How can he give da’wah to Muslims who do not fast in Ramadaan?
How can he give da’wah to Muslims who do not fast in Ramadaan?
Praise be to Allaah.
What should be done is to call these Muslims to fast and encourage them to do so, and warn them against being heedless and negligent. This may be done in the following ways:
1 – Informing them that it is obligatory to fast, and telling them of its great importance in Islam, for it is one of the great pillars upon which Islam is built.
2 – Reminding them of the immense reward which comes from fasting, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadaan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 38; Muslim, 760.
And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in Allaah and His Messenger, and establishes regular prayer and fasts Ramadaan, it will be his due that Allaah will admit him to Paradise, whether he strives in jihad for the sake of Allaah or stays in the land in which he was born.” They said: “O Messenger of Allaah, should we not give these glad tidings to the people?” He said: “In Paradise there are one hundred levels which Allaah has prepared for those who strive in jihad for the sake of Allaah, and the distance between each two levels is like the distance between the heaven and the earth. When you ask of Allaah, ask him for al-Firdaws, for it is in the middle of Paradise, the highest part of Paradise. Above it is the Throne of the Most Merciful and from it spring forth the rivers of Paradise.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7423.
And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah says: ‘Fasting is for Me and I shall reward for it. He gives up his desire and his food and drink for My sake. Fasting is a shield, and the fasting person has two moments of joy, one when he breaks his fast and one when he meets his Lord. And the odour that comes from the mouth of a fasting person is better before Allaah than the fragrance of musk.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7492; Muslim, 1151.
3 – Warning the one who does not fast, and explaining that this is a major sin. Ibn Khuzaymah (1986) and Ibn Hibbaan (7491) narrated that Abu Umaamah al-Baahili (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whilst I was sleeping, two men came to me and took hold of my upper arm, and brought me to a rugged mountain. They said: ‘Climb up.’ I said: ‘I cannot do it.’ They said: ‘We will make it easy for you.’ So I climbed up until I was at the top of the mountain. There I heard loud voices. I said: ‘What are these voices?’ They said: ‘This is the screaming of the people of Hell.’ Then I was taken and I saw people suspended by their ankles, with the corners of their mouths torn and pouring with blood. I said: ‘Who are these?’ They said: ‘These are the people who broke their fast before it was time to do so.’” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Mawaarid al-Zam’aan, 1509.
Al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) commented: I say: This is the punishment of the one who fasted then deliberately broke his fast before the time for iftaar had come. So how about one who does not fast at all? We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound in this world and in the Hereafter.
5 – Explaining how easy and straightforward fasting is, and the joy and contentment that there is in it, and how it brings peace of mind, as well as the joy and delight in worship during the days and nights of the fast, by reading Qur’aan and praying qiyaam.
6 – Inviting them to listen to some lectures and read some books that speak of the fast and its importance and discuss various issues of fasting.
7 – Not getting bored or tired of calling them and reminding them, speaking in a kind and gentle manner, as well as praying sincerely for them to be guided and forgiven.
We ask Allaah to make us and you steadfast.
And Allaah knows best.
Posted on August 4, 2011, in Ramadaan | Fasting and tagged Can, da’wah, Do, Fast, give, he, How, in, muslims, not, Ramadaan, who. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
Jazakallah Khaira… This is a very heart touching article, but will love to know if people with sickle cell can leave out fasting cause of the nature of their health since they are mostly placed on intake of water from time to time in order to prevent them crisis. Wish to get a reply on this
Praise be to Allaah.
It is prescribed for sick people not to fast in Ramadaan, if fasting will cause harm or make the sickness worse, or if they need treatment during the day in the form of medicine or pills that must be swallowed, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Sawm (fasts) must be made up] from other days”[al-Baqarah 2:185]
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah loves people to avail themselves of His concessions (rukhsah) just as He hates them to commit sin.” According to another version, “As He loves His commands to be obeyed.”
Sickness is of various kinds:
1 – That which does not affect the fast, such as a light cold or mild headache or toothache, and the like. In this case it is not permissible to break the fast, even though some of the scholars permitted that because of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“and whoever is ill…” [al-Baqarah 2:185]
But we say that this ruling is based on a reason, which is that not fasting is easier. If that is the case, then we would say that not fasting is better, but if fasting does not have an effect on him then it is not permissible to break the fast, and he has to fast.
2 – If fasting is difficult for the sick person, but it does not harm him, then it is makrooh for him to fast and it is Sunnah for him to break his fast.
3 – If fasting is difficult for him and will cause him harm, such as a man who has kidney disease or diabetes and similar cases where fasting will cause harm. In this case fasting is haraam. Hence we may see that some mujtahids and sick people make a mistake when fasting is difficult for them and may harm them, but they refuse to break their fast. We say that they are mistaken because they refuse to accept the kindness of Allaah and the concession that He has given to them, and they are harming themselves, although Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And do not kill yourselves” [al-Nisa’ 4:29]
al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, vol. 6, 352-254.