as acts of worship. These acts are the life force and nourishment of our faith; without them faith fades and finally dies away. It is for these special acts that Allah specified the forms, times and places He knows to be most appropriate for them. Out of His generosity, Allah has some times better than others, during these special times, the rewards (hasanaat) are multiplied and the bad deeds (saye-at) are forgiven.

(I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.) S 51, V 56

Allah (SWT) is the most merciful, to help us achieve this purpose, He instilled the worship of Him in our very nature and made it essential for our happiness and fulfillment, the only way for any human being to achieve full happiness is through a complete surrender to the divine will and living a life that fulfills the purpose behind our creation.

 Worship is essentially a state of the heart, but the relationship between our

bodies and our minds is so strong that the state of the one is bound to have an effect on the state of the other.

Divine messages give us guidance not only about how to worship Allah but also about when and where to do so. The Quran states, "And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses" (26:68). The chosen or preferred creation includes not only the living and the inanimate, but times and places as well. Since we have been created to serve Allah, then every legitimate act of ours, even sexual intercourse with our wives, can be an act of worship; but there are certain acts which have been especially prescribed by Allah

Definition of ‘Siyam (Fasting):

 

In Arabic ‘siyam means abstaining.

In Islam ‘siyam means abstaining from things that break the fast, from dawn until sunset, having made the intention (niyyah) to fast.

 

Ruling on fasting:

(O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed

to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint) S 2, V 183

The ummah (all Muslims) has agreed that fasting the month of Ramadan is obligatory, the verse quoted above is the evidence from the Quran, as for the sunnah, the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhe wa sallum) said:” Islam is built on five pillars..” among which he

mentioned fasting in Ramadan (Bukhari).

RAMADAN MUBARAK TO ALL

Brought to you by Al-Huda Islamic Center Public Relations Committee

Al-Huda Islamic Center Newsletter

October 2005/ Ramadan

Issue 7

Fasting Kids:

Children should be encouraged and trained to fast at the age of seven, if they are able to;  as in the case of salah (prayers), parents begin training children to fast, children will be rewarded and the parents will be rewarded for bringing them up properly and guiding them to do good. Al-Rubay’ bint Mu’awwidh (may Allah be pleased with her) said, speaking about Ramadan when it was made obligatory:” We used to make our children fast, and we would make them a toy made of wool. If any of them started to cry for food, we would give them that toy to play with until it was time to break the fast”. Bukhari

Eating or drinking while fasting out of forgetfulness:

The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhe wa sallum) said:” If he forget and eats and drinks, then let him complete his fast, for Allah has fed him and given him drink” Bukhari. According to another narration “ He does not have to make the fast up later or offer expiation (kafaarah)”.