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What is fasting?

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Alim - Islamic software for Quran and Hadith
An Introduction to the field of Islamic Bioethics Alim.org – Ahadith are now linked to related Quran Ayaath Alim has released videos about revamped Alim.org Hadiths about Ramadan and fasting Alim.org migrated to new platform Al-Mawlid-un Nabi (The Birth of the Prophet) Mohammed (PBUH) What is Hijra? Importance of Surah Fatiha Benefits of Reading Qur'an The most meaningful gift you can give The End of 2017 is Approaching Fast Welcoming Muharram, the Month of Allah Ramadan is Approaching Fast, Are you Ready? Rabi-ul-Awwal - A Month with many Islamic Events... Make Your Donations Tax Deductible! The Alim Team will be at the ICNA-MAS Convention (Booth 838) Safar's meaning and background Infallibility of Prophet Muhammad(SAW) Tafsir Ibn Kathir Added! Benefits of Fasting Alim Android and iPhone App released.. Check Out Our FAQ Assalam-alaikum Everyone!! Quran Recitation! The Alim.org Islamic knowledge Features of Alim Arabic Playhouse Has Been Integrated With Alim.org Alim.org Has Biographies! Alim Burial, Funeral & Janazah Services Fasting the Six Days of Shawwal Eid al-Fitr 2020 Zakah and Zakat al-Fitr Last TEN Nights of Ramadan and Lailat ul-Qadr نُزوْلُ القُرْان Nuzul Al-Quran (Revelation of Quran) Night Focus on our blessings The Beauty of the phrase, “Bismillahi Ar-Rahmani Ar-Raheem” THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF DHUL HIJJAH Fasting is a Means of Self-Purification The Prophet’s (PBUH) Sermon on Ramadan Listening to Quran While Doing Other Activities. Physiological changes during fasting in Ramadan Isra and al-Mi’raj Lailat al Miraj : The Miraculous Night Journey of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) The Month of Safar The Effect of Holy Quran Voice on Mental Health The cardiac patient during Ramadan and Hajj Salah (Prayer) and its Scientifically proven benefits - Part 3 Salah (Prayer) and its Scientifically proven benefits - Part 2 Salah (Prayer) and its Scientifically proven benefits WHY GET SICK! Islamic New Year, The month of MUHARRAM, And Ashura PARENTS IN OUR LIFE Kusoof us Shams (Solar Eclipse): A time to Raise the Praise of Allah, the Exalted WHAT AWAITS US IN JANNAH Read the sky and find the Qiblah Parenting: Nurture your Child Emotionally, Spiritually and Physically Mecca - the Holiest City in the World in Islam 8 Facts about Prophet Muhammad Never Drink with Your Left Hand; Why it is a Haram in Islam? Why United States still addicted to Pain Killers? Verse of Light Baba; My Soul and My Guide A beautiful Hadith about Ramadan Umrah Pilgrimage: An ever memorable gift from my parents How to Love, Learn and get Inspired! To the Rude Hijabi at Heathrow Can you continue your prayer with an invalid wudu? Ibtihaj Muhammad; First US athlete to Olympics in hijab Learn from Quran the year round Suicide: The Worst Sin in Islam Remember Allah and Wash away your Depression Mother’s day Love Giving for Eternity: A Tunisian waqf history No feets are needed to perform Sujud; It needs a soul Seeking Islamic Knowledge How to be a Happy Muslim, Insha Allah: Book Review Body Image-Reality and Standards Makkah to Madinah: An Epic Composition from Dr Abdullah Al-Kadi To God Eating Habits for This Ramadan What is fasting? The Beautiful Concept of Zakat Welcoming Ramadan Ramadan: The Blessed Guest Choose A Faithful Spouse Young Muslim Girl Represents Youth at UN Crime Prevention Congress Smile at Your Spouse Delaying Marriage is Haram Parenting Can’t Be Outsourced To Technology Don’t Shout Your Wife How to Cure Depression & Stress Naturally Allah Says: Beautify Yourself Funny – You Look Gorgeous On Your Profile Picture Use the Social Media; Stop Misuse Unconditional Love Make your kids happy; not orphans How to keep away of quarrels in a joint family? Follow Prophet Muhammad Don’t rush in Salah Muslim Women and Leadership Challenge Your Blindness Think Positive; Suicide Is a Great Evil Not a Trouble, But a Gift In Fact, No One Cares About Gaza Allah Is the Best Teacher Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan – A Reality Check from Surat Al Qiyāmah – YouTube The Accepted Prayer Aisha RA (Daughter Of Abu Bakr) – A must watch The Bliss of the Moment Pleasurable Parenting: Flexible Reward Chart Motherhood and Anxieties: A Comment on Hitting In Search of Truth! French Convert is Now King’s Guest for Haj!

Date: June 18, 2015

Fasting is a holy act of prayer and sacrifice for the sake of Allah and your sins will be forgiven by Allah. During the holy month of Ramadan, an Islam must abstain from food, drinks, life pleasures, intercourse, smoking and other sins. Islam must abstain from food and drinks before the break of the dawn till sunset. During Ramadan month, every sane and able Muslim should fast. In addition, for getting eligibility for fasting he or she must attain the age of puberty and maturity. Fasting should start by taking the sahri. Sahri is the food or drink you take in anticipation of the next day’s fasting. So you must take sahri before the Subah Sadiq. If you missed the sahri, you must skip fasting for the day. As soon as the sun set in the evening, you must break the fast by having dates and water. You should break the fasting before the Magrib prayers. Things that break fasting * Eating and drinking during the fasting time. * Smoking. * Pouring oil into ears. * Swallowing pebble, stone, paper etc. * Saliva mingled with blood. * Applying medicine drops in nostrils. * Masturbation. * Sexual intercourse. Things that do not break fasting * Smell perfume, using surma in the eyes and applying oil to the hair. * Inhaling a fly without one’s intention. * To swallow saliva. * Undergoing for a blood test. * To take bath during fasting time. * To pour water into ear unknowingly.

Precious Gifts a Person Leaves Behind

"The best of what a man leaves behind are three: a righteous child who supplicates for him, ongoing charity the reward of which reaches him, and knowledge that is acted upon after him."

Sunan Ibn Mājah

Angelic Daily Prayers for Generosity

"Every day two angels come down from Heaven and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in Your Cause,' and the other (angel) says, 'O Allah! Destroy every miser.'"

Sahih Bukhari

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Baba; My Soul and My Guide

Hiba Masood a writer, speaker and a story teller talks about her Baba's influence in teaching Quran and its holy threads in her wonderful opinion piece "Baba, The Quran and Me". When she was in her younger age, she had to recite Quran every day, that her Baba taught her to do so without fail. She memorizes her childhood experience in the holy month of Ramadan as well as her Baba's powerful Ramadan experiences. Her Baba looked after all his children with extreme care. She had not faced poverty or any other means difficulties in life. Baba used to talk about his life and his days spent with his eight brothers and sisters used to look like. They were like in abject poverty, splitting one bowl of food for Iftar amongst a family of eleven and so on. Baba used to say that once all the work is done, you should recite Quran in every single possible minute. Every letter you recite during Ramadan has 70 times the regular reward? That means every letter, like saying Alif, gets you seven hundred good deeds. Years passed and with all the impetuous, rebellion of youth, of spending my days in smoke-filled rooms, strategizing with socialist/activists, and my evenings protesting against the Iraq war on the frozen streets of Toronto. Of not praying at all, of not so much as glancing towards the dusty shelf where my Qur'an sat the entire year. Next year Hiba got married and her brand new husband got astonished by her behavior and activities. She never proper placed her shoes and she always misplaced her cell phone. And she blessed with a baby boy just before the month of holy Ramadan. And there have many, many more years filled with anxiety, scary financial strain and a stormy marriage of sickness and grief. Years passed with no changes. Hiba recited Quran verses just as a routine, or just like fasting in the month of Ramadan without knowing the rewards of reciting. At last wisdom came to her brain at the age of thirty and she started to settle in life. Slowly, as an enthusiastically expected reconnection, she started reciting Quran well to Allah to the Qur'an to her childhood, to her father and to herself. Now her beloved father is aging and sick and she is in great agony by thinking about her sick dad. She used to caress his dad's grey hair, press her cheeks to his. She says that she misses him a lot and she is afraid of the future. But most of all, she whisper her gratitude. Gratitude for gifting her so freely all the things, all the lessons, all the beliefs, all the forces of habit and inspiring stories and abiding, enriching traditions that have blessed her life. Ultimately he was the lighthouse when he was able.

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Suicide: The Worst Sin in Islam

This is a wonderful article on suicide and its haram in Islam. The author of this article Saba Malik shares some knowledge he got from a depression mastery seminar by a prominent Muslim Shaykh, eight years back. Suicide is a sin in Islam. But the author still wonders that by knowing the fact that suicide is a bad activity, why Muslims still tries to kill themselves. Once the seminar finished, the author went up and asked the Shaykh that if a Muslim attempts or commits suicide, what happens to him. The Shaykh answered that definitely, he will go to hell. Mental illness, hallucinations, diseases, financial conditions, family problems etc. can cause one to commit suicide. Depression can be treated with some of the tools practiced in our day to day life and concentration. Following steps are helpful to avoid depression. 1. Regular salah 2. Medication 3. Psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy 4. Regular exercise 5. Healthy eating 6. Good sleep hygiene 7. Keeping up with physical hygiene 8. Active and meaningful social relationships 9. Support groups or blog 10.Giving back to your community Dr. Al-Khater says that apart from the above tools, situational depression can be alleviated by practicing the following tools: 1. Using the Islamic creed 2. Doing righteous deeds 3. Offering salah and reciting prayers 4. Contemplating the worst cases 5. Having good opinions 6. Living with a realistic – not idealistic – point of view 7. Behaving well towards other and yourself 8. Having hope Above all, prayer and preach Allah is the best solution to forget the thoughts about committing suicide.

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The Month of Safar

The month of Safar is one of the 12 months of the Hijri calendar, the month succeeds Muharram. Safar literally means ‘empty’ or a house that is empty. According to some scholars, it is named because of emptying (Isfaar) of Mecca. People used to travel extensively in this month. Some scholars say that the Arabs believed in the sacredness of the holy months: Dhul Qadha, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. They did not indulge in war or any other crime in theses months and used to wait for such months to be over. In Safar they used to fight other tribes during this month. Among the superstitions of the pre-Islamic days, the month of Safar was considered to be inauspicious and taken as an ill omen. It was believed that the month would bring calamities along with a lot of diseases and economies would be destroyed. The pagans didn’t start any important work or new project in this month. Islam is a religion of truth & veracity. It’s the religion which illuminated the world with belief in Tawheed (Oneness of God, the Exalted) and Risalat (Prophethood). With the emergence of Islam, the superstitions and heresies of all kinds that prevailed at the time of pre-Islamic era, have been ended. Unfortunately, many of the Muslims have imbibed these superstitions. On one hand, omens and bad lucks have been associated with the month and, on the other hand, self-made solutions for such things was proposed as well. Today too, some Muslims are still holding the incorrect beliefs regarding the month of Safar. Some of the erroneous believes are as follows: * A nikah performed in the month of Safar would not be successful.   Sayyadina Ali (Radi Allahu anhu) and Sayyiditina Fatima (Radi Allahu anha) got married, in the latter days of Safar 2 A.H. * This month is full of calamities and misfortune. * To commence any important business, venture etc. during this month will be of great loss. * The first to the 13th of Safar is ill-fortune and evil. * A person who distributes food or money on the 13th day of Safar will be saved from its bad luck. What Muslims should do? * Shun all types of erroneous beliefs regarding the month of Safar. * Note that the most unfortunate person is he who disobeys Allah’s commandments e.g. does not perform the five daily Salah etc. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "Pray, O Allah! - Cause not any of us to be a wretched destitute" Then he asked: "Do you know who is a wretched destitute? " Upon the request of the Sahabah he replied, "A wretched destitute is he who neglects his salaat." (Hadith). * We all should understand that all conditions which befalls us, favorable or unfavorable, good or bad are from Allah, (as a result of our actions). "Whichever misfortune befalls you, it is due to the things your hands have wrought, and He forgives many a sin." (Al-Quran: 42:30). This can be confirmed by the following Hadith: _"I have heard Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) saying, the descending of illness and evil superstition befalling in the month of Safar is not true."_ - Jabir (Radi Allahu anhu) (Muslim) There is nothing ominous in the month of Safar. Evil deeds & incorrect beliefs are ominous and should be given up & repented for. It’s incorrect to delay or postpone marriage or its proposal or a journey, etc. because of such beliefs. Rejecting the fake beliefs of the days of ignorance, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Belief in ill-omen is Shirk (polytheistic) (thrice he said) and the owl’s ominousness is nothing.’ The Mushriks of Arabia believed that a house near which an owl screeches will be ruined, hence, Rasoolullah Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam refuted this belief as false. Then, he said, ‘There is nothing ominous about the Month of Safar’. (Bukhari) The polytheists believed the Month of Safar up to the 13th day to be inauspicious, hence, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) rejected this superstition. It’s therefore wrong for all Muslims, who are the followers of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), to adopt the ways of the non-Muslims and to entertain the very beliefs which he had come to change. May Allah, the Exalted grant all Muslims the ability to accept and practice all the beautiful teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Aameen.

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