Fasting during the long summer days

  • Thread starter Thread starter greenhill
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 48
  • Views Views 10K
sister herb said:
http://www.islamicfinder.org/prayerPrintableHijri.php?city2=utsjoki&state=06&id =48881&country2=finland&zipcode=&timez=2.00&dayl=1 &longi=27.0000&lati=69.6667&dayLight=1&pmethod=1&H anfiShafi=1&dhuhrInterval=1&maghribInterval=1&pray erCustomize=&fajrTwilight=0&ishaTwilight=0&ishaInt erval=0&monthHijri=9&yearHijri=1434&state_display= Lappi&lang=

Welcome to our Ramadan...
Click to expand...

Wow!! Here, Maghrib will be at the beginning 8:00 , then will go down to just 7:38
 
Quite interesting!

Why not go to Mecca and spend Ramadan there instead of using Meccan time. Is there a fatwa that allows using Meccan time?
 
glo said:


Why does the sunrise and sunset suddenly switch on the 27th? On the 26th the sun rises at 5:50 and on the next day 4 hours earlier?
I can't work out why it should do that.

Same with the sunset. 20:46 one day and 00:41 the next?

Can you explain?
Click to expand...

I live so north that sun is shinig all night. I don´t stay in Utsjoki but here too my night is now only 3 hours.

:embarrass
 
sister herb said:
I live so north that sun is shinig all night. I don´t stay in Utsjoki but here too my night is now only 3 hours.
Click to expand...
Oh, so those are the prayer times rather than the actual times for sunrise and sunset?
What or where do the sunrise and sunset times on your link refer to then?

I googled and found out that the days are 24 hours long for the whole of June and most of July.
http://www.sunrise-and-sunset.com/en/finland/utsjoki
 
Salam alaykum

It is normal here to follow times of the nearest islamic country like Turkey or Saudi Arabia/Mecca.

Some remove fasting to winter if they live in the Lappland (welcome to fast 24 hours every day a month!)
 
Found on the net:

Translation from Arabic to English

An extract from a Fatwa no. 575/2010-11-21 by Al-Azhar Al-Sharif

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

We believe that Muslims living near to the North and South poles and what is close to them; in which the days are long and nights short; have two choices when it comes to fasting Ramadan:

- Either to abide by the timings of the countries in which the Islamic legislations appeared and in which day and night hours are in moderation (Mecca and Medina). That is, to fast the same number of hours as these two cities.

-Or to calculate the hours of fasting in the closest country, in which day and night hours are in moderation; and in which the wisdom of Allah Almighty’s decree of Prayers and Fasting is maintained without resulting in too much exhaustion or fatigue.

As it might not be easy to calculate the closest country to Sweden that maintains this status, we are more inclined towards proposing that Muslims who live in Sweden and other countries with the same situation, to fast the exact number of hours that Muslims fast in Mecca and Medina. Taking into factor, that their fasting starts at the time of Fadjr in their location [Sweden, etc.], without taking into account their day and night hours, nor having to wait for sunset or nightfall to stop fasting.

We reached this conclusion in accordance with what scholars pursue when it comes to estimating the timings of Prayers and Fasting and following the orders of Allah and His guidance in the Holy Quran, as Allah in His mercy says: {Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.} (Surat Albaqarah 2: 185). Allah Almighty also says: {Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.} (Surat Albaqarah 2: 286).

Allah Almighty knows best.

Members of the Fatwa committee

1- Sheikh / Ashour Al-Wakil (Signature)
2- Sheikh /Mohammad Mohammad Awis (Signature)
3- Sheikh / Gamal Abd Al-Samih (Signature)
4- Sheikh / Al-Sayed Al-Kasas (Signature)

Secretary of the committee

Said Amer (Signature)

Seal:* Al-Azhar Al-Sharif

Islamic research complex


The Fatwa committee
Click to expand...


Makes perfect sense.
 
Actually there is a hadith about that. I don't remember it exactly, but it was about the anti-Christ and how the day would last a year and another day would last a month, and another day would last a week, etc. The companions asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم how they would pray in those days. The Prophet told them to calculate the time and pray accordingly.

So while this hadith is about the anti-Christ, it can be used to solve the issue of places with 24 hour days and 24 hour nights. In such places you would calculate the time and pray (and fast) accordingly, instead of fasting 24 hours. I like the idea of using the hours of the nearest Muslim country. Thus, if fast starts at 4 AM and ends at 6 PM in nearby Muslim country, then one can use those timings for their fasts. Also, for prayer, you would calculate the prayer timings since you can't determine them with the movements of the sun. (this would be for those places with 24 hour day or 24 hour night.)

There's an answer to everything in Islam. This is because this religion is from God and God knew that such issues would arise.
 
glo said:

Exactly! It would mean that Muslims could not survive in certain parts of the world.
Click to expand...
That is absolutely not true, as the above few posts have just explained. In the very verses related to fasting in the Qur'an, the concept of ease in Islam is highlighted.

183. O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -

184. [Fasting for] a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] - a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]. And whoever volunteers excess - it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.

185. The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.

[Al-Baqarah 2: 183-185]


The people of old age, the sick and the travellers are all taken into account. In verse 185, the concessions are repeated to emphasise that the religion is ease. Then Allaah :swt: says (interpetation of the meaning), Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship...


And there are many other texts both in the Qur'an and in the Sunnah which make this point. An example from the hadith is where the Prophet :saws: said, '...Allah did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He has sent me to teach and make things easy.' [Muslim 1478, part of a longer hadith].


So in every situation, the circumstances have been accounted for, and Islam is the religion for all times and all places. We rememeber always that our Creator legislated this beautiful religion from His infinite knowledge and perfect wisdom.
 
Muhammad, what I meant to say is that if Muslims had to abide by the daylight hours of their country (as some posters seem to have suggested), they simply would not be able to survive the month of Ramadan in certain parts of the world, where such ruling would mean not being able to break the fast for the entire month.

Your evidence shows otherwise, so I am glad to hear that Muslims can and indeed do exist in every part of the world. :)
 
glo said:
Muhammad, what I meant to say is that if Muslims had to abide by the daylight hours of their country (as some posters seem to have suggested), they simply would not be able to survive the month of Ramadan in certain parts of the world, where such ruling would mean not being able to break the fast for the entire month.
Click to expand...
Yes, that is clearly not the case because it is inconceivable that God would ask us to do something beyond our capability. He has forbidden us to cause harm to our body, how then could he legislate something that forces harm upon us? That is why it's important to speak about these issues based upon knowledge and understanding, as ignorance paves the way to misguidance.

There are a number of scholarly verdicts regarding what to do in places where the sun shines for 24 hours, for example:
http://islamqa.info/en/ref/5842
http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=articles&id=152755
 
Narrated Anas bin Malik: A group of three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet asking how the Prophet worshipped (Allah), and when they were informed about that, they considered their worship insufficient and said, "Where are we from the Prophet as his past and future sins have been forgiven." Then one of them said, "I will offer the prayer throughout the night forever." The other said, "I will fast throughout the year and will not break my fast." The third said, "I will keep away from the women and will not marry forever." Allah's Apostle came to them and said, "Are you the same people who said so-and-so? By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I fast and break my fast, I do sleep and I also marry women. So he who does not follow my tradition in religion, is not from me (not one of my followers)." (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr: Allah's Messenger :saws: was informed that I have said: "By Allah, I will fast all the days and pray all the nights as long as I live." On that, Allah's Messenger :saws: asked me. "Are you the one who says: 'I will fast all the days and pray all the nights as long as I live?' " I said, "Yes, I have said it." He said, "You cannot do that. So fast (sometimes) and do not fast (sometimes). Pray and sleep. Fast for three days a month, for the reward of a good deed is multiplied by ten time, and so the fasting of three days a month equals the fasting of a year." I said, "O Allah's Messenger :saws:! I can do (fast) more than this." He said, "Fast on every third day. I said: I can do (fast) more than that, He said: "Fast on alternate days and this was the fasting of David which is the most moderate sort of fasting." I said, "O Allah's Messenger :saws:! I can do (fast) more than that." He said, "There is nothing better than that." [Sahih al-Bukhari 3418]
 

Similar Threads

Back
Top