Ramadan: The Facts And The Fabrications

All praises and adorations are due to Allah the Most Munificent the Most Merciful. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the noblest of prophets, Muhammad, his household, companions, and all those who strive for Islām till the day of resurrection. I felicitate the entirety of fellow Muslims around the globe for witnessing this auspicious month of immense worship and religious acts; Ramadān with one majestic night better than a thousand months. I pray that Allah accept all our worship herein as an act of ‘Ibādah.

Here in this treatise, I shall be basing my discourse on sifting the wheat of the factual characteristics of this holy month from its chaff and beaming the torchlight of clarity on ambiguous, misunderstood, or fabricated claims about it. The holy month of Ramadan is a sacred one in which the fourth pillar of Islam falls; fasting. Therefore, all Muslims are not only obliged to fast by Allāh but are also urged to accompany their fastings with a handful of other rewardable acts of worship such as the reading of the holy Qur’ān, observing Tarāwīh (voluntary prayers), giving alms to the poor, attending Tafsīr (exegesis of the Qur’ān ) gatherings, etc. However, many Muslims still find it hard to decipher and differentiate between the dos that amplify the rewards of a fasting Muslim and the don’ts which in turn threaten the validity of one’s fasts. First off, Qiyāmul-layl which in Ramadān can be termed as Tarawīh according to some scholars should be a minimum of 11 rakats (genuflections) -this is the most-acquainted-with practice in our society, while others believe that it has no limit. Tarāwīh can either be observed in congregation at the mosque or individually at home. Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him, was reported to have done it in both ways. Contrary to many Muslims’ beliefs that anyone who misses Tarāwīh is prone to a deduction of reward in his fasting, Tarāwīh and fasting are two different entities. The former is supererogatory while the latter is obligatory. Missing Tarāwīh has nothing to do with deducing one’s fast’s reward, even though we are encouraged to engage in this kind of acts throughout this month of intense acts of worship. Consequently, Tarāwīh extends from the Nawafīl (supererogatory prayers) observed immediately after Salātul-‘ishā’ to those observed by interested individuals during the Sahūr period. There is no basis in the tradition of the prophet for a stipulated number of rakats, neither is there any for the chapters to be recited on each rakat as prescribed by some Islamic scholars of the past. Rather, that might have only served as a basis of encouragement for Muslims in the days of the past.

Moving on, reading of the holy Qur’ān as found in the prophet’s tradition is not to be rewarded by Allah by the numbers of the entire Qur’ān read and completed in the month, rather its rewards lie in the ability to read and pronounce correctly the words of Allah in the Qur’ān. Reflecting on the meanings of the words of Allāh (SWT) therein is also essential and that is why it is advised that every Muslim, after reading in the Arabic language to maximize rewards, reads the language version of the Quran that will be best understood by him for instant moral and spiritual effect. Furthermore, the use of toothbrush and paste is not prohibited for fasting Muslims, provided the substance would not find its way to the person’s stomach which by so doing breaks the fast. Taking a bath or swimming while fasting does not invalidate fast, drinking part of the water does. Pecking one’s wife is allowed, so far the husband is capable of preventing that from leading to sexual intercourse that breaks fast.

Tasting food with the tip of the tongue without swallowing it does not invalidate one’s fast.

Wet dreams do not break fast but intentional masturbation does. According to the rulings of the majority of the schools of thought in Islam, medical injections do not break fast except when they provide nourishment which serves the place of food. A fast does not become invalid with a feeling of vomiting until the person vomits voluntarily. The reverse is the case if the vomit came involuntarily.

Lastly, I would like to address the conventional sayings in Yoruba mosques after ‘Ishā, before Tarawīh, which goes thus “eni toba gbeyin de, ko ki ‘Ishā merin pe pere pere kowa bawa lenu Ashamu.” This can be loosely translated to mean that whoever comes into the Mosque later should first observe his four rakats of ‘Ishai and join us on Tarāwīh. This has long been the tradition we grew up to know. However, it is permissible that whoever comes in to meet the congregation on Tarāwīh can join them and make their two rakats his first two rakats of ‘Ishā’, then stand up to complete it while they do their Tasleem to end that phase of their Tarāwīh.

May Allah accept our fasts and all other acts of ’ibadah we put forth in this spiritually elevating month. Ramadān Mubārak.

Quadri Afolabi (B.A Islamic Studies, LASU)