بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
The fast is there to inculcate taqwa (Godfearingness). Taqwa can only come about through obedience to Allah. Allah has set the legal limits of fast--i.e. from Fajr (dawn) to Maghrib (sunset). No more or no less. Therefore, one should be avid and enthusiastic to break one's fast. If we eat after Fajr, even if it is one minute after Fajr enters, there is no fasting for that day. If we delay iftar (breaking fast,) it will not legally invalidate the fast but morally it is not in keeping with the sunnah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.
Like all other matters in our worship, we want to obey Allah as perfectly as we can. So, we start the fast when He commands us to start, and we stop the fast when He commands us to stop. In the starting there is obedience and in the stopping there is obedience to Allah. So what we are avid and enthusiastic about breaking fast is obeying Allah concerning the limits of the fast.
When we break our fasts with dates and water, we should be conscious of the significance of dates and water in the time of Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. These two things were essentially what the Prophet, Allah and bless him and grant him peace, and his companions would eat normally. This is a great sunnah and a great secret for the fasting in the month of Ramadhan. So, we should not get into a habit of preparing a lavish meal.
The point behind fasting is turning away from the attachment of these appetites. So, what we eat for dinner or supper, this is optimally what we should take for iftar.
Don't prepare too much for iftar or put a lot of food on your plate, especially in community iftar where you find lavish meals and plenty of them. Don't succumb to your eyes and desires, lest you are bound to be wasteful.
We should be wary of over consumption of food. Our beloved Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, always encouraged us to only eat for need (as opposed to greed), advising us to only fill one third of our stomachs with food, while in the Qur'an Allah commands us to "eat and drink but do not be extravagant."
1 in 8 people around the world suffer from extreme hunger. Extreme hunger alone kills more people annually than malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis combined, while just a few years ago, the food crisis led to outbreaks of violence in 25 countries around the world, resulting in hundreds of deaths. But it would be wrong to think that the cause of extreme hunger was a shortage in food. A report revealed that 50% of the food we produce around the world is wasted.
In short, there is enough food for everyone. It is just as our beloved Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
Remember your apetite is shrinking in Ramadhan and a few morsels of food would suffice to keep you upright for taraweeh and other worship until suhr (dawn meal). For suhr suffice yourself with a light breakfast food so you don't become lazy during the day. Drink plenty of water (not juices and carbonated drinks) throughout the night.
I would like to share a video clip of iftar of a special community. May Allah strengthen them and increase their ranks with Him. Perhaps this is the largest community iftar in history--an interview at Rabiatul Adawiyah, Cairo. InshaAllah we can gain some virtues from this.
source: Mesirkini
Recall the story of Maryam alayhassalaam in the Qur'an,
May Allah increase us in provision both spiritually and physically and make us muttaqin. Ameen.
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْوَهَّابُ ﴿٨﴾ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ جَامِعُ ٱلنَّاسِ لِيَوْمٍ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ ٱلْمِيعَادَ ﴿٩
Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower. (8) Our Lord, surely You will gather the people for a Day about which there is no doubt. Indeed, Allah does not fail in His promise." (9) [Qur'an AleImran 3:8-9]
Please don't forget us in your du'as. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
The fast is there to inculcate taqwa (Godfearingness). Taqwa can only come about through obedience to Allah. Allah has set the legal limits of fast--i.e. from Fajr (dawn) to Maghrib (sunset). No more or no less. Therefore, one should be avid and enthusiastic to break one's fast. If we eat after Fajr, even if it is one minute after Fajr enters, there is no fasting for that day. If we delay iftar (breaking fast,) it will not legally invalidate the fast but morally it is not in keeping with the sunnah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.
Like all other matters in our worship, we want to obey Allah as perfectly as we can. So, we start the fast when He commands us to start, and we stop the fast when He commands us to stop. In the starting there is obedience and in the stopping there is obedience to Allah. So what we are avid and enthusiastic about breaking fast is obeying Allah concerning the limits of the fast.
When we break our fasts with dates and water, we should be conscious of the significance of dates and water in the time of Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. These two things were essentially what the Prophet, Allah and bless him and grant him peace, and his companions would eat normally. This is a great sunnah and a great secret for the fasting in the month of Ramadhan. So, we should not get into a habit of preparing a lavish meal.
The point behind fasting is turning away from the attachment of these appetites. So, what we eat for dinner or supper, this is optimally what we should take for iftar.
Don't prepare too much for iftar or put a lot of food on your plate, especially in community iftar where you find lavish meals and plenty of them. Don't succumb to your eyes and desires, lest you are bound to be wasteful.
وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ ﴿١٤١[Qur'an Al-An'am 6:141]
..and waste not by extravagance. Verily, He likes not Al-Musrifun (those who waste by extravagance), (141)
We should be wary of over consumption of food. Our beloved Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, always encouraged us to only eat for need (as opposed to greed), advising us to only fill one third of our stomachs with food, while in the Qur'an Allah commands us to "eat and drink but do not be extravagant."
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا۟ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ ﴿٣١[Qur'an Al-A'raf 7:31]
O Children of Adam! Look to your adornment at every place of worship, and eat and drink, but be not prodigal. He love not the prodigals. (31)
1 in 8 people around the world suffer from extreme hunger. Extreme hunger alone kills more people annually than malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis combined, while just a few years ago, the food crisis led to outbreaks of violence in 25 countries around the world, resulting in hundreds of deaths. But it would be wrong to think that the cause of extreme hunger was a shortage in food. A report revealed that 50% of the food we produce around the world is wasted.
In short, there is enough food for everyone. It is just as our beloved Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
The food of one person suffices for two, the food of two people suffices for four people and the food of four people suffices for eight.[Muslim]
Remember your apetite is shrinking in Ramadhan and a few morsels of food would suffice to keep you upright for taraweeh and other worship until suhr (dawn meal). For suhr suffice yourself with a light breakfast food so you don't become lazy during the day. Drink plenty of water (not juices and carbonated drinks) throughout the night.
I would like to share a video clip of iftar of a special community. May Allah strengthen them and increase their ranks with Him. Perhaps this is the largest community iftar in history--an interview at Rabiatul Adawiyah, Cairo. InshaAllah we can gain some virtues from this.
source: Mesirkini
"We try our best to fulfill all requests, all volunteers have their respective jobs, there are volunteers to compile a list of the names after dhuhr prayer. The food is given to those far from Cairo first, then to those outside of Cairo. This is to reach those who are in most need first. But alhamdulillah there is enough food for everyone, a portion can feed two to three people."
"Some people are given rice, some pasta. All the food is the contribution of those who we do not know, we just set up this kitchen, and all the raw materials come from unknown sources. I am not in charge of cooking or distribution, I just do whatever I can."
"Everything is from Allah, people contribute and it is able to provide food for iftar, and we try our best to meet the demands. Everyone is helpful to each other, and no one has asked for more but they share food with those who do not get food, and there is no problem.”
Recall the story of Maryam alayhassalaam in the Qur'an,
فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ وَأَنۢبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا وَكَفَّلَهَا زَكَرِيَّا ۖ كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا ٱلْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ عِندَهَا رِزْقًا ۖ قَالَ يَـٰمَرْيَمُ أَنَّىٰ لَكِ هَـٰذَا ۖ قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّـهِ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ﴿٣٧[Qur'an AleImran 3:37]
So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner and put her in the care of Zakariya. Every time Zakariya entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. He said, "O Maryam, from where is this [coming] to you?" She said, "It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account." (37)
May Allah increase us in provision both spiritually and physically and make us muttaqin. Ameen.
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْوَهَّابُ ﴿٨﴾ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ جَامِعُ ٱلنَّاسِ لِيَوْمٍ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ ٱلْمِيعَادَ ﴿٩
Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower. (8) Our Lord, surely You will gather the people for a Day about which there is no doubt. Indeed, Allah does not fail in His promise." (9) [Qur'an AleImran 3:8-9]
Please don't forget us in your du'as. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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