REGULATIONS GOVERNING
THE FAST
OF RAMADAN
Fasting means to refrain and abstain, from dawn till sunset, from certain
things forbidden by Islamic Law. These are dealt with later. Fasting is
divided into two main categories:
a) Fard (obligatory fasting),
which comprises the following:
(ii) kaffara (the fasting of atoenement).
(iii) Nadhr (rlating to the taking of a vow).
b) Tatawwu' (voluntary fasting),
which is confined to those additional days throughout the year which the
Prophet used to observe as fasting days.
Fasting is one of the five pillars
of Islam.
The Prophet
said : "Islam is built on five pillars: the shahdda
(profession of faith)
that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah,
salat (prayers),
zakat (alms-tax),
the sawn of Ramadan (fast) and
hajj (pilgrimage).
Ramadan
fast was prescribed on the second Monday of the month of Sha'ban, in the
second year of the Hijra.
Fasting
is obligatory for every Muslim provided that he or she is adult and in
full possession of his or her faculties.
Exemptions for temporary causes
include :
(i) Women in menstruation or child-birth bleeding.
(ii) Persons in sick bed or on a journey.
These exemptions will be discussed later.
It is preferable that children, though they are not under obligation to
fast, should be trained in fasting in order to prepare them for carrying
out their adult obligations in this respect.
Al-Rabi Bint Mu'awwadh said in this connection "On the Day of Ashoura,
the Prophet had a man tour the villages of the Ansar (the original inhabitants
of Medina who supported the Prophet) ordering those who had not yet partaken
of food to fast during the day and those who had eaten to abstain and fast
the rest of the day. Later, we used to fast that day and have our small
children fast upon it. We used to take them to the mosque and give them
toys made of wool to distract them from their hunger until iftar time".
(i.e. the breaking of the fast).