Welcome / Assalamualaikum
"This day, I have perfected
your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you
and have chosen for you Islam as your Religion. Quran
(5:3) "
12 months guide. Al-Miraj,
Ramadhan
For Muslims all religious festivals have their own
special significance.
The festival following the daily Prayers of the
week is Jum'a-tul-Mubarak (Friday); the one following
the month of fasting is called Eid-ul-Fitr, while
the festival following the ceremony of Hajj at the
Ka'aba in Arabia is know as Eid-ul-Adhia.
Following is a list of Muslim Festivals:
- Jum'a-tul-Mubarak (Friday Prayer)
- Eid-ul-Fitr
- Eid-ul-Adhia
- Muharram
- Eid Milad-un-Nabi
- Al-Miraj
- Al Miraj: The prophet’s (P.B.U.H) journey
to the heavens
The
night of the Miraj?
The
night of Miraj is the night when the Prophet Muhammad
(Peace Be Upon Him) ascended to the heavens and
met almighty Allah.
Before the Miraj
When
the Prophet (PBUH) Declared Islam upon the instructions
of Allah (saw) – to stop people worshipping statues
and idols and to worship the one and true God, ALLAH,
very few people accepted Islam at this stage because
they did not really understand the true message
of Allah (saw)
The Prophet (PBUH) and his companions were often
attacked and insulted. It was truly a testing time
for the Muslims. Then the Prophet’s (PBUH) wife
Khadija (RA) and his uncle Abu Talib both died.
This really had an effect on the Prophet (PBUH)
who was very upset because the two people who were
very close to him, believed in him and helped him
had passed away.
The
Prophet (PBUH) needed some confidence and support.
This came in the form of the Miraj- the night journey
to Jerusalem (Masjid Aqsa, this was the Mosque which
was the first chosen as the Qibla and early Muslims
faced Masjid Aqsa when saying their prayers) and
then to the heavens.:
The
Angel Jibra’eel (Gabriel) visits the Prophet (P.B.U.H)
The
Prophet (PBUH) was asleep at night when the angel
Jibra’eel came and woke him up. The Prophet’s heart
was taken out and washed with the holy water of
Zam Zam.
Then
the Prophet (PBUH) sat on al-Buraaq – a horse with
wings and was taken from Makkah where he lived,
to Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. A distance of many
hundreds of miles.
At
Masjid Al-Aqsa, he met all the Prophets, including
Adam, Ibrahim (Abrahim), Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus)(Peace
be upon them all) and they prayed behind the Prophet
(PBUH). Who lead the Prayers (Jama’at) this was
to show the status of the Prophet (PBUH) as being
the leader and the head of all the Prophets (Peace
Be Upon Them All)
Sidra-Tul-Muntahaa
Then
the Prophet (PBUH) was taken on a journey to the
heavens, where he met some Prophets, including Musa
and Adam (Peace Be Upon them all) and where he was
shown all stages of The Heaven and The Hell. His
journey then took Him to “Sidra-tul-Muntahaa” which
is the highest and end of Heavens and was shown
“al-Bayt Al-Ma’Moor”- a house like the Ka’aba where
70 000 different Angels circle it everyday. Here
the Prophet (PBUH) went alone, without Jibra’eel,
and finally met the king of kings, almighty Allah
at the closest possible distance. No other person
or creation of Allah has Honoured or blessed with
this experience.
5
Daily Prayers
It
was here that the Five Daily Prayers were made compulsory
by Allah (saw). Fifty at first. When Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) return the first time , Prophet Musa (PBUH)
asked The Prophet (PBUH) what had happened and the
Prophet (PBUH) replied that 50 prayers a day had
been made compulsory. Prophet Musa (PBUH) replied:
“Your followers cannot pray so many. Go back to
your lord and ask for less”. The Prophet (PBUH)
returned to The Almighty Allah and had the prayers
reduced to 45. He met, Prophet Musa (PBUH) again
who urged him to reduce the prayers further. He
went to Almighty Allah again and had the prayers
reduced to 40. He went again and again to Almighty
Allah at the suggestion of Prophet Musa (PBUH) to
reduce the prayers further until there were only
5 prayers left. Prophet Musa (PBUH) once again asked
The Prophet (PBUH) to ask for even less but he said:
“I feel ashamed now of repeatedly asking for less
prayers”.
The
Prophet (PBUH) then returned down to Makkah. The
whole journey lasted a short time of the night.
The
next day, the Prophet (PBUH) told everyone about
his miraculous journey. Many people, who were non-Muslims
laughed at him and thought he had gone crazy. They
said: “It takes 2 months to travel to Syria and
back but you went to Jerusalem and to the heavens
in one night”?
A
few men came to Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A.), a close
companion of the prophet (PBUH) and said: “This
friend of yours, Muhammad, who’s been telling people
to worship one God, now he is saying he went to
Jerusalem and to the heavens in one night!!” Hazrat
Abu Bakr was a great Muslim, and his faith was so
strong, he replied by saying: “If the Prophet (PBUH)
said that; then I believe it”. If Allah could create
the universe and give life to the dead, then taking
his Prophet to the heavens is not a difficult task.
-
Ramadhan and Fasting
| Fasting
is another unique moral and spiritual characteristic
of Islam. Literally defined, fasting means
to abstain "completely" from foods,
drinks, intimate intercourse and smoking,
before the break of the dawn till sunset,
during the entire month of Ramadan, the ninth
month of the Islamic year. But if we restrict
the meaning of the Islamic Fasting to this
literal sense, we would be sadly mistaken.
When
Islam introduced this matchless institution,
it planted an ever-growing tree of infinite
virtue and invaluable products. Here is an
explanation of the spiritual meaning of the
Islamic Fasting:
•
It teaches
man the principle of sincere Love: because
when he observes Fasting he does it out
of deep love for God. And the man who
loves God truly is a man who really knows
what love is.
•
It equips
man with a creative sense of hope and
an optimistic outlook on life; because
when he fasts he is hoping to please God
and is seeking His Grace
•
It equips
man with a creative sense of hope and
an optimistic outlook on life; because
when he fasts he is hoping to please God
and is seeking His Grace
•
It cultivates
in man a vigilant and sound conscience;
because the fasting person keeps his fast
in secret as well as in public. In fasting,
especially, there is no mundane authority
to check man's behavior or compel him
to observe fasting. He keeps it to please
God and satisfy his own conscience by
being faithful in secret and in public.
There is no better way to cultivate a
sound conscience in man.
•
It indoctrinates
man in patience and selflessness, as through
fasting, he feels the pains of deprivation
but he endures them patiently
•
It is an
effective lesson in applied moderation
and willpower.
•
Fasting also
provides man with a transparent soul,
a clear mind and a light body.
•
It shows
man a new way of wise savings and sound
budgeting
•
It enables
man to master the art of Mature Adaptability.
We can easily understand the point once
we realize that fasting makes man change
the entire course of his daily life.
•
It grounds
man in discipline and healthy survival
•
It originates
in man the real spirit of social belonging,
unity and brotherhood, of equality before
God as well as before the law.
•
It is a Godly
prescription for self-reassurance and
self-control.
Now,
someone may be tempted to raise the objection:
If this is the case with the Islamic institution
of fasting, and if this is the picture of
Islam in this aspect, why are the Muslims
not living in a utopia? To such an objection
we can only say that Muslims have lived in
and enjoyed a utopia in a certain epoch of
their history. The realization of that utopia
was a phenomenon of a unique achievement in
the history of man. We say unique, because
no religion or social system other than Islam
has ever been able to realize its ideals in
reality.
The
reason why the Islamic utopia is not being
established nowadays is manifold and easily
explicable. But to restrict our discussion
to the institution of fasting we may say that
some Muslims, unfortunately for them, do not
observe the fast or, at best, adopt the attitude
of indifference. On the other hand, some of
those who observe it do not realize its true
meaning and, as a result, derive very little
benefit out of it or, in fact, no benefit
at all. That is why some Muslims today, do
not enjoy the real privileges of fasting.
It
has already been indicated that the period
of obligatory fasting is the month of Ramadan.
The daily period of observance starts before
the break of the dawn ant ends immediately
after sunset. Normally there are accurate
calendars to toll the exact time, but in the
absence of such facilities one should consult
one's watch and the sun's positions, together
with the local newspapers, weather bureau,
etc.
Fasting
Ramadan is obligatory on every responsible
and fit Muslim. But there are other times
when it is recommended to make voluntary fasting,
after the Traditions of Prophet Muhammad.
Among these times are Mondays and Thursdays
of every week, a few days of each month in
the two months heralding the coming of Ramadan,
i.e., Rajab and Sha'ban, six days after Ramadan
following the 'Eid-ul-Fitr Day. Besides, it
is always compensating to fast any day of
any month of the year, except the 'Eid Days
and Fridays when no Muslim should fast.
However,
we may repeat that the only obligatory fasting
is that of Ramadan - which may be 29 or 30
days, depending on the moon's positions. This
is a pillar of Islam, and any failure to observe
it without reasonable excuses is a grave sin
in the sight of God.
Who
Must Fast?
Fasting
Ramadan is compulsory upon every Muslim, male
or female, who has these qualifications:
•
To be mentally
and physically fit, which means to be
sane and able.
•
To be of
full age, the age of puberty and discretion,
which is normally about fourteen. Children
under this age should be encouraged to
start this good practice on easy levels,
so when they reach the age of puberty
they will be mentally and physically prepared
to observe fasting.
•
To be present
at one's permanent settlement, your home
town, one's farm, and one's business premises,
etc. This means not to be on a journey
of about fifty miles or more
•
To be fairly
certain that fasting is unlikely to cause
you any harm, physical or mental, other
than the normal reactions to hunger, thirst,
etc.
Exemption
From Fasting
These
said qualifications exclude the following
categories:
•
Children
under the age of puberty and discretion.
•
Insane people
who are unaccountable for their deeds.
People of these two categories are exempted
from the duty of fist, and no compensation
or any other substitute is enjoined on
them.
•
Men and women
who are too old and feeble to undertake
the obligation of fast and bear its hardships.
Such people are exempted from this duty,
but they must offer, at least, one needy
poor Muslim an average full meal or its
value per person per day.
•
Sick people
whose health is likely to be severely
affected by the observance of fast. They
may postpone the fast, as long as they
are sick, to a later date and make up
for it, a day for a day.
•
Travelers
may break the fast temporarily during
their travel only and make up for it in
later days, a day for a day
•
Pregnant
women and women breast-feeding their children
may also break the fast, if its observance
is likely to endanger their own health
or that of their infants. But they must
make up for the fast at a delayed time,
a day for a day.
•
Women in
the -period of menstruation (of a maximum
of ten days or of confinement (of a maximum
of forty days).; They must postpone the
fast till recovery and then make up for
it, a day for a day.
It
should be understood that here, like in all
other Islamic undertakings, the intention
must be made clear that this action is undertaken
in obedience to God, in response to His command
and out of love of Him.
The
fast of any day of Ramadan becomes void by
intentional eating or drinking or smoking
or indulgence in any intimate intercourse,
and by allowing anything to enter through
the mouth into the interior parts of the body.
And if this is done deliberately without any
lawful reason, this is a major sin which only
renewed repentance can expiate.
If
anyone, through forgetfulness, does something
that would ordinarily break the fast, 0a observance
is not nullified, and his fast stands valid,
provided he stops doing that thing the moment
he realizes what he is doing.
On
completion of the fast of Ramadan, the special
charity known as Sadagat-ul-Fitr (charity
of ' Fast-breaking) must be distributed before
'Eid-ul-Fitr (approximately), seven dollars
per head.
General
Recommendations
It
is strongly recommended by Prophet Muhammad
to observe these practices especially during
Ramadan:
•
To have a
light meal before the break of the dawn,
known as Suhoor.
•
To eat a
few dates or start breaking the fast by
plain water right after sunset, saying
this prayer Allah humma laka sumna, wa
'ala rizqika aftarna. (O God! for Your
sake have we fasted and now we break the
fast with the food You have given us).
•
To make your
meals as light as possible because, as
the Prophet put it, the worst thing man
can fill is his stomach.
•
To observe
the supererogatory prayer known as Taraweeh.
•
To exchange
social visits and intensify humanitarian
services.
•
To increase
the study ant recitation of the Qur'an.
•
To exert
the utmost in patience ant humbleness.
•
To be extraordinarily
cautious in using one's senses, one's
mind and, especially, the tongue; to abstain
from careless gossip and avoid all suspicious
motions.
|
- Lailat-ul-Qadr
|
