PILLARS OF ISLAM.

It is reported on the authority of lbn Umar (Allah be pleased with him) That the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) narrated:

"The edifice of Islam rests on five (things):

i) Testimony  of  the fact that there is no god  but  Allah  and Mohammad is His    bondsman and messenger. (TAUHEED-MONOTHEISM). 

ii)  Establishment of Prayer.
iii) Payment of Zakah (Poor dues).
iv)  Performance of Hajj and
v) Fasting during the month of Ramadan.

1. MONOTHEISM (TAUHEED)

 "Say: He is God, THE ONE and Only, God the
 Eternal, Absolute; He begettheth not, nor is
He begotten; And there is none like unto Him (CXII: 1 - 4)

"God! There is no god but He, - the living the
Subsisting, Eternal."           (III: 2)

 "LA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH"  (XLVII: 19)

 "There  is  no  god  save Allah" is the  first  part  of  the declaration of the Islamic faith, which means: There is none to be worshipped save Allah, who is the creator of the universe.  He  is the  supreme  Lord,  Master  and Sustainer.  He  responds  to  the invocations  of  those who invoke Him. He gives  life  and  causes death.  He is Sole Sovereign worthy of praise and His commandments are to be translated into actions by men whole-heartedly".

 "MOHAMMAD AR RASUL ALLAH" (XLVIII : 29)

"Mohammad (PBUH) is the messenger of Allah" is the second part  of the  basic  Article  of  Faith, which is to  be  understood,  that worship is to be performed in accordance with the teachings of the divine  messenger (PBUH). Mohammad (PBUH) is the Apostle of Allah, through  whom the supreme revelation of the Supreme Lord has  been vouchsafed  to the whole of mankind and the Jinns in the  form  of the  sacred Book known as the HOLY QUR'AN.  The believer can  make his  life successful and holy by adhering to it in word and  deed. The  last  Apostle  of Allah blessed us with an abiding  and  ever lasting  example of conduct during his life. By acknowledging  him as  the  messenger  of Allah, we are bound to  fashion  our  lives according to his teachings. This formula is the fundamental  basis on which the whole edifice of Islam is built.

QUESTION:

What is SHIRK ?

ANSWER:

SHIRK  (Association of deity or deities with god) is a major  sin. It  is not less than a rebellion against the unity of God. It also accounts to an act of hypocrisy to pay lip service to religion but abandon it practically. The beliefs and ideas; devotional acts and religions observances, social systems and laws of a Muslim  in  an Islamic society should be based on submission to the will of Allah alone.  It  is irreligious to reckon the authority of  legislation with  any besides Allah. The Holy Qur'an is a complete and  divine code  for  human life. It must be followed and understood  in  the entirety.

 "Therefore fear not men, but fear Me, and sell not My signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by what God hath revealed, they are unbelievers". (V: 47)

QUESTION:

Who  are  the Non-believers? Can Atheists and people of the  Book, such as Christians and Jews, be classified as such? If some people believe  in  one  God  but  worship Him through  idols,  are  they classified as Non-believers?

ANSWER:

The  religion of Islam is the final version of the divine  message to  mankind.  It  defines the believers as those  who  believe  in Allah,  as  the Only God in the universe and believe  in  Mohammad (PBUH) as His messenger who has conveyed His message to Man.  Thus to be believer, one must accept the unity of Allah and acknowledge all His divine attributes as detailed in the Qur'an and believe in the  Prophethood  of  Mohammad (PBUH).  If  either  of  these  two conditions  is  not  fulfilled, the person  concerned  is  a  nonbeliever.

 "O ye who believe ! believe in God and His Apostle and the scripture (the Qur'an) which He hath sent to His Apostle and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denieth God, His angels, His Books, His Apostles, and the day
 of Judgement, Hath gone far, far astray". (IV: 136)

Since the Atheists deny the existence of Allah, they are certainly Non-believers.
Little  change has occurred in the faith of Christians  since  the revelation  of  the  Qur'an, when Allah sent His  last  messenger, Mohammad (PBUH) with the final form of the one message preached by all Prophets and messengers. Christians did believe in the Trinity and  made  the sort of claims about Jesus, his mother,  and  their relationship to Allah as they do now. The Qur'an still called them People of the Book, or the people of the scriptures and gives them a  special status when Muslims deal with them. This special status includes  the  possibility of a Muslim man  marrying  a  Christian woman. When we know that no Muslim man may marry a follower of any religion  other than Islam, Christianity and Judaism,  we  realise that  Islam views these two religions in a light which gives them, in  the  eyes of a Muslim, a special position of respect. This  is due  to the fact that both Moses and Jesus, the founders of  these two  great  faiths, were prophets and messengers  of  Allah.  Both belong  to  a  group of five messengers who are described  in  the Qur'an  as being endowed with strength. The other three are  Noah, Abraham and Mohammad (peace be upon them all).
Islam, however, treats all religion with respect and does not  try to  impose itself on anyone. A principle, which is stated  clearly in the Qur'an, is that
 "compulsion is inadmissible in matters of faith".
What Muslims are required to do is to explain their faith to other people  and to call on them to believe in it. Once they have  done that,  they have discharged their duty towards Allah as  advocates of His faith and preachers of His final message to mankind.
If  anyone asks why Islam does not permit its followers  to  marry people  who belong to other faiths, the answer is to be  found  in the  fact that Islam believes that a family must be based  on  the great principle of believing in the oneness of Allah.
Although the concepts of God now advanced Christians and Jews  are
not  acceptable from the Islamic point of view, they retain enough elements to make the children born in such an inter faith marriage familiar with the great principle. There is enough meeting grounds to make the marriage successful.
To  answer the question whether Christians and Jews can  still  be called believers. We have to refer to the Qur'an.

 "The Jews call UZAIR a Son of God, and the Christians call Christ the Son of God. God's Curse be on them how they are deluded away from the Truth". (IX: 30)

Yet,  when you ask Christians about their beliefs, they will claim to  believe  in  one  God. They will tell  you  that  the  Trinity constitutes one God. How they can reconcile these two  beliefs  in something  that cannot be easily understood by a Muslim.  The  two claims  seem  to us irreconcilable. Christians are,  nevertheless, happy to claim to believe in one God and to assert that Allah  the one  God  is a Trinity. When you question them hard on the  point, they  will admit that it is a paradox and they accept it.  To  us, paradoxes  cannot  be  admitted in such  basic  issues  of  faith, therefore  we cannot describe Christians as believers  when  Allah Himself says that they have disbelieved.
 

"They do blaspheme who say: God is Christ the  son of Mary", but said Christ "O children of Israel worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever enjoins other gods with God, God will forbid him the garden and the fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong doers be no one to help". (V: 75)
 
Their  disbelief  is  not  a result of  choosing  a  false  faith. Christianity in its original form preached by Jesus, son  of  Mary (peace  be  on  him) was the same divine message preached  by  all prophets. It told people that they must submit themselves  totally to  Allah  and  to believe in His Oneness. Their  disbelief  is  a result of distorting the concept of the Oneness of Allah, so as to admit  the alien concept of the Trinity and attributing  a  divine nature  to  Jesus Christ who was only a prophet and  messenger  of Allah.
Having  said  that,  I  should perhaps  add  that  Christians  are described  in  the  Qur'an as the ones who have  affection  toward believers. In the Qur'an we read;
 

"and nearest among them in love, to the believers will thou find those who say: "We are Christians"; Because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant".   (V: 85)

On  the basis of the foregoing, you will find that Christians  are looked upon as people with whom we should have good relations, and whom  we should call on to believe in the Oneness of Allah in  its purest  form,  as preached by Mohammad (PBUH) and  Jesus  and  all prophets  and  messengers  (peace be upon  them  all).  We  cannot however describe them as believers as long as they maintain  their beliefs  in the Trinity, or that Jesus was Son of God, or that  he is the Lord of mankind. That Lordship belongs to Allah alone.
Those  who  claim  to  believe in divine  revelations  which  were vouchsafed  by  Allah to earlier Prophets, such as Christians  and Jews,  deny the Prophethood of Mohammad (PBUH). Hence, they cannot be  classified as believers in the Islamic sense of the word. They certainly believe in a book, which has a divine origin, but  Allah tells  us  in  the  Qur'an  that  distortion  crept  into  earlier
revelations. He also tells us that He made a covenant with all His messengers that they will follow the Prophet of Islam when  he  is finally sent to mankind. This covenant applies to the followers of those Prophets.
The  fact  that the people of earlier revelation or the people  of the  Book, as commonly called by translators of the Qur'an believe in  such earlier revelations did not prevent their description  as believers in the Qur'an. Allah says :

 "Those who reject (truth) among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, were not going to depart (from their ways) until there should come to them clear evidence, an Apostle from God, Rehearsing scriptures kept pure and holy."         (XCVIII:1-2).
 
Those who practice idol worship are polytheists although they  may claim  to  believe in one God. The Arabs in the days of ignorance, i.e.  before  the  advent of Islam, worshipped idols.  The  Qur'an tells  us  that they used to say that they worshipped those  idols only to bring them nearer to Allah. They recognized that Allah was the  creator of the universe but they sought to get closer to  Him through  those  idols who claimed to be partners to  Allah.  Their argument  was  categorically rejected  by  Allah.  They  are  then described  as polytheists. It is needless to say that a polytheist is  an  unbeliever. He claims that Allah has partners and He  does not  believe in Allah's attributes. He also denies the message  of Mohammad  (PBUH). Any deviation of this sort is rejected  outright by Islam and its advocates are classified as non-believers.
Apart  from the people of earlier revelations all unbelievers  are treated  in the same way. We need not make any distinction between them  except  in  the basis of their attitude towards  the  Muslim community.

2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PRAYER.

 "thunder repeateth His praises, and so do the angels with Awe; He flingeth the loud voiced thunderbolts and therewith He striketh whom-soever He wills. Yet these (are the man) who (dare to) dispute about God, with the strength of His power (supreme)! For Him (alone) is prayer in Truth; any others that they call upon besides Him hear them no more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths but it reaches them not: For the prayer of those without Faith is nothing but (futile)
 wondering (in the mind)"  (XIII: 13 - 14)

Islam  does  not  claim that it is the first  religion  to  enjoin prayers. This institution is as old as the known world itself, the instinct  is universal, it is human. All the Prophets of God  have in  their time enjoined it. Abraham prayed to God that he might be blessed  with a progeny (XIV: 40). After him Ismail (XIX: 55)  and after  him  Moses enjoined it on the Bani Israel  (VII:  128)  and Jesus  as  stated in the Qur'an (XIX: 31). But one thing  must  be said  about  the  Islamic prayer and it  is  that  from  its  very inception till now it is entirely devoid of all semblance of  idol worship. The Muslims in their prayer have to turn to God  and  God alone  (XXX:  31)  God has enjoined upon all  believers  to  offer prayers.  This  act  of  worship is a fundamental  requirement  of Islam. The object is to root deeply in the human heart the seed of realization  of  God. When a person prays, he  holds  confidential communion with his Lord and feels the divine presence as a reality with  a  firm  conviction that he can approach Him. Prayers  is  a means  of seeking succour, security and a guidance to the straight
path from the Sole Sovereign. It is an act of vital importance  to nourish the soul, as is food essential for the maintenance of  the body.
It is reported by Aby Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) that the messenger of Allah (PBUH) said;

"Inform me if there is a river near the door of some
one of you, and he takes a bath in it five times a day,
will there remain any dirt on his body?" They (the companions) said: "No, there will be remain nothing of
 
his dirt. He (the Prophet) (PBUH) said; "such as the case with the Prayers of five times. Allah blots out all sins therewith".

QUESTION:
 
When  one  prays and reads the Qur'an, one repeats  the  words  of prayer in Arabic, which a person (Non-Arab) may not understand. Is there any benefit in that?

ANSWER:

Yes, indeed, there is great deal of benefit, which comes your way. To  start  with, you discharge your duty of praying as  Allah  has commanded  you.  That, on its own, earns you a great  reward  from Allah.  Secondly, there is the general benefit, which  accrues  to everyone who attends regularly to his prayers, mainly that prayers serve  as a constant reminder to him against doing anything  which incurs  Allah's  displeasure. In other  words,  he  is  constantly reminded, by his prayers, to be good.
There  is also the feeling that you are reading Allah's own  words as  He  Himself has said and revealed them to His last  messenger. Moreover,  by  maintaining this proper form of prayers,  you  feel that  you  belong to the Islamic community, which groups  together people  of  different races, languages, colours and nationalities. They  all  use  the same form of prayers when they  address  their Lord.
Question  is  of whether prayers can be conducted in one's  mother tongue? The answer is a very simple one. We have to worship Allah, as  He  wants  us to worship Him. He has desired us to  offer  our obligatory worship in His own words. He has given us His words  in Arabic. Any translations are the words of the translator.   He/she uses his/her words as he thinks they convey the meaning of Allah's words  best.  The difference between using Allah's own  words  and those   of  any  translator  is  great  indeed.  As  for  ordinary supplication  (DUAH) one can use one's own words for that  purpose at  all times other than when one offers formal prayers. As far as understanding  what  one is saying in one's  prayers,  anyone  can learn  the  meaning of a few Surahs, which he/she uses in  his/her prayers   more  frequently.  He/she  can  then  exercise   his/her understanding of other parts of the Qur'an.

QUESTION:

How does one perform the ablutions before prayer?

ANSWER:

Allah's injunctions are very clear in the Qur'an Allah says;

 "O ye who believe! When ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your hands (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles. If you are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of your cometh from offices of nature, or ye have `` been  in contact with women, and if ye find no water, then take for yourself clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands, God doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean, and to complete His favour to you, that ye may be grateful".      (V: 7)

QUESTION:

What are obligatory prayers that the Muslim has to perform?

ANSWER:

There  are  five obligatory prayers that the Muslim has to  offer, and is required of him by Allah. In the Qur'an Allah says;

 "Therefore be patient with what they say, and celebrate (constantly) the praises of they Lord before the rising of the sun, and before its setting; Yes celebrate them for part of the hours of the night, and at the sides of the day: that thou mayest have (spiritual) joy".  (XX: 130)

The  whole creation, even the angels, utter the praise of the Lord and  prostrate  before him (XXIV: 41), man should not,  therefore, consider himself absolved from this duty Five times a day  at  the appointed  hours,  (XX:  30) a Muslim has to  adore  the  creator, facing  the Qibla (II: 144-145), which is the first House for  the worship  of God that was founded on the face of the earth.  It  is situated   in  Mecca,  otherwise  called  BAKKA  (III:  96), the
birthplace  of  the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The time  for  the  first morning  prayer is at day break (FAJR), the second a little  after midday, when the sun has begun to decline (ZUHR) the third between midday  and  sunset  (ASR),  the  fourth  a  little  after  sunset (MAGHRIB)  and the fifth an hour and a half or so later  at  night (ISHA).
These prayers are to be said punctually at the appointed hours  as a  bounden  duty and are on no account either to be  delayed  i.e. said late or left unsaid. During warfare they can be curtailed and said  in shifts. If one is in the midst of an alarm, i.e.  if  one fears   an  attack  from  enemies  or  wild  beasts  and  is,   in consequence, afraid to halt for prayers at a particular place  and if  time is against one, then one can say one's prayers while  one is  on the move whether on foot or mounted. When one is travelling abroad  and  one's  movements are uncertain, the  prayers  can  be curtailed.

QUESTION

What are the range to the timings allowed for offering each of the five  daily  prayers. Can one offer prayers for a missed  (QADHAA) prayer?

ANSWER:

The  range  of time for each prayer was explained to  the  Prophet (PBUH)  by  the angel Gabriel who in two successive days  led  the Prophet (PBUH) in prayer, offering on the first day each prayer at the  beginning of it time, while leaving it on the second day till the  end  of it. Thus, on the first day he prayed Fajr immediately after  the  break of dawn, Zuhr at noon, when the sun was  at  its highest  position in the sky. Asr when the shade of  objects  were equal  to their length, Maghrib immediately after sunset and  Isha something like an hour and a half after sunset. On the second day, he  prayed Fajr shortly before sunrise, Zuhr a few minutes  before Asr  time,  the  previous  day, Asr a few minutes  before  sunset, Maghrib  a short while after its time the previous day,  and  Isha towards  the  end  of  the  night. The  Prophet  (PBUH)  told  his companions that these timings gave them the range of time  allowed for each prayer.
There  are  two  conditions when we can offer a prayer  after  the lapse  of  its  time.  These  are  sleep  or  unconsciousness  and forgetfulness.  If  a person sleeps or becomes  unconscious  right through  the  time  of an obligatory prayer or if  he  forgets  it altogether  and its time has lapsed, he should pray it immediately on  being aware of having missed it. He is then considered to have offered  it  in  time. Thus, if one wakes up in the morning  after sunrise,  despite having taken precautions to wake up on time  for Fajr,  he  should proceed immediately to have ablution  and  pray. There is no other situation where we can offer a prayer after  the lapse of its time, except for the case of combining two obligatory prayers together, as in the case of travelling.
This  may sound at variance with the notion known as QADHAA.  This is  when a prayer is missed because of laziness or negligence.  It is  needless to say that to omit a prayer for such a reason  is  a sin.  Some  scholars argue that when such a sin  is  committed,  a person  is required to offer the missed prayer and request Allah's forgiveness.
The  weightier  opinion, however, is that when  a  prayer  is  not offered in time, it cannot be offered after the lapse of its time. This is based on the Quranic statement, which tells us that:
 
"But when you are free from danger; set up regular prayers: for such prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times". (IV: 103)

It  is clear from this verse that prayers are a time related duty. Hence when the time element is not kept, the duty itself cannot be fulfilled:  in  other words, there is no such thing  as  a  QADHAA prayer.
What  a  person should do in the case of missing a prayer  through negligence  or complacency is to realise that he has  committed  a sin. Hence, he should repent and pledge to Allah that he will  not repeat  that  sin  again. Moreover he should pray  more  voluntary prayers in the hope that their reward will compensate for the  sin he has committed.
I  realise  that  many people have learned differently  about  the possibility of offering a prayer as QADHAA after the lapse of  its time.  This  is,  however,  the  weightier  opinion  supported  by evidence from the Qur'an. Moreover, it is only logical that when a duty  is made time related, time becomes an essential element  for its  fulfilment. If it lapses, then something of its  essence  has been lost. We all know that it is not possible to regain time.
Obviously  it  is  most important to offer  prayers  as  early  as possible during their range of time. The Prophet (PBUH) was  asked about  the  best  of deeds and he answered. "Offering  prayers  on time." This means offering them at the beginning of their range of time.
A  prayer however, is deemed to have been offered in time when one full  RA"KAAH (a prayer unit) has been completed before  the  next prayer becomes due. This must not be resorted to except in extreme circumstances when unavoidable factors compel on to delay  prayer. Otherwise  nothing should be given precedence over offering  one's prayers.

QUESTION:
 
Within  the  context  of  prayers what is the  difference  between FARDH, WAJIB, SUNNAH and NAFL?
Is  the  prayer  known as TARAWEEH, which is offered  in  Ramadan, obligatory or recommended?

ANSWER:

FARDH is an obligatory prayer. The term is used only for the  five daily  obligatory  prayers which consist of 2  RA"KAAHS  for  Fajr (break of Dawn), 4 for Zuhr (Noon), 4 for Asr (Late afternoon),  3 for  Mughrib  (after  Sunset), and 4 for  Isha  (night),  it  also applies to Friday prayers which consist of 2 RA'KAAHS preceded  by a  sermon.  The omission of any of these prayers is a sin  and  is
punishable by Allah, since they constitute a binding duty on every Muslim.  When  one has offered these, one has completed  the  duty incumbent on him/her.
WAJIB  also  means  a  duty, but in connection  with  prayers,  it signifies  one, which is less important, then Fardh. Some  schools of  thought do not use this term in connection with prayers, while others  include  under  this heading the WITR  prayers,  which  is offered after Isha. The WITR itself is WAJIB, which means that  it is  obligatory but not in the same degree as Fardh.  WITR  is  the final  prayer.  The  number of Ra'kaahs vary from  one  to  eleven offered  by a Muslim in any day. It is normally delayed until  one has  finished all voluntary prayers he/she wishes to  offer  after the  night prayers. It is permissible, however, to offer voluntary night  worship,  including prayers after one has  offered  his/her WITR  if  he/she  changes his/her position or if he/she  wakes  up before dawn after he/she has gone to bed.
SUNNAH  means  recommended. These are prayers, which  the  Prophet (PBUH)  was  known to offer either before or after Fardh  prayers. The  most  important of these are 2 Ra'kaahs before Fajr  and  the Witr  prayer  according  to the school of thought,  which  do  not consider it Wajib. Other SUNNAH prayers are 2 or 4 Ra'kaahs before Zuhr and 2 after it, 2 or 4 before Asr, 2 after Mughrib and Isha.
NAFL  is  a more general term of Sunnah prayers. It also signifies prayers, which are recommended by the Prophet (PBUH), but  perhaps it  applies more to prayers, which were not offered by the Prophet (PBUH) as regularly as Sunnah.
The  TARAWEEH is a term, which refers to night worship when it  is offered  in Ramadan, the month of fasting. The Prophet (PBUH)  has recommended  us  to  spend part of the night preceding  a  day  of fasting  in Ramadan in worship. The best form in which we can  act on this recommendation is to offer Taraweeh. It is also preferable to  recite  reasonable portions of the Qur'an in  each  Ra'kaah  f Taraweeh.
As  for the number of Ra'kaahs of which the Taraweeh consists, the Prophet  (PBUH)  never  offered more than 11  to  13  Ra'kaahs  in voluntary worship in any one night, after Isha, whether in Ramadan or  on  other days. This indicates that the number of Taraweeh  he offered  was  eight. The others would be 2 Ra'kaahs Sunnah  and  3 Witr.
It  is  perfectly open to us to offer a less number  of  voluntary Ra'kaahs  with  each of the obligatory prayers.  It  goes  without saying,  however, that the more voluntary prayers you  offer,  the larger  the reward you receive. You can also add t the  number  of voluntary  Ra'kaahs you wish to offer after any  or  each  of  the obligatory  prayers,  provided you  do  not  choose  to  do  these voluntary  prayers  at  the  times,  when  voluntary  prayers  are discouraged. These times are:
i)   After we have offered our obligatory Fajr (Dawn) prayers and until the sun has risen well in the sky.
ii)  After we have offered our obligatory Asr (Mid afternoon) prayers and until the sun has set.
iii) After you have offered you Witr and until the break of dawn unless sleep or a change of position occurs after your Witr.

QUESTION:

I was negligent of my prayers until I offered my pilgrimage at the age  of 48. Since then I have offered my prayers regularly.  I  am
still,  however, overwhelmed by the fear of what punishment  Allah may  inflict on me for having missed my prayers for so many years. Is  there  any way one can repent and compensate for those  missed prayers?

ANSWER:

There are two main rules, which relate to this case. The first  is that  prayers are a duty, which must be offered at specific times. Allah  says  in  the  Qur'an that Prayer is a  time  related  duty imposed on the believers. (IV: 103)
The  fact  that it is time rime related means that when  the  time lapses and the duty is not completed it remains undone. There  are only  two  exceptions, which have been specified  by  the  Prophet (PBUH) when prayer can be offered outside its original time. These are sleeping through the appointed time and forgetfulness.
Other  than these two cases, there is no exception from a  prayer, which  must  be offered at its appointed time, no matter  in  what condition  a  person may be. No illness or disability  may  exempt anyone from offering his/her prayers at their particular times. If he/she  is  bed  bound, he/she may pray in  his/her  bed.  If  his illness  prevents  him from making any movement  he  may  say  his prayers by mouth and indicate the movements with his eyes.
All this goes to emphasise to us the great importance attached  to offering  prayers and at their appointed times. If  one  does  not offer  his/her prayers, he/she has committed a sin. Sins are wiped out  by  Allah in certain conditions. This is the other principle, which  relates to this case. Allah says; "Allah forgives all  sins in  totality". What is required to obtain forgiveness  is  sincere repentance.  Such repentance presupposes a determined resolve  not to  commit the same sin again. Hence, what is needed then is  what one  actually  does. To resolve not to miss prayers again  and  to pray Allah to forgive you, your past sins. No other "compensation" is needed   because  Allah's  generosity  and  forgiveness  are
limitless. One need not be over troubled by one's negligence since he  has mended one's ways. You need not worry over the possibility of  not being forgiven. If you doubt that Allah will forgive  you, then  you  are  either  doubting your  own  sincerity  or  Allah's generosity.  I  hope that there is no chance of  the  former.  The latter  can be a very grave sin. Since Allah describes Himself  as "much  forgiving  " or "GHAFOOR", then we must not  entertain  any doubt  whatsoever that He will forgive us when we  repent  of  our past  sins. What helps ensure His forgiveness is to offer as  many voluntary prayers as possible. If one does that, then one's  heart and mind should be at rest, trusting that Allah will forgive one's past  omissions  and  will reward one for his  prayers  which  one offers in the present.

QUESTION:

Prayers  in  zones of extreme climate. How should  people  in  the extreme northern and southern areas offer their prayers when  they have days of continuous daylight and days of continuous darkness?

ANSWER:

In dealing with this problem, we have to resort to calculation. Of course,  the  idea of calculation does not apply merely  to  areas north  of  the  Arctic  Circle where the midnight  sun  lasts  for periods, which increase as we go further north. It applies also to areas, which go southwards form, the Arctic Circle to latitude 49, which goes through the northern outskirts of Paris. In these areas the  twilight  lasts all night and we do not have the  mark  which signals  the  time  for Isha (night) prayers  or  the  one,  which signals  its  end  and the beginning of Fajr (dawn)  prayers.  The summer  period  in which this problem exists, extends  longer  and longer  the further south we travel. There is a problem  here  for marking  the  time  of  prayer and starting  the  fasting  day  in Ramadan. I will explain the method of calculation here because  it makes  matters easier when we discuss the situation in areas north of the Arctic Circle.
Between  sunset and sunrise Muslims offer three of the five  daily obligatory  prayers. Maghrib, Isha and Fajr.  In  a  country  like ours,  the time range allowed for Maghrib is about one and a  half hours after sunset. The time for Fajr extends for a similar period before  sunrise.  Isha  lies  in  between.  Over  the  years  when immigration of Muslims from various countries to Northern European and  American countries increased, the problem of estimating  time for  prayers  has  become more frequently  raised.  Scholars  have suggested  several  approaches  to calculation.  However,  in  the London  Conference  organised a FEW  YEARS  BACK  BY  THE  Islamic Cultural Centre, papers were presented by scholars of religion and of  astronomy. The method, which was finally agreed upon,  was  to take  the timings of cities and towns of latitude 45 degrees as  a basis of calculation. Northern towns should make their calculation according  to the timings of towns and cities, which  are  at  the same  longitude  as theirs and through which latitude  45  degrees passes. This means that British cities should take the timings  of the  French  city  of  Bordeaux as their  basis  for  calculation. Muslims in Oslo, the capital of Norway, which is close to latitude 10 degrees, can make their calculations in relation tot the timing of  Venice in Italy. Cities in Finland and the western part of the Soviet  Union  can refer to Romanian places etc.  for  the  actual calculation, we take the length of the night tin the two towns and the  duration  of  the time for Maghrib and Fajr  prayers  in  the corresponding place at latitude 45 degrees. Of we want to make the calculation for the city of Aberdeen in Scotland, we have to refer to  the timings in the French city of Bordeaux. Let us assume  for the  sake  of convenience that, on a particular summer night,  the length  of  the night from the minute of sunset to the  minute  of sunrise  is exactly nine hours. Let us also assume, that  on  that particular  night, the time range for Maghrib at  Bordeaux  is  90
minutes, and a similar period marks the time for Fajr. If we  find out  that  the  length  of the night on that  particular  date  at Aberdeen  is six hours only, we have to take a similar  proportion at  each  end  of the night to define Maghrib and  Fajr  times  at
Aberdeen.  By  simple calculation, we find that  we  should  allow Maghrib  one hour only at Aberdeen and Fajr time extends for  also one  hour  before sunrise. That is because at Bordeaux,  the  time range  for each prayer is one sixth of the night. As the night  is six  hours in Aberdeen, then one hour, or one sixth of the  night, should be allowed for each of Maghrib and Fajr. Therefore,  if  we live  in Aberdeen, we pray Isha one hour after sunset and we start Fajr  prayer one hour before sunrise. For the beginning of fasting we  do the same thing and start the day of fasting one hour before sunrise.
This  is  a simple and easy method, which requires collecting  the timings of different prayers in corresponding towns and cities  at latitude 45 degrees.
As  for  prayer time calculation in areas above the Arctic Circle, for  the period when the midnight sun continues day after day,  we have  to make units of 24 hours during which a Muslim should offer his/her  five  obligatory prayers and, in Ramadan,  he/she  should fast  accordingly. Perhaps the best method for  estimation  is  to take a reference point on latitude 45 degrees, such as the city of Bordeaux.  This will mean that a Muslim prays Fajr and  Isha  when the  sun  is in the sky, although these are night prayers.  He/she similarly  ends  his/her fasting day at his/her  estimated  sunset time, not when the sun actually sets.
Closely connected to this question is what to do with fasting when the  night is very short, and fasting means that one goes  without food  for 22 hours or more. The ruling on this is that as long  as one  can  distinguish day from night, i.e. the sun actually  sets, then a Muslim must fast, and end his fasting day at actual sunset. If he/she lives in an area where the sun rises again after half an hour  or 20 minutes, he/she should still fast. When the sun  sets, he/she  has a full meal, paying no attention to the fact that  the sun  may rise again before he/she has finished his/her meal. After he/she  has  finished, preparing himself /herself for another  day long  fast, without any food or drink, he/she offers his/her three obligatory  prayers,  Maghrib, Isha and Fajr  consecutively.  This process is likely to take more than one full hour. Perhaps if  one has  a  proper full meal, especially if one has guests,  then  the meal  would  take  at  least an hour. He  /she  will  be  offering Maghrib,  then,  after the sun has risen. That  is  perfectly  all right.  The argument that one should start with prayer  cannot  be countenanced, because there is a simple and clear rule  in  Islam, which  states  that  to preserve life takes  precedence  over  the preservation of faith.

QUESTION:

When  one  prays to Allah for his Muslim brother, does he  receive any  reward for that? Does Allah answer all our prayers? Is  there any prayer, which He does not accept?

ANSWER:

 "When My servant ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every supplicant when he calleth on Me."

When you pray to Allah for your Muslim brother with sincerity  and genuine   feeling,  Allah  is  certain  to  answer  your  prayers. Moreover,   that  supplication  on  his  behalf  is  a   mark  of thoughtfulness  and care for you Muslim brother. It is also a sign of  genuine love, when that love is based on the fact that  he  is your brother in Islam Allah rewards it amply.
Allah  answers  all  prayers addressed to Him  with  humility  and submission,  sometimes prayers are answered  immediately  and  one feels that what he has achieved has been simply the answer to  his prayers. At other times, however, Allah chooses to defer answering people's  prayers till the day of Judgement when He  rewards  them for  their  prayers  much more amply and generously.  The  Prophet (PBUH) tell us that:

"When  everyone of us sees the reward , which Allah gives  him  on the  day  of Judgement for his prayers which were not answered  in his  lifetime,  he would wish that Allah had not  answered  him  a single prayer and deferred them all till the day of Judgement".

Allah  does  not  answer a prayer which seeks to inflict  harm  on others except in two cases: A parent against his child and one who has  suffered  injustice against his oppressor. It is  well  known that  no parent prays to Allah to punish his own child unless that child  is exceptionally unkind and undutiful. The case of the  one who  has suffered injustice need no comment. Moreover, Allah  does not answer any prayer when answering it means injustice to others.

 ZAKAT. POOR DUE "OBLIGATORY ALMS".

 And there are those who bury gold and silver and Spend it not in the way of God: announce unto Them a most grievous penalty on the day when
heat will be produced out of that (wealth) in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks and their backs-" This is the (treasure) which ye buried for yourselves. Taste ye then, the (treasures) ye buried!"
    (Sura IX: 34-35)

The  word  Zakat is derived from the word "ZAKA", which means  "it grew".  The  other  derivative of this word is used  in  the  Holy Qur'an  carries the sense of purification from sins and  literally means  purity or "a part of our substance given in order to purify the rest".
After  belief in the unity of God and the observance of the  daily prayers it is the third obligatory duty of Islam. The poor rate or poor  due  in  Islam is 2.5% per annum on an individual's  wealth, which  is to be distributed to the poor and needy. There was once, during  the  early years of Islam, a regular state department  for the  collection and distribution of this rate, and it exists today in some Muslim countries as well, but in most countries it is left entirely  to  the  individual concerned to  pay  it  according  to his/her conscience.
According  to  jurists, Zakat is that wealth which is  taken  from those  who have and distributed to the poor and the needy.  It  is also  so called because it makes wealth grow or increase and  also that distribution of one's wealth helps to purify the soul of  the giver.  He/she who does not set aside a portion of his/her  wealth which  Allah  has  bestowed on him pollutes not only  his/her  own wealth but also profanes his/her soul
It is a religious duty incumbent upon any person who is free, sane and  adult, and a Muslim, provided he/she possess property of such estate  or effects as are termed in the language of the law  NISAB and  that he/she has been in possession of the same for the  space of  one complete year. The NISAB or fixed amount of property  upon which  Zakat is due, varies with reference to the different  kinds of property in one's possession.

QUESTION:

Which  money  is  liable for Zakat? What savings  are  liable  for Zakat?  Is  it that which has been saved during the  year  or  the total savings? Or is it payable on the total assets?

ANSWER:

Zakat  is payable on the money held by a person for one year after the  day  on which he becomes the owner of more than the threshold of  Zakat which is equivalent to the value of 634 gms of silver or 85  gms of Gold. We use the term "money" here in its widest  sense so  as  to include all types of assets which one holds either  for saying  or investment. This does not include the assets which  one needs  for  his/her own living, such as his/her  house,  means  of transport,  tools of his/her trade even when the  value  of  these articles are considerable.
If the same amount of savings is held for two or more years, Zakat is  payable for the same amount every lunar year. If it  increases or  decreases, then Zakat is payable on the total balance held  at the  end of the year, as long as that balance is equivalent to  or larger than the threshold of Zakat. If one uses the GREGORIAN year because it is easier to for him/her to do so, due to the fact that he  /she receives his/her income and keeps records on the basis of that  calendar,  then  he/she should add to the  amount  of  Zakat he/she  is due to pay a proportion for the difference in  the  two years, which is 11 days.
When a person owns an amount of money, which is equivalent to  the threshold  of Zakat, he/she should consider that day as  beginning of  his  Zakat  year. When one lunar year has passed,  then  Zakat becomes  due from him/her. He/she should pay it without delay.  If no  beneficiaries are available in his/her locality, he/she should set the amount of Zakat aside and try to dispose of it as soon  as possible to the rightful beneficiaries. When h/she calculates  the Zakat  due from him/her, he/she calculates it on the basis of  the money he/she holds. Obviously some of that money may not have been in  his  possession for a full year. He/she, however, has  been  a Zakat payer for a full year.
For  example, at the end of the year 1990, a person pays Zakat for all  the  money he has saved up to that day, including his savings for  the  previous year or years as long as he has  been  a  Zakat payer for that period, owning more than the threshold of Zakat. At the  end  of 1991 he includes in his calculation of Zakat all  the money he has saved during 1991, including those sums added to  his savings of the previous year 1990. So he pays Zakat on what he  is actually holding at the ended of the year 1991.
This  is a fair and easy method of calculating Zakat, since  Zakat is  legislated to ensure that the poor are not deprived of a  fair share  of  the wealth of the society. Moreover, it is a  practical means of thanking Allah for his grace in giving a person more than he  needs for his living. We have to remember that Zakat  is  only the  prescribed  amount, which constitutes the "right"  of  others (i.e.  the poor and the needy) in our wealth. Thus, when one  pays Zakat,  one  is only expressing his gratitude to Allah for  giving him more than his needs.

QUESTION:

Who  or  which  class  of people are the lawful  beneficiaries  of Zakat? i.e. the lawful recipients.

ANSWER:

Those  who are entitled to receive the legal alms or poor rate  or Zakat are clearly defined by allah, and are classified under eight different headings:
   

"Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds); for those whose heart have been (recently) reconciled (to truth); for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of God; and for the wayfarer; (thus is it) ordained by god, and God is full of knowledge and wisdom". (Sura IX: 60)
 
The above Sura or injunction by Allah can be classified as:
 i)   To the poor (absolute paupers)
 ii)  To the needy (in temporary distress)
iii) To those who collect Zakat (the officers of the state appointed to collect and distribute alms. This indicates that there was a special department for the collection and distribution of Zakat funds).
iv)  To those whose hearts are won to Islam (new converts and allies)
v) Fir ransoming (liberation of slaves and captives)
vi)  To those who are in debt (provided their indebtedness is not due to extravagance)
vii) For the cause of God (for the defenders of faith and for propagation of Islam generally), and
viii)   To the wayfarer (who is short of funds and is otherwise
in difficulties).

QUESTION:

Difference  between Zakat & Taxes. In some Muslim  countries,  the only  taxation collected by the government is Zakat, in  others  a Muslim is required to pay tax on income, wealth, estate etc. Is  a Muslim  who  lives  in such a country allowed to  deduct  his  tax liability from whatever he has to pay as Zakat?

ANSWER:

Many Muslims think that in a proper Islamic state they will not be liable  to pay any taxation except Zakat. They are quite surprised when  they  learn  that under Islam, they have  to  pay  taxes  in addition to Zakat. Their surprise is due to an oversight on  their part, which makes them forget that Zakat is not meant to meet  all the needs of the state and pay for all the services the government provides for the population. First considering all those  who  may benefit  from  Zakat, even when it is collected and spent  by  the government,  as should be the case in any Muslim state.  When  the Prophet  (PBUH) was asked by some people for a part of  the  Zakat money,  he  answered  that Allah has chosen not  to  delegate  the sharing  out  of Zakat money, either to a trusted angel  or  to  a Prophet.  He  i.e.  Allah himself has determined it's  expenditure dividing  it among eight classes of people described in  the  last question). The Prophet told those people who requested to be  paid from  Zakat,  that  if  they qualified for benefit  by  Zakat,  by belonging to any of those classes, he would pay them. If not, they would get nothing
If  we  think  carefully  about  these  classes  of  beneficiaries (described  earlier) however, we are bound to conclude that  Zakat is  supposed to meet certain social needs and to overcome  certain problems  in  society.  It is not meant  to  cover  all  what  may collectively be needed by a Muslim community or society. Moreover, the  Hadith, which we have quoted above, precludes any possibility of using  Zakat  money  on  such  purposes  as  building  roads, hospitals,  schools  or similar services  even  when  there  is  a surplus  after  the  satisfaction  of  all  needs  of  its eight beneficiaries. When  we  consider that the services, which the  Government  of  a modern  state  must  provide for its citizens,  we  are  bound  to realise  that  large sums of money will always be  needed  by  the state.  Where will the money come from which is needed to pay  for the  police force, health services, schools, fire brigade,  roads, sewerage,  etc.?  if  some  of these services  can  be  made  self financing  ,  others  cannot generate much income,  although  they remain  absolutely vital for the community. Hence a state  has  no option but to levy taxes.
We  can  see  clearly  that the purpose for which  Zakat  and  tax revenues are spent differ greatly. Consequently, the two cannot be made related to each other. Indeed, they must remain separate.  In a  proper Islamic system of Government, Zakat will always have its own  independent  department. This may be  self-financing  because those  who  are  employed for the collection and  distribution  of Zakat  may receive their salaries from Zakat funds. But this total separation  between  Zakat  and  tax  is  sufficient  to  make  it absolutely  clear that the two cannot be grouped together  at  the official  or individual level. No one who is liable to  pay  Zakat may  deduct  his  payment from his tax liability  or  vice  versa. He/she  must pay Zakat, which remains an act of worship for  which he  is to receive a reward from Allah. He/she must also pay tax as a good citizen.
It is perhaps important to add here the Islamic rule, which states that  if  a  Muslim  ruler promulgates a law for  the  benefit  of society, he must be obeyed by all Muslims, provided that  the  law so  promulgated does not contravene any of the laws of  Islam.  If such  a  law  imposes a tax on income, which is  required  of  the benefit  of the society, them Muslims must pay this tax when  they are  liable  to it if the relevant law remains within  what  Islam approves.  What is more, to try to evade payment is  forbidden  by Islam.

QUESTION:

Does  a  Muslim have to pay "voluntary alms" (sadaqah) in addition to obligatory alms (Zakat)?

ANSWER:

In  addition  to the payment of poor rate, Zakat,  the  giving  of one's  substance voluntarily, and that, too during one's  lifetime has  expressly been recommended in the Qur'an and the question  as to
 i) What to give
ii)  How to give, and
iii) Whom to give
Have also been very clearly detailed by Allah.
Dealing firstly with (i) the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was told that  if he  was  asked what man should give in alms, he was in  reply,  to say:

  "Whatever ye spend that is good." (II: 215)

But a person's ability to spare, after making due allowance for  a comfortable  living, depends upon how he/she lives:  and  in  this connection he/she has been told:

 "O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at 
every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: but
waste not by excess, for God loveth not the wasters"    (VII: 31)

He/she is neither to be too close fisted nor too open handed:

 "Make not thy hand tied (like a niggard's) to thy 
 neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach, so
 that thou become blameworthy and destitute".
   (XVII: 29)

In Islam avarice and niggardliness are as much looked down upon as extravagance,  for he who does spend on his/her own  self  out  of what God, in His mercy, has given him/her, would give much less in charity.  Then again, when a person gives, he/she is not  to  give away  things,  which are quite worthless and  are  of  no  use  to him/her:  he/she  is  to give that which has  a  real  value  with him/her and which he/she would cherish himself/herself;
 

"By no means shall you attain righteousness unless
ye give (freely) of that which you love; and whatever
 ye give of a truth God knoweth it well".      (III: 92)
 
and again

"O ye who believe! Give of the good things which ye have (honourable) earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you, and do not even aim at getting anything which is bad, in order that out of it ye may give away something, when ye yourselves would not receive it except with closed eyes. And know that God is free of all
  wants, and worthy of all praise". (II: 267)

also

"the evil one threatens, you with poverty, and bids
you to conduct unseemly. God promiseth you his forgiveness and bounties, and God careth for all and He knoweth all things".   (II: 268)

With  regard to (ii), the way to give in charity. It is laid  down that it would be better if you give in private but you may as well give  openly  as it sets a good example to others (II:  271),  but never  give either by way of bargaining or for self advertisement. Give  purely  out of love for God (II: 177), seeking His  pleasure only  and  when you give be careful that you in no way injure  the feeling of the receiver. A kind word and to forgive (the needy  if he  annoys you by being persistent in his solicitations) is better than  alms  followed by injury. (II: 262). Not only that  but  you don't  withhold charity from one who has in any way  injured  your feelings.  Don't  let your private feelings come  in  the  way  of charity, forgive him/her and you will be forgiven by  God  (XXIV: 22).
Furthermore, there is another way of giving in charity  in  Islam, which  is  called "QARZ-HASNA" or a goodly loan lent to  God.  The principle  of  this  loan  is this: the  giver  gives  it  on  the condition that it is to be repaid (of course without any increment by  way  of interest which is unlawful in Islam) only IF AND  WHEN THE  RECEIVER  CAN CONVENIENTLY DO SO; the lender  is  neither  to demand  the repayment of the loan nor is he to bring any pressure, direct or indirect, on the receiver to do so. In this way the self respect  of the receiver is preserved, he/ she takes the money  on loan  with honest intention of repaying it and the lender has  the satisfaction of knowing that it has helped the person  in  his/her difficulties,  and the amount so lent is made  good,  is  so  much money given in charity or in the words of the Qur'an:

  "Who is he, will loan to God a beautiful Loan".
  Which God will double unto his credit and multiply many times? It is God that giveth (you) Want or plenty, and to him shall be your return". (II: 245)
 
with  regard  to  (iii) the following are those to  and  whom  the payment of voluntary alms is recommended: See (II: 177; II: 215).
 a)   Near of Kin,
b) The orphans,
c) The needy (who do not beg),
d) The wayfarers,
 
e) The beggars,
f) The captives (to enable them to purchase their freedom),
g) The poor who fight in the way of God, and who are thus
prevented from earning their livelihood, and
h) He who asks and he who is forbidden by shame to ask.

QUESTION:
 
Who are those people to whom Zakat cannot be given?

ANSWER:

Some of our relatives cannot be paid from our Zakat, although they may  be very poor, while other may qualify as beneficiaries of it. The criterion which determines who may benefit by our Zakat is not our  relative's  poverty, but whether they  are  entitled  to  our financial support by right. On the basis of this principle,  one's parents  and  grandparents, children, grandchildren,  even  greatgrand children or indeed any relative of similar standing may  not be paid of our own Zakat, despite his/her poverty. Such a relative can  claim to be fully supported by us financially, and we  cannot dodge that financial commitment.
Other  close  relatives, like one's brothers and  sisters,  cannot claim financial support by right. Therefore they may be paid  from our  Zakat  if they are poor. We have to explain here  that  Islam stresses the importance of family ties to the extent that it makes it  compulsory  for close relatives to support one  another  while some  of  them  are  rich  and other may  be  poor.  Thus,  it  is compulsory that a son should support his parents if they  have  no income.  He  is  required  to provide  them  with  a  decent  life according to his means. The same applies in reverse; i.e. when the parent  is  rich  and the son or daughter is not.  If  such  close relatives  were  allowed to give Zakat then  the  whole  situation becomes  a  travesty  of  the purpose for  which  Zakat  has  been legislated  in  Islam.  Zakat  establishes  a  system  of   social security,  which is unequalled in, may other society.  It  cements the  ties of the community and makes the rich responsible for  the poor. It is a method by which the poor of the society share in its wealth  so  that  no one would die of hunger while his  neighbours have  more than what is sufficient for them. If Zakat were  to  be paid  to  close relatives, then its benefit reverts  back  to  the payer  himself,  because he would be spared the  need  to  support those close relatives of his. There will be nothing left for other poor  people. If this were to be allowed to happen, it would erode the  community as a single body in which is based on the unity  of the  community  as a single body in which every member  feels  his responsibility towards the rest.
To  support  the above ruling we refer to the Qur'an  where  Allah states:
 "If they were to breast feed for you, then you must
 pay them their wages".
This means that Allah makes it a duty of the father to pay for the breast-feeding of the child. Allah also states:

 "The father of the child is responsible to provide in a fair manner for their sustenance and clothing".  (II: 233)
As to the case of parents Allah states:

 "Thy Lord hath decreed that ye must worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life" (XVII: 23)

It goes without saying that kindness includes supporting them when they are in need.
Zakat  cannot be paid to one's brother. If he is in need  of  help and  his brother is able to help him, then he is entitled by right to such help.
 
Listed below are persons who cannot be recipient of Zakat:
 i)   Children and Grandchildren
ii)    Parents, grandparents and great-grand parents,
  iii)  Brothers and sisters (if unmarried),
 
iv)  Rich or healthy or strong person, v) Husband to wife or the reverse,
vi)  One  who  is under stress of debt but whose property  is sufficient to liquidate his/her debts and
vii) The Prophet's (PBUH) descendants.

4. FASTING

   "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as
   it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may
(learn) self-restraint". (II: 183)

after  the belief in the unity of God, the observance of the daily prayers and the payment of Zakat the poor due, the next obligatory duty  in  Islam  is that of fasting. Fasting was part  of  earlier religions prior to Islam (see above).
The  month of Ramadaan, which is the ninth month of the lunar year is  set  apart for this purpose (II: 185). Particular sanctity  is attached to this month as it was in this month that the Qur'an was revealed  (II: 185). With the appearance of the new moon  of  that month, a Muslim has to start fasting till the end of it.
All  that a Muslim is called upon to do, is to forego one meal per day  during  the  fasting  month. He/she can  have  his/her  first morning meal before daybreak, and the second one, after sunset. At night he/she is free to eat and drink (of course not the alcoholic drinks) and indulge in all the legitimate enjoyments of life  (II: 185),  but  it  does  no t follow from this,  that  he/she  should convert night into day and day into night, i.e. keep on eating and drinking  throughout the night and sleep away during the day.  No, he/she  can  have  enough nourishment at night to sustain  him/her against  the abstinence and privation of the following day,  which is meant to be devoted to prayers and pious thoughts and not to be slept away.

QUESTION:

The value of fasting and the benefits attained by due to it.

ANSWER:

It  is well known that fasting in the month of Ramadaan is one  of the   main duties Islam lays down for its followers. Some scholars consider  these duties as pillars on which the structure of  Islam is  built. It is needless to say that fasting in Ramadhan is on  a par  with  prayers and Zakat in its importance as a  main  Islamic duty.  Indeed  it  enjoys special status, since  it  can  only  be fulfilled  through abstention, rather than through a direct  or  a positive  action. For this reason, Allah is quoted by the  Prophet (PBUH) as saying in a Qudsi Hadith:

   "Everything a human being does is his with
   the exception of fasting, which belongs to me,
   and I reward it accordingly".

This  is  due to the fact that there are no apparent signs,  which indicate  that a person is fasting. It is appropriate to  consider also what sort of social values are associated with fasting.
The Prophet (PBUH) says:

   "Fasting is a shield, let no one who is fasting commit any obscenity or foolishness. Should anyone engage him in a fight or in slander, let him answer by saying: I am fasting: I am fasting ".

 The Prophet (PBUH) gives fasting a very apt description when  he considers it as a shield protecting the person who fasts from  the fire of hell. The Arabic term used here also connotes a fence, and a means of protection in more ways than one. Since fasting weakens
the  body, it also weakens sinful desires. This makes the  fasting person more able to resist any temptation to commit any sin.  This is  a  negative  way of protection, which can be  easily  felt  by everyone  who  fasts.  Since  a  human  being  always  feels   the temptation to fulfil his/her desires thorough any available means, whether  legitimate  or  not,  the fact  that  these  desires  are weakened  through  fasting proves the protective  aspect  of  this unique act of worship.
The other protective act of fasting is seen in the fact that Allah rewards  any action by at least ten times its value. He multiplies His  rewards  even more, to the extent that He rewards  some  good actions by 700 times their value. This figure, however, is  not  a ceiling  for Allah's reward. He may reward good actions much  more generously.  Fasting,  however, is made an exception.  Imam  Malik relates  the following Hadith, which has been related by other  in different forms, with the same impact:
  "Every action a human being does shall be
  multiplied: a good action by ten times its value
  up to 700 times".
  "With the exception of fasting, which belongs to
  Me, and I reward it accordingly".
What is very clear here is that the exception is made in order  to stress  the  greater value of fasting, and the greater  reward  it earns.  Allh makes the axception and attributes it to Himself.  He emphasises  that fasting is offered purely to Him.  He,  therefore responds  by  rewarding it more generously than any other  action. This is confirmed by a Quranic verse which states:
  "The steadfast shall be given their reward
  without reckoning".
The  absence of reckoning signifies the fact tha5t the  reward  is limitless. Most scholars and commentators on the Qur'an  interpret the  term "the steadfast" used in this verse as reference to those who  fast. For fasting can only be offered if a person has  strong faith.  What Allah wants us to understand here is that He  accepts this act of worship which is dedicated to Him, since it cannot  be done  with false intentions, and rewards it, not on the  basis  of its value, but on the basis of Allah's generosity which is without limit.
Moreover, Allah rewards much more generously any good action  done by  any  human being who is fasting. If Allah normally  rewards  a good  action by 10 times its value, He gives a much bigger  reward for  the  same  action when it is done in Ramadaan  by  a  fasting person. Such rewards help shield the person who fasts against  the fire of hell. Since, on the day of Judgement, our good actions are balanced  against  our  bad  ones, the multiplied  rewards  gained through  fasting  appears to be of much greater value.  A  person, whose good actions fall short of what he needs to offset his sins, will  find  that  the  fact that he has done some  of  these  good actions  in Ramadaan benefits him immeasurably, because Allah  has attached  to  them  a much greater value than  they  are  actually
worth. This is the positive way of protection fasting provides for man, which compliment the negative ways we have explained earlier. The Prophet (PBUH) also, teaches us that there is another side  to the  reward which fasting earns. He tells us that certain  actions like  prayers and charity (Salat & Zakat) ensures the  forgiveness of  past sins. Fasting is high on the list of these actions. There are  numerous AHADITH which confirm this fact. We are told by  the Prophet (PBUH):
 

"That proper fasting, done with sincerity and dedication ensures the forgiveness of all sins committed in the preceding year with the exception of cardinal sins".
 
Indeed  some  Hadith do not make that last exception. The  Prophet (PBUH) says:
 "He who fasts in Ramadaan motivated by his faith
 and with dedication will have all his past sins
 forgiven".
All this stress, on the idea of reward may suggest to some people, especially  to  non-Muslims, that Muslims fulfil their  duties  of worship purely for the sake of the reward they have been promised. This is not so. The motive of faith is much stronger. The ultimate goal  is  to  please  Allah. The reward is secondary.  Hence,  the stress  in the Prophet's (PBUH) statement on the need for  fasting and  all acts of worship to be motivated by faith and offered with dedication. The reward is a mark of Allah's generosity.
When  we  consider  such limitless reward and such  moral  values, which are attached to fasting, which one of us would fail to  fast unless  he lacks faith? The Prophet (PBUH), however, was  keen  on driving the point home to us. Consider the following Hadith:

 "There is a door to heaven called AL RAYYAN through which only fasting people are admitted. It will be asked where are the fasting people? They stand up. No one is admitted through that door except them. When they have entered, the door will be closed and no one else can get through it".  (Al- Bokhari)
 
While  this  Hadith indicates that fasting people have  a  special status  on the day of Judgement, which merits the provision  of  a special door for them to be admitted into heaven, the name of that door  is  very  significant. "AL-RAYYAN" is  an  adjective,  which describes in normal state something, which is ripe, full of juice. It  is normally used to describe fruit and vegetables, which  have fully  ripened.  It  is needless to say that a person,  who  fasts throughout the day especially in the long days of summer,  suffers from thirst. Nothing is dearer to him than a cool drink. When  the gate to heaven is called AL-RAYYAN, with all its associations  and its  connotations of juice and ripened fruits, it is left for  our imagination to have a picture of what awaits him inside heaven.

QUESTION:

What are the manners that a person should observe during fasting?

ANSWER:

There  are certain practices and manners, which the Prophet (PBUH) has recommended us to follow when we fast.
i) SUHOOR:  or  having a meal before fasting; It is  unanimously
 agreed  by the Muslim nation that it is good to have  a  meal
before one starts his/her day of fasting. If one chooses  not to have a meal, then that is open to him/her. ANAS quotes the Prophet (PBUH) as saying:
"Have a meal before you fast, for SUHOOR is blessed".
      (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
Here  the Prophet (PBUH) describes the meal as blessed.  This because it helps the person who intends to fast to be  active and  it  reduces the burden of fasting. The Sunnah of  having SUHOOR  is fulfilled whether one has a full meal or  a  light snack,  indeed  even  with a drink of water.  ABU-SA'EED  ALKHUDRI reports the Prophet (PBUH) as saying:
 "SUHOOR" is a blessing. Therefore do not omit it, even
if you only have a drink of water. Allah and the angels
 pray for those who have SUHOOR"
      (Related by AHMED).
One  may take SUHOOR at any time from midnight till the break of  dawn. Although it is preferable that it is delayed.  ZAID IBN THABIT, a companion of the Prophet reports;
 "We took SUHOOR with Allah's messenger (PBUH)
  before offering our dawn prayers".
Zaid  was  asked how much time was between the  two,  and  he answered:
 "As much as one needs to recite fifty verses of
 the Qur'an".   (related Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
AMIR  IBN  MAMOUN  said that the companions  of  the  Prophet (PBUH) used to be the first people to break their fast at the end of the day and the last to have SUHOOR (AL-BAIHAQI).
If  one  is in doubt whether dawn has broken or not,  he  may continue  to eat and drink until he is certain. He  must  not act in doubt. Allah has allowed us to eat and drink until  we are  certain of the break of dawn, not until we doubt it.  He says in the Qur'an:
 "And eat and drink until the white thread of Dawn 
 appears to you Distinct from its black thread; then
complete your fast till night appears".           (II: 187)

ii)  EARLY  FINISH:  we  are also recommended to finish  our  fast immediately when we are certain that the sun has set. SAHAL IBN SAAD quotes the Prophet (PBUH) as saying:
    "People will continue to be well as long as they finish their fast immediately after sunset".                         (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

It is strongly recommended to start with a few dates, an odd  number  of them, and if not then to  start  with  a drink of water. ANAS reports that:

"The  Prophet (PBUH) used to end his fast with eating  a few  dates before offering Maghrib prayers. If no  dates were   available, he  had  a  few  sips   of   water".
    (Abu Dawood and others).

SULAIMAN IBN AMR quotes the Prophet (PBUH):
"if one of you is fasting, let him end his fast by eating a few dates, and if dates are not available, then let him drink some water, water purifies".
      (Ahmed and TIRMITHI).

 The  Hadith suggests that it is preferable to end one's  fast
 in  this  way  before offering Maghrib prayer. When  one  has finished his/her prayers he/she has his/her meal, unless  the food is already served, then he starts by eating. ANAS quotes the Prophet(PBUH) as saying:

"If your evening meal is served, then start by eating
 before offering Maghrib. Do not hasten to pray
 before eating". (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

iii) A SHORT  PRAYER  before  ending the fast:  ABDULLAH  IBN  AMR quotes the Prophet (PBUH) as saying;
"As a fasting person is about to end his fast he is certain to have his prayers answered".         (Ibn Majah)

Abdullah  used to pray at fast breaking time. "My  lord,  I appeal  to  you  with your mercy which encompasses  all  to forgive  me".  It is also authentically reported  that  the Prophet (PBUH) used to repeat this prayer

"Thirst  is quenched, the veins are watered and the  reward is certain, Allah willing".
  

He is also reported to pray in these words,

"My  Lord, to you I have fasted and with your provisions  I end my fast".

AL TIRMITHI relates that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

"Three  types of persons are certain to have their  prayers answered;  A fasting person until he ends his fast,  and  a just ruler, and an oppressed person.

iv)  REFRAINING: from anything which conflicts with
fasting;  Fasting  is one of the main acts  of  worship  in Islam. Allah has decreed fasting for us an exercise in selfdiscipline,  which  helps  to  form  good  habits.  It   is essential,  therefore,  to  guard  against  anything  which conflicts  with  fasting so that we gain its  benefits  and attain  the quality of fearing Allah, which is the  purpose of this act of worship. Allah says in the Qur'an:
 
"O ye who Believe ! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may
(learn) self restraint".                 (11: 183)
 
Fasting   is   not  merely  abstention  from  eating   and drinking.  It is an abstention from anything, which  Allah has forbidden. ABU HURAIRAH quotes the   Prophet (PBUH) as saying:

   "Fasting is not merely to go without food and drink; fasting is to abstain from idle talk and obscene language. If anyone calls you bad names or insults you, answer him by saying; "I am fasting, I am fasting".       (Ibn Khuzaimah and others)

It  is  also  authentically reported on the  authority  of ABU HURAIRAH that the Prophet (PBUH) has said:
   "Allah does not need him who continues to indulge
 
in telling lies and cheating to abstain from food and drink".

This  means  that  Allah will not accept his  fasting.  The Prophet (PBUH) also says:

   "Many a fasting person will reap nothing but hunger, and many a night worshipper will reap nothing but staying up late".   (Al-Nissai and others)

v) USING  THE  TRADITIONAL  TOOTHBRUSH:  A  fasting  person   is
recommended to clean his teeth with the traditional toothbrush (i.e. the MISWAQ), which is stick taken of the ARAK tree. No toothpaste is used with that toothbrush. He may use it any time during the day.
vi)  CHARITY AND RECITATION OF THE QUR'AN: To give for charity and
to recite the Qur'an are two actions, which are good at any time, but they are especially recommended in Ramadaan. Al-Bokhari relates in the authority of IBN-ABBAS
"Allah's  messenger  used  to  be  the  most  generous   of people.  He  was  at  his most generous  in  Ramadaan  when Gabriel, the angel used to come to him every night and they recited  the  Qur'an  in turn. "At that  time  the  Prophet (PBUH) used to be more charitable than unrestrained wind".
vii) VOLUNTARY NIGHT WORSHIP especially during the last ten  days. Al-Bokhari and Muslim relate on the authority of Aisha, the Prophet's (PBUH) wife, that:
  "When the last ten days of Ramadaan began, the
 
Prophet used to spend the whole night in worship, awaken the other members of his household for night worship, and exercise a high degree of
  self control".
This last expression is understood to mean that he did  not have  sex  in  the  last ten days of Ramadan.  Muslim  also relates:
"The Prophet used to exercise more effort in worship during the last ten days of Ramadan than at any other time".
QUESTION:
Who  are  those among the Muslims who may be exempt  from  fasting during Ramadhan? What compensation is required of those Muslims?
ANSWER:
All scholars agree that fasting is incumbent on every adult Muslim of  sound  mind and health and who is resident, not travelling.  A woman  must  also be in her period of cleanliness i.e.  free  from menses or postnatal bleeding. Thus, those who are not required  to fast  are non-Muslims the mad, the young, the ill, the travellers, women  who  are in their menstruation or post-natal  periods,  the elderly,  pregnant and breast-feeding women. Some of these  groups are  not required to fast at all, such as the non-Muslims and  the mad.  Others should be encouraged by their guardians to fast. Some cannot fast but are required to at a later date. Others are exempt but  required  to compensate for not fasting. Here is  a  detailed explanation:
Fasting  is a worship of the religion of Islam. Hence,  those  who are  not  Muslims  are not required to fast.  Since  sanity  is  a prerequisite for imposing any duty, the insane are exempt from the duty of fasting. Ali quotes the Prophet (PBUH) as saying:
 "Responsibility as waived for three types of person,
 
an insane person until he recovers, a sleeping
 person until he wakes up, and a young boy or girl
 
 until they attain puberty"
  (Ahmed; Dawood and Tormithi).
Although  the  young are not required to fast,  their  parents  or guardians are directed to encourage them to fast so they are  used to it from childhood, so long as they can bear its hardship.
Elderly  people,  men and women, and those who  are  ill  with  no expectation   of  recovery,  and  those  engaged  in   very hard
occupations and cannot earn their living by other means are exempt from  fasting, if fasting causes them undue hardships all the year round. They are required, however to feed a needy person for  each day, which they do not fast. IBN ABBAS says:
 "The elderly man is exempt from fasting provided
 that he feeds a needy person for each day. He is
 not required to fast at a later date".
   (Al-Darqutni and Al-Hakim)
Al-Bokhari  relates on the authority of ANAS that  he  heard  IBNABBAS reciting the Qur'an verse;
 "For those who can do it (with hardship) is a ransom,
 
the feeding of one that is indigent, but he that will give more, of his own free will. It is better for him
and it is better for you that ye fast, if you only knew".
    (11 : 184)
IBN  ABBAS said that this verse has not been revoked. It is  valid for  an elderly man or an elderly woman who cannot fast. They feed for each day a needy person.
An  ill  person  with  a chronic disease who is  not  expected  to recover and finds fasting too much of a burden is treated  in  the same way as an elderly person. The same applies to workers engaged in very hard jobs. Shaikh Mohammad Abdu says that the phrase; "For those who can do it with hardship" in the Quranic verse, refers to the  elderly, the ill and people in similar circumstances such  as those whose livelihood required them to do very hard jobs such  as miners.  The  same ruling applies to criminals sentenced  to  life imprisonment with hard labour, if they actually find  fasting  too much  of  a  burden  and if they have enough money  to  cover  the required compensation.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding may not fast if they  fear for  themselves  or  for  their children  on  the  basis  of  past experience or on the advice of a competent doctor or if  it  seems highly likely that their fears are well founded. They are required to offer compensation without the need to fast later on, according to  Ibn Umer and Ibn Abbas, Abu Dawood relates on the authority of Ikramah that Ibn Abbas commented on the Quranic verse which states that "for those who can do it with hardship" and said:
 "It is a concession to elderly men and women who
 can hardly fast".
They  may  exempt themselves from fasting and feed a needy  person for every day they do not fast.
The Prophet (PBUH) is quoted as saying;
 "Allah has relieved a travelling person from
 
fasting and from half of his prayers, and he has relieved pregnant and breast- feeding woman
 from fasting".
The Hanafi school of thought requires such women to fast later  on
in  compensation  for not fasting in Ramadan,  and  they  are  not required  to feed needy persons. The Hanbali and Shafie school  of thought  are  of  the  view that if such persons  fear  for  their children  only, they have to fast later on and feed needy persons, while if they fear for themselves or for both themselves and their children, they have only to fast later on.
Those  who  are  ill,  and  hope to  recover  and  those  who  are travelling  may not fast, but they have to compensate  by  fasting later on. Allah says in the Qur'an:
 "But if any one is ill, or on a journey, the
 prescribed period (should be made up) by days
later on".                               (11 : 185).
The  sort of illness which qualifies from exemption is the  severe illness  which  is  likely to get worse  or  to  be  prolonged  by fasting.  According  to  Ibn QUDAIMAH, a leading  scholar  of  the Hanbali school of thought:
 "It is reported that some of the early scholars
 
have extended the exemption for all sorts of
illness, including pain on a finger or toothache, on the basis that the Quranic statement incorporating the exemption in general, and in view of the fact that a person on a journey is exempt from fasting even if he does not need
 
 such an exemption. Hence, the same applies to
any ill person"                         (AL BOKHARI)
Atta and the TAHIR school of thought subscribe to this opinion.
A  healthy person who fears to get ill by fasting is treated as an ill  person,  he/she is exempt from fasting. The same  applies  to anyone  who  suffers greatly from hunger or thirst to  the  extent that  he/she  fears  for his/her life. Such a  person  must  break his/her fast even though he/she may be healthy and not travelling. He/she has to fast later on. Allah says in the Qur'an:
 "God intends every facility for you; He does not
 want to put you in difficulties".       (11:185).
If  some one who is ill and fasts in spite of his/her illness, and bears  the burden of fasting patiently, his/her fasting  is  valid although  his/her  action is not commendable  because  he/she  has turned  his/her  back on a concession Allah has  granted  him/her. Moreover, he/she may injure himself/herself by his/her action.
As  for  those  who are travelling the question arises,  which  is preferable  fasting or not fasting. The Hanafi, Shafie and  Maliki school  of thought prefers fasting for anyone who finds  it  easy. Not  fasting is preferable for those who find fasting too much  of strain.  Imam  Ibn Hanbali prefers the exercise of the  exemption, i.e.  not  fasting. Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz prefers what is easier  to the person concerned. Hence, if a person finds fasting in Ramadhan easier  despite travelling and finds fasting later on  more  of  a burden it is preferable for him/her to fast.
If a travelling person makes up his mind during the night to fast, and  starts his day fasting, he may break his fast during the day. On  the  other hand, if a person who is not travelling intends  to fast, then starts travelling during the day, most scholars are  of the  opinion  that  he  is  not allowed  to  break  his  fast  for travelling.  Ahmed  Ibn  Hanbali  and  others  think  that  it  is permissible  for  his  to discontinue fasting.  According  to  the Prophet's  (PBUH) traditions, when a person is ready to travel  he may break his fast before he actually sets off on his journey. The distance,  which  qualifies  a  traveller  to  make  use  of the
exemption,  is  the  same, which qualifies for  shorting  prayers. Again,  the  duration of stay at his destination  during  which  a traveller  is  allowed  not to fast is the same  as  the  duration during which he is allowed to shorten his prayers. Scholars differ on  this point, with some of them making that duration as short as four  days and others extending it to twenty days. It is generally more  acceptable to say that unless a travelling person  makes  up his  mind  to  stay as a resident at the place  to  which  he  has travelled, he continues to be a traveller.
All  scholars  agree that women are not allowed to fast  in  their menstruation or postnatal periods. If they do fast, their  fasting is invalid. They are still required to compensate by fasting later on. AISHA said:
  "when we had our periods at the time of the
 Prophet (PBUH) we were ordered to compensate
 for fasting but not for prayer".
   (Al-Bokhari and Muslim).
QUESTION:
What invalidates the fasting?
ANSWER:
There are two types of action which invalidate fasting. These are; Those   which  necessitate  fasting  later  on  and  those   which necessitate compensation in addition to fasting later on.
i) EATING  AND DRINKING DELIBERATELY: if someone eats on  drinks
by  mistake or out of forgetfulness or if he is forced to  do so,  his  fasting  remains valid, and he is not  required  to compensate for that in any way. The person continues to  fast in the normal way.
ii)  DELIBERATE  VOMITING: Involuntary vomiting does  not  require any  compensation or later fasting, but he who causes himself deliberately to vomit must fast later on.
iii) MENSTRUATION  and  POST  NATAL  BLEEDING:  These   invalidate fasting even if they start one minute before sunset.
iv)  DELIBERATE EJACULATION: Whether through kissing and  cuddling of  one's wife, or through masturbation. If on the other hand ejaculation happens as a result of merely looking at a  woman or  day  dreaming,  it  does not invalidate  fasting.  It  is considered  in  these cases in the same light as  ejaculation during sleep.
v) EATING SOMETHING WHICH IS NOT NOURISHING: i.e. through  one's
mouth into one's stomach, such as swallowing a large quantity of  salt,  this is agreed by all scholars that it  invalidate fasting.
vi)  INTENTION  TO  BREAK FAST: If on a day of  fasting  a  person intends  to  finish his fast, his fasting is no longer  valid even  though  he may not have had anything to eat  or  drink. Intention  is an essential requirement of fasting. Therefore, if  it  is revoked by a new intention of breaking one's fast, the  fast is no longer valid. As already mentioned, all these practices invalidate fasting and require the person concerned to fast later on in compensation.

If  a  person eats or drinks, or has sexual intercourse  with  his wife thinking that the sun has set or that the dawn has not broken yet  and later realises that he was mistaken with regards  to  the time,  he  is  require to compensate by fasting  a  day  later  on according  to  the majority of scholars including ther  four  main schools  of  thought. But some scholars of high repute,  including Ishaq, Dawood, Ibn Hazm, Ataa and others, believe that his fasting is  valid,  and he is not required to compensate. They base  their argument on the Quranic verses:
  "No liability is attached to you in what you do
  through genuine mistake, but you are liable for
what you do deliberately".                        (?)
FASTING LATER: If some one does not fast a day or more in Ramadhan for any reason, he is required to fast later on, but that does not mean that he should fast immediately when Ramadhan is over. He can choose  to fast at any time, which is convenient to him. The  same applies  to compensation; "Each day of Ramadan is compensated  for by  fasting  one day instead". Moreover, if one did  not  fast  on several  days in Ramadhan and he is fasting them later on,  it  is not  necessary for him to fast on consecutive days. If  he  delays fasting  in  compensation for over a year,  that  is  until  after another  month of Ramadhan has lapsed, he fasts the new  month  of Ramadhan in the normal way, and then fasts those compensatory days later  without  incurring any additional  liability,  whether  his delay was for a good cause or not. This is according to the Hanafi school  of thought. A person may break fast on account of illness, whatever it may be.
FASTING   LATER   AND   COMPENSATION:  Both  fasting   later and
compensation are required if a person has sexual intercourse  when he is fasting.
Most  scholars agree that both the man and woman are  required  to give  compensation,  since they both had intercourse  deliberately out  of their own free will during a day in Ramadhan on which they have  intended  to  fast.  If they had forgotten  that  they  were fasting or if they were forced to have intercourse or if they  did not intend to fast, then no compensation is required of either  of them. If the man forces his wife to have intercourse with him,  or if  she  was exempt from fasting, the compensation is required  of him  alone.  Imam  Al- Shafie and Ahmed ibn  Hanbali  are  of  the opinion  that  the woman is not required to give  compensation  at all, whether she had intercourse willingly or unwillingly.
In case  a  fast  is  rendered  void  deliberately  without  any
justification, man is required to compensate it, either by fasting for  sixty  consecutive days or he should feed sixty poor  men  if unable  to  fast  for sixty days. If the man who  breaks  fast  is unable  to  fulfil  any of the reparations  under  the  stress  of circumstances, he should feel penitence for what he has done. This is  the best way of making amends. Fasting in compensation, can be made  at  any time, with the exception of the five days each  year when  fasting is forbidden. These are the two days of EID-UL-FITR, and the three days which follow the day of EID UL AZHA.
QUESTION:
 Long days of fasting. In certain countries the period of fasting in  RamadHan extends 19 hours or more. Can the number of hours  be decreased  to a limited number of hours per day or must  a  Muslim observe the fast for as long as the day lasts?
ANSWER:
This question has been partly answered in our discussion of prayer timings  in  the  chapter  on prayer, to elaborate:  A  period  of fasting has been defined by Allah in the Qur'an as:
 "and eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn
 appear to you distinct from its black thread;
 Then complete your fast till the night appears".
  (11 : 187)
These instructions are absolutely clear. It is the general rule in Islam  that  no personal opinion is admitted if it conflicts  with specific instructions given by Allah to the Prophet (PBUH). If the length of time in any particular city is 19 hours, then it is  not for  any  person to suggest that people can fast  only  18  or  17 hours.  If a person does that, then he is instructing the  Muslims of  that  city to break their fast while the sun is still visible, or  to  start fasting after the break of dawn. This is  in  direct conflict with the Quranic instruction. Having said that, I realize that  to  fast  19  hours  or more is  very  hard  indeed  I  have experienced  it  myself, having spent the  month  of  Ramadhan  in London.
But  fasting  is  meant to be hard. None has ever  suggested  that fasting from dawn to dusk is easy for any person.  Some people may find  it  less  difficult than others, but  it  remains  hard  for everyone.  We  have  to realize that it is  the  essence  of  this particular worship to be hard.  This is the reason for which Allah promises us great reward for fasting. He says in a HADITH QUDSI:
 "every action a human being does belongs to him
 
with the exception of fasting, which belongs to ME. I reward it accordingly. He abandons his food and drink for My sake".
The  way this statement is phrased, suggests that the reward Allah gives for fasting is great indeed.  There are other pronouncements of the Prophet (PBUH), which support this view. We are informed by the Prophet (PBUH) that fasting in the month of Ramadhan properly, out  of faith and for Allah's sake, is rewarded by the forgiveness of all one's past sins. For such a reward, one is expected to give something commensurate with it. Allah has considered fasting to be an  appropriate offering for such a reward. This is because  Allah is  compassionate  and  His grace is always forthcoming  in  great measure.
The general rule that scholars have so far agreed is that even  if the  period of fasting extends to 23.5 hours every day. (which may be  the  case  in  areas for up North in Norway) fasting  must  be observed. What a Muslim in such a place should do is to begin  his meal when the sun goes down. When he has finished, which would  be shortly  before sunrise, or may even be after sunrise, is to  pray MAGHRIB, ISHA and FAJR one after the other.
These rules are, of course, for those who are able to observe  the fast.  If  a person finds fasting too hard that he fears  for  his life, or fears that he will be very ill as a result of fasting, he may  avail  himself  of Allah's concession  not  to  fast  on  any particular  day.  When he has this experience, and  to  compensate for  it  at a later date, when days are shorter. This is perfectly permissible, but it must be stressed that this ruling applies only at  the  personal  level.  We cannot  say  to  all  Muslims  in  a particular  place  where the day is very long; you  may  not  fast because  the  fasting hours are very long. Every  individual  must decide  for  himself whether he can fast or whether  fasting  will cause him an illness or indeed makes him fear for his life. Again, a  person  who  is  able to fast today, may not be  able  to  fast
tomorrow. The concession therefore, must be considered on a  daily basis  in  addition  to its being considered  on  a  personal  and individual basis.
5. HAJJ:  THE PILGRIMAGE .
 "Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to God,
 
Those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, God stands not in need of any of
His creatures":                         (111 : 97)
The  word HAJJ in Arabic literally means, "reappearing to a  place for  the  sake of a visit" The visitation to the sacred  House  of Allah  at  Mecca and to observe the necessary devotions is  called Hajj. This duty is incumbent upon every Muslim, is the last of the obligatory duties in Islam.
QUESTION:
Describe  briefly  the  principal ceremonies  connected  with  the performance of Hajj?
ANSWER:
Given below are those ceremonies that are associated with Hajj  in chronological order:
i) Putting on the "IRHAM" or the sacred habit of pilgrimage.
ii)  Going to Mecca for a CIRCUIT of the Ka'aba.
iii) Visiting  the hills of SAFA and MARWA and going  to  and  for seven times between them.
iv)  Being in the valley of MINA on the 8th of DHUL-HIJJA.
v) Spending  the next day or the 9th of DHUL-HIJJA on plains  of
 ARAFAT.
vi)  Returning from there soon after sunset and spending the night at MUZDALIFA an oratory between Arafat and Mina.
vii) Departure thence, after dawn on the 10th DHUL-HIJJA  for  the valley of MINA and THROWING SEVEN PEBBLES at the last and the biggest of three pillars of Satan therein.
viii)     Offering SACRIFICES in the Valley of Mina.
ix)  Coming  out of the IRHAM after having a SHAVING of  the  head (women cut about two inches of their lacks only).
x) Returning then to the KA'ABA for a circuit.
xi)  Returning once more to Mina for a stay of at least two  days. Here we throw pebbles at all the three pillars of Satan.
xii) Lastly   before  leaving  Mecca  the  pilgrims   once   again circumnambulate the Ka'aba, which is called the  "TAWAF-  ULWIDA" or the circuit of farewell.
The  pilgrimage to Mecca is, no doubt one of the obligatory duties in Islam, but not an all persons indiscriminately. In the words of the Qur'an:
 "Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to God;
 Those who can afford the Journey". (111 : 97)
These  verse has been interpreted by Abu Hanifa to mean that "both money  sufficient and health of body are a requisite to  make  the pilgrimage a duty.
QUESTION:
Could you describe in detail some of the above rites that one  has to perform  during  the  pilgrimage  and  its  significance  and
importance ?
ANSWER:
PUTTING ON THE IRHAM.
This  habit consists of two pieces of cloth with one the men cover the  lower  half of their bodies, while the other they throw  over their  shoulders,  keeping their head bare.  Women  put  on  their ordinary dress and keep their faces open. They only tie a piece of cloth  over  their heads so as to completely conceal their  locks. There  are different locations and places that have been allocated for pilgrims coming from different directions and countries. These places are called "MEEQAT". All pilgrims whether rich or poor  are uniformly  dressed.  This is in keeping with the  socialistic  and democratic principles of Islam and a reminder to the devotees that all  men,  whether rich or poor are equal in the eyes of  God  and that  on the day of judgement they will have to stand alike before their  creator to render an account of their deeds in this  world, when in the words of the Qur'an they will be told
@SAY    "and  behold ! ye come to us bare and alone as we  created you  for the first time: Ye have left behind you all (the favours) which we bestowed on you". (VI : 94)
The  days that are passed in Irham are the days of absolute  peace and  self  denial for the pilgrims. They are to refrain  from  all quarreling and wrangling as well as from all indecent discourse or conversation  all  luxuries  and  amenities  of  life,   and  all
gratification  of the senses, however legitimate or  innocent  are renounced; no perfumery, no shaving of the head and no crapping of the  hair,  not even the paring of the nails is to be thought  of. The   whole  time  is  spent  in  meditation  and  pious  thoughts restricted  to good work they are engaged in. Hunting  or  fowling intentionally  or designedly is prohibited, but if  any  one  does that,  he  has  by  way  of expiation, either   i)  to  offer  for sacrifice at the holy temple of Mecca a domestic animal  of  equal value  which should be determined by two just men or ii)  to  feed the  poor  ut of the money value of that animal; or iii)  to  fast for  as  many days as the number of poor people who could  be  fed with  that  money.   Exception, however is made  in  the  case  of animals, which are obnoxious or dangerous to life, but fishing  is allowed, as in the event of provisions running short.
ASSEMBLING OF PILGRIMS AT ARAFAT ON 9TH DHUL HIJJA.
On the 9th day of Hajj, Muslims from all over the world would meet together  on equal terms, on Mount Arafat, near Mecca,  for  their annual  pilgrimage. It is a practical demonstration of brotherhood in  Islam. No matter to what nationality or climate a pilgrim  may belong  to, they all stand together, with the sons of the soil-the Arabs,  shoulder  to  shoulder, in  the  true  spirit  of  Islamic fraternity, to pray to God. without any distinction of nationality or colour.
Arafat,  the  mountain on which the great assemblage takes  place, derives its name from the word ARAF which in Arabic means to know. There are two versions why this mountain is called Arafat; one  is that  it was on this mountain that Adam and Eve met and knew  each other  in  this  world, after their expulsion from  Paradise.  The other is that Angel Gabriel, after initiating Abraham into all the rites  of the pilgrimage, asked him if he KNEW them all, to  which he replied that he did (know).
THE KA'ABA AND ITS CIRCUMAMBULATION:
According  to  the Qur'an, the Ka'aba is the first House  of  God, founded on the face of the world for his worship by mankind.  (111 :  96)  Its  existence is COEVAL with the creation  of  the  world itself.  It is otherwise called "AL BAIT-UL-ATIQ" the most ancient house. It is related that when Adam was expelled from Paradise, he prayed  to God that a temple or a building, similar to the one  he had  seen in Paradise and round which he had also seen the  angels going and singing **********, may be sent down to him for worship. His prayer was granted and an exact representation of the building was  left  down  on the site where the Ka'aba now  stands.  It  is
perpendicularly  below its original in heaven. Adam  prayed  round this  building.  After his death his son SHEITH ? erected on  that spot, a building of stone and mortar, similar to the original one, but  it disappeared at the time of the general deluge in the  time of  NOAH. After that it fell of Abraham and Ishmael to restore the building on the same spot according to the original plan of  which he had a vision  (11 : 125).
The circumstances which brought Abraham and Ismail to the site  of the  Ka'aba  are  interesting. Abraham was  the  son  of  AZAR,  a celebrated sculptor of idols an image-worshipper who lied  in  the time  of  Nimrod, the founder of Babylon and Nineveh. Abraham  was against image-worship and admonished people to abandon it in favor of  the  worship of one unseen God. In order to convince them  how helpless the idols, whom they worshipped were, he feigning illness on  a  feast day, remained at home when others went out for merrymaking and hacked the idols to pieces. Suspecting that Abraham had done all this, they on return, asked him to account for it, but he referred  them for a reply to the idols, whom they worshipped,  if they  were capable of giving one (XXXVII : 90 - 96). This  enraged Nimrod  so  much  that  he condemned him to  be  burnt  alive  and actually  had  him thrown into fire from which he was miraculously saved (XXXVII : 97).
After this Abraham went to Egypt with his wife Sarah, who was well known  for  her beauty. Here her beauty brought both  Abraham  and herself,  into difficulty, as no handsome woman was safe from  the vicious propensities of the reigning tyrant of that place. He sent for  Sarah  and  made indecent overtures to her.  Finding  herself helpless  she asked him to wait until she had said her prayer.  He consented, but feeling impatient, he approached her while she  was at devotion, when all of a sudden he got a fit of epilepsy. Thrice he  attempted and thrice he got the attack. He therefore, not only let  her  go, but presented her, by way of remembrance an Egyptian slave  girl.  From Egypt, they all three, Abraham, Sarah  and  the slave  girl  went to Palestine and settled down there,  Hither  to Sarah had not borne any child to Abraham, she therefore, presented the slave girl to him saying; `HA ARJAKA', which, in Arabic means; This  (woman)  is a present (from me) to you", and  hence  she  is known  as "HAJIRA" in Arabic and Hagar in English. Abraham  prayed for  the  gift of a son (XXXVII : 100) and in the course  of  time Hagar  bore  Ismail to him. Sarah having no children of  her  own, was,  at  first  fond of Ismail in fact her object  in  presenting Hagar  to Abraham was that she might bear him a child, but  having beheld  Abraham  fonding  and  caressing  Ismail,  she  grew  very jealous,  and insisted upon Abraham taking Hagar and Ismail  to  a wilderness and leaving them there. At first Abraham hesitated, but acting under a divine inspiration and taking with him only  a  few leaves  some dates and a sheep-skin of water, set out  with  Hagar and  Ismail  and arrived at the spot where the Ka'aba now  stands. Here,  he  gave to Hagar the scanty provisions he had brought  and asking  her  to settle down there with Ismail, returned homewards. While taking last look at the mother and the child, he found Hagar running after him and b
QUESTION:
Is  there  a  classification in Islam  whereby  a  person  can  be classified  as a "KAFIR' non believer. Can a Muslim  call  another Muslim a KAFIR ?
ANSWER:
Allah tells us in the Qur'an:
"O  ye  who  believe!  When you go abroad in  the  cause  of  God, investigate  carefully, and say not to anyone  who  offers  you  a solution; "Thou art none of a believer !". (IV : 94)
The instruction here is very clear. If a person gives us any clear hint  that he is a Muslim, as is the case with a person who starts by  accosting us with the well known Islamic greeting of "peace be
on  you" then we must not deny him his rights as a Muslim.  Unless we  are absolutely certain that he is not. Hence, if a person goes beyond  giving  us the Islamic greeting to making the  declaration that he believes in the oneness of Allah and in the message of the Prophet, then he cannot be classified as a non-believer without  a clear proof of that fact.
Indeed,  Islam  considers it a grave sin for a person  to  call  a Muslim  a Kafir, the seriousness of the accusation is provided  by the  Prophets pronouncement, "If a man calls another a  Kafir  the description  certainly applies to one of them".  This  means  that either the person described as such is indeed an unbeliever, or if he  is  a Muslim, then the person who accused him of being a  nonMuslim  is  an  unbeliever. In other words this description  of  a Muslim  as a non-believer takes him personally out of the fold  of Islam.
Having  said  that,  I  must explain that any  person  who  denies something  which  is necessarily known as part  of  the  faith  of Islam,  is an unbeliever. Thus if a person claims to be  a  Muslim and yet denies any of the essentials of the Islamic faith such  as denying the Day of Judgement or the existence of the Angels or any other matter which every Muslim knows it to be part of Islam is an unbeliever, no matter how strongly he professes to be a Muslim.
ibn  MUDRIKAH, ibn ILLIAS, ibn MUDHAR, ibn NIZAR, ibn Mo'idd,  ibn ADNAN,  ibn UDD, ibn MUQAWIN, ibn NAHOOR, ibn TAIREH, ibn Ya'ARUB, ibn YASHJUB, ibn NABIT, ibn Ishmail, ibn Abraham.
From the Islamic point of view, we simply have no knowledge of the exact  time when or how long did Prophet Abraham live. It  may  be assumed that he lived 2000 years BC, but I imagine that the Ka'aba which was built by Abraham, had been there much earlier than that. This is no more that a personal impression.
QUESTION:
Infallibility  of  the  Prophet? We know that  the  Prophet  never committed a sin. We also know that he had never made a mistake  as far as religion teaching are concerned. Did he ever make a mistake in worldly matters
ANSWER:
As  far  as  the  infallibility of Prophet  is  concerned,  Muslim scholars  are unanimous that Allah has protected his prophets  and messengers  against  committing any grave sin,  either  before  or after their prophethood. The overwhelming majority of scholars are also  agreed  that  all  prophets and messengers  have  been  also protected against committing any trivial sin, although such sin do not  affect their honorable position or distract from their honor. The fact is that Allah has made prophets man of exemplary conduct. Allah  directs  us  to follow their example in all  ways  avoiding anything  which  is  unbecoming of a man,  of  the  highest  moral standards.  He  says in the Qur'an: referring to prophets:  "those are  the  men  Allah has rightly guided. Then,  follow  you  their guidance". Hence according to the majority of Muslim scholars, all prophets have been protected by Allah against committing any  sin, grave or trivial.
Worldly  matters,  however  are left to  personal  discretion  Our respect  of  the  people Allah has chosen to be  prophets,  should prevent  us from speaking of any action made by a prophet in  such matters  is a mistake. We know, for example that Prophet  Mohammad (PBUH)  used  his  discretion and expressed  his  opinion  on  any ordinary  matter.  In  the battle of Badr,  the  Prophet  chose  a certain  spot  for the Muslim army to encamp. That  spot  was  not suitable  from the strategic point of view. One of the  companions asked  him  "Messenger  of Allah, has this  spot  where  you  have encamped  been  chosen for you by Allah, or is  it  your  personal choice  ?"  When the Prophet informed him that it was the  latter, the  man counseled the Prophet to move to another spot, explaining
his  reasons for his own choice. The Prophet recognized  that  the mans advice was sound and he gave the order to his army to move in accordance with that advice.
The  same  applies to the incident when the Prophet  suggested  to farmers  that  it  might be better if they left  palm  date  trees without  doing  a  particular thing they habitually  performed  on them.  When they complained later that the trees did not yield  as they  normally did, the Prophet said his widely quoted  statement, "You  know  the affairs of your world better." These two incidents belong  definitely  to  the  realm of  worldly  affairs  in  which religion gives us no instruction. In such matters we use  our  own discretion. The same applies to the Prophet.
Not so the story of the blind man, he was a believer who asked the Prophet to teach him Islam when the Prophet was busy with a  group of the Quraish leaders trying to explain to them the nature of his message  and  impressing on them the need to become  Muslims.  The Prophet was not happy about being interrupted by the blind man and his  face  changed colour. Obviously the blind man could  not  see that.  Allah  reproached the Prophet for doing so,  informing  him that  he  should  have  attended to the  person  who  has  already accepted  the faith in preference to those high class  people  who had  not.  This  is  a matter which is directly  relevant  to  the attitude  of  the  Prophet, or indeed any advocate  of  Islam,  in situations   where  his  attention  is  claimed   by   conflicting consensus.  Allah  gives us the instruction to follow,  making  it absolutely  plain that a poor, blind believer who  may  be  looked upon  by  others as a man of no importance must be gives  priority over  non-believers, regardless of their high position in society. It is a matter concerned with values. Hence, it is Allah who rules on this.
Some  people misrepresent this incident so as to quote it in order to prove that the Prophet committed a sin. Indeed when the Prophet went  out  of  his way to explain the message of  Islam  to  those unbelievers, he was only fulfilling the duty Allah had imposed  on him.  At no time did he ever think that the blind man had no claim on  his  attention. He simply wished that he could have  waited  a little  until  he  had finished with the people  to  whom  he  was talking.  The  Quranic  verses (LXXX :  1-6)  which  describe  the incident  do  not suggest in any way that the Prophet committed  a sin  or  an offence ? They simply direct the Prophet to the proper course  of  action and inform him that the people to whom  he  was talking would not accept the message of Islam.
QUESTION:
The  Prophets final sermon to Muslims at Arafat on the  HUJJAT-ULWADDAH (HIS LAST HAJJ) before his death.
ANSWER:
 "All praise to be Allah, We glorify him and seek His help and pardon;  and  we turn to Him. We take refuge with Allah  from  the evils  of  ourselves and from the evil consequences of our  deeds. There  is  none to lead him astray whom Allah guides  aright,  and there  is none to guide him abright whom He leads astray.  I  bear witness  that there is no God but Allah alone; having no  partners with  Him, and bear witness that Mohammad is His bandsman and  His messenger. I admonish you, O bandsman of Allah, to fear Allah  and I  urge you to His obedience and I open the speech with that which is good".
"Ye  people ! listen to my words. I will deliver a message to you, for  I  know not whether after this year, I shall ever be  amongst you,  here again. O people ! verily your blood, your property  and your  honor are sacred and inviolable until you appear before your Lord,  as  this day and month is sacred for all. Verily  you  will meet  your Lord and you will be held answerable for your  actions. Have I not conveyed the message ? O Allah ! be my witness".
"He who has any trust with him, he should restore it to the person
who deposited it with him.
"Beware,  no  one  committing a crime is responsible  for  it  but himself.  Neither  the son is responsible for  the  crime  of  his father, nor the father responsible for the crime of his son."
"O  people ! Listen to my words and understand them. You must know that  a  Muslim  is the brother of the Muslim and  they  form  one brotherhood. Nothing of his brother is lustful for a Muslim except what  he  himself allows willingly. So you should not oppress  one another." O Allah ! have I not conveyed the message ?
"Behold  ! All ******* of paganism and ignorance are now under  my feet.  The  blood revenges of the days of ignorance are  remitted. The  first  claim  on blood I abolish is that of Ibn  Rab'iah  ibn Harith  who was nursed in the tribe of Sa'ad and whom the  Hydhayl killed.
"Usually  I  forbidden, but you will be entitled to  recover  your principal.  Do not wrong and you shall not be wronged.  Allah  has decreed  that  there  should  be no and  I  make  a  beginning  by remitting the amount of interest which Abbas ibn Abdul Mutlib  has to receive. Verily it is remitted entirely."
"O  people  ! Fear Allah concerning woman. Verily you  have  taken them  on  the security of Allah and have made their person  lawful unto  you  by words of Allah ! Verily you have got certain  rights over your woman and your women have certain rights over you. It is incumbent  upon  them to honor the conjugal  rights  and,  not  to commit  acts of impropriety which, if they do, you have  authority to  chastise  them, yet not severely. If your wives  refrain  from impropriety  and  are  faithful  to  you,  clothe  and  feed  them suitably."
"Behold ! Lay in junctions upon women but kindly."
"O  people ! Listen and obey though a mangled Aby ****** slave  is your  amir if he executes the ordinance of the Book of Allah among you."
"O  people ! Verily Allah has ordained to every man the  share  of his  inheritance.  The child belongs to the marriage-bed  and  the violators  of  wedlock  shall be stoned.  He  who  attributes  his ancestry to other than his father or claims his clientage to other than his masters the curse of Allah, that of the Angels and of the people  be upon him. Allah will accept from him neither repentance nor righteousness."
"O  People  !  Verily  the Satan is disappointed  at  never  being worshipped  in  this land of yours, but if he  can  be  obeyed  in anything short of worship he will be pleased in matters you may be disposed  to  think of little account, so beware of  him  in  your matters of religion."
"Verily. I have left amongst you the Book of Allah and the  Sunnah of  His  Apostle,  which  if you hold fast,  you  shall  never  go astray."  "And if you were asked about me, what would  you  say  ? They replied, "We bear witness that you have conveyed the message, and discharged your ministry."
THE PROPHET ADDRESSED THE ASSEMBLY AGAIN THE NEXT DAY (DHUL HUJJAH 10  AM), and besides repeating some of the important points of the previous  address,  he  threw a good deal of  light  on  some  new questions.  As  usual, he opened his oration  praising  Allah  and expressing his gratitude to Him.
"O  people  !  verily  the intercalation (of a  prohibited  month) aggravates infidelity. Thereby the unbelievers are led  to  wrong. For they make it lawful one year and forbid it in another year  to be  in conformity with the number (of months) which Allah declared unlawful so they consider violable that which Allah declared to be inviolable and they consider inviolable what Allah declared to  be violable."
"Verily the time has revolved in its own way from the day when the heavens and the earth were created. The number of months to  Allah is  twelve  of  which four are sacred. Three are consecutive  DHUL QADAM,  DHUL  HUJJAH, MUHARRAM and RAJAB which is between  JUMADAH AND SHA'BAN. "O people! Do you know what day it is, what territory
it is. what month it is ?"
To THIS THE PEOPLE ANSWERED. "The day is the day of sacrifice, and the territory is the sacred territory, the month is sacred month." at each reply the Prophet said:
"So  I  apprise you that your lives, your property and your  honor must be as sacred to one another, as the sacred day, in the sacred month, in the sacred town."
"And  your slaves ! See that you feed them with such food  as  you yourself  eat, and clothe them with the clothes that you  yourself wear,  and  if they commit a fault which you are not  inclined  to forgive,  then part with them for they are the servants  of  Allah and  are not to be chastised. "Behold ! Listen to me, worship your Lord, offer prayers five times a day, observe fast in the month of Ramadan;  make  pilgrimage to the House (Ka'aba) pay  readily  the Zakah on your property and obey whatever I command you, only  then will you get into the heaven.
"Let  him  that is present convey it unto him who is  absent.  For happily. many people to whom the message is conveyed may  be  more mindful if it then the audience."
THE  PROPHET TOOK UP THE THREAD OF THE ORATION THE NEXT  DAY  ALSO AND ADDED.
"O people ! Verily your Lord is one and your father is one. All of you belong to one ancestry, that of Adam, and Adam was created out of  clay, there is no superiority for an Arab over a Non-Arab  and for a non- Arab over an Arab; nor for white over the black nor for the black over the white except in piety. Verily the noblest among you is the one who is the most pious.
"Behold, the nearer ones of you should convey the message  to  the remote ones. I have conveyed the message."
THEN  LOOKING UP TO THE HEAVEN, he said, "O LORD" I have delivered the message and discharged my ministry. "YES" cried all the people crowding recede him. "Yes, verily you have".
"O Lord ! I beseech thee hear there witness unto it".
AND  WITH  THESE  WORDS  THE  PROPHET CONCLUDED  HIS  ADDRESS.  HE ALIGHTED  FROM  HIS  CAMEL AND PERFORMED THE  NOON  AND  AFTERNOON PRAYERS TOGETHER. IT WAS AT THE TIME THAT THE VERSE REGARDING  THE COMPLETION OF RELIGION WAS REVEALED TO HIM:
 "This day I have perfected for you your faith
 and completed my favour upon you, AND I am
 well pleased with Islam as your religion     (V :3)
The  PROPHET IMMEDIATELY RECITED THE VERSE TO ALL THOSE  WHO  WERE PRESENT ON THE OCCSSION.