A Christian woman wants to fast

I'm a christianity but I do not believe in my religion anymore,and i'm sorry for that. I believe in allaah and his prophet. Now I want to do the Rammadan,but I'm still christianity,can I do the rammadan now? I dont know how to be a muslim. I feel it in my heart but I think this is not enough?.

Praise be to Allaah.

We ask Allaah to open your heart to Islam.  

If you fast without entering Islam, you will not gain anything from it except hunger and thirst, because Allaah does not accept any acts of worship unless they are based on correct belief and sound religious commitment. 

The most important thing for you – and the most important thing overall – is to start with the right step, which is entering Islam.

 After that you can start to pray and fast, and read Qur’aan, and do all the acts of worship which will bring life and joy to your heart.  

It is not difficult for you to enter Islam, all you need to do is to utter the Shahaadatayn (the twin testimony of faith): Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasool-Allaah (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah). 

The fact that you feel in your heart that you are already Muslim is a good sign, but you have to take the last and most important step, which will bring you happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. 

If you do not believe in your religion – as you say in your question – then what is life worth if a person does not have a religion or values or a divine system by which to live? 

Do you think that the life of this world is no more than leisure, idle pursuits and satisfying desires, then it all comes to an end when you die?

 No way! For after death comes the reckoning, and after the reckoning comes either Paradise or Hell. 

So you must hasten to do that which will lead to your salvation. Do not wait or hesitate, for life passes quickly and no one knows when his life will come to an end and he will enter the first stage of the Hereafter, where regret will be of no avail, and a man will wish that he could return to this world so that he could believe and do righteous deeds.

 “Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allaah), he says: ‘My Lord! Send me back,

So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!’ No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected”

[al-Mu’minoon 23:99-100 – interpretation of the meaning] 

“If you could but see when they will be held over the (Hell) Fire! They will say: ‘Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, revelations, etc.) of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!’”

[al-An’aam 6:27 – interpretation of the meaning] 

“But those who disbelieve (in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism), for them will be the fire of Hell. Neither will it have a complete killing effect on them so that they die nor shall its torment be lightened for them. Thus do We requite every disbeliever!

Therein they will cry: ‘Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not (the evil deeds) that we used to do.’ (Allaah will reply:) ‘Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it? And the warner came to you. So taste you (the evil of your deeds). For the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) there is no helper.’”

[Faatir 35:36-37 – interpretation of the meaning]  

We ask Allaah to guide you and to help you to do that which is good for you in this world and in the Hereafter. 

We are ready to answer any questions you may have in sha Allaah. 

And Allaah knows best.

Eating iftaar with one whose wealth is haraam

Should we accept the Aftar which is given by a person who is getting almost HARAM money.

Praise be to Allaah.

If most of the man’s wealth is haraam, then it is permissible to accept his invitation. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) accepted invitations to meals with the Jews, even though Allaah had described them as consuming riba (usury) and consuming the people’s wealth unlawfully. One of the salaf said concerning such cases: It is a gain for you and his sin is against him.  

It is also permissible for you not to accept his invitation as a rebuke to him for his haraam earnings. This is preferable if that will make him give up the evil that he is doing. 

And Allaah knows best.

Selling food for charity at iftaar

Can we sell food for charity at an iftaar in the mosque, the proceeds of which are to be spent on poor people living near the mosque?.

Praise be to Allaah.

What is meant by selling food for charity is that some people prepare food of whatever type at home, then they sell it and they donate the money raised to a charitable project or give it in charity. 

This is a good deed and a kind of charity, and cooperating in charity, for which a person earns reward as do all those who participate in it, whether they contribute money or efforts, etc. All of that is included in the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety)”

[al-Maa'idah 5:2] 

But we should note that the buying and selling should be done outside the mosque itself, because it is haraam to buy and sell inside the mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:  “If you see anyone buying and selling inside the mosque, say, ‘May Allaah not cause your trade to be profitable.’” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1321; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 1066 

And Allaah knows best.

What is meant by the black and white threads in the verse on fasting

Is regarding the time of suhoor. In the Quran, Allah S.W.T says: 2:187: ......and eat and drink until the whit thread becomes clear to you from the black thread of the dawn.... Doesn't this mean we can eat until the sun starts to rise? Then why do we stop at adhaan of fajr, which is more than an hour before sunrise.

Praise be to Allaah.

What is meant by the black thread in the verse is the night, and the white thread is the dawn, not the rising of the sun. 

Dawn is called the white thread because the first thing that is seen of the dawn is a light in the sky that looks like a thread along the horizon, stretching from right to left, from north to south. Then it continues to increase until it spreads through the whole sky. See Fath al-Baari, commentary on hadeeth no. 1917. 

Al-Bukhaari (1916) and Muslim (1090) narrated that ‘Adiyy ibn Haatim (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “When the words ‘until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night)’ [al-Baqarah 2:187 – interpretation of the meaning] were revealed, I took a black rope and a white rope and put them beneath my pillow, and I started to look at them during the night, but I could not see any distinction between them. The next morning I went to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and told him about that. He said, ‘Rather that is the blackness of the night and the whiteness of the day.’” 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: 

Abu ‘Ubayd said: The white thread is the true dawn and the black thread is the night. 

And Allaah knows best.

There is no specific du’aa’ to be recited when starting to fast

Is that what is the dua atthe time of begningof fasting.

Praise be to Allaah.

Al-Tirmidhi (3451) narrated from Talhah ibn ‘Ubayd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw the new moon, he would say, “Allaahumma ahlilhu ‘alayna bi’l-yumni wa’l-eemaan wa’l-salaamah wa’l-islaam. Rabbiy wa rabbuka Allaah (O Allaah, make the new moon rise on us with blessing, faith, safety and Islam. My Lord and Your Lord is Allah).” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2745.  

This du’aa’ is not just for the new moon of Ramadaan, rather the Muslim should say it when he sees the new moon at the beginning of every month. With regard to saying du’aa’ every day, there is no du’aa’ that the Muslim should say when starting to fast each day. Rather he should simply have the intention that he is going to fast tomorrow. 

The intention is subject to the condition that it be made at night, before the dawn comes, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does not intend to fast before dawn, there is no fast for him.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 730. According to a version narrated by al-Nasaa’i (2334): “Whoever does not intend to fast from the night before, there is no fast for him.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 573. What is meant is that whoever does not intend to fast and resolve to do so from the night before, his fast is not valid. 

The intention (niyyah) is an action of the heart. The Muslim should resolve in his heart that he is going to fast tomorrow. It is not prescribed for him to utter it out loud and say, “I intend to fast” and other phrases that have been innovated by some people. 

And Allaah knows best.

He started fasting in London and broke his fast in Riyadh

With regard to fasting, I started fasting in London and broke my fast in Riyadh. What is the ruling on the time difference?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Your fast is valid, because with regard to breaking the fast, what matters is the place where the fasting person is when the sun sets; the time difference does not matter, whether the day is long or short. 

In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (10/296) it says: 

The scholars are unanimously agreed that the fast lasts from dawn until sunset, and each person who fasts is subject to the rulings on the place where he is, whether he is on the ground or in a plane that is in the air. 

In another fatwa (10/295): 

The basic principle is that with regard to starting to fast, breaking the fast and the time of prayer, each person is subject to the ruling of the land he is in or the air through which he is travelling. If the plane he is in takes off a few minutes before sunset and the day continues for him, it is not permissible for him to break his fast or to pray Maghrib until the sun sets from the point of view of the air through which he is travelling, even if he passes through the airspace of a city whose people have broken the fast and prayed Maghrib, so long as he can see the sun. 

Based on this, whoever starts to fast then travels in a plane towards the west should break his fast when the sun sets in the place where he is. Similarly if he travels by plane towards the east and wants to fast, he should not break his fast until the sun sets in the place where he is. The time difference does not matter. 

And Allaah knows best.

How can sins happen in Ramadaan when the devils are chained up?

I heard the imam mention that the shaytan is not present in the month of Ramadhan. If this is true why is it hard for a muslim to stay away from sins during the month of ramadan even if the muslim is performing his or her regular duties.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

The idea that the devils are not present in Ramadaan is not correct. What is proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is that the devils are chained up during Ramadaan. 

Al-Bukhaari (1899) and Muslim (1079) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Ramadaan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained up.” 

See question no. 39736. 

Al-Qurtubi said: 

If it is said, How come we see many evil actions and sins happening in Ramadaan? If the devils are chained up that would not happen. 

The answer is that evil actions are reduced on the part of those who fast meeting all the conditions of fasting and taking care to observe the proper etiquette; or that only some of the devils are chained up, namely the maarids (strong ones), and not all of them, as it says in some reports; or that evils are reduced in this month, which is something noticeable – fewer evils happen in this month than in others. If all of them were to be chained up that does not mean that evil and sin would not happen, because there are other causes of evil apart from the devils, such as evil souls, bad habits and human devils. 

From Fath al-Baari. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked in Fataawa al-Siyaam (p. 466): 

How can we reconcile between the idea that the devils are chained up in Ramadaan and the fact the people commit sin? 

He replied: 

The fact that sin happens in Ramadaan does not contradict the report that the devils are chained up in Ramadaan, because the fact that they are chained up does not prevent them from moving. Hence it says in the hadeeth: “And the strong devils are chained up, and they cannot achieve what they usually achieve (at other times).” Narrated by Ahmad, 7857; this hadeeth was mentioned by al-Albaani in Da’eef al-Targheeb, 586; he said: it is da’eef jiddan (very weak). 

It does not mean that the devils do not move at all, rather they can move and lead people astray, but their activities during Ramadaan are not like their activities at other times.