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Fasting Saum in Arabic. Saum just means to refrain from something. o i.e. Mariam, in the Quran, she says in Surah 19 Ive sworn to God that Im going to observe saum today, so I wont speak to anyone. So her nto talking was a type of saum. Now we use it to mean not eating, drinking, or having relations to our spouses on a day of fasting Its not obligatory to fast on any day except during Ramadan (unless they swear an oath) There are optional fasts as well, which will be discussed further down

Why do we fast? Allah says the month of Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed. So this is a sacred and important thing. The Quran is the means by which were guided, its the words of Allah to us Fasting allows us to come closer to the Quran, and closer to God

Fasting Ever other fact of worship requires actions (i.e. washing for prayer, rules for Zakat). Fasting is the one act of worship where you dont do anything at all A hadith Qudsi (where God speaks directly to people): Allah says that fasting is for me, and I am the one who is going to give the reward for it. o Scholars say, if you look at fasting, why does Allah say Fasting is for me? He attributes it to Himself. If you look at all the other acts of worship, fasting is the only one where other kings and leaders throughout history havent demanded it of their servants (i.e. praying to them, paying them, visiting them,). Its a speial thing that only Allah asks from His servants. Shows that Allah is the true Lord, and were willing to give up the most basic necessities for His sake (food, drink, sexabsolute primal necessities) Does Allah eat or drink or have a spouse? No, these are human things. In a sense, people are imitating an attribute of the divine. Other attributes were supposed to try and embody all the time (i.e. mercy to all living things); other attributes are only for God (i.e. His name The Majesticwere not supposed to try and hold ourselves over other people). o Why does He say and I will reward it. The reward of fasting is so great that Allah doesnt really talk about it. Allah just says He is going to take care of those people who are fasting.

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The Prophet (pbuh) said the reward for a single day of fasting is a distance of 70 years from Hell. The Prophet (pbuh) said whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith in God and hoping for His reward, this person will have all their previous sins forgiven.

In the month of Ramadan, the gates of Heaven are open, the gates of Hell are shut, the devils are chained up, and people are set free from the hellfire every night o i.e. some people may have done some really bad guilty things; then they receive a lastminute pardon. Its a pardon from Allah. Allah out of his generosity on these nights sets people free from Hell. o Arabs used to have slaves at this time; the most dishonorable thing they could do is set a slave free and then take them back. o Prophet (pbuh) says theres three things that are serious: marriage, divorce, and setting a slave free. Cant joke about it. The implication is that this person will never ever go back to the hellfire. Once Allah sets a person free, He doesnt bring them back after that.

What to do during fasting Abstain from eating and drinking If people need to get shots or get blood drawn, they dont break their fast. As long as nothing enters their body cavity (i.e. eating, or suppositories) What if you need to clean ears while fasting? Just clean around the outside. Nose drops: if you can taste the drops, then you break your fast Eye drops are ok Smoking breaks the fast. Even second-hand smoke will break your fast Inhalers are a tricky one. For people who need to use one, then they should use it and not eat or drink otherwise. But they should still give a make-up payment everyday. The idea is its a necessity, so you need to do it; the make-up payment

What if you cant fast? Either you cant fast forever, or you cant fast temporarily A person with a flu cant fast temporarily. Once they get better, they can fast Women who are pregnant dont have to fast. But physicians say that fasting wont harm the baby. o Its important that they try, though Women who are breastfeeding also shouldnt fast, because the child is dependent on her If you try and you get really sick, and it happens consistently, then you should not fast If a Muslim doctor, who knows about fasting, says you shouldnt fast, then you should not fast Some people have long-term illnesses (i.e. diabetes) that prevent them from fasting Or even very elderly people who cant fast

Some people who work very hard jobs where fasting is a risk (i.e. passing out and falling off a roof) Dont start making excuses, though. Fasting is meant to be hardship. Theres people who have excuses and they still want to fast. If they can make it up at a later time (you can do it in the winter) For people who cant fast permanently o Those people make a payment

Payment The amount that a poor person would eat on one day (normally for yourself) o So $10-$15 o Pay that for each day you dont fast, and should be given to a poor person who cant fast If the person doesnt have the money, then they are excused o If they do have the money, then they are expected to pay it People who make the fasts up dont have to pay money You pay if youre breaking the fast for the sake of someone else o i.e. if youre breaking the fast for your child Hadith: A man comes to the Prophet (pbuh) and says he has destroyed himself. The Prophet (pbuh) said what happened? And the guy said he had relations with his wife in Ramadan. The Prophet (pbuh) said fast 60 days. The man said I cant. The Prophet (pbuh) said to free 10 slaves. The man said I cant. The Prophet (pbuh) said feed 60 poor people. The man said I cant. The Prophet (pbuh) said wait here. A person came with a pile of dates for the poor, and gave it to the Prophet (pbuh), who gave it to the man, and instructed him to distribute them to the poor. The man said he was the poorest person in the city. The Prophet (pbuh) laughed and said to feed his family. Allah does not charge a soul with more than it can bear.

Are there better times to make up your fast? Its good to make up those fasts as soon as possible, or wait until the month of Hajj (Dhul-Hijjah) You should try and make up your fasts until the next Ramadan. If you cant do that without an excuse, then for every day they miss they should make a payment

Are there other days you can fast for extra? You can fast: o Mondays and Thursday o Three days of every month o Every second day o The Month of Rajab and Shaban

The 9th of Hajj, the Day of Arafat is a very meritorious day o The Prophet (pbuh) said fasting this day forgives the sins of the year previous and the day after th The 10 day of Muharram, the Day of Ashura o The Prophet (pbuh) said fasting this day forgives the sins of the previous year You can do this any time you want You cant fast the days of Eid though The three days of Tashrik (the three days after Eid) The month of Dhul-Hijjah, you cant fast the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th (because theyre Eid) You shouldnt fast on Fridays

The most rewarding things you can do are the things that are obligatory My servant doesnt come closer to me than with anything Ive made obligatory on him.

Tattoos? If you have them, what can you do? o Its not obligatory to remove them. What happened happened. Make repentance. Dont show it off.