REMINDER #7

Ramadan is upon you…

By Ustath Zuheir Salim*

The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:“Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, Allah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.”And in another Hadith: “Fasting does not mean abstaining from food and drink only, rather it is also abstaining from lying, falsehood and idle speech.”

Al-Hafiz Abu Musa al-Madani said: “Some of the predecessors said that the lowest level of fasting is leaving food and drink,”while Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “When you fast, then let your hearing, vision and tongue fast as well from falsehood and sins, and avoid harming your neighbours. Further, you must have dignity and tranquillity on the day of your fasting. Do not make days in which you do not fast and days in which you fast as if they were the same.”

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Perhaps a fasting person will gain nothing from his fast but hunger, and perhaps the one who stands up at night for prayer will gain nothing but tiredness.”

The key to drawing close to Allah by leaving what is usually permissible, i.e. food, drink and sleep, is incomplete unless it is accompanied by leaving what is normally and consistently prohibited, i.e. lying, backbiting and spreading falsehood. Whoever commits what is prohibited then attempts to draw close to Allah by leaving the permissible, is like one who leaves what is obligatory and attempts to draw close to Allah by performing what is essentially voluntary, even if his mere performing of the act of fasting is sufficient from a ritualistic point of view.

*Born in Aleppo in 1947, Ustath Zuheir Salim obtained a degree in Arabic language. His is a keen follower of Fiqh and Tafseer, and has a passion for international and Arabic poetry and literature. Ustath Zuheir has been working in Da’wah since 1975 and has managed the London-based Al-Sharq Al-Arabi Centre since the early 2000s. He has a large following on Facebook and is known for his encyclopaedic knowledge.

Muslim Association of Britain

23rd May 2018 | 7th Ramadan 1439