Though fasting fosters joy, and reward those who may keep themselves from eating, drinking and doing anything which may lead to sexual intercourse during the day, yet there's a high propensity of many of us falling short of its blessings, that’s if we don’t follow the required steps of fasting.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “there are some who fast and they get nothing except hunger and thirst”. Thus we must need to take a gloss look at one’s intention, taking the “Suhur” and “Iftar”.
The intention behind an act is what breathes life into it, making it acceptable or not. Whatever we do must be done solely for the sake of Allah. It's related that there's no fasting for him who doesn't make his intention to fast the night before.
In so doing, there’s no need of announcing your intentions publicly (not even to anyone), but it must be done inwardly. Ensure that every night you’ll make your intention before proceeding with the next day’s fast. It's a psychological preparation towards the next day and, in case you wake up after Fajr — that you couldn’t take the early morning meal, you’re good to go because you’ve already made your intention before going to bed.
Then cometh the Suhoor (meal for starting the fast). “The believer’s meal which is best for the Suhur is date.” (Abu Dawud). If you’re a type who can’t survive on dates, then take your local staple food; do not over eat in that regard. You could just take tea, watermelon or banana. Supposing you don’t have any, you can still survive on some gulps of water. “Even taking water, there’s a blessing in it, for the Suhur”, Musnad Ahmad.
Furthermore, we must be conscious about the Iftar (meal for breaking the fast). It’s reported that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) used to take dates in odd number(s), beginning with fresh dates. When that isn’t available, he goes for the dried dates. Water is the last thing he (pbuh) takes to break the fast. In instances where all these aren’t available, break the fast with your intention.
It’s likely that the call of prayer (Azan) wouldn’t be made regularly in your locality. Therefore we must make good use of the “MuslimPro app”. Kindly download it on the App or Play store. It would provide you with the necessary prayer times.
We should carefully note that fasting starts immediately dawn breaks. It’s confusing sometimes, because we could hear several Azan being made even after the scheduled time of fajr. For instance, if the time for fajr in your area is 4:49 A.M, it means that after that time nothing must enter into your throat again. Some localities have their own prayer time they have set to encourage communal salat.
For example, as fajr starts at 04:49 A.M., for the congregation sake, a lee way of 5-10 minutes could be given so that people coming from afar would be able to join. In this case, after 04:49 A.M., you could still hear the final Azan being made at 04:44 A.M.
Eating still stops at the former time (04:49 A.M.), in this case, irrespective of nuances in the call of prayer. The Quran mentioned in chapter 2:187, “eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appears to be distinct from the black thread.”
According to the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), it’s preferable to delay the Suhur to the period just before the break of dawn. So, you could begin taking your meal 20 minutes before the time for fajr (04:49 A.M), but not waking up early like 02:00 A.M., and then you take a heavy food like “fufu”.
Again, with the Iftar you’re to hasten in taking it immediately it’s due.
Let us not only abstain from deliberately taking of water or eating, but rather uphold the etiquettes of fasting assiduously.
May Allah accept from us.
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