Rulings pertaining to Ramaḍhān 

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 1 | 1 Sha'ban 1444 H. 

Introduction 

Indeed all praises are due to Allāh. We praise Him. We seek His assistance. We seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allāh from the evils of our own souls and the wickedness of our actions. He whom Allāh guides none can misguide, and he whom Allāh misguides none can guide aright. I testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh alone, without any partner, and I testify that 

Muḥammad is His slave and Messenger. To proceed:

One of the greatest objectives of a Muslim is, to have his deeds accepted by Allāh. Similarly, among his greatest fears is to have his deeds turned away and rejected by Allāh. This is why he/she strives to seek beneficial knowledge, because Allāh does accept any good deed unless it meets three conditions: 

Allāh said (in what is translated to mean): “Whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it accordingly, while he is a true believer, it is they whose striving will be appreciated and 

rewarded.” [Suratul Isrā 19]

1. ‘While he is a true believer’ – this is the first condition (belief), i.e. Allāh does not accept the deeds of the disbelievers. 

2. ‘Whoever desires the Hereafter’ – this relates to the second condition (sincerity), i.e. the deed must be done purely for the sake of Allāh. 

3. ‘And strives for it accordingly’ – this relates to the third condition (conformity to the Prophetic guidance), i.e. the deed must confirm to the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ. 

Therefore, a Muslim must be acquainted with all the obligations that apply to him, including the rulings related to fasting the month of Ramaḍhān, as the Prophet ﷺ said:

((طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ))

“Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim.” [Transmitted by Ibn Majah and others, graded 'ḥasan li ghayrihi' by Sheikh Albāni] 

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Definition of Ṣawm/Ṣiyām:

There are two definitions; linguistic and legislative 

Linguistic definition: Ṣawm means Al-imsāk (Abstinence) – to abstain from something. Example:

{فَإِمَّا تَرَیِنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡبَشَرِ أَحَدࣰا فَقُولِیۤ إِنِّی نَذَرۡتُ لِلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ صَوۡمࣰا فَلَنۡ أُكَلِّمَ ٱلۡیَوۡمَ إِنسِیࣰّا}

“And say to anyone you may see: 'I have vowed to The Most Compassionate to abstain from conversation, and I will not talk to anyone today.'” [Sūrah Maryam: 26] 

If someone asks, what did Maryam do? It's possible to say:

صَامَتْ عَنِ الْكَلَامِ

She abstained from speech. 

Another example:

خَيْلٌ صِيَامٌ

Horses prevented from moving around. 

Thus, we can see that the linguistic definition is general; to abstain from something - whatever it may be. However, the legislative definition is more restricted, as we are now going to see. 

Legislative definition: Ṣawm/Ṣiyām is an act of worship whereby a person abstains from those things which nullify the fast (such as eating, drinking, intercourse, etc.) from dawn till dusk.

Note:

Ṣiyām and Ṣawm are both verbal nouns (Gerund) of the past tense verb Ṣāma.

[صَامَ - يَصُومُ -> صَوْمًا / صِيَامًا] 

So Ṣawm and Ṣiyām mean the same thing. 

Benefit 1:

For many Arabic enthusiasts, one of the first words they come across is, Siyāḥah (سِيَاحَة) - to travel from place to place (tourism). But many are unaware that this word can also mean Ṣawm/fasting. Examples: 

محمدٌ سائحٌ اليومَ

Muḥammad is fasting today. 

Allāh said (in what is translated to mean): “Perhaps, if he were to divorce you all, his Lord would replace him with better wives who are submissive to Allāh, faithful to Him, devout, repentant, dedicated to worship and fasting (سَائِحَات) — previously married or virgins.” [Sūrah Tahreem: 5] 

And He also said (in what is translated to mean): “(The believers are) those who repent, who are devoted to worship, who praise their Lord, who fast (السَّائِحُون), who bow down and prostrate themselves, who encourage good and forbid evil, and who observe the limits set by Allāh. Give glad tidings to such believers." [Sūrah Tawbah: 112]

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