What is Islam
01- The Holly Kalimah
02- Salaah (The Prayer)
03- Zakaah
04- Soum (Fasting)
05- Hajj
06- Taqwaa (Piety)
07- Honesty in Dealing
08- Social Conduct & Mutual Relations
09- Good Manners & Nobel Qualities
10- Love of Allah, Nabi (SAWW)
11- Preaching & Propagation
12- Constancy
13- Jihad
14- Martyrdom
15- Life after Death
16- Heaven & Hell
17- Zikr
18- Dua
19- Durood Shareef20- Taubah
SAUM
After Belief, Salaah and Zakaah, the most important duty in Islam is Saum (fasting). The Holy Quraan says:
Oh Ye who believe! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that ye may (learn) self-restraint. [II:183]
Fasting
is obligatory for Muslims in the month of Ramadhaan. Failure to observe
the fast on any day, without a valid reason, during this month is a
great sin. We have it on the authority of the Prophet (Sallallahu
Alaihe Wasallam) that, "Anyone who does not, without illness or any
other valid excuse, keep fast on a single day during Ramadhaan will not
succeed in making amends for it even if he were to keep fast daily
throughout his life in atonement."
Recompense:
During
the fast, a Muslim abstains from eating and drinking and denies himself
the pleasures of legitimate carnal satisfaction solely as a measure of
worship, and sacrifices his legitimate biological needs and urges
exclusively for the sake of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa).
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa), too, therefore, has placed a most unique
reward on it. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) is reported to
have said:
"There is a fixed principle for rewarding all the
good deeds of men, and every good deed will be rewarded in accordance
with it. But the fast is an exception to this general principle. The
standing will and pleasure of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) is that
since a man forgoes food and drink and crushes down his passions
utterly for His sake, He will recompense him directly for it."
"All the previous sins of a person are forgiven who undertakes the
fasts of the month of Ramadhaan with full faith and with the object of
propitiating Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and earning His reward."
"There are two moments of special joy for a person who fasts: one is
when he breaks the fast and this he experiences here in his earthly
existence, the other will come in the Hereafter when he will be
presented before the Lord."
"Saum is shield against the fire of hell and a strong fortress (which will protect the believer from infernal chastisement)."
"The fast itself will plead with Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) for him
who does fasting that he had gone without the day's meals and shunned
the cravings of the flesh for its sake (so he may be forgiven and
rewarded to the full). Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aaiaa) will accept the
intercession."
"The odour emanating from the mouth of a
person who is fasting (which is sometimes produced because of the empty
stomach) is more, pleasant in the judgment of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) than the sweet smell of musk."
Another
outstanding feature of Saum, beside those given in the Traditions
quoted above, is that it lifts man above the level of beasts. To eat
and to drink at will and to copulate whenever the urge comes, this is
the way of the animals. On the other extreme, to be immuned from hunger
and thirst and the impulsions of sex, to stay away permanently from
food and drink and cohabitation is the quality of angles. When a person
fasts he rises above the animal existence and forges an affinity with
angels.
Special Benefit:
Moreover,
Saurn, promotes piety and righteousness in man. It produces in him the
ability to control his physical desires. It teaches him how to
subordinate his carnal appetites and longings of the heart to the will
of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa). It is, thus, most effective in the
discipline and evolution of the soul.
But these benefits can
be derived only when a person conscientiously strives for them and pays
due respect, while he is fasting, to the instructions laid down by the
Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) in this connection. It is most
necessary to leave strictly alone not only food and drink but also all
the major and minor sins. He must neither quarrel nor utter a lie nor
engage himself in slander and backbiting. In brief, he should
scrupulously avoid all sinful deeds, apparent as well as hidden, as is
demanded of him in the Traditions. Some of the relevant Traditions are:
"When any of you keeps a fast he should not speak an indecent or filthy
word or engage in a noisy scene and were anyone to quarrel with him and
call him names he should simple say I am keeping fast (therefore, I can
not pay you back in the same coin)."
"Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) has no need for him to go without food and drink who cannot
shun evil and falsehood even during a fast."
"Many are there among you who fast and yet gain nothing from it except hunger and thirst."
In sum, fasts can lead to the promotion of the virtues of piety and
righteousness and impart the moral strength needed to control and
discipline the sensual appetites when, together with abstention from
food and drink, all the major and minor transgressions of the law of
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aa!aa) are also zealously avoided while fasting,
more specially the use of foul and filthy language, falsehood, slander
and backbiting. If fasts are observed in the right spirit and with
proper care and solicitude, the benefits indicated above can
undoubtedly, be obtained from them.