Fasting the month after Ramadan

http://youtu.be/w-1m4motAx4

Fasting Six Days of Shawwal

http://youtu.be/w-1m4motAx4

Fasting Six Days of Shawwal

http://youtu.be/w-1m4motAx4

10 Tips For A Blessed and Successful Ramadan (Insh'Allah)

What is Ramadan? An Explanation by Yusuf Islam

Ramadan Explained

Ramadan:
AsSalaam Alkuim

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar when all Muslims - with a few exceptions - have to fast during the hours of daylight. The first day of the fast is authorised by the Amir who has authenticated a sighting of the new moon. This is a very important moment when people often gather outside with great excitement. Each person hopes to be the first to see it. The lunar month can be 29 or 30 days long, so they look for the new moon on the 29th day of Sha'ban, which is the month before Ramadan. If on the first evening the Amir is not satisfied that the new moon has been seen, Ramadan will begin on the following evening. {Regretful to say that the excitement of this practice has been abandoned in modern times. We should try to adopt this method once more insh'Allah.}

Once everyone knows that the month of Ramadan has started, they begin preperations. Early in the morning, each family gets up before dawn to eat a meal {called suhur}. It is dark and sometimes it is very difficult to get up, so parents try to encourage the children so that they don't miss their suhur or breakfast. {This is normally a very exciting time for both kids and adults. The children particularly like the idea of getting up in the night to eat something, and to fast during the day.} After eating on the first morning, they then resolve on their intention to fast that month 'for the sake of Allah (swt)', and each day people similarly renew their intention to fast that day. From this moment their fast begins. They then perform their Fajr prayers.

During the day they must not eat, drink, have sexual relations or smoke. Even more important - they must try not to get angry or think bad thoughts, because this would also cancel out any good things they might recieve from Allah (swt) through fasting. Many people find that because they are fasting they lose their tempers more quickly. So one of the first things that the fast teaches is self-control and patience.

The moment to break fast arrives as soon as the sun sets. Those who are fasting gather togeths and usually break their fast with a date and a glass of water. Sometimes they might have other snacks as well. The meal that you break fast with is called iftar. {Whilst having iftar, one realises the value of food and drink which far exceeds the cost paid for it.}

After their Maghreb prayers, they sit down to eat a proper meal. The ritual of breaking the fast with dates is said to go back to the time when Prophet 'Isa - Jesus (as) was a baby, when he and his parents were fleeing to Egypt. On the journey they had nothing to eat. The first food that they were able to find was dates. So the baby 'Isa (as) broke his fast with dates. Later, the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wassalam) also broke his fast with dates and in this way it became a custom. When fasting it is very important to eat healthy food so that you will have strength to fast the next day. Sometimes people cook enormous meals and this can mean throwing food away if it is not all eaten. Food should never be wasted - especially during Ramadan. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wassalam) also advised that it is better never to eat too much. {According to a hadith, a third of your stomach is for food, a third for liquid, and a third so you can breathe easily.}

After their meal, many Muslims go to the Mosque to do the Tarawih prayers after the night prayers called 'Isha. Tarawih are special prayers which are done every night at the Mosque, only during Ramadan. Sometimes people do them at home. During the prayers, many people will try to complete the reading of the whole Qu'ran at least once in that month. For the 29 or 30 days of the fast, Muslims will repeat this routine each day.

A few people are excused from fasting. Children under the age of puberty - though many start fasting much younger {to participate in the excitement of Ramadan of their own free will ! Subhan'Allah!}. They usually start by fasting just half a day. As they grow older they fast for longer periods, until they are able to complete the whole month. Women who have their periods or who have just given birth do not fast. If they are pregnant or breast-feeding they do not have to fast if they fear for the baby's health. The sick, the old and the traveller, are also excused from fasting. In all cases when people are not able to fast, they have to fast the number of days they have missed, at some other time. If they are not able to do this because of bad health, for instance, they must feed a poor person for the same number of days. This is only if they can afford it.

AsSalaam Alkuim,

The Haqq Dawah Group

The Hijab

American Muslim women today are rediscovering the pristine Islam as revealed by Allah, (God), to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh1), more than 1400 years ago, but without any of the contradictions of ancestral culture. Consequently they are essentially engaging in a life-long exercise of rediscovering their own selves , what it means to be a human, a Muslim, and more so, a Muslim woman. Wearing a head-covering (hijab) is an important part of their spiritual journey.
One of the most common questions today, asked by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, is: .Why do Muslim women cover their heads? The answer is very simple – Muslim women observe hijab because Allah has told them to do so:

.O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men). That is better in order that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed…. (Qur.an 33:59).

Muslims believe that their sole purpose in life is the worship of God alone, according to His instructions, as revealed in the Holy Quran, and through the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). As such, wearing the hijab is an act of obedience to God and, hence, forms the primary basis for wearing it.

Generalizations about Islam and Muslims are replete in todays media. Muslim women in headscarves are frequently unfairly stigmatized. They are regarded on the one hand as oppressed, and on the other, as fanatics and fundamentalists. Both depictions are grossly wrong and imprecise. Such portrayals not only misrepresent these womens strong feelings towards hijab, but also fail to acknowledge their courage and the resulting identity hijab gives them. There are even bans on wearing the hijab in some countries. When asked about this, Aminah Assilmi, a Christian convert to Islam, said: To ask me to go out without my hijab would be like asking a nun to go topless. It amazes me, and I cannot help but wonder, if they would have ordered Mary, the mother of Jesus (pbuh) to uncover her hair.

Another misconception is the belief that Muslim women are forced to wear hijab. For the vast majority of Muslim women, nothing could be farther from the truth. Indeed, deciding finally to wear hijab is often difficult. Days of meditation, fear of negative consequences and reactions from family and/or the wider American society, and ultimately, the need for plenty of courage weigh heavily in reaching the decision. Wearing hijab is a very personal and independent decision, coming from appreciating the wisdom underlying Allahs command and a sincere wish to please Him.

For me, the lead up to the decision to wear hijab was more difficult than actually wearing it. I found that, al hamdulillah (praise be to God), although I did receive negative comments from people, I appreciated the feeling of modesty wearing the hijab gave me, and ironically, the negative attention made me feel more proud to be identified as a Muslim, remarked Katherine Bullock, a Canadian convert to Islam.

To me hijab is a gift from Allah. It gives me the opportunity to become closer to Allah. Also quite importantly, (it provides me) the chance to stand and be recognized as a Muslim,. Fariha Khan of Rockville, Maryland, said.

While the hijab identifies women as followers of Islam, with it comes tremendous responsibility. Hijab is not merely a covering dress, but more importantly, it is behavior, manners, speech and appearance in public. The headscarf is an outer manifestation of an inner commitment to worshipping Allah , it symbolizes a commitment to piety. Self or inner morality is what gives meaning to the external scarf. This can be perceived from the overall demeanor of any Muslim woman, how she acts, dresses, speaks, and so on. In a land where misinformation about Islam and Muslims abounds, Muslim sisters have the opportunity to portray Islam in its true light

Saba M. Baig, a graduate of Rutgers University, NJ, was 17 when she seriously started wearing hijab. She feels that she is still in the process of learning internal hijab. .My biggest realization was that hijab was not just about wearing a scarf on my head, but more of a (veil) on my heart,. said Baig. .Hijab is more than an external covering. Thats the easy part of it all. It has a lot (more) to do with modesty and just the way you present yourself..

Imaan, a convert to Islam, adds, .Unfortunately, it also has its down side: you get discriminated against, treated as though you are oppresse. I wear it for (Allah), and because I want to. Period..

Katherine Bullock observed that after I started wearing hijab, I noticed that people would often behave more circumspectly with me, like apologizing if they swore. I appreciated that. I feel that wearing hijab has given me an insight into a decent and upright lifestyle.

Hijab is an Act Of Modesty

Modest clothing and hijab are precautions to avoid social violations. The following verses of the Quran highlight that this is not limited to women only.

.Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands…. (Quran 24:30-31)

According to Jabir ibn Abdullah, when he asked the Prophet (pbuh), about a mans gaze falling inadvertently on a strange woman, the Prophet replied, .Turn your eyes away. (Muslim). In another tradition, the Prophet (pbuh) chided for looking again at a woman. He said, the second glance is from Satan.

So, contrary to popular belief, Muslim and nonMuslim, hijab is not worn for men; to keep their illicit desires in check, that is their own responsibility, as the above verse and Prophetic sayings show. Rather, Muslim women wear it for God and their own selves. Islam is a religion of moderation and of balance between extremes. Therefore, it does not expect women alone to uphold societys morality and uprightness. Rather, Islam asks men and women mutually to strive to create a healthy social environment where children may grow with positive, beautiful, constructive and practical values and concepts.

In fact, for many women hijab is a constant reminder that they should not have to design their lives and bodies for men. .Before I started covering, I thought of myself based on what others thought of me. I see that too often in girls, their happiness depends on how others view them, especially men. Ever since, my opinion of myself has changed so much; I have gained (a lot of) self-respect. I have realized whether others may think of me as beautiful is not what matters. How beautiful I think of myself and knowing that Allah finds me beautiful makes me feel beautiful,. Baig recounts.

The concept of modesty and hijab in Islam is holistic, and encompasses both men and women. The ultimate goal is to maintain societal stability and to please God.

Since Muslim women are more conspicuous because of their appearance, it is easier for people to associate them with the warped images they see in the print and broadcast media. Hence, stereotypes are perpetuated and Muslim women often seem .mysterious. to those not acquainted with the religious meanings of hijab. This aura of .mystery. cannot be removed until their lifestyles, beliefs and thought-systems are genuinely explored. And, this cannot be achieved until one is not afraid respectfully to approach Muslim women or men for that matter. So, the next time you see a Muslim, stop and talk to them. Youll feel, God-Willing, as if youre entering a different world, the world of Islam: full of humility, piety, and of course, modesty!

1. (pbuh) here stands for peace be upon him