those who did not fast although they were fit and not traveling, to make up for the days they neglected to fast.



On the other hand, one is not obliged to make up for the days he missed on a consecutive basis unless the number of days he is supposed to fast and the number of days remaining before the coming Ramadhan are the same. In this situation one must fast successive days for the Hadeeth narrated by Aisha she said:" Sometimes I missed some days of Ramadan, but could not fast in lieu of them except in the month of Sha'ban." Said Yahya, a sub-narrator, "She used to be busy serving the Prophet."



Albukhari "Delaying to make up for the missing days without a legal reason until the coming Ramadhan is not allowed. But if one happens to do so he should then make up for the missed days and feed a Miskeen 'poor' for each missed day as an expiation.



This is narrated from Ibn Omar, Ibn Abbass and Abu Huraira. In addition, if one has sexual intercourse during daytime in Ramadhan he should make an expiation for that as described below:


Freeing a slave exempt from defects, if he can not do so he should fast two consecutive months. If he can not do so he should feed sixty poor/needy people as narrated by Abu Huraira in the following Hadeeth: "A man came to Allah's Apostle and said, "I am ruined." The Prophet asked, "What do you mean?" He said, "I had a sexual intercourse with my wife during Ramadan (while fasting)."




The Prophet asked him, "Can you manumit a slave?" He replied in the negative. He then asked him, "Can you fast for two successive months continuously" He replied in the negative. The Prophet then asked him, "Can you feed sixty poor persons?" He replied in the negative. In the meantime an Ansari came with a basket full of dates. The Prophet said to the man, "Take it and give it in charity (as an expiation of your sin)."



The man said "Should I give it to some people who are poorer than we O Allah's Apostle? By Him Who has sent you with the truth, there is no family between Medina's two mountains poorer than we." Allah's Apostle told him to take it and provide his family with it. Allah knows best.


Sister thank you so much for this information. How ever I'm still a bit confused. Do I need to fast 2 consecutive months for the broken fasts I lost count of? Also what if I did not know the consequences of not fasting? Do these rules still apply to me? Because I have already told Allah in my duas that I will never break another fast again intentionally.
Reply

manaal
09-08-2010, 01:08 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by AlwaysIslam
Oh well I had just thought that for one's fast to be counted, one needs to wake up and eat sehri: a date a few, sips of water, anything... and that's when you make niyah that you will be fasting that day. Atleast this is what people have told me. Correct me if I am misunderstanding you, but from what I understand that you have said, is that one can just say from the first night of Ramadan that he or she will fast that entire month, and they don't have to get up for sehri either since the intention was already made from before.
Yes that is what I said. But sehri (suhoor) is a highly recommended act by the Prophet :saws1:. And if you don't fast for some reason in he middle of the month, then you have to renew your niyah and continue fasting.


Also, If you woke up one morning and discover that it is the first or Ramadan (because maybe you didn't get the news the night before) you can make your niyah then and there and fast.
Reply

AlwaysIslam
09-08-2010, 04:06 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by manaal

Yes that is what I said. But sehri (suhoor) is a highly recommended act by the Prophet :saws1:. And if you don't fast for some reason in he middle of the month, then you have to renew your niyah and continue fasting.


Also, If you woke up one morning and discover that it is the first or Ramadan (because maybe you didn't get the news the night before) you can make your niyah then and there and fast.
Alright. JazakAllah Khair for the information sister =)
Reply

Muslim Woman
09-09-2010, 01:34 PM
Salaam

format_quote Originally Posted by AlwaysIslam



what if I did not know the consequences of not fasting? Do these rules still apply to me?

I have to ask Mufti . Thanks for asking ; now I am afraid, I also missed few fasting while in school :(

Most probably , I will go for feeding the poor.

PS. I just asked the Mufti . If get any reply, InshaAllah will post here.

http://www.euro-sunni.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=453
Reply

AlwaysIslam
09-10-2010, 01:51 AM
Thank youuuu SOoo so much sis =)



I have to ask Mufti . Thanks for asking ; now I am afraid, I also missed few fasting while in school :(

Most probably , I will go for feeding the poor.

PS. I just asked the Mufti . If get any reply, InshaAllah will post here.
Reply

Hamza Asadullah
09-18-2010, 05:28 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by AlwaysIslam
I'm now 19 years old, and I'm ashamed to say that I have broken multiple fasts (too many to count) including those from previous Ramadans :-[. These were fasts that I either made the intention of fasting, or I never woke up for Fajr to make the intention in the first place. I didn't find out that fasting has severe consequences until this Ramadan of 2010, for if I had known about these consequences I would not have broken my fasts without a real legit reason. I don't know if one can actually make up for the fasts that they missed, but how do I show Allah that I am truly ashamed of my actions, and that I will never break a required fast again without legit reason?

JazakAllah Khair.
Asalaamu Alaikum Wr Wb, jazakallahu khayran my sister for sharing this with us. It is clear Allah is wanting to guide you and that is why you are feeling remorseful and are wanting to do soemthing about the fasts that you have missed in your life.

According to Sheikh Ashraf Ali Thanvi:

In the Hadith, great rewards have been mentioned for fasting. The fasting person has a very high status in the sight of Allâh Ta'âla. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "The person who fasts in the month of Ramadhân solely for the pleasure of Allâh Ta'âla and for gaining His reward, all his past minor sins will be forgiven." Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "The smell which emanates from the mouth of a fasting person is more beloved in the sight of Allâh Ta'âla than the fragrance of musk." On the day of judgement, one would receive great rewards for fasting.

It is related in a Hadith that a table below the Arsh of Allâh Ta'âla will be laid for the fasting persons on the day of judgement. They will sit at this table and partake of the food while all the other people will still be busy giving their account of deeds. On seeing them, they will say: "How is it that these people are eating and drinking while we are still occupied in giving an account of our deeds?" It will be said to them that they used to fast while you abstained from fasting. This fasting is also a great pillar of Islam. The person who does not fast in the month of Ramadhân commits a major sin, and his Deen shall become weak.


Fasting in the month of Ramadhân is fard on every Muslim who is not a lunatic nor an immature person (minor). As long as there is no valid excuse, it is not permissible to abstain from fasting. If a person vows to fast, fasting becomes fard on him on account of this vow. The qada and kaffarah fasts are also fard. Apart from this, all other fasts are nafl - if a person keeps them he will be rewarded, and if he does not do so, there will be no sin on him. However, the fasts of eid ul-fitr, eid ul-ad'hâ, and the three days following eid ul-ad'hâ are all harâm.

Once the time of fajr salâh approaches (i.e. dawn) until the time of sunset, a person should make the intention of fasting and abstain from all food, drink, and sexual intercourse. This is known as fasting in the Shariah.

It is not necessary to make a verbal intention. Instead, once a person has this in his heart that today he is fasting and he does not eat or drink anything, nor does he indulge in sexual intercourse - his fast will be valid. If a person makes a verbal intention by saying: "O Allâh! I will fast for Your pleasure tomorrow", even then there is no harm in this.

A person did not eat nor drink anything the entire day and remained hungry and thirsty from morning till evening. However, in his heart he did not have the intention of fasting but merely abstained from food due to a lack of hunger, or, for some reason or the other he did not get the opportunity of eating anything - in such a case his fast will not be valid. Had he made the intention of fasting in his heart, his fast would have become valid.

According to the Shari'ah, the time of fasting commences from subah sâdiq. Therefore, as long as the subah sâdiq time does not expire, eating, drinking, etc. is permissible. Some women wake up early and after having a meal, they make the intention of fasting and sleep away thinking that once the intention is made, eating and drinking is not permissible. This is a gross error. As long as the subah sâdiq time does not expire, it is permissible to eat and drink. This is irrespective of whether the intention of fasting has been made or not.

In regards to your missed fasts then whether you were aware or not you will have to make up for all the fasts you missed in Ramadan from the age of puberty until now. If you are unsure as to how many then you will have to make up fasts to the nearest figure at least so you should take time to calculate them.

If you broke fasts after having made intention to keep them then you will have to fast 60 days in a row as Kaffarah (expiation for breaking fasts). This is on top of making up for all of the fasts that you have missed during ALL Ramadan's from puberty until now. So ALL the fasts that have been broken by eating or drinking, only one Kaffaarah will be sufficient. You will not have to keep separate Kaffaarah for each broken fast. Therefore you will have to keep 60 fasts in a row as expiation of ALL the fasts you have broken during ALL of the Ramadan's since puberty until now - Which is very fair. On top of that you will have to keep ALL the fasts that you missed in Ramadan from puberty until now.

One cannot choose whichever kaffarah one wants to do. One can ONLY do the other kaffarah like feed 60 poor people 2 meals if one is unable to fast 60 days in a row due to a long term illness which means they cannot fast. The 60 fasts HAVE to be in a row and CANNOT be broken except for a womens menses and when the menses have finished then the 60 fasts can be resumed. If one day is even missed for no valid reason apart from menses then the 60 fasts will have to be kept again. Here is a more detailed explanation on kaffarah:

http://books.themajlis.net/node/179

Any Salaah's which have been missed must also be kept from puberty until now. This is unanymous from the scholars of Islam. So one should calculate any Fard and witr Salaah's missed and pray them however one can as long as it is manageable for oneself.

If you want to show Allah that you are truly ashamed of your actions then you should continue to be remorseful and repent sincerely asking of Allah to forgive you and also accept the missed fasts that you are going to make the intention of keeping. You should also take steps to make up for all the missd Salaah's as Salaah is the most important obligation of all to us as Muslims and that which seperates us from kufr(disbelief) is Salaah.

Winter is on its way now so it will be much easier to do the 60 day kaffarah fasts as well as keep all of the missed fasts.

My sister it is good that you have been given this awareness and guidance at 19 years of age because a lot of Muslims are unfortunate and realise at a much later age and have a much bigger task of making up for fasts and Salaah which they have missed.

Also the worship of youth is better than worship later on in life because this is the age that one has most desires, strength, zeal and passion as wel as energy and one should use all of these to worship Allah and please him as much as is possible for death can overtake us at ANY second and just because one is young then it does not mean that one will live until old age. Just going to the grave yard one will see Muslims of ALL ages in the grave and they did not think that they will die so young. Whatever is decreed will happen and we should make the best of EVERY second of our lives before our end comes and people are praying on our graves.

So my sister fulfil the 60 day kaffarah as expiation of all the fasts you have ever broken and make up for all of the Salaah and fasts you have not done and ask of Allah to bring you closer to him and for him to gie you his mercy and forgiveness. Thank Allah for giving you the ability to realise your mistakes and to want to do something about it. Ask him to guide you to the straight path and to help you in your journey through this life and to make you of the pious slaves of Allah.


Here are some very beneficial lectures which you should listen to, to increase your imaan and fear of Allah:

Remembrance: ask Allah for his forgiveness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-EK9r3rMzQ


Angel of Death!!! - Sheikh Ahmed Ali

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUzRJXlB2uA

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki - Death (The Destroyer of Pleasures) [part 1/4]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieX7ZQtHl0s

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki - Death (The Destroyer of Pleasures) [part 2/4]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK_2sVGMW08

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki - Death (The Destroyer of Pleasures) [part 3/4]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpmzA2hk1Bo

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki - Death (The Destroyer of Pleasures) [part 4/4]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km39GfL62TQ

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki - The Journey of the Soul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAwHEXE3-n0


HARD HITTING Lecture on HELLFIRE & the Day of JUDGEMENT! يوم القيامة والجحيم

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O6L_fBk7VM

Sheikh Ahmad Ali - Hellfire Talk Part 1/3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWTehIeCOUU

Sheikh Ahmad Ali - Hellfire Talk Part 2/3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXTtk7rWx_U

Sheikh Ahmad Ali - Hellfire Talk Part 3/3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmiD86w9fBc


Islam - Punishment of the Grave by Sheikh Riyadh ul Haq

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWb-hYIm2WE

Death and the Grave by Murtaza Khan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r2nzJVecqo

How can we not appreciate what we have after watching this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkEBUC0APMg[/QUOTE]

AMAZING short speech -"The Goodly Life"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fugf1DcNyc

If you need help, advice or anything at all then please do not hesitate to ask. Please remember me in your duas.

and Allah knows best in all matters
Reply

Hamza Asadullah
09-18-2010, 05:34 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Muslim Woman
Salaam




I have to ask Mufti . Thanks for asking ; now I am afraid, I also missed few fasting while in school :(

Most probably , I will go for feeding the poor.

PS. I just asked the Mufti . If get any reply, InshaAllah will post here.

http://www.euro-sunni.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=453
Asalaamu Alaikum Wr Wb, my sister if you missed any fasts from puberty until now then you have to do qadha of every fast you missed. If you are unsure then you will have to calculate them from the best of your ability. If you intentionally broke any fasts without any valid excuse from eating or drinking from puberty until now then you will have to do only one kaffarah for all of the fasts you have ever broken intentionally by fasting 60 days in a row as kaffarah and you cannot choose whichever kaffarah you want to do unless you cannot fast 60 days in a row due to long term illness.

Please click on this link to learn about the rules of Kaffarah fast:

http://books.themajlis.net/node/179

And Allah knows best in all matters
Reply

AlwaysIslam
09-18-2010, 06:05 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Hamza81
So my sister fulfil the 60 day kaffarah as expiation of all the fasts you have ever broken and make up for all of the Salaah and fasts you have not done and ask of Allah to bring you closer to him and for him to give you his mercy and forgiveness
Wa-Alaikum-As-Salaam bro Hamza.

Shukran for this very beneficial post =) I learned a great deal of useful information in just a few minutes from reading it. Thank you!! So I have a question about the 60 day kaffarah fasting..in what month do I start fasting it? And does it have to be consecutive days? Again I can't thank you enough for your help.
May Allah bless you in this life and in the hereafter bro.
Reply

Hamza Asadullah
09-18-2010, 07:18 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by AlwaysIslam
Wa-Alaikum-As-Salaam bro Hamza.

Shukran for this very beneficial post =) I learned a great deal of useful information in just a few minutes from reading it. Thank you!! So I have a question about the 60 day kaffarah fasting..in what month do I start fasting it? And does it have to be consecutive days? Again I can't thank you enough for your help.
May Allah bless you in this life and in the hereafter bro.
Asalaamu Alaikum Wr Wb, you should fast the Kaffarah fasts sooner rather than later because death is immiment for all of us. Winter is fast approaching so make the best of the shorter days which will mean the fasts will be much easier to keep. The fasts have to be consecutive and if they are broken by anything else apart from your menses then you will have to keep all 60 again in a row because the whole point of them is that it is to be kept consecutively.

When the Kaffarah is commenced on the 1st day of the Islamic month, then fasting two full Islamic months will suffice for the Kaffarah even if the total number of days In the two months are 58 days (29 day months).

If, however, the Kaffarah is started during the course of the month, then it will be necessary to fast a full 60 days.

Hope that helped. May i ask sister how is your Salaah?
Reply

AlwaysIslam
09-18-2010, 07:35 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Hamza81
Asalaamu Alaikum Wr Wb, you should fast the Kaffarah fasts sooner rather than later because death is immiment for all of us. Winter is fast approaching so make the best of the shorter days which will mean the fasts will be much easier to keep. The fasts have to be consecutive and if they are broken by anything else apart from your menses then you will have to keep all 60 again in a row because the whole point of them is that it is to be kept consecutively.

When the Kaffarah is commenced on the 1st day of the Islamic month, then fasting two full Islamic months will suffice for the Kaffarah even if the total number of days In the two months are 58 days (29 day months).

If, however, the Kaffarah is started during the course of the month, then it will be necessary to fast a full 60 days.

Hope that helped. May i ask sister how is your Salaah?
Yes that helped!! Shukran =). As for my Salaah I have to say I have improved a lot! I used to skip prayers, but this year I've been different. I definitely pray the four prayers (dhur, asr, maghrib, isha) because I'm awake and don't miss them due to over sleeping. As for fajr prayer I'm still not a regular in it, because sometimes I sleep through my alarm =( or I think I wake up and turn off the alarm and fall back asleep because I'm so sleepy or something. But I have woken up many times this year to pray it, and after praying it I read some Quran instead of falling right back to sleep. But I really want to wake up and be able to pray Fajr, because I heard that one can't enter paradise immediately if they don't pray Fajr. But ofcourse I don't just want to pray to be able to go to heaven, I want to pray so that Allah is pleased with me.
Reply

Hamza Asadullah
09-18-2010, 08:53 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by AlwaysIslam
Yes that helped!! Shukran =). As for my Salaah I have to say I have improved a lot! I used to skip prayers, but this year I've been different. I definitely pray the four prayers (dhur, asr, maghrib, isha) because I'm awake and don't miss them due to over sleeping. As for fajr prayer I'm still not a regular in it, because sometimes I sleep through my alarm =( or I think I wake up and turn off the alarm and fall back asleep because I'm so sleepy or something. But I have woken up many times this year to pray it, and after praying it I read some Quran instead of falling right back to sleep. But I really want to wake up and be able to pray Fajr, because I heard that one can't enter paradise immediately if they don't pray Fajr. But ofcourse I don't just want to pray to be able to go to heaven, I want to pray so that Allah is pleased with me.
Asalaamu Alaikum, My sister what we need to realise is that Shaythan is always wanting to divert our attention and focus away from our real purpose in life. Therefore we have to continuously remind ourselves as to why we are here and what is our REAL purpose is on this earth. Have we been created to study, work, get married, have kids and then die? Well you could say that this is part of what we have to do in our lives on this earth but Almighty Allah tells us the sole purpose of our creation:

"I have created the jinn and humankind only for My worship" The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 51, Verse 56

What is the greatest form of worship to Allah? The answer is: Salaah!

Salaah is the second pillar of Islam and is the most important act of worship after the Shahada (decleration of faith).

It is the first question we will be asked as Muslims in the hereafter as to whether or not we fulfilled our Salaah or not. Therefore it is the most important act of worship that has been ordained to mankind.

So until our very last breath we should know what our priorities are and focus on fulfilling all of our Salaah as it is the very purpose of our creation.

Shaythan is very well aware that Salaah is our biggest obligation and so therefore is forever trying to divert mans attention away from fulfilling this obligation to Allah.

He whispers every excuse possible into our eyes and unfrotunatley a lot of the times we fall victim to his whispers.

Unfortunatley a lot of us are "Eid Muslims" as in we pray every Eid but what we don't realise is that Eid is only Waajib(compulsory) and not even Fard(obligatory) even though waajib is close to Fard but do yuo see the point? We are Muslims twice a year and the rest of the year just Muslims by name.

The there are the "Ramadan Muslims" who are just Muslims in Ramadan. They will make the effort to pray in Ramadan and even make the effort to pray Tarawee but the day Eid comes then Eid Salaah is the last Salaah they will read until next Ramadan.

There are also MANY of us who are "Jummah Muslims" who are only Muslims for Friday prayers and the rest of the week are only Muslims by name. We chase this world as if we will be here forever but what we don't realise is that NOTHING that we chase in this world will be of any good to us in the hereafter. So are we chasing after the wrong thing? Should we not be chasing after the hereafter?

I'm not saying don't do anything for this world because obviously we have been created to earn our sustanaince with our own hands but where should we put most of our efforts into? Where do investors make their investments? In long term or short term gains? Obviously long term gains. So using this analogy let us think where we should most of our investment into. If we compare where we will spend more time then is it in this world or hereafter? Obviously the hereafter because the hereafter is forever whereas this world can end for us ANY moment.

Therefore we MUST put most of our efforts into investing good deeds into the hereafter for that is what will truly benefit us FOREVER and the gains of this world will only benefit us for a very short while because we will not be able to take our wealth with us. We will leave EVERYTHING we have invested into this world here. So we can work SO hard all of our lives but then we can die the next day and all that would have gone to waste.

Many of us have also become "Convenience Muslims" as in we only pray when it suits us best or "when we have time". We must leave this concept of only being Muslims for Eid, or in Ramadan, Jummah or convenience whenever it suits us best.

There is NO such thing as being a part time Muslim. We CANNOT be Muslims when we want to be now and again. We CANNOT be Muslims only by name and not action. Therefore let us be proper Muslims and be proud of the fact that we are Muslims and that we have been given imaan but if we neglect our imaan then we may risk losing it and destroying ourselves.

Allah tells us In the Qur'an to enter fully into our deen and not partly:

O believers enter into Islam completely and do not follow the footsteps of Shaitan, surely he is your clear-cut enemy. If you falter after receiving the clear-cut message, then keep in mind that Allah is Mighty, Wise. Are they waiting for Allah to come down to them in the shadow of clouds, along with the angels, and make His decision known? Ultimately all matters will be presented to Allah for decision. (Surah Al-Baqara, Ayah 208-210)

Allah does not expect us to be perfect angels but he will judge us on what efforts we made throughout our lives. When you hear a person say "I try to read Salaah or i try to do what i can". Do you think they are really trying? Or are they just saying they are and decieving themselves? If we really tried we can do anything.

We can decieve ourselves but we cannot decieve Allah. Allah knows us better than we know ourselves and he knows what we are capable of and praying 5 times a day is not impossible for any of us.

If we calculate how long it would take to pray 5 times a day then you could sum it upto around 40 minutes a day. Now there are 1440 minutes in a day and 40 minutes out of 1440 of our day is ONLY 3% of a day and we still can't manage that? Many of us spend that much time eating, excreting or in front of a mirror and we can't even spend it praying and fulfilling the very purpose of our creation? We spend hours on end in front of the television or listening to Music or playing our playing the latest play station games or seeing who's poked us on facebook but we can't spend a few minutes praying to the one who has given us EVERYTHING we can possible imagine and far more? We are truly at loss!

Many of us work full time jobs having to work almost everyday of the year having to get up at early hours in order to do so. If we can do this then can't we pray Salaah 5 times a day for a few short minutes that it takes to pray them? If we really did try then we would not fail in praying our 5 prayers but we decieve ourselves and we end up wasting our lives decieving ourselves and then regret it later on when it is too late! Let us not be of those who will regret it forever!

So let us internalise these changes in our heads and immerse ourselves into our beautiful way of life and not let ourselves stop practising as soon as Ramadan is over for the best way to know if our Ramadan has been accepted or not is if we actually make changes to our lives after Ramadan is over. If we go back to how we were before Ramadan started then how can we except for our Ramadan to be accepted.

I'm not saying that we should become saints overnight but what i am saying is that we should at least fulfill our obligations to Allah and that is to establish our 5 times prayers and to keep away from that which Allah has forbidden. If we can't pray the Sunnah and Nafil then we MUST at least pray the Fard as a minimum.

Rather than moulding our life around our Salaah we mould our Salaah around our life so whenever we are sitting around at home then we decide to pray.

We must remember that it is an act of kufr(disbelief) to neglect the Salaah beyond its correct time and this is for missing one Salaah but how many Salaah do we continuously miss day in and day out? Some scholars even say missing Salaah intentionally takes one out of the fold of Islam. This is how serious missing Salaah really is!

Rasulallah (Pbuh) said: "What lies between a man and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer." (Muslim)

It is a major sin to miss even one prayer and leaving even one Salaah without a valid excuse is said to cause one to spend tens of thousands of years in Jahannam and on top of that every Salaah missed is VAST rewards missed out which we will never be able to gain back.

Therefore it is incumbant on us that we fulfil ALL of our Salaah and not make excuses as to why we cannot fulfill it because Islam has been made easy for us but it is us who makes it hard upon ourselves and because of the amount of sins that we committ we find it hard to do even simple acts of worship.

Allah has made it so easy for us so let us not make it hard for ourselves and let us not listen to the lame excuses that shaythan and our desires gives us.

Let us not waste a second more for death can approach us at ANY moment and believe me death does not wait for ANYONE! It comes not a second ahead or before its appointed time and if our Salaah is not right then surely we are doomed to destruction.

So let us fulfill our very purpose in this life which is to worship Allah. We need to keep reminding ourselves of death and the hereafter and also the greatness of Allah. We need to always remember our time is too short and can go at any second. So let us never leave another Salah and when we pray then let us imagine we can see Allah and he is watching us pray so it is best to learn the meanings of what we are praying in our Salaah.

In regards to waking up for Fajr Salaah then you must take the following steps:

1. Try to sleep as early as possible if you do not need to do anything imortant after Isha Salaah because the earlier you sleep the easier it will be to wake up for Fajr

2. Try not to have any heavy meals in the evening as this will make it harder for you to wake up for Fajr

3. Try to encourage your family to also wake up for Fajr and tell them of the importance of Salaah as well as the fact that it is the purpose of our creation. If your family wakes up for Fajr then it will also be easier for you as they would also wake you up. If one or two of your family members do wake up for Fajr then tell them to also wake you up.

4. Make firm intention in your heart that you will wake up for Fajr no matter what and ask of Allah in your dua to make it easy for you to wake up for Fajr prayer.

5. Put on two or even three alarms and put them on 5 minutes apart and put them in places in your room where you know it will be a struggle getting to them. This way you will have to be wide awake to get to the alarms. As there will be three of them this will prevent you going back to bed again.

6. Most importantly when you awaken for Fajr then do NOT say to yourself i'll lay for a bit and then get up. This is the biggest trick of shaythan to make us fall asleep and miss Fajr prayer. As soon as the eyes are open then go straight to the bathroom.

Hope that helped inshallah and if you follow these tips then you will be praying Fajr everyday in no time and you will feel this amazing peace and happiness in your heart everyday knowing that you got up out of your bed for the pleasure of Allah!


Here are some very beneficial articles for you to help you on your journey to Jannah and to make best use of every second of your life in this world:



10 Steps to Increasing our Iman(Faith)

http://www.islamicboard.com/showthre...our-Iman(Faith)


30 ways the youth should spend everyday of their lives!

http://www.islamicboard.com/showthre...of-their-lives!


Easy Dhikr which is light on the tongue but heavy on the scales!

http://www.islamicboard.com/showthre...-on-the-scales!


My Daily Ibadah (worship) check!

http://www.islamicboard.com/showthre...worship)-check!


10 steps to getting closer to Allah

http://www.islamicboard.com/showthre...loser-to-Allah


Forty Very Easy, Quick & Rewarding Good Deeds for all of us to do Everyday!

http://www.islamicboard.com/showthre...to-do-Everyday!


VERY Rewarding Nafl Salaahs we can Pray Everyday!

http://www.islamicboard.com/showthre...-Pray-Everyday!


And Allah knows best in all matters
Reply

AlwaysIslam
09-18-2010, 10:20 PM
:wa: Bro.
You should be a lecturer or something, you definitely got your point across to me. The sole purpose we are put on Dunya is to worship Allah...and I haven't been doing that very well :cry:. InshAllah I will never miss an obligatory prayer again, because if I do then I'm breaking one of the pillars of Islam, which in turn doesn't make me a decent muslim. So inshAllah tomorrow I will pray fajr and you will be in my dua's =).
Jazak Allah Khair.
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