Fasting the 4th pillar of Islam

Introduction :

   This blog is going to talk about Fasting the 4th pillar of Islam.  Muslims fast during the holy Month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the month of fasting and the Holy Quran. , Islam is the religion of devotion, loyalty and sincerity.  This book  discusses fasting, the 4th, pillar of Islam. A Muslim  totally devotes their worship to Allah alone. A worshiper worships no one except for Allah. A believer  surrenders and yields themselves to Allah. A Muslim dedicates their worship only and exclusively to Allah. Here lies the importance and significance of one’s intention. Once, prophet Mohammad said: “Deeds are but intentions, every human is accounted for what they have intended to do.” This means that angels record a good deed  to its doer based on the intention behind that good deed. If a Muslim dedicates such a good deed only to Allah, angels record for its doer as such.

When Muslims can intend to go fasting :

Fasting is the 4th pillar of Islam. For fasting, Suhoor is very necessary. Scholars  have discussed fasting as the fourth pillar of Islam in detail. They hold diverse opinions concerning the time of a Muslim’s intention to go fasting. Some scholars say that a Muslim can make their intention at the beginning of the month of Ramadan. Others say that a Muslim must make their intention each day of Ramadan. However, some scholars  take  it  for granted that as long as a Muslim eats their late night meal (Suhoor) on the first day of Ramadan, they have already made their intention to fast. This is sufficient for the rest of the holy month of Ramadan. Moreover, we can define the intention as the wish, the will and the determination to do something on purpose.

أما بالنسبة للصيام فإن السحور ضروري جداً. 

There is blessing in the suhoor :

To support a Muslim and enable them to endure fasting during daytime, they have a late night meal. This meal is called Suhoor. The root of the word suhoor is the Arabic word “sahar ' ''. Sahar is the last part of night. So the word Suhoor is the meal eaten at the last part of a night. It is a prophet’s sunnah to delay Suhoor till the last time just before the dawn prayer. It is up to a Muslim to eat whatever food they like for Suhoor. Most Muslims prefer to have light meals, mainly yogurt or dairy products with bread. However, some other Muslims may prefer vegetable salad, beans or what they may be inclined to eat. Sometimes, some Muslims just drink a few sips of water for their Suhoor.

Breakfast in the month of Ramadan:

When it is time for breakfast, it is a totally different story. First, the time when Muslims end their day’s fasting is as soon as the sun sets. This is the exact time of the Maghrib prayer. It is the prophet’s sunnah that a Muslim breaks their fasting by having a few date fruits and little sips of water. However, a lot of Muslims improvise by adding various kinds of juice. Others may have big fat meals for their breakfast. This is not very healthy and makes them unable to move after having such heavy meals, following a long period of fasting. Nevertheless, the majority of Muslims prefer to have a light meal. After that they may pray al-Isha and al-Taraweeh voluntary prayer. Finally, they return home to have a big, fast and heavy dinner as usual.

Supplications for Suhoor and Iftar :

The prophet’s sunnah and etiquette for making dua and supplication for Suhoor and Iftar is very precise. Islam recommends a  Muslim to say when having their suhoor: “Allahumma I have intended to go fasting for Your sake. Please, oh, Allah, grant me the power to fast for You." At breakfast time, Prophet Mohammad recommended a  Muslim  to say: “Allahumma for You, I have gone fasting. Having Your provision, I have broken my fast. Please, oh Allah forgive my sins, mistakes and shortcomings. The thirst has gone. the veins have moistened and Allah confirmed the reward inshallah.”