ramadan debates final - qabeelat wasat€¦ · almaghrib institute ramadan debates june 2016

Professional NotesQabeelat Wasat • Chicago IL

For more AlMaghrib Institute notes,please visit www.qwasat.org

Answering the most debated Ramadan topics

AlMaghribInstituteRamadanDebatesJune2016Sh.WaleedBasyouni,Sh.YasirQadhi

Ramadan Debates

Allah,subhanahuwata’ala,chosethismonthforustofastasHesays:

“Oyouwhohavebelieved,decreeduponyouisfastingasitwasdecreeduponthosebeforeyou

thatyoumaybecomerighteous.”Surahal-Baqarah,2:183

AllahalsorevealedtheGloriousQur’aninthemonthofRamadanasHesays:

“ThemonthofRamadan[isthat]inwhichwasrevealedtheQur'an,aguidanceforthepeopleandclearproofsofguidanceandcriterion.Sowhoeversights[thenewmoonof]themonth,

lethimfastit…”Surahal-Baqarah,2:185

Ramadanisoneofthespecialtimesoftheyear,andfastingisoneofthemostspecialactsofworship.TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,saidthatthereisnothingsimilartofasting.[MusnadofImamAhmadandIbnHibban]AllahhasemphasizedtherewardofthepatientonesasHesays:

“Indeed,thepatientwillbegiventheirrewardwithoutaccount.”Surahal-Zumar,39:10

InmanybooksofTafseer,scholarsexplainthatthepatientonesarethosewhofast.


Historical Events That Occurred in Ramadan

• ‘Isa,alayhiassalam,wasrisentotheheavens• Musa,alayhiassalam,died• TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,wasgiventheQur’an• Khadija,radyAllahu‘anha,died• TheBattleofBadr• Fath-Makkah(ConquestofMakkah)• Diggingofkhandaq(ditch)• Storyofal-‘asnaam(theidols)inMakkah• MuslimsarrivedtotheshoreofAl-AndalusandSudan• CountrieswereevenestablishedinRamadan

Butremember,themostimportantchangeisthechangethathappenstoyouinRamadan!Itshouldnotmerelybeachangeinyoursleepingandeatinghabitsbutratherachangeinyourdeenandcharacter.TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,saidthatifyoudonotstopsayinganddoingevil,thenthereisnopointinyouleavingyourfoodanddrink.Allah,subhanahuwata’ala,isnotinterestedinchangingyoureatinghabits;HewantsyoutochangeyourrelationshipwithAllah,yourelationshipwiththepeople,andyouroverallcharacter.

The Prophet, Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam, Fasted

TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,usedtofastinRamadanandevenoutsideRamadan.‘A’ishah,radyAllahu‘anha,reportedthattheProphetwouldfastsomuchuntilitseemedhewouldneverbreakhisfast.HeneverfastedanentiremonthexceptRamadan.

Anas,radyAllahu‘anhu,saidthattherewasnotasingledayhewishedtoseetheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,fastingexceptthathewouldfindhimfastingthatday.AndtherewasnotadaythatIwishedtoseetheProphetnotfastingexceptthathewasnotfastingthatday.AndtherewasnotasinglenightIcouldthinkofthatIwouldwishtoseetheProphetprayingexceptthathewasprayingthatnight.[BukhariandMuslim]AnaswastheservantoftheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,andspent10yearswithhim.


People Who Appreciated Fasting SayyidahNafisahwasfromtheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam’s,family,andshediedinEgypt.Whenshewasdying,peopleofferedherfood,butsherefused.Sheexplainedthatforthelast40years,shehopedtodiewhilefasting—andshediedbeforeMaghrib.Notonlywasshefasting,butshewasalsoreadingQur’an:

“Say,‘Towhombelongswhateverisintheheavensandearth?’Say,‘ToAllah.’Hehas

prescribeduponHimselfmercy.”Surahal-An’am,6:12

‘A’ishah,radyAllahu‘anha,hadastudentbythenameofMasruq.Sheusedtosaytohiminnakawaladi(indeedyouaremyson).Hebecameveryill;whilehewasdying,hewasfasting.Thepeoplecalled‘A’ishahoverinanattempttoconvincehimtotakehismedicineandbreakhisfast,butherefused.Hesaidthathewantedtomakeiteasyforhimselfonadaythatis50,000yearslong.

ThesestoriesshouldmakeustrulyappreciatethegreatactofibadahoffastingduringRamadan.WethankAllahforallowingustofastthepreviousRamadans,andweaskHimtomakethisRamadanthebestoneyet.

Fasting at the Age of Puberty AtWhatAgeDoesFastingBecomeObligatoryforBoysandGirls?Sh.Waleed:ThefastingisprescribedupontheMuslimwhoreachestheageofpuberty—andthisdiffersfrompersontoperson.PubertyisthesignofanindividualIslamicallybecominganadult,anditisdefinedbycertainsigns(andacertainageaccordingtosomescholars).Theclearestsignofafemalereachingpubertyiswhenshestartshermenses.Somegirlsmaystarttheirmensesattheageof10or11yearsold;atthattime,fastingbecomesobligatoryuponherinadditiontoalltheotherrulesofIslam.Forboys,thesigntheyhavereachedpubertyistheabilitytoproducemaniy(sperm),andthiscanbeestablishedthroughawetdream(istimna’).Thereisalsodiscussionaboutthegrowthofpubichairbeingasignofpuberty(however,thisisnotagreedupon).TheShafi’isandAhnaafdonotconsiderthisasasignofpubertywhilesomeoftheHanabilaandMalikiyyadoconsideritasign.Inregardstoage,theShafi’isandHanabilaconsider15yearsoldastheageofpuberty.TheAhnaafandMalikiyyaconsider17or18yearsoldastheageofpubertyforboys,and17yearsoldforgirls.


Moredebateexistsaboutthistopic,buttheissueofageonlycomesintotheequationifnoneofthesignsappear.Physicalsignslikechangingofthevoice,growingofthearmpithair,orgrowingofthepubichairarenotconsideredIslamicsignsofreachingpuberty.Furthermore,noscholarseverconsideredthemtobesigns.BottomLine:Sh.Waleed:

• Signsagreeduponbythescholars:o Forawoman—menstruation,pregnancy,orwetdreamwithproductionof

femalespermo Foraman—producingsperm

• Age—moredebatehereo Why15?BecausetheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,rejectedboysof

age14tojointhearmy.Otherssaythatmayhavebeenaculturalcomponentasa15yearoldissimilartoayoungman(butitdoesn’tnecessarilyequatewithreachingtheageofpuberty).

• Thickpubichair—somesayitisasignofpuberty,otherssaynobecausetheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,nevermadeitclear.MaybetheProphettreatedsomepeopleasmaturewhentheyhadthissign,butwecannotgeneralizearulingfromsuchascenario.

o So,somescholarscameupwiththeideaof17and18yearsold.(17forgirlsbecausetheymatureearlier;endof17,beginningof18forboys).Basedonastatementof‘Abbas,radyAllahuanhu.

• Advice—weshouldteachyoungerkidstofast,asearlyas7yearsoldorevenyounger.Somescholarssaytotreatitlikesalah:orderthemtofastattheageof7,andputmoreemphasisonitattheageof10.

o InBukhari,thereisahadithstatingthattheMuslimstaughttheirkidstofastonthedayof‘Ashura(fasting‘Ashurawasobligatoryinthebeginning).So,theyusedtoencouragethekidstofastandbringthemtoystoplaywithatthebackofthemasjiduntiltheadhaanwascalled.

o Keepinmindthatyoumustproperlyassesswhetheryourchildcanfastwithoutcomplicationssuchasdehydration,etc.Insomeplacesoftheworld,thefastsareverylong,especiallyinthesummer.Youcanhavethemfasthalfadayandthenslowlyincreasethedurationoffasting.

o Fastingisnotobligatoryonthekidsuntiltheyreachtheageofpuberty—don’tmakeitdifficult,don’tmakethemhatefastingorthedeen.


Health Conditions Whathealthconditionsexemptsomeonefromfasting?UnderwhatconditionscanapersonskipfastingandprovidetheKaffara?Sh.Waleed:Allahsaidifyouaresickortravelling,itispermissibleforyoutomakeituponotherdays.Buthowis“sickness”defined?ThefourmadhahibandvastmajorityofMuslimjuristssaidthattherearefourreasonstobreakthefastduetosickness:

1. Iffastingthatdaywillincreasethesickness.2. Iffastingwillcausethesicknesstobeworse,ordelaythehealingprocess.For

example,ifonehadsurgeryandnottakingcertainmedicineswilldelaythehealingprocess.

3. Ifitcausesagreatdealofhardship(mashaqqa).Forexample,ifoneisingreatpainduetochemotherapyandneedsmedicationtocontrolthepain.

4. Ifsomeonetakescertainmedicationthatcauseshim/hertobeextremelydehydratedanditwillbeagreatdealofharmtotheindividual.Dehydrationitselfisnotthereasonforbreakingthefast,butratherthenegativeconsequencesofdehydration(suchasdizzinessorfainting).

Note:alightcold,alightheadache,orallergies,arenotconsidered“sickness”unlesstheyreachaseverelevel.Whatifoneisnotcurrentlysick,butfastingandnottakingmedicationwilllikelyhaveanegativeimpactontheperson’shealthinthefuture?(e.g.highbloodpressure,diabetes)Sh.Waleed:Scholarssayitwilltakethesamerulingasifoneissick,andthisisastrongopinionagreeduponbythefuqahaacrosstheboard.IbnQudamahsaidthatthepersonwhofearsbecomingsickduetofastingistreatedlikethesickperson.An-Nawawihasalsomentionedthesameinhisbook“al-Majmu’”.However,thereisonetrendamongearlierscholars,someofthetabi’in,andadh-Dhahiriya:theysaiditdoesnottakethesamerulingasifoneissick,butthelaterscholarsdidnotholdthisopinion.ShouldIbreakmyfastbecauseofmysinusproblemsintheallergyseason?Sh.Waleed:Wehavetolookathownotbreakingthefastwouldaffecttheperson.Ifnotbreakingthefastwouldcauseagreatdealofhardship,thenbreakingofthefastispermissible.Iftheperson’sallergyreachesalevelwhereheisunabletofunctionproperly,inthiscase,itisbettertobreakthefastandtakethemedication.However,ifnotbreakingthefastwouldcausethepersontojustsneezealittlebit,thenthatisnotareasonforhimtobreakthefast.ConsultationwithMuslimdoctorsvs.non-MuslimdoctorsSh.Waleed:Muslimscholarscommonlysaythatintermsoftheimpactoffastingonyourhealth,oneshouldaskaMuslimdoctor.ItshouldbeaMuslimdoctorwhomyoutrustintermsofdeenandknowledge.Youcanalsoconsultanon-Muslimdoctorabouttheimpactfastinghasonyourhealth,andthisisthestrongestopinionamongthefuqaha.Hanbalis


andMalikisalsosharethisopinionthatanon-Muslimdoctor(whomyoutrust)canbeconsulted.ThisisalsotheopinionofIbnQayyim,IbnTaymiyyah,andtheybasethisonthefactthattheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,hiredAbdullahibnUraqitduringhishijrah.IbnQayyimcommentedonthisstoryandusedthistosupporthisopinionthatyoucanhireanon-Muslimdoctorandthatyoucanseekhelp/adviceofanon-Muslim.Ifyoudoconsultanon-Muslimdoctor,makesuretoexplaintothedoctorwhatfastingisandmakesurethatthisdoctoralsovaluesreligionandwillrespectyourreligion.Weseeinourhistorythatmanyofourscholarsusedtohavenon-Muslimdoctors.Forinstance,al-MarwadinarratedthathewasvisitingImamAhmadandhesawaChristiandoctorleavingImamAhmad’sroom.Thedoctorwasaccompaniedbyapriest.Al-Marwadiwascuriousaboutwhathesaw,soImamAhmadsaidthepriestwantedtovisithim.ThepointSh.Waleedismakinghereisthatconsultinganon-Muslimdoctorisalsoverycommon.Forsomeoneundergoingcancertreatment,Iknowhecannotfastandhehastofeedamealtoapoorpersonforeverymissedday.Canallthemealsbefedto29-30peopleinonedayduringthefirstweekofRamadan,ordoesithavetobedoneoneperday?Sh.Waleed:Themajorityofthefuqahasaythattheentirekaffaracanbegiventooneperson,itcanbegivenallinoneday,itcanbedistributedovermultipledaysandmultiplepeople.Anas,radyallahu‘anhu,cookedfoodandinvitedpoorpeopletoeatfromit.Manyofthefuqahadisliketheideaofgivingcookedfoodtopoorpeople,theysayitisbetterthatthey’regivenachoice,becausewhatifthepeopledonotlikethecookedfood?TheHanafihaveadifferentposition.TheAhnafholdtheopinionthatgiving30mealstoonepersoniscountedaskaffaraforjustonemissedfastbecausegivingonepoorperson30mealswouldremovethatpersonfromthecategoryofbeing“faqeer”,butthevastmajorityofthefuqahadonotagreewiththeAhnafonthis.Sh.Waleedthinksthemajorityofthescholarsinthisregardhaveastrongerargument.

Exams and Work Whatabouthardshipinregardstoone’scareeroreducationwhilefasting?Whatifsomeonehasanimportantprojectatworkorstudentswhohaveexams?Atwhatpointdoesthissortofhardshipbecomeareasontobreakone’sfast,ifatall?Sh.Waleed:Intermsofexams,ifitisaboyinschoolovertheageofpubertywhoistakinganexam,thisisnoreasonforhimtobreakhisfast.Theconcernhereisthemessageofvaluingthedunyaoverthedeenthatisbeingsenttothechildren.However,ifthechildfeelsdizzyorisabouttofaintorisunabletofunctionduetofasting,thenitispermissibletobreakthefast.Intermsofwork,ifsomeone’sworkrequiresphysicallabor,thenanargumentcanbemadeaboutthepermissibilityofbreakingthefastundercertaincircumstances.Forexample,ifoneisaconstructionworkerandfeelssignsofdehydrationwhilefastingatwork,thenhecanbreakhisfast.


Which First, Maghrib Salah or Food? Isitokaytoeatyourmealbeforeprayingoristhisconsidereddelayingprayerforanon-validreason?(Thisquestionisnotreferringtoiftar,itisreferringtoafamilythatpreferstohavethefullmealbeforeMaghribprayer)Sh.Waleed:EatingafullmealbeforeMaghribisokayaslongastheyprayMaghribontime,andtheydon’tkeepeatinguntilthetimeforIshacomesin.TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,saidtoeatdinnerbeforeMaghrib(thisisinBukhari).Soit’sokaytodelaythesalahtoeat.TheProphetdislikedforsomeonetopraywhiledesiringfood.Sh.Yasir:OnlytheShafi’iareverystrictinregardstothetimingofMaghribsalah,theotherthreemadhahibsayMaghribcanbeprayedanytimefromthebeginningofMaghribtimetotheend(i.e.untilbeforeIshacomesin).

Controversy Over Fajr Timing WhendoesFajrBegin?Sh.Yasir:Alotoftheprayerchartsradicallydifferintheirprayertimingseveninthesamecity.ThisgoesbacktothefiqhicontroversyofcalculatingthebeginningofFajr.Al-Fajras-SadiqSh.Yasir:Fajrbeginsatal-Fajras-Sadiq(thetruedawn),whichiswhenthehorizonislituphorizontallywiththeraysofsun,notjustvertically.Duringthemiddleofthenight,thereisaverticalstripthatwillappear,andasthesuncontinuestocomeclosertothehorizon,thatstripexpandsoutwardandbecomesflat.Whenitisontheentirehorizon,Fajrtimehasstarted.Weneedtofinishoursuhoorbeforethistime.Intheory,thisisagreeduponbythescholarsandallfourmadhahib.Buthowdowetranslatethatintoascientificequation?18-degreeModelSh.Yasir:About30yearsagoinMakkah,Ummal-Qurainvitedmanyscholarsandastronomerswhodecidedtoadoptthe18-degreemodel.Whenthesunis18degreesbeneaththehorizon,itwillbeconsideredFajr;thisisthestandard/defaultinthemajorityofmasajidaroundtheworld.Thoughthisisthesaferopinion,itisnottheonlyopinion.Somegroupshavestateddifferentdegrees:19,17.5,15,12,andeven9.So,thereisaspectrumofcontroversy.ISNAandsomeBritishcouncilshaveadopted15degrees.Thisdifferenceindegreestranslatesintoadifferenttime(e.g.about30-minutedifferenceintheUSor2hoursintheUK).


Sh.Yasirsaysthatthewholenotionofhavingoneprecisenumberforthewholeglobedoesnotmakesense.Thatnumbervariesfromlatitudetolatitude,seasontoseason.Itmaybelogicaltoadoptthe18-degreemodelattheequator,buttoassumethatthe18-degreemodelwilloperateeverywhereontheglobedoesnotmakesense.Thatbeingsaid,Allahknowsbest,thereisleeway.Therearesomanyfactors.Eventwoindividualsmonitoringthehorizonmaygivedifferenttestimoniesregardingthesamedegreeduetofactorssuchasdifferencesineyesightandairpollution.Fajras-Sadiqisnotreallyascientificallypreciseorcalculabletime.Unlikesunrise,whichcanbepreciselycalculatedanddeterminedbythesunrisingabovethehorizon.Therefore,Sh.Yasirrecommendsthatwefollowourindividualmasjid.18isfine,17isfine,15isfine;goingbelowthatmaybealittleproblematic,butAllahknowsbest.Weshouldnotsaythatadegreemodelisbatilbecauseitdiffersfromourowndegreemodel.Sh.Yasir’smasjidinMemphisfollowstheISNAmethod.Sh.Waleed:HismasjidalsofollowstheISNAmethod.However,ifyouprayatamasjidorknowsomeoneelsewhofollowsadifferentmethodology,itisalsoacceptable.Iftherearetwomasajidwithdifferenttimings,isitpermissibletogowiththeeasierone?Sh.Yasir:Typically,individualsshouldpickthetimingofthemasjidtheyusuallypraywith,themasjidtheyassociatewith.Thereshouldbesomekindofunityamongacity,sostickwiththegroupyou’reassociatedwith.Don’tpickandchooseyearlybasedonconvenience.However,inspecificcasesinwhichtheremaybeahugedifferenceinFajrtiming(e.g.intheUK,Fajrcouldbeat1:30aminonecityand3:30aminanothercitybasedonthedegreemodeltheyuse).Sh.Yasirdoesnotseeaprobleminchoosingtheeasierone.The18-degreemodelmaypresentwithmuchhardship.Thinkingofchildren,teenagers,andpeoplewhohavework,thereisnoproblemifpeopleswapmasajidforease.Itisnotaquestionofhalalorharam,notaquestionofhaqqorbatil,itisaquestionofwhichdegreeismoreaccurate,andtheaveragepersondoesnotknowwhichoneismoreaccurate.InshaAllah,thereisnosinifthepersondecidestoswapmasajidforthisreason.

“…Hehasnotplaceduponyouinthereligionanydifficulty…”Surahal-Haj,22:78


Khatm al-Qur’anHowstrongofaSunnahisreadingtheentireQur’anduringTaraweeh?Sh.Waleed:ThereisnodoubtthatreadingtheentiretyoftheQur’anisoneofgreatestactsofdeedswecanperformduringthemonthofRamadan.CompletingtheQur’an(notnecessarilyinTaraweeh)isnotonlySunnahNabawiya,butitisalsoSunnahSalafiya(thesalafal-salihusedtodoit).TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,usedtoreviewtheentireQur’anwithAngelJibreel,‘alayhiassalam,duringthemonthofRamadan.TheyeartheProphetdied,herevieweditwithJibreeltwice.[SahihBukhari]ManyofthescholarswouldmakemultiplekhatmaoftheQur’an.Al-Aswad,astudentofIbnMas’ud,wouldcompletetheQur’aneverytwonights.ImamShafi’iwouldmake60khatmaduringRamadan.Manyofthetabi’in,Mujahid,Qatadah,andalonglistofscholarswouldrepeatmultiplekhatmas,andthisissomethingtheylearnedfromtheSahaba,radyAllah‘anhum.WhataboutreadingtheentireQur’aninTaraweeh?Sh.Waleed:ThereisnoharminfinishingtheentireQur’aninTaraweeh.ButdidtheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,recommenditororderustodothat?No.However,wehavecertainindication,fromhowtheSahabausedtopray.‘Umarbinal-Khattab,radyAllahu‘anhu,forexample,gatheredtheSahababehindUbaydinsalah.100sofverseswouldberecitedbeforeFajr.AnothernarrationfromYounisIbnUbaydstatesthatAbuAbdulRahmanIbnBakrah,acompanion,wouldleadthepeopleinal-BasrahandSaeedIbnAbial-HasanandMarwanal-Abdiwouldleadthesalahandpray20rakahsandwouldmakekhatmasoftheQur’antwiceduringTaraweeh.ImamMuhammadIbnIsmailal-BukhariwouldgatherhisstudentsinthefirstnightofRamadantoleadtheprayerwith20rakahs.InRamadan,hewouldpraywiththemuntilhemadekhatmaoftheQur’an.Inthemadhahib,theymentionthattheImamshouldnotexceedaboveonekhatmaoftheQur’antomakeiteasyforthefollowers.Somescholarssayitisallowedtomakemorethanonekhatma.Al-Kasani,agreatHanafischolar,saiditisrecommendedtomakekhatmaoftheQur’anbecause‘UmardidsowiththeSahaba.Butal-Kasanisaidinourdays,itishardforpeopletowitnessthewholeentirekhatmaoftheQur’anmorethanonce.However,hesaidyoushouldreadaccordingtowhatindividualsarecapableof.ItisreportedthatImamMalikdidnotbelievemakingkhatmawaspartoftheSunnah;itisnotsomethingfromtheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam.ImamAhmedsaidyouread


accordingtowhatpeoplearecapableof,soifkhatmaisdifficultforpeopleespeciallywithsuchlatenights,youdon’thavetodokhatmal-Qur’an,butifthecommunitycanhandleit,thenthat’sfinetoo.

Moonsighting AWesternControversySh.Yasir:HehasanentirearticleonmoonsightingonMuslimMatters.comandencourageseveryonetoreadittolearnmore.ThecontroversydoesnotaffectmostMuslimcountriesbecausetheMuslimgovernmentannouncesthedayofEidinthosecountries.So,thedecisionisunifiedthroughouttheentirecountrybasedontheministry.However,wehavenoministryofIslamicaffairsoroneunitedleadershipinAmericaandtheWesternworld;soeverymasjidbasicallydoeswhatitwantstodobasedonitsposition.TwoprimarypositionsinclassicalIslamrelevanttousSh.Yasir:

1. Unifyingtheworldwithonesighting2. Followingyourownlatitudeoftheregionyouarein,thusfollowingyourown

province.ThesetwoopinionsarefoundinclassicalIslamandtechnicallywithinonemadhab.Itiscommontofindbothopinionsbeingchampionedbyvariouspeople.Forthebulkoftheummah’shistory,everysingleprovincefolloweditsownsighting.Sh.Yasir:Evenwithinthemadhab,itisnotcrystalclear,becausethisquestionwaslargelyatheoreticalquestionformostofthehistoryoftheummah.Regardlessofwhatyoubelieveintheoretically,realisticallyyouwouldfollowtheopinionofyourprovinceorlocality.Forexample,theMuslimsofAndaluswouldneverfollowtheMuslimsofChinaortheMuslimsofArabiabecausetherewasnowaytocommunicatewithoneanotheraboutaglobalsighting,regardlessoftheory.EvenaccordingtoanauthentichadithinSahihMusliminwhichIbnAbbasdiscussesthedifferentmoonsightingsinDamascusvs.MadinahfromthewordsofKurayb,weunderstandthattheSahabahaddifferentdaysofstartingRamadan.Itwasnotconsideredabigdeal.Sh.Yasirbelievesthereisnoproblemifeverylocalityfollowsitsownmoonsighting.Ifsomeonewantstoargueforaunifiedsighting,thatisalsonotaproblemandisanacceptableopinionundersoundclassicalIslam.However,thelatterhasneverhappenedinthehistoryoftheummahandtoassumeitisgoingtohappennowissomewhatidealistic.TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,saidthatthefastingisthedayyoustartfastingandEidal-FitristhedayyoudoEidalFitr[Tirmidhi].So,nomatterwhathappensinthesky,whatmattersisthatthecommunitycomestogetheronthedayRamadanandtheday


ofEidal-Fitrsothatthecommunityisunited.Ifonecityisfollowingonedayandanothercityisfollowinganother,sobeit.However,withinacity,ifthereisadifference,Sh.Yasirsuggeststhatwegowiththedominantmajority.Ifthereisnodominantmajority,westickwithourlocalmasjidthatwepraywith.ISNAreleasedanewfatwaafewyearsagotoforgetvisualsightingforcalculations,whichwasrejectedbyandlargebymasajidandscholars.WeareseeingtherevivalofthispositionandSh.Yasirhasbecomesympathetictothisopinionafteryearsofworkingwiththecommunity.HedeemsitasapermissiblealternativegiventhedynamicsoftheAmericanandWesternMuslimcommunities.Inatheoreticalidealworld,Sh.Yasirwouldhopetohavelocalsightings,andthatisthedefaultandwhathashistoricallyoccurred.However,giventhedynamicoftheMuslimminoritylivinginNorthAmerica,notknowingwhenRamadanandEidarecanbehighlyproblematic.WithmoreandmorestatesdeclaringEidanationalholiday,itmaybedifficulttomakeEidprayeraccommodations.Workingprofessionalssuchasdoctors,engineers,etc.donotknowwhichdaytotakeoff.Logistically,itwouldbeeasiertoknowinadvancewhenEidisgoingtobe.WearenotlivinginaMuslimland;weareaminoritystrugglingtoholdontoouridentity.ItispermissibleinShariahtotakecontextintoaccountwhenwelookatfiqhpositions.Manyscholarsignorerealityandtheythinkpuretheory.Thatisnothowfiqhisderived;fiqhshouldalsoarrivefrompracticalityandreality.InSh.Yasir’sopinion,calculationsareNOTthestrongestfiqhiopinion,butgiventhedynamicoftheWesternMuslimcommunity,hebelievesitmakessenseforustostartthinkingmoreandmoreaboutthepracticalramificationsofknowingwhenEidisgoingtobeandtheusefulnessforustodothat.Isthemoonsightingaritualactofworship?Sh.Yasir:IsitanactofworshipthatAllahhascommandedustodoorisitmerelyasignoftheactualritual,whichisRamadan?Somescholarssaytheformer,thatitisworship.However,inSh.Yasir’shumbleopinion,thereisnothingintheQur’anandSunnah,inandofitself,thatsaysitisanactofworship.Whydowecareaboutthis?Becauseifitisanactofworship,thenwedonotthinkaboutitortrytorationalizeit.Wesimplyhearandweobey(e.g.wepray5timesaday,wedon’taskwhy5,wejustdoit).However,ifwesaythatitisnotaritualact,weareallowedtothinkaboutitandrationalizeit.Whatisthereasonandwisdombehindthislegislation?Wecansaythatsightingthemoonisnotaritualisticact/actorworshipinandofitself,butratheranindication.

“Theyaskyouconcerningthenewmoons.Say,‘Theyarefixedtimesformankind,and(for)the

Pilgrimage.’”Surahal-Baqarah,2:189


Asforthehadiththatsays,“Weareanilliteratenation,weneitherreadnorwewrite,”Sh.Yasirstatesthatmanyscholars,especiallythoseagainstcalculations,havemisunderstoodthehadith.Thepointofthehadithisnotaprohibitionorcommandment,butsimplydescribingthestatusquoatthattimeinwhichthemajorityoftheSahabawereilliterate.Noonesaystheummahshouldremainunletteredfortherestofourfuture.Infact,theMuslimummahisveryliteratenow.Thishadithisnotprohibitingthecalculationsmethod.Therefore,weshouldnotseethishadithasprohibitingtheuseofstatusquointhefuture.ConclusionSh.Yasir:FollowthemajorityinyourareaanddonothaveillfeelingsinyourhearttowardsotherMuslimsiftheychoosetofollowadifferentopinion.Ifyouareinchargeandyouhavetodecide,thenthebestpositionislocalmoonsighting.However,practicallyandpragmatically,hedoesnothaveaproblemwithembracingthecalculationmodel,anditisavalidopinionespeciallysinceweareaminority.Wecansaywhateverwewant,butwithin20years,Sh.YasirbelievesthatitwillbethedefaultpositionamongtheMuslimminorityworld,regardlessofwhatpositionwehaverightnowandAllahknowsbest.AnotherOpinionSh.Waleed:Thereisamethodologythathefollowsandrecommendsotherstofollow.Inanyissuerelatedtothemasses,healwaysrecommendsthatwereferbacktotheCouncilofFiqhasopposedtoagroupofrelativelyunknownindividuals.TheCouncilofFiqhhasalargenumberofspecialistswholookdeeplyintoissuesandconductmuchresearchbeforetheyissueafatwa.ThereisanagreementrecognizedbytheMuslimcouncilsthatspecificallyrejectedthecalculationsmethodindeterminingthebeginningofthemonth.Evenfromafiqhperspective,hemaygowithSh.Yasir’schoice.Butwhenhegivesfatwastothepublic,Sh.WaleedgoeswithwhattheCouncilofFiqhsays.Ironically,intimeswhereitisimpossibletounifytheummahononemethodofmoonsighting,thefuqahahavesaidthisistherule.Lookingatthefundamentalissueathand,itisoktochooseanopinionamongthescholarsthatcanfitcertaincircumstancesforaspecificgroupofpeoplesuchasminorities.Theopinionshouldnotbeweak.An-Nawawisaidthecalculationmethodis“acorruptrejectedopinion”.ScholarsoftheMaliki,Shafi’i,andHanbalimadhabalsospokeagainstthisopinion.Whenweestablishrulings,wemustlookattheevidence,notatthepeople’sneed.Wecannotusethedeenduetotheweaknessofpeople’siman.Shaykhal-Islamexplainsthatyoucannotinventthingsinthereligionjustbecauseofthelackofimanamongthepeople.WecannotadoptsomethingnewinShariahjusttomakeiteasyforpeople.Thatisthewrongway.


HadithconcerningtheilliterateummahSh.Waleed:WhatSh.Yasirsaidisabsolutelycorrect,itdoesn’tmeanwedon’tlearnmathorabouttheworld.However,Sh.Waleeddisagreesthatthishadithisdescribingthestatusquo.Itmaybepartofit,butthishadithissayingthatthismonth,howwedeterminethesightingofthemoon,howthemonthiscalculated,weuseitinthemostilliterateway.Wedon’tusecalculationswhenitcomestothismatter;weuseitinthemostilliterateandsimpleway.AjudgeinSaudiArabiasaidin1426,thatforthelast20years,theyfailedtorecognizethemoonasingletimewithatelescopewhiletheycouldseeitwiththeiractualeye.Evenmoreunscientificallyspeaking,itisnotveryeffectivetosightthemoonusingatelescope.Instead,itismoreeffectivetouseyourowneyesifyouhavegoodeyesightandareinagoodlocation.Thetelescopeputsmorelightinaspecificpoint,possiblymakingitmoredifficulttodetectthestartofthenewmonth.So,theProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,wassayingtousethemostsimplewayoflookingatthemoon.ResponsetoSh.WaleedSh.Yasir:WhatSh.Waleedissayingisaveryacceptedopinion.ButwouldImaman-Nawawisaytheexactsamethinggiventhecurrentcircumstancesoftoday?Shouldweblindlyfollowtheiropinionoftheirtimeandplace,orshouldwetrytodowhattheywouldhavedonegiventhattimeshavechanged,aswellasastronomy,science,andtechnology.Whattheyknewastronomicallywasgreat,butit’snowhereclosetowhatweknow.Asforthemajami’,thescholarsofSaudiArabiaallhavedifferences.Ikhtilaafal-Mutali’isthestandardanddefaultpositionofthemajorityoftheummah.AlbaniandothershadWahdatal-Mutali’,anditisthepositionofAMJA.Sh.Yasirisstressingtheimportanceofunitymorethanafiqhiposition.

Taraweeh CantheImamreadfromthemushafduringTaraweeh?Sh.Waleed:TheShafi’isandthestrongestopinionamongsttheHanabilasayitispermissible.ImamAhmadalsosaiditispermissible,butwhenhewasaskedaboutthefardhsalah,hesaidno,Ihavenotheardanythingaboutit.MostoftheHanabilaalsosaytheImamshouldnotreadfromthemushafduringthefardhsalah.InRamadan,hebelievesitisallowedbasedonthenarrationfromDhakwaan,theboyof‘A’ishah,whousedtoleadherRamadanfromthemushaf.Also,Az-Zuhrisaidthatthebestonesamongususedtoreadfromthemushafduringthesalah.ImamMalikallowedit(buthedislikedthatyoupickupthemushafandstartlookingatitinthemiddleofsalah).However,mostoftheMalikidon’trecommenditatall.


TheHanafimadhabisverystrict,sayingthatthesalahisbatilifonelooksatthemushafbecauseitisanunnecessarymovementinsalah.Youshouldtrytofindsomeonewhoishafidh,butiftheImamneedstoholdthemushaf,itispermissible.CanyoureadtheEnglishtranslationwhileprayingbehindtheImam?Sh.Waleed:ShaykhIbnBaazgaveafatwathatifyoudon’tmoveyourlipstotheEnglishtranslation(eyesonly),itispermissible.ButifyouareactuallyspeakingtheEnglishinsalah,itisnotallowed.Justlookingwiththeeyesispermissible,especiallyifyoudon’tspeakArabicbecauseitcanhelpyoufocus.HehasapaperpublishedaboutthismatteronAMJA.HowstrongofaSunnahisittoprayTaraweeh?Sh.Yasir:ThewordTaraweehdoesnotoccurintheSunnah.TaraweehprayeristhesameastheQiyamal-Layl,Tahajud,andWitr.ExceptthatinRamadan,itiscalledTaraweeh.ItwascalledTaraweehinthetimeofthetabi’inbecausetheywouldrest(yurowahoon)afterevery4rakahs.Taraweehmeanstorest.So,itisthesameasQiyamal-Layl(thenightprayer).ItisespeciallyrecommendedinRamadantoprayitandthat’soneofthethreereasonsofhavingtheprevioussinsforgiven:

1. WhoeverfastsRamadan2. WhoeverpraysthenightsofRamadan3. WhoeverpraysLaylatul-QadrwithimanandexpectingtherewardfromAllah

ItisaverystronglyemphasizedSunnah,butitisnotwajib(obligatory).Ifapersonisabletoprayathome,thatisfine.Ifapersonisabletoprayatthemasjid,thatisfine.Sh.Yasirsaysthatthedefaultrulingistoattempttoprayinthemasjidfortheaveragepersonbecausethereismorespirituality.ButfortheonewhoisusedtoprayingathomealonelonghoursandtheonewholikestorecitetheQur’anhimself,thereisnoquestionthatprivacyisalsoencouraged,andonemayhavemoreikhlasprayingTaraweehathome.Whataboutthenumberofrakahs?Sh.Yasir:FirstrealizethatTaraweehisanaflprayer,andtherefore,thereisnonumberthatismandatory.Wecannothaveamandatorynumberforsomethingthatisnafl.So,ifapersonwantstoprayanynumberofrakahs,thatwouldbepermissible.Historicallyspeaking,theProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,typicallyprayedthe11rakahsofQiyamal-Layl(8+3);thiswashisoverallsunnah.Andinthetimeof‘Umarbinal-Khattab,herealizedthat11isveryverylong,somadethemshorterrecitations.Wehaveauthenticnarrationssayingthathemadethem20rakahs.Therefore,itisfromtheactionsof‘Umar(heisapersonwhomwefollow),soitiscompletelypermissibletopray20.WealsoknowthatthepeopleofMadinahunderImamMalikwouldpray36rakahs.ThepeopleofMakkahwouldperformTawafafterevery4rakahs.SothepeopleofMadinahwantedtocompensateforthat,sotheyaddedextrarakahs.


Thenumberofrakahsisnottheimportantprinciple,butratherthequalityofrakahs.Ifapersonwantstopray8or20rakahs(orevenlessormore)itispermissible.Buthistoricallyspeaking,8and20havebeenthepredominateones.Choosequalityoverquantity!Sh.Waleed:HeagreeswithSh.Yasir.Butthe36rakahsprayedbyImamMalikwasactuallystartedby‘UmarbinAbdulaziz.Afterthat,thepeopleofMadinahimitatedhim.AndthatishowImamMaliksawthepeopleofMadinahpray.Youcanprayanynumberthatyouwouldlike.ThereisadifferencebetweenthewordTaraweehandQiyam.QiyamreferstoprayingbyyourselfwhileTaraweehisprayingincongregation.EvenifyouprayTaraweehbyyourself,wedon’tcallitTaraweehbutratherQiyam(evenifyouhavearestbetweentherakahs).Somefuqahasaid,itisnotrecommendedforthosewell-knownandrespectedtoprayathomeasopposedtoincongregationsotheywillnotbeabadrolemodelforthecommunity.

Fasting and Travel Ifsomeonefastswhiletraveling,isitpraiseworthyordiscouraged?Sh.Waleed:Iftravelingwillcausehardship,stress,anddifficultyforaperson,scholarsagreethatitisbetterforhimorhertobreakthefast.Butwhatifthereisnoharm?TheHanafi,Maliki,andShafi’imadhahibsayitisbettertofastbecauseAllahsays:

“Andwhoevervolunteersexcess-itisbetterforhim”Surahal-Baqarah,2:184

TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,oncefastedonaveryhotday.EveryonebrokethefastexcepttheProphetandAbdullahbinRawaha.TheHanabiladisagreewiththemajorityopinion.Theysaythatbreakingthefastisbetter.TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,saidthatitisnotbirr(piety)thatyoufastwhiletraveling.So,don’tthinkthatitisbetterforyoutofastifyou’retraveling(noextravirtue).Somesaythatifyoufastwhiletraveling,thefastisnotvalid.ReportedbyIbnAbbas,AbuHurayrah,Az-Zuhri,whomentionedthehadith,“Theyaretheoneswhodisobeyed”.ButthiswasinFathMakkah(aspecificsituation),soitisimpermissibletotakethatasageneralrule.


“Sowhoeveramongyouisilloronajourney[duringthem]-thenanequalnumberofdays

[aretobemadeup]”Surahal-Baqarah,2:184Sh.Waleedthinksthatitispermissibletofastwhiletravelingortobreakthefast.Hedoesn’tseeavirtueineitherscenario.‘A’ishahreportedthatHamzabin`AmrAl-AslamiaskedtheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,ifitispermissibletotravelwhilefasting.TheProphetsaidthathecanfastifhewishesorhecanbreakhisfast.AnasusedtotravelwiththeProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,andhewastaughtthattheonewhofastswillnotcriticizeorlookdownupontheonenotfastingandviceversa.

General Advice Sh.Yasir:Don’tburnyourselfoutthefirstfewdayswithoverzealousness.Within3days,wemaybesosleepdeprived.Inthemiddle10daysofRamadan,themasjidmaybeveryemptyincomparisontothefirstandlast10days.Weshouldonlytakeonasmuchaswecanhandle.TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,toldusnottotakeonmorethanwecando.So,don’tgooverboardthatyouwillburnyourselfout.Instead,startwithwhatisreasonableandthenslowlybuildupbecauseweneedtofinishRamadanstrongandatourbest.Sh.Waleed:WewishthebestforSh.AbuEesaandhisfamily.WerecallthewisewordofSh.AbuEesa:itissoimportantforthepeopleofRamadantofocusonthewajibat(obligations).WemayfocussomuchontheSunnah(recommended)actsthatwemayactuallyneglectthewajibat.PeoplemayfocusalotonTaraweehandQiyamal-Layl,buttheyforgetabouttheperfectionofsiyyam,fardhsalah,akhlaaq,treatingourparentswithihsan,andmaintainingtiesofkin.TheProphet,sallallahu‘alayhiwasallam,reportedthatthemostbeloveddeedstoAllaharetheobligatoryonesMayAllah,subhanahuwata’ala,makethisthebestRamadanforallofus!

ramadan debates final - qabeelat wasat€¦ · almaghrib institute ramadan debates june 2016

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