Saum is an Arabic word
for fasting.
It means
fasting usually during the month of Ramadhan
رمضــان
Fasting may also be
done at other times of the year. Fasting means no eating, drinking or smoking for a certain period of time. In other words, fasting means that we deny ourselves eating, drinking,
etc. although we may become hungry or thirsty.
Allah (swt)
ordered the duty of fasting in Islam after He had ordered the Salat (Prayer).
DO WE HAVE TO FAST?
Yes of course, we had better do
it. Fasting is compulsory for all adult Muslims. We ought to do it since it is a definite order from Allah (swt). All adult Muslims should fast during the month of Ramadhan, be
they:
Men or women
Rich or poor
Black or white
A child doesn't have to fast but he
can certainly try for a few days or so.
IS FASTING DONE DURING WINTER?
No, fasting does not
necessarily fall during wintertime, since Ramadhan is a lunar month. This means that Ramadhan keeps advancing almost eleven days every year, just like all other lunar months.
Therefore, the month of Ramadhan may fall during winter or autumn, or it may fall during summer or spring.
When people in
North America fast during wintertime because Ramadhan happens to fall at that season, the people in South America will be fasting during summertime since that will be the season
when the month of Ramadhan falls. This way, people all over the world will have their equal share of Ramadhan fasting during all seasons.
HOW DO WE FAST?
Fasting is a
duty upon every Muslim after he or she has reached a certain age. It is an order from Almighty God and we had better observe it and put it into action. It is during the month of
Ramadhan that we are to fast, every year, year in and year out. That is, of course, if we are healthy and capable, and if there are no special reasons for us not to fast.
We eat before
dawn, before a special set time. The family gets up from sleep, prepares the food and the fasting people will eat until they feel full enough. Eating this meal always takes place
before dawn, in the very early hours of the morning, when it is still dark outside.
When the time
comes beyond which fasting of the day starts, a fasting person will not eat, drink or smoke. This will continue all through daytime even if the person feels hungry or thirsty.
When the sun
sets and it gets slightly dark outside, and when the time for breaking the fast becomes due, the fasting people will gather to break the fast. Usually, after saying a short Du'aa,
they break the fast on something light to eat. Many will follow that by performing their Maghrib Prayer, then sit down to eat to their heart's desire. They can eat as they need,
from the time they break their fast until the cycle repeats itself for next day's fasting.
Breaking the fast is
called: Iftaar إفطـــار
Eating before dawn is
called: Suhoor
سحــور
HOW MANY HOURS DO WE FAST A DAY?
The length of
fasting for a given day varies from one day to the next. Of course, during wintertime the days are short, so you may fast no more than eleven hours or less. During summertime,
however, the days are long, and naturally fasting will take longer. During summertime fasting may even take as long as seventeen or eighteen hours a day.
A person who
is fasting will be hungry and he will also be thirsty. When we fast and experience hunger and thirst, we learn a good lesson in how to control ourselves. We learn to control our
desires and experience how some unfortunate poor persons feel if they do not have the money to feed themselves.
DO WE DO ANYTHING ELSE DURING
RAMADHAN?
Yes, of course,
especially if you are lucky to be in a town which has a Mosque or a Muslim community. Taraweeh Prayers
may be conducted, especially if there is a Mosque in the area. These prayers will consist of a good many Rak'as and it is done in congregation where you join others in doing it.
The Holy Quran is read systematically during these prayers. (Du'aa Iftitaah
and Jawshan Al-Kabir are recited in other Islamic Centers of the Shi'a Islamic schools of thought, often following Salat and breaking the fast)
Taraweeh prayers
are continually done, every night during Ramadhan, until the reading of the Holy Quran is completed. Not all Mosques carry on the Taraweeh prayers, but if your Mosque does, it
will be good of you and your parents to attend.
In addition to
the above, there will be the celebration of a special night near the end of Ramadhan. It falls on one of the odd-number days of the last ten days of Ramadhan. The night is
called:
Leilatul‑Qadr or Night
of the Power ليــله
ألقـدر (Leilatul-Qadr
is observed on the night of the 27th of Ramadhan by the Sunni schools of thought, and the night of the 21st of Ramadhan by the Shi'a school of thought (the night Imam Ali died).
It is usual for a
good many people to attend on such a night. They will pray in congregation, and listen to the reading from the Holy Quran. Then everyone will gather to socialize, celebrating
this great night. This night is religiously superior to one thousand months.
Lastly, each
one of us will have to pay a special Zakat, before or on the day of Eid‑ul‑Fitr. This Zakat is called: Zakat‑ul‑Fitr
زكاه الفـطر
Zakat-ul-Fitr
consists of enough money to feed one poor man one meal for each person paying the Zakat.
WHAT
WILL I LEARN THROUGH FASTING?
Ramadhan is a
unique month. It is a month when we intentionally, willingly and obediently sacrifice. During daytime we sacrifice our wishes to eat, drink, smoke, or to have sexual contact with
our spouses. After breaking the fast, these restrictions are removed. It is very important to know that you ought to have the intention of fasting before you do fast.
Ramadhan
teaches us that through fasting we learn self‑discipline and how to control our desires. We become the masters of ourselves, for the love of God and out of obedience to His
Commands.
We wish to eat, but
we control ourselves and don't eat though we are hungry.
We wish to drink, but
we control ourselves and don't drink though we are thirsty.
This is also true of
all other desires. Therefore, we learn patience, we feel calm inside, we feel good inside, we feel clean inside. We will always remember God Almighty when we are fasting, thus we
will have a beautiful sense of continuously remembering Allah and His directives.
HOW
ABOUT OUR MANNERS DURING RAMADHAN?
During
Ramadhan we become especially careful about our manners and our conduct. We watch ourselves and try to reach the ideal of being good. Ramadhan is a great teacher, it teaches us:
to be
good and helpful,
to
act and behave very well,
to be
patient and considerate and,
to
sacrifice willingly.
Our acts of charity
reach their zenith during this month. Loving and helping other Muslims reach their pinnacle during this month. All this is done for the sake of Allah Almighty.
WHAT IS THE OUTCOME OF THE FASTING EXPERIENCE?
When you are
through fasting, you will feel as if you have become a better human being. You will feel that you have become better spiritually and morally. You will feel good inside because
you have been successful in obeying God's Commands through fasting during the blessed month of Ramadhan. You will feel that you have accomplished something great, and only for the
sake of Allah Almighty.
Ramadhan is not just
to make you feel hungry and thirsty. Through Ramadhan:
we learn to control our tempers,
we learn to be patient and considerate,
we learn to be kind, nice, and helpful, and
we learn to be humble and watch what we do carefully.
During Ramadhan we
learn to be a more complete Muslim. We learn to follow the foot‑steps of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) more closely.
We also ought
to read the Holy Quran during Ramadhan and learn about its meaning. Many people finish reading the whole Book during this month. When they are finished, they will have acquired a
sense of self‑purification.
WILL I LOSE WEIGHT IF I FAST?
It is quite
possible that you might lose some weight. You will feel better however, and your weight bounces back in a week or two after fasting is finished.
People who are
overweight will learn that it is possible to control their desire for eating, and they may be able to control their weight problem with less difficulty. Fasting offers a number of
advantages to one's health.
SHOULD I FAST IF I AM SICK?
You shouldn't
fast if you are sick. Better still, your doctor will be able to advise you whether you should or shouldn't fast. You should obey his orders in health matters, but the final moral
decision to fast or not is the responsibility of the believer. You must remember though, the number of days in Ramadhan that you miss fasting, ought to be made up by fasting an
equal number of days any time later in the year.
Ramadhan has a
spirit, a special spirit. When you share fasting with your family and others, you will enjoy a feeling of closeness and togetherness, different from other times in the year when
you might fast.
ARE THERE OTHER CONDITIONS WHEN WE SHOULDN'T FAST?
Yes, there are.
They are as follows:
If you are traveling over a certain distance for business or for special affairs, you should not fast.
A woman in her monthly period should not fast.
A nursing lady should not fast.
It is to be observed
that the days of fasting missed during the month of Ramadhan, are to be made up at other times of the year, before the next Ramadhan.
WHY MAKE UP THE MISSED DAYS OF
FASTING?
Allah (swt)
does not want to cause us hardship. Fasting is for our benefit, physically, morally and spiritually. If there is any condition where fasting can be harmful, then you may not
fast. Let us take some examples:
A
pregnant lady may not fast if fasting is harmful.
A
nursing lady may not fast if fasting is harmful.
An
old person may not fast if fasting is harmful.
Even if you are in a
situation where fasting can cause serious hardships, then you may not fast.
WHAT IF I FORGET AND BREAK THE FAST?
If you have
put something in your mouth, out of habit and without intending to, your fast will be valid on condition that you stop and discontinue what you were doing right away.
If you break
your fast on purpose, however, then it is a completely different thing. In that case you have to fast in compensation, later on. For purposeful breaking of the fast, you
compensate either by fasting 60 days or feeding sixty people for each and every day of fasting you purposefully missed. See how tough it is if you deliberately break the fast!
TELL ME MORE ABOUT FASTING
Not drinking,
not eating, and being away from desires, are only part of the requirements of fasting. In addition, you have to keep pure thoughts and pure intentions, since during Ramadhan you
try to purify everything in you.
You may be
charitable during Ramadhan, and try harder to help your fellow man. You give of yourself. If you are knowledgeable, you give of your knowledge. If you have money, you help
others financially. Feed the poor. Be extra good and help others as much as you can. You go the extra mile in your acts of charity. You try extra hard to avoid gossip,
back-biting, and slander.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT RAMADHAN
Ramadhan is a
sacred month. Allah (swt) chose it for fasting. It is the ninth month of the lunar year. Like other lunar months, it begins with the appearance of the new moon and ends with the
appearance of the next new moon.
It keeps
moving about eleven days ahead every year. If you are in a Muslim country, you will see that the restaurants and eating places close during the daytime all through the month of
Ramadhan.
In the Muslim
countries, the shops will usually be open at night, often until late in the night. The bazaars and markets become full of activity at night too. People tend to invite other
people to break the fast with them. People visit other people more often at night, and they enjoy socializing a great deal. After all, this is the very special month, the month
of Ramadhan.
When the sun
sets, and if you are in a Muslim country, you hear the Athan from the Minarets.
You will be waiting anxiously for the call, and when you hear the Athan, you will break your fast after a short Du'aa, may pray "Maghrib Prayer," then you will eat more fully.
Late, late in
the night, you may also be awakened by Tamjeed (Special Prayers,) loudly recited from the Minarets. You may hear the soft‑hush‑hush movement of people awakening in your
neighborhood. They awaken to fix and eat their Suhoor meal. Some people may even stay awake until Subh Prayer.
It is somehow
fun to do, and there is a special pleasure and blessing in joining other people who are fasting like you.
WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN RAMADHAN IS OVER?
There will be three
days of celebration. It is called:
Eid-ul-Fitr
عيــد الفـطر
People will rejoice
for having been able to fast. They celebrate the occasion by being grateful and thankful to Allah (swt). They perform Eid‑Prayer in the Mosque in congregation. Children put on
fresh clothes. Visitation of friends and relatives is usually done. Everyone is happy with the occasion.
Provision of
food for the poor is frequently done by those who are able to.
QUESTIONS:
What is Saum? Which pillar of worship is it?
What is Ramadhan?
Do we have to fast? Why?
What time of year does Ramadhan become due?
How do we fast? Explain in detail.
How many hours do we fast in a day's time?
What is Iftaar? What time is it done?
What is Suhoor? What time of night is it done?
What is Taraweeh Prayer? Is it done in every mosque?
What things you don't do while fasting?
What is Leilatul‑Qadr?
What is Zakat‑ul‑Fitr? Is it obligatory?
What will you learn when you fast? Name several points.
What is the aim in fasting?
Will you lose weight when you fast?
Should you fast if you are sick?
In what conditions should you not fast?
What if you forget and break a fast unintentionally?
What do you have to do if you break the fast on purpose?
Tell us about the month of Ramadhan.
What is Eid‑ul‑Fitr?
Should we read the Holy Quran when we fast?
How often does Ramadhan come a year?
What is a lunar month?
Is Ramadhan a duty on each adult Muslim?
What do we usually learn when we fast?
Is fasting good for our health?
It is very good to read all of the Holy Quran during the
month of Ramadhan, can you do so for next Ramadhan?
Is it the rich or the poor who are to fast during the month
of Ramadhan?
Is it males or females who are to fast during the month of
Ramadhan?
What happens during Leilatul-Qadr?
