RAMADHAN COMPETITION
2024
Material
for both
1- Elementary and middle school level and
2- High school, colleges and university students:
We will divide our competition into two categories:
1- Quran:
Surah Al Mulk,
1. To Memorize it by heart
2. With Tajweed
3. Memorize word to word meanings of the whole Surah
2- Basics of Islam:
Saum:
We will divide this chapter into 5 portions:
a) Meaning and introduction of Saum
b) Rewards and virtues of Saum
c) Rules of Saum
d) Qiyam ul Lail, Tahajjud or Taraaweeh
e) I’etikaaf and Lailatul Qadr
——————
Brief introduction:
• Muslims observe the fasting as mandatory form of worship, in the holy month of Ramadhan, which is the 9th month of Islamic calendar
• Fasting is the 4th pillar among the 5 pillars of Islam
• Fasting became mandatory upon Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and upon Muslims on the 2nd year of Hijri calendar
• Almighty Allah said:
• “يا أيها الذين آمنوا كُتِب عليكم الصيام كما كتب على الذين من قبلكم، لعلكم تتقون. أيّاماً معدودات”
(O believers, fasting is written upon you (as an obligatory act of worship) as it was written upon the nations before you, that you may achieve TAQWAA/ piety).
•
Meaning of Saum:
Linguistic meanings:
Restriction, restraining, or self control
As a term:
Restraining ourselves from eating, drinking, sexually interacting, from dawn till dusk
(as apparently),
And in general, comprehensively:
Controlling our tongues from lies, from cursing and from all negativity. Controlling our sight, our hearing, and our ill temperament/ anger, during fasting, that we can apply it on rest of the year
b) Reward and virtues of Saum:
Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم taught us:
“مَن صام رمضان إيماناً واحتسابًا غُفِر له ما تقدّم من ذنبه”
(The one who observes the fasting of Ramadhan with faith and sincerity, his all previous sins would be forgiven)
Our Mentor Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم taught us, regarding the amazing opportunity of Ramadhan:
“When Ramadhan starts, all the doors of heaven (Allah’s blessings) are wide open, no door would close till Ramadhan is over, and all the doors of hellfire (Allah’s punishment) are closed, no door would be opened until Ramadhan is over, while shaitan and evil jinn are chained, and there are so many people, in abundance who are saved from hellfire, and that’s during each and every night in Ramadhan. An appointed angel invites people: O the seeker of righteousness, this is your opportunity, come on and take it! And O seeker of evil, get behind”.
Also, Prophet of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم taught us:
“Dua of a fasting person is always accepted, until he/she breaks their fasting”. And:
“Your Dua is accepted when you are breaking your fast”.
c) Rules of Saum
Upon whom, Saum is mandatory:
⁃ Muslim
⁃ Sane
⁃ Puber, adult (it’s optional to fast upon younger kids, but not mandatory)
⁃ Healthy, not the sick person, who can not tolerate fasting or the elderly
⁃ Local, not the traveling
Those who are exempt from fasting:
⁃ Sick person, who’s not healthy enough to observe the fasting. Ruling: They would feed one needy person on each day of Ramadhan, it’s called: “FID-YAH”, فِدْيَة So missing the whole month of Ramadhan, practically put, is to feed 30 people, or to pay designated amount of Saqaqatul Fitr, multiplied by 30
⁃ Elderly person, (it’s ruling, like above).
⁃ Women during their monthly periods, Ruling: they will make all their missing fasting days after Ramadhan (it’s called “QADHAA”. قضاء and the missed fasting days should be observed before the next Ramadhan starts
⁃ Pregnant women, if it’s hard on them to observe fasting, (it’s ruling, like above)
⁃ Fostering mothers, (it’s ruling, like above).
⁃ Traveler, especially if it’s hard to observe fasting, (it’s ruling, like above).
Types of Saum:
Fardh, mandatory: as Ramadhan fasting
Wajib, compulsory: as Qadhaa or Kaffarah, making up the missing fasting of Ramadhan or any Vowed / Nazr fasting
Nafl, optional fasting: like the fasting on Mondays, Thursdays, Arafah day, Aashuraa..etc
Duration of Saum:
From Dawn (As-Subh As-Sadiq), until dusk (sunset)
Requirements of Saum:
1. Niyyah, intention
2. Controlling from all what nullifies, what breaks the fasting
Restrictions and nullifications of fasting:
⁃ Deliberately having food
⁃ Sexual interaction
⁃ Deliberately vomiting
⁃ Changing the intention, mindset of fasting into breaking the fasting, even though, didn’t not eat anything
Dua of breaking the Saum:
“ذَهَبَ الظّمَأُ وَابْتَلّتِ العُرُوقُ، وَثَبَتَ الأَجْرُ، إِن شَاءَ اللهُ”
Translation:
Thirst is gone, our vanes are getting
Encouraged days to fast, besides Ramadhan:
• Mondays and Thursdays
• 3 days of each Islamic month, 13, 14 and 15 ( known as Ayyam Al Beedh, أيّام البِيض)
• Day of Arafah, which is the day of Hajj (9th of Zul Hijjah), we fast if we’re not performing Hajj
• Day of Aashuraa, 10th of Muharram
• First 9 days of Zul Hijjah
• First 10 days of Muharram
• 6 days of Shawwal
Restricted and disliked days of fasting:
• Both days of Eid, Eid ul Fitr, which is the first day of the month of Shawwal, and Eid Al Adh-Haa, which is the 10th of Zul Hijjah month. In both these days fasting is completely restricted, HARAM
• Day of doubt, يوم الشكّ: that is a doubtful in possibility of it could be Ramadhan day, of either 30th of Sha’aban or 1st of Ramadhan, when there is a clear doubt, fasting on this day is even though not Haram, but very close to it, called “مكروه تحريمي”, strongly disliked. As it breaks our unity!
• Days of Tash-Reeq, “أيام التشريق”, these are 10, 11 and 12 of Zul Hijjah, (some added 13th as well) fasting in these days is also disliked, Makrooh
• Friday only (disliked)
• Saturday only (disliked)
d) Qiyam ul Lail, Tahajjud or Taraaweeh:
Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“مَن قام رمضان إيمانًا واحتساباً غُفِر له ما تقدّم مِن ذنبه”
(The one who awakens in the nights of Ramadhan (for prayers n worshipping), with faith and sincerity, his all previous sins would be forgiven)
Timing of Qiyam ul Lail, Tahajjud:
• From Ishaa until Azan of Fajr, Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has divided the night for Tahajjud into 3 portions
• Please, remember! Taraweeh is prayed in the first and early portion of the night and it’s a form of Tahajjud
• Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم used to pray tahajjud, 8 raka’at (and 12 Raka’at in the long nights of winter), in last of the half night, or one third of the night, of each n every night during his whole life.
• Tahajjud Salah was mandatory upon Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
• Taraweeh, started in the khilafah of Omar Al Farooq رضي الله عنه, Omar appointed Ubbai bin Ka’ab and Tamim Ad-Daree as leading Imams for this prayer
e) I’etikaaf:
• I’etikaf means, to become the guest of Allah in his house, (the masjid)
• I’etikaf is emphasized Sunnah / Sunnah Mo’akkadah of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
• He used to sit on I’etikaf in the last 10 nights of Ramadhan
• Starting time of I’etikaf is going to the masjid with the intention of I’etikaf before the Maghreb Azan of 21st of Ramadhan
• Manners of I’etikaf: Increase from Quran recitation and learning, increase Zikr ul Allah, Dua, Tahajjud, restrain from useless talking, going out of Masjid unless for a necessity..
• Purpose of I’etikaf is to get closer to Allah, by becoming His guest and to catch Lailatul Qadr
Lailatul Qadr:
• Night of destiny
• During the journey of Mi’eraaj, while showing the life of hereafter to Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, he prayed to Allah for a favor upon us, upon his ummah, after observing longer lives of people, individuals and nations before us, and that his ummah would remain behind in performances, so Allah granted us the Lailatul Qadr
• Alhumdulillah, we are so blessed to have a huge bonus from Allah’s mercy in the shape of Lailatul Qadr
• Performing Ibadan in one night is equal to thousand months (over 83 years of Ibadan time)
• Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “مَن قام ليلة القدر إيمانًا واحتساباً غُفِر له ما تقدّم مِن ذنبه”. (The one who awakens in the nights of destiny (for prayers n worshipping), with faith and sincerity, his all previous sins would be forgiven)
• We’re told by Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to search for this night, Lailatul Qadr in the odd nights of the last
10 nights of Ramadhan
• Dua of Lailatul Qadr:
“اللهمّ إنّكَ عَفُوٌّ تحبُّ العفوَ، فاعفُ عنّي”
(O Allah, You are all forgiving, You love to forgive, therefore forgive me)