Blog

Author: Muhammad Hashim Bastawi

When Ramadan in 2024

In 2024, If the month of Sha’ban is 29 days long and the moon rises, then Ramadan will begin on ¹² March  and if the month of Sha’ban is 30 days long, then Ramadan will begin on ¹³ March.

Dear friends! The month of Ramadan is very blessed; there are many blessings about this month in the Quran and Hadiths, and those who keep fast get a lot of reward from Allah Almighty. In this article, we are going to tell you about the virtues of the month of Ramadan. And what rewards will we get from Allah in this month? So, first of all, let’s start this article with the virtues of Ramadan.

The virtues and Benefits of Ramadan in the Quran

The month of Ramadan, in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind, clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (of right and wrong),. And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, let him fast the same number of other days. Allah desireth for you ease; He desireth not hardship for you; and (He desireth) that you should complete the period, that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that peradventure you may be thankful.

Explanation of this verse

As far as the merit of this month is concerned, it has been said that Allah Almighty has chosen this month to reveal Scriptures. Consequently, the Holy Qur’an was revealed in this very month. According to a narration from the blessed Companion Wathilah ibn Asga’ appearing in the Musnad of Ahmad, the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that Abrahamic scriptures were revealed on the first of Ramadan, the Torah on the sixth, the Evangel on the thirteenth and the Qur’an on the twenty fourth of Ramadan. In another narration from the blessed Companion Sayyidna Jabir (رض) ، it appears that Zabur (the Book of Psalms) was revealed on the twelfth of Ramadan and the Evangel on the eighteenth. (Ibn Kathir)

All previous Books mentioned in the hadith cited above were revealed on dates given in their entirety. It is a peculiarity of the Holy Qur’an that it was sent from the Preserved Tablet down to the Firmament of the Earth in one night of the month of Ramadan, all of it. But, it was revealed to the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) gradually during a period of twenty three years.

The night of Ramadan when the Qur’an was revealed was the Night of Power as mentioned by the Qur’an itself when it said: إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ‌ (We have revealed it in the Laylatul ‘Qadr, the Night of Power). The hadith cited above places it on the twenty fourth of Ramadan and according to Sayyidna Hasan, the Night of Power falls on the night of twenty fourth which aligns this hadith with the statement of the Qur’an. Should this alignment be unacceptable, the fact remains that the statement of the Qur’an is above everything else, in which case, whatever night is the Night of Power that shall be regarded to be what the Qur’an intends.

The next sentence مَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ‌ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ‘ (those of you who witness the month must fast therein) carries many pointers to injunctions relating to fasting. The word, shahida is derived from shuhud شُهود which means presence. The word, al-shahr الشَّهْرَ‌means the month. It denotes the month of Ramadan here which has been identified above. The sentence, therefore, means that it is obligatory for one who is ‘present’ in the month of Ramadan that he fasts throughout that month. The general choice of paying ransom for not fasting, mentioned in the previous verse, was cancelled by this sentence and fasting is now the only alternative in force.

As for the ‘witnessing’ of the month or being ‘present’ in the month of Ramadan, it simply means that a person finds the blessed month of Ramadan with ability to fast. In other words, he or she should be a Muslim, sane, pubert, resident and well-purified from all impurities including those of menstruation and childbed. Therefore, the persons who lacked the initial ability to fast throughout the month, such as, the disbelievers, the minor, the insane, they are not subject to the obligation of fasting, because the verse obligating the fasts did not intend them. As for those who did have the personal ability but were compelled at some time by a legally acceptable excuse, such as, a woman in menstruation or childbed, or a sick person or one on a journey, these have, in a way, found the month of Ramadan in a state of ability, therefore, the injunction in the verse applies to them. However, because of temporal compulsion, relief from fasting has been granted at that particular time, but qada’ قضاء will be necessary later on.

Rulings

1. The verse tells us that fasts of Ramadan become obligatory only on the condition that one finds the month of Ramadan in a state of ability to fulfill the obligation. Therefore, anyone who ‘finds’ the whole of Ramadan will come under obligation to fast during the entire month of Ramadan. Anyone who ‘finds’ somewhat less of it, he will fast for the number of days he finds in Ramadan. So, should a disbeliever embrace Islam in the middle of Ramadan, or a minor becomes pubert, they will have to fast from that point onwards; they will not do gada’ قضاء fasts for the previous days of Ramadan. However, the insane person, being a Muslim adult, does have the personal ability to observe fasts;
so, should he regain his sanity during any part of Ramadan, he shall become obligated to do qada’ قضاء fasts for the previous days of Ramadan. Similarly, should a woman in menstruation or childbed become purified in the middle of Ramadan, or a sick person becomes healthy, or a traveller becomes a resident, qada قضاء fasts for the previous days of Ramadan will become obligatory on them.
2. How does one ‘find’ or ‘witness’ the month of Ramadan? According to Islamic law, it is proved in either of the three ways:
a) One gets to have a sighting of the Ramadan moon with his own eyes.
b) The sighting of the moon is proved through some trustworthy witness.
c) In the absence of the two conditions cited above, thirty days of the month of Sha’ban will be completed following which the month of Ramadan will set in.
3. If, on the eve of the twenty ninth of Sha` ban, the new moon is not visible on the horizon because of clouds or bad weather conditions, and at the same time, there comes no witness of moon-sighting as admissible under Islamic law, the next day will be known as the ‘day of doubt’ یوم الشک (yawm al-shakk) because the possibility exists that the moon may have really been there on the horizon but could not become visible due to unclear horizon as it is also possible that the moon was just not there on the horizon. On such a day, since ‘the presence of the month’ or the ‘finding of Ramadan’ or being a ‘witness’ to it does not apply, therefore, fasting for that day is not obligatory, instead, it is makruh مکروہ (reprehensible) to fast on that day. It has been forbidden in the hadith so that fard فرض and nafl نفل ، (the obligatory and the supererogatory) do not get mixed up with each other (Jasss).

4. In countries where days and nights extend over months, the ‘finding of Ramadan’ does not, obviously, seem to apply. The situation would require that people living there should not fast. As far as Salah is concerned, al-Huluwani and al-Qabali from among the Hanafi jurists have ruled that such people will be bound to observe Salah in accordance with the timings of their own day and night. For instance, in a country where dawn follows immediately after maghrib, there the Salah of ` Isha’ will just not be obligatory. (shami) This makes it necessary that in an area where the day lasts for six months, people would have only five Salahs in six months and, for that matter, they will witness no Ramadan coming there, therefore, fasting will not become obligatory for them. Maulana Ashraf ` Ali-Thanavi (رح) has, in Imdad al-Fatawa, taken this very position.

Note:

In the sentence وَمَن كَانَ مَرِ‌يضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ‌ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَر (should anyone be sick, or on a journey, then, a number from other days), the sick and the travelling have been granted leave that they may not fast at that time. When the sick person regains his health and the traveller returns home, they can make up for the days they missed by doing qada’ قضاء fasts. It will be recalled that this injunction had appeared in the previous verse, but now that the choice of paying fidyah (ransom) for not fasting has been cancelled, a doubt could creep up in relation to the concession granted to the sick and the travelling, that it may have been abrogated as well, therefore, the provision was positively repeated. .[1]

The virtues and Benefits of Ramadan in Hadiths

Translation

Salman al-Farisi told of allah’s messenger saying in a sermon which he delivered to them on the last day of Sha’ban, “A great month, a blessed month, a month containing a night which is better than a thousand months has approached you people. God has appointed the observance of fasting during it as an obligatory duty, and the passing of its night in prayer as a voluntary practice.

If someone draws near to God during it with some good act he will be like one who fulfils an obligatory duty in another month, and he who fulfills an obligatory duty in it will be like one who fulfills seventy obligatory duties in another month. It is the month of endurance, and the reward of endurance is paradise.

It is the month of sharing with others, and a month in which the believer’s provision is increased. If someone gives one who has been fasting something with which to break his fast it will provide forgiveness of his sins and save him from hell, and he will have a reward equal to his without his reward being diminished in any respect.”

Some of them remarked to God’s messenger that they did not all have the means to give one who had been fasting something with which to break his fast, and he replied, “God gives this reward to him who gives one who has been fasting some milk mixed with water, or a date, or a drink of water with which to break his fast, and anyone who gives a full meal to one who has been fasting will be given a drink from any tank by God and will not thirst till he enters paradise. It is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is freedom from hell. If anyone makes things easy for his slave during it, God will forgive him and free him from hell.” [2]

Summary of hadith

In this hadith, there are many virtues of the month of Ramadan, where everything is present. In this, there is the reward of worship in Ramadan, and what should be done in Ramadan? And what will the servants of Allah get in return for Ramadan? Everything has been told in this hadith.

It is came in other hadith:

Abu Hurairah reported that Allah’s messenger is saying, “Every [good] deed a son of Adam does will be multiplied, a good deed receiving a tenfold to seven hundredfold reward. God has said, ‘With the exception of fasting, for it is done for my sake, and I give a reward for it. One abandons his passion and his food for my sake. The one who fasts has two occasions of joy: one when he breaks his fast and one when he meets his Lord. [3]

The doors of heaven are opened in Ramadan

Abu Hurairah reported Allah’s messenger as saying, “When Ramadan begins, the gates of heaven are opened.” A version says, “The gates of paradise are opened, the gates of Jahannam are locked, and the devils are chained.” Another has, “The gates of mercy are opened.”[4]

Explanation

This is done to honor and celebrate the month of Ramadan, so that the servants of Allah can worship Allah without being protected from satanic tricks.

An Important Question and answer

An important question here is: when all the devils have been banned by Allah, then no person should commit any sin during Ramadan? Since we see that those who commit sins continue to commit sins even in the month of Ramadan, then what is the benefit of locking up the devils?

The answer to this is that for people who become addicted to sins, their hearts become black, and their hearts do not accept even any good things, and neither are their ears hearing any good things, nor are their eyes seeing any good things, For such people, Ramadan and any other Ramadan are equal, there is no difference between them being a devil’s band and being open, The devil’s closure and opening make no difference to them, because now they themselves have become devils; hence, many such people do not desist from committing sins even in the holy month of Ramadan.

Blessings of Ramadan and our condition

Dear friends! From what we have just told about the month of Ramadan, it becomes clear that there are only blessings throughout the month of Ramadan, everyone can easily guess this for Iftar and food; whether a person is poor or rich, there are many items on everyone’s table, many people say that during Ramadan, Allah gives us things that we cannot even think of eating in other months, really, all this is the blessing of Ramadan, and it always remains during Ramadan.

Despite this blessing, mercy, and virtue, there are still many of our brothers, who remain deprived of the blessings and mercy of Allah during Ramadan, because in this season of fasting they do not keep fast, It is a matter of great regret for our young generation that the survey has revealed that today, 80% of the youth do not fast, which is very bad news for the future of Muslims, because if the trend continues like this, then one day no one will fast in Ramadan.

Appeal to friends

My appeal to those friends who have read the article is to fast themselves and tell their friends about the virtues of Ramadan so that they also fast, may Allah give us all the opportunity to benefit from the blessings of Ramadan and keep fast in the month of Ramadan. Ameen.

References

[1] Ma’ariful Quran by Mufti Taqi Uthmani

[2] Sahih Ibne Khuzimah (1887)

[3] Sahih Muslim (1151)

[4] Sahih Bukhari (1899) Sahih Muslim (1079)