Islam Its Belief and Practices - Radical Truth

74 ISLAM ITS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES THE PRESCRIBED DUTIES 75
4. Roza. Fasting.
Fasting from dawn to sunset on each day of the
month of Ramaq.an is a Prescribed Duty. It consists of
total abstinence from food, drink and conjugal relations
from sunrise to sunset.
The excellence of this month is much extolled by
M~ammadwho said that during the month of Ramadan
the gates of Paradise are open, and the gates of hell ~re
shut, and the devils are chained. The express injunctions
regarding the observance of this month are given in the
Qur'an 2 : 179-184.
The fast is obligatory (Farq) on every Muslim. male
and female, who has reached the age of puberty. Young
children, idiots the sick and infirm and aged, pregnant
women or women who are nursing their children, and
travellers on a journey of more than three days, and
women who are ceremonially unclean are exempted from
observing this fast.
In the case of a sick person or traveller and women
who are ceremonially unclean, the month's fast must be
kept as soon as they are able to perform it. This fast is
called Qaq.a or Redeeming Fast.
The fast commences as soon as the new moon of the
month of Ramaq.an has been visible, and it is continued
till the appearance of the new moon of the following month
(Shawwal).
Things to be observed with regard to the fast are :-
(1) The Niyat, intention. The believer must make a
nipat i. e., propose to himself to observe the fast,
and this must be repeated every night for the fast
of the following day.
(2) Total abstinence from food and drink. Besides food
and drink no medicine also is allowed to be taken
internally; nor any medecine is permitted to be put
in the ear, nose or even to a wound in the head.
(3) Abstinence from conjugal relations during the day
time.
(4) Abstinence from pollution (al-imsak 'ani'l-istimna'i bi'lkaffi).
(5) Abstinence from vomiting, unless it is involuntary.
(6) A woman must be ceremonially clean, i. e., free from
her ordinary habits.
Sunnat Observances of the Fast.
The Sunnat acts to be observed in the fast are the
following:
(1) The delay in the meal taken a little before day-break
called Sa/;lari, from sa/;lar, the dawn.
(2) Breaking the fast Uftar) at sunset before evening
prayer by taking a date or drinking a little water.
(3) Giving up the use of miswak. the tooth brush, during
the day.
(4) Giving alms.
(5) Doing voluntary devotions.
Redeeming Fast and the Acts of Expiation For
Violating the Rules of Fast.
If during the month of Ramaq.an a fast is omitted or
nullified by some voluntary or involuntary acts which are
forbidden, it must be made good by one of the following
acts:-
(1) Ihawmu'l-Qaq.a, redeeming fast. A Muslim who has
failed to observe fast on some valid reason must
make up for it by observing the fast at some other
time. A woman who omits her fast, on account of
physical occasions, has to make good the omissions
by observing Qaqa fasts at some other time. Qaq.a
fasts may be observed either on consecutive days
or on separate days as convenient.