Well, looks like the month of Ramadhan is nearly upon us.
Non-Muslims are always curious about the fasting month, often asking questions like why? and you can’t eat anything at all? Well, the whole fasting thing is simple: each day during the month of Ramadhan, from the call to the dawn prayer to the call to the sunset prayer, Muslims don’t eat or drink anything. I suppose there are plenty of reasonswhy we do it, but one reason I like is that it’s done to remind us that there are people in this world who always have to go without enough food or water. During the time between sunup and sundown we eat and drink absolutely nothing and refrain from other pleasures such as sex and smoking. Some Muslims take it a bit far and refrain from brushing their teeth and cleaning their ears, because they believe that sticking anything in any orifice in your body constitutes breaking the fast. I think that’s freaking hilarious a wee bit silly fine for them but I’ll have to respectfully disagree. I’ll just stick with plain old fasting according to scholarly opinions that I think are reasonable:
Invalidating the Fast
A. Those which Invalidate Fasting and Require Qada’ only (making up for the missed day or days, a day for a day). This category includes:
1. Eating and/or drinking deliberately (including partaking non-nourishing items by the mouth).
2. Deliberately causing oneself to vomit.
3. The beginning of menstruation or post-childbirth bleeding even in the last moment before sunset.
4. Ejaculation for reasons other than sexual intercourse, (e. g. kissing or hugging one’s wife).22
5. Eating, thinking, smoking or having sexual intercourse after Fajr (dawn) on the mistaken assumption that it is not Fajr time yet. Similarly, engaging in these acts before Maghrib (sunset) on the mistaken assumption that it is already Maghrib time.23.B. An Act which Invalidates Fasting and Requires Qada’ and Kaffarah (an act of atonement).
Sexual intercourse during the period of fast (dawn to sunset) not only invalidates the fast but involves an additional penalty as well. The penalty is to set a slave free. If this is not available or possible, one must fast an additional period of 60 continuous days. If one is not able to, then he must feed sixty poor persons one average meal each.
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that a man broke the fast in Ramadan (deliberately). The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) instructed him to atone for this by setting a slave free or to fast two continuous months or to feed sixty poor persons. (Muslim)
The majority of jurists make no distinction between men and women in the applicability of the above penalty provided that both deliberately engaged in sexual intercourse during the day (dawn to sunset in Ramadan).
If both forgot that they were fasting, or did not intend to fast, (e. g. due to illness or travel), or were fasting before or after the month of Ramadan, the penalty does not apply. If the wife was forced into intercourse by her husband (during the day in Ramadan) or if she was not fasting for a legitimate reason, then the penalty applies to the husband only. Ash-Shafi’i, however, believes that the wife is not penalized even if she accepts to engage in sexual intercourse with her husband. She is required only to make up for the missed day (a day-for-day). One version attributed to Ahmad Ibn Hanbal concurs with this. (Taken from an excellent article on fasting by Dr. Jamal Badawi
The year I became a Muslim I managed to fast for the entire month, not because I had an incredibly strong will or anything (although it was tough when my smartass friends put delicious food in front of me), but because it was winter. Monsieur Soleil only crawled out of bed at seven-something and then dropped out of sight by around five. Plus it was cold, so I wasn’t so thirsty. Year two was the same. Then I moved to Malaysia and attempted to fast while adjusting to the climate and recovering from cancer treatments. That didn’t go very well, and after a week of fasting I ended up at a hospital with a doctor telling me that I was malnourished and dehydrated. 2003 went a little better, and in 2004 I managed to last for most of the month. Last year I took a bit of a step backwards, skipping a lot of days while I was in China. Now it’s time for another fasting month, and I’m going to give it the old college try.
Anyway, to all the Muslims out there: Ramadhan mubarak!
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31 Comments
Good luck with your fasting. I couldn’t do it, I NEEEEED my food… ask my wife! I respect anyone who can do Ramadhan.
good luck and have fun.
Jordan: Refer to fiqah books b4 u make any comment on sticking something in orifice (7 places), which is why sex during daytime in ramadhan will break your fast too. Maybe u wonder why can’t use cotton butt to clean the ears, it doesn’t make u full the way u feel after eating. You can do it at night or before sunrise. It’s not that hard. I sometimes brush my teeth after sunrise, it’s not forbidden, only makruh. 40 days is all our stomach needs to ‘overhaul’ within one year. And fasting is ordained in other religions too. In fact, in certain religion, u can’t touch food and drinks and do certain things for 24 hours, or weeks…
I was trained to fast since age 7 and I too had difficulty to do it at the beginning, I fasted half day. When I was 9, I managed to do it fully. If we do becoz we feel forced to do so, we can never make it. If we know why its benefit for health, we’ll enjoy doing it. You’re right about the other reason why we fast, imagine urself being a thin african child with big round belly, surrounded by houseflies… no food, no clean water… under the burning hot sun…
…which is why sex during daytime in ramadhan will break your fast too.
Hmmm…I’m sorry but that’s crap. Do you really think sex breaks the fast simply because it involves sticking something in an orifice? My understanding is that it breaks the fast because it’s a pleasure we indulge in, something that satisfies our desires or a simple physical urge, something we are to control during this month. This whole thing about entering things in orifices is so silly, and I don’t care if it was in some fiqh book, silly is silly no matter who says it. I’ve heard that some people even think farting in water breaks the fast. God help us all.
farting in water, bukan ke air akan masuk melalui dubur selepas angin keluar? try it. perhaps u wanna swim, maybe u can so long as u can ensure u won’t drink the water. do u care if it was the Prophet who said it or u would rather make a new fiqah book that suits urself? maybe u can smoke too because i think smoking doesn’t give u pleasure. forgive me for using simple english to explain but yeah, fasting is not just about restraining urself from consuming food and drinks, but also some pleasures, only during daytime, not 24/7! U can, or u can’t have it in the morning, or u can do it and pay something for breaking it, or well, u have from 7.30 to 5.00 am to enjoy what u like. it doesn’t kill u.
Whatever u do, Jordan, do it moderately. There r things ppl think Islamic that i don’t do (eg keeping beard) - I know this is a legacy from pre-islamic civilization and some ulama make it almost compulsory. but I’m no one to say what they said as silly. even Imam Shafiee said if there was a new fatwa which is better than his, then follow that one. I have little knowledge about the interpretations of the Holy Book despite being born muslim and taught in school about the fiqah stuff because the more I learn, I feel there is more things I donno about. there are Malays who don’t fast or do forbidden things (things permanently forbidden, not only in ramadhan, eg adultery) during the fasting month. making love with ur wife during daytime in ramadhan is not wrong, it’s legal. only that u u both will have to pay something for breaking the fasting obligation. i believe this kind of things are also practised in other religion. why do you think Hinduists don’t eat beef? do you call them silly too? in fact, we r forbidden to insult them. we just need to understand our religion better. and the safe and right way to understand it is learn from those who really understands it and can explain it without inclination to something else (eg: politics, etc) and not just by using our own interpretations blindly. u’ve seen Islam from both outside and inside, in this case, u know something i donno. perhaps u can share it with me, and I’m just sharing what I know. keep on learning and asking questions. ask a cobbler if u wanna learn how to repair shoes, ask a fisherman if u wanna learn how to fish, and if u wanna understand religion, u know who u should ask to. but be careful, 73 ways… i donno how close u r to bingregory but in my humble opinion, someone who shares a common background and has gone thru this earlier than u, can be a good person to be ur close friend. we’ll share with each other too.
OK, I’ve made some adjustments to what I wrote.
Whatever u do, Jordan, do it moderately.
That is exactly what I’m doing. I’m willingly and happily carrying out my religious obligations but ignoring the questionable excesses that some people seem to cling to, excesses they are free to cling to if they wish, just as I am free to question them if I wish. I’m not disrespecting the old scholars, whose opinions may have been useful and relevant at one time, but I do think it’s silly for people to blindly follow everything those scholars said we can/cannot/should/should not do.
If I were the type to blindly believe everything I’ve been told is true, I’d be a Presbyterian now.
That being said, if you’re offended that I attached the label silly to people who follow scholarly decisions that I don’t agree with, and that I called some such decisions crap, I sincerely apologize. I’m not out to insult or offend anyone. I do consult people who know about matters of religion (I’ve always respected the opinions of Dr. Jamal Badawi) but as you know there are many different opinions in Islam, even among the scholars. I know the Shafi’i madhab is the prevailing school of jurispudence in Malaysia, but while I am happy to stick with its rules in public or congregational aspects of Islam (for the sake of unity), I don’t feel obligated to follow it or any other madhab exclusively, esepcially in matters that are between me and God. I know plenty of Muslims say we shouldn’t—some would even say we can’t—pick and choose which decisions to follow. But actually, that’s what I do, a decision I made after consulting with Dr. Badawi several years ago. When I asked him about the whole thing about following madhabs, he told me that he himself doesn’t believe it obligatory to follow one exclusively. He said that the Prophet (peace be upon him), when faced with more than one way to do something, always chose the easiest way. I’m choosing a path I think is reasonable, out of several different scholarly opinions.
Anyway, if this were any month but Ramadhan I’d argue with you until you get dizzy. Let’s leave it where it is now. Besides, I’m already dizzy.
Selamat berpuasa, Jordan!
I’m not blindly following things blindly, like I said, if I were to be judged based on Imam Shafie’s fatwa, i’d be the most sinful muslim for not following many of his fatwas. In fact, the government too don’t follow 100% of what shafie, we pay zakat with money instead of staple food (rice, corn etc). i’ve gone thru hard times, got confused with so many different versions of what can and cannot be done. i got lost. but in the end, I came back to the starting point. learn the tauhid first before understanding the fiqah and yes i also heard some teachers/uztaz told me we can’t mix mazhab but then what about the ppl who lived before those imams were born? they didn’t follow any mazhab, just the Quran and Hadith. I’m learning and relearning, but if I have a different opinion from mainstream (Shafiee), I’d just take it easy and I believe none of them are more right or wrong (thus we can’t say it’s crap or silly) when we don’t agree with others. Some sect of muslims can’t eat what i can eat but it should not be a reason of disunity for us muslims. even for Theravada buddhists who believe that human can only be free of sins by means of castrating themselves to control bad desire and devote their time fully to pray to their the deity, I won’t insult them. This is me now, different from whom I was 15 years ago. I just explained some things I that i am following (bcoz u called it crap and silly). U accept it or not, it’s not my problem but I’m sure we have many different ideas in other things too and you won’t feel good if I tell u that u r silly for doing this and that. anyways, apologies accepted.
as I said, Jordan… 73 ways… but only one is true. let’s pray that we all are on the right track and will always be until we die. Amen.
Hey farting in water doesnt break your fast unless you find pleasure in doing it, of which I hope you’re not one of. Yeah, they are taking it a bit too far. Some even believe taking shots at the hospital will break their fast, now that’s sillier.
No taking shots? No comment on that but I know it’s ok with that coz skin is not orifice. I remember having my tooth removed in Ramadhan before and I continued fasting after that. To make me feel safer, I just fasted in Syawal to replace it (just in case), although I had no doubt on whether I broke my fast on that day or not. No harm in that. On farting in water was told so by the teacher when I was 8, young to have my own opinion but then when I was 15, I questioned it. What if the person is a fisherman who has get into the water to pull his boat and suddenly farts. Fasting is supposed to not make things difficult for us. But then again, for me, I have no reason to be in the water during Ramadhan (I don’t swim at all!Haha)
What I think is silly is that we tend to look at the different ways we do ibadat as if they were reasons big enough to divide us. There was no different mazhab until Islam widespread across the continents, encompassing different nations and cultures, languages, traditions… thus we can see why Muslims in Turkey don’t eat sea food other than fish, or why Muslims in France can eat escargo, why some Arab can drink beer made of sesame, why some Muslim in China can eat fox… and why Muslims in Gulf countries began fasting on Saturday and we began on Sunday? It’s all because we r in one religion and not one region. Of course fatwas change (by places and time) because one of the sources for ulama to make fatwas is uruf (authentic customs) but as long as we believe in the same aqidah/tauhid, the same Principles of Iman and Islam, we believe that Allah is the only God and Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger, we’re on the right track. Jordan doesn’t have to wear baju Melayu and kain pelikat to be a Muslim. If he believes that sticking ears doesn’t break fast, then koreklah telinga tu… telinga dia pun… :)
Gile, nizar macam marah sgt. rilexlah bro!
I donno how u read it but if u read it with the right intonation, u will know that i was making a lil joke… Sikit pun tak marah..
My apology was for offending you. But I still think you’re silly. I’ve always thought you were silly, and that’s not an insult. Haha. Actually, I don’t think my statement that the beliefs in question are silly is really all that bad. A wee bit silly, that’s what I said. As for crap, I was referring to your insistence that sex breaks the fast simply because it involves sticking something in an orifice. I disagreed, saying it breaks the fast because it involves satisfying a carnal desire.
Hmmm….I think farting in water is funny…Look at the bubbles! Tee hee! But I don’t think it breaks the fast.
Encik Nizar, I like the second paragraph of your comment #3006. I think it was very well said.
Jordan, I accept, ur correction, TQ bro…
Islam doesn’t make me an Arab and it doesn’t make u a Malay either. Different nations and tribes, God says, but not different religions… Apologies for my mistakes.
I didn’t express my opinion correctly in English especially when there’s a bit emotion involved.
Farting in water, a teacher told me it breaks the fast when I was 8 (I was like a sponge, only absorbs, teachers were always right), but as I said, I started questioning many things I was taught when I was 15, including that one. When we fart, we don’t purposely fart. So if I was a fisherman, I would surely, sometimes fart in the water. And if that breaks the fast, that will make my life miserable. Thus, I questioned what the teacher told me. If she still believes in it, it’s up to her. It’s not a big issue for me because I rarely swim or go to the beach, very rarely. That teacher also told me while excreting, if ur shit goes back in, it breaks the fast. Now THIS really bothers me! I had to restrain yself from excreting during daytime in Ramadhan from age 8 to 15! Then there r many other things like u can’t wear contact lenses, no ‘eye-mo’… ppl tend to simplify things sometimes in the wrong way when they want to explain many things. That’s why we need to learn and relearn. The latter is harder to do. As for me, I kentut kat mana-mana pun boleh, dalam air, atas bantal, kuat ke, pelan ke… dah nak terkentut.. kentut je laaa! Bukan sengaja pun. Haha… I used to wear contact lenses in Ramadhan, anyways, until I changed back to… goggles, yeah, I think that’s how u picture me in ur mind, Jordan. Looks silly.
And Jordan, I couldn’t care less about what u think of me. Orang nak puji ke, nak kutuk ke, I’ll just be myself.
Hey! It’s OK to fart. We all fart.
It’ll only harm your fasting when you enjoy doing it soo much, like you fart out of your brain in the water just to get high. I dont know if it breaks your fast or not, but it’s definitely makruh (i.e. berdosa), only when you enjoy doing it that is! If the fisherman is one of those sick fart-loving people but has to get into the water regardless, then he ought to try to be numb - be resistant to the farting sensation, but if he’s doing over and over and making being a fisherman as an excuse to get into the water and fart - then it is makruh. That’s why you fast, to take your mind away from things that are pleasant and sensational. Same goes with teeth brushing. Some people do it too many times when fasting because it’s nice to have that minty feeling in the mouth - ding! makruh! but doesnt mean you cant brush when you’re fasting. see it’s all back to one’s reasoning too. inserting something the orifice is definitely haram when fasting. no question asked. maybe there are exceptions. but rule of thumb is sensational things are makruh things. nose picking, ear picking, etc.
I know everybody here is aware of my point already but I still keep rambling, probably because I dont want non Muslim people reading this page and think how ridiculously complicated it is.
Okay, on a less smelly note, ever notice a sweet hunger sensation when you;re fasting, oftentimes hunger sucks but it really can get to a point of sweet and sensational. amazing what you can make your brains do without realizing it doing. and bukak puasa is the best thing in the world.
ops.. nose picking is haram, not makruh.
only when you’re fasting that is. hahaha.
Encik Nizar, Encik Jordan, selamat berpuasa. i wasnt membebel to you guys, i know you guys know better than me. I just wanted to membebel. Membebel on mulut tak larat.
Nizar:
As for me, I kentut kat mana-mana pun boleh, dalam air, atas bantal, kuat ke, pelan ke… dah nak terkentut.. kentut je laaa! Bukan sengaja pun. Haha…
And now the secrets come out…hahaha.
I used to wear contact lenses in Ramadhan, anyways, until I changed back to… goggles, yeah, I think that’s how u picture me in ur mind, Jordan. Looks silly.
I gave contact lenses a try too, but it just didn’t work out. Now it’s back to goggles…er, glasses. I might give contacts another go, but they’re such a pain in the butt that I’m not sure if I’ll bother. And hey, I never thought you looked silly with glasses.
And Jordan, I couldn’t care less about what u think of me. Orang nak puji ke, nak kutuk ke, I’ll just be myself.
That’s the spirit!
Suri:
If the fisherman is one of those sick fart-loving people but has to get into the water regardless, then he ought to try to be numb - be resistant to the farting sensation, but if he’s doing over and over and making being a fisherman as an excuse to get into the water and fart - then it is makruh.
I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. Now I regret bringing it up…hahaha.
inserting something the orifice is definitely haram when fasting. no question asked.
At least, according to some scholars. See, my problem is that I ask questions, and my questions sometimes lead me to answers that are different from the ‘definitely haram, no questions asked’ variety.
rule of thumb is sensational things are makruh things.
ever notice a sweet hunger sensation when you;re fasting, oftentimes hunger sucks but it really can get to a point of sweet and sensational.
Hmmm…so by your reasoning, if you actually get that special, sweet sensation that makes fasting enjoyable, you’ve broken your fast! Haha. That would be very complicated, wouldn’t it? Anyway, I know what you mean.
Now that I know I’m always thought of as being silly by Jordan, here’s a silly joke:
Wearing contact lenses is a pain in the butt?
Donno how u wore them dude but for me it was pain in the eyes!
I’m thinking of getting rid of these glasses one day b4 I die. Still remember my first specs my mom bought. Boleh tutup dahi dan hidung! Haha
Jordan, tahun ni kalau u dapat puasa penuh, i bagi u ang pow + ceklat… nak tak? hehe…
Nak!
I’ll remember that promise…and I’ll hold you to it when I see you in Muar. Hehehe.
Insha Allah… mudah-mudahan Allah panjangkan umur saya, awak, Kak Leen dan baby Alisdair, dapat jumpa lagi hari raya nanti :) Amin… Ish2… saya pulak yang geram tengok makanan yang mmm lazat sokmo kat bazar Ramadhan yang berderet2 di sepanjang jalan. Kat Brickfield ni… ada bazar Deepavali sekali. Kak Leen raya taun ni takmo pakai sari kaaa? hehe…
Assalamualaikum,
Here’s a link to opinions on what invalidates a fast from Islam Online. This is not a ‘play-play’ website. http://www.islamonline.com/cgi-bin/news_service/fatwah_story.asp?service_id=1791
Jordan, Nizar, if you want to read one with the hadith narrations and the opinions from madhabs, then this is the one:
http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/1424/10/fiqhi_issues/Rulings_of_Fasting/article_16.shtml
It’s more about the eating, drinking, restraining oneself, and in keeping with His command, and less about which and what hole. The discussion on orifice is a mean to an end. It’s not the end in itself.
Thank you Anisah!!! :)
I have been to this site before. Ish.. gatalnya telinga ni.. ada ulat resdung berjoget2 kat dalam telinga… nak vakum jap… hehe
Chewing gum tanpa perisa? Ada ke kat Malaysia ni?
the only things that break the fast are deliberately eating and/or drinking and/or sexual intercourse.
there is nothing to forbid eye-drops, ear-picking, nose-picking, medical injections, flatulating in water (c’mon, please don’t be so ridiculous). it is the nourishing of a persons hunger which breaks the fast, sticking things in orifices has nothing to do with anything.
we take our religion from the Book and the authenticated Sunna. and neither the Quran nor the Sunna say what some have written here (that its haram to put cotton buds in your ear, pick your nose, and the like).
and it is neither haram nor makruh (hated) to brush your teeth while fasting. on the contrary, brushing one’s teeth with good, correct intention is an act of worship and, if done with a siwak stick, is a highly recommended sunna. toothpaste is not food and even if one accidentaly swallows some, it does not break the fast. only if that person deliberately swallowed toothpaste with the intention to nourish his hunger will the fast be broken - due to the intention.
beware of going to extremes in religion and making haram what Allah made haram, and causing uneccessary hardships for the people. it is not an act of peity to avoid normal contact with the orifices during ramadan, but an innovation which distorts our blessed religion. please do not confuse someone’s backward local non-islamic culture for our merciful sharia.