THINGS TO BE AVOIDED DURING RAMADAN
- Don’t sleep during the day and pray all night. By doing this you are converting the day into night and the night into day, which is not the purpose of fasting.
- Avoid being lazy and inactive during the day.
- Don’t waste time playing games during the day. Rather, please Allah by increasing in your worship of him.
- Avoid having iftar parties. Ramadan wasn’t meant to be a food extravaganza.
- Don’t ask your wife to spend Ramadan in the Kitchen. Eat something light and quick – she isn’t Biryani woman.
6. Spend the last 10 days worshipping Allah rather than trying to prepare for Eid! A day that is better than a thousand months is in these last 10 days. You can’t afford to miss this.
7. Don’t stay awake the full night. Your body has a right over you, and when it wants rest, then rest.
8. Avoid excessive socializing after tarawih.
9. Avoid shopping a lot in Ramadan.
10. Don’t eat the full night.
11. Don’t loiter around at night rather than worshipping Allah.
12. Eid does not require loads of preparation. Don’t fall into this trap! Keep it simple, and it will be blessed.
May we witness this forthcoming Ramadan with sound health – Ameen….
Part -1 Common Mistakes During Ramadan:
1) Focusing on food; to the extent that people begin to worry about eating more then actually fasting. This also goes along with spending tons of money on Iftars even though a person does not need to eat that much food.
2) Making Suhr way before Fajr. Some people eat Suhr a few hours after Tarawih or Isha Salah, this is wrong. It should be eaten closer to the time of Fajr.
3) People don’t make Niyyah [intentions] to fast for Ramadhan. This is something in the heart and does not need to be verbal. Also it only needs to be done once, at the beginning of Ramadhan and not every single day.
4) If you find out late that Ramadhan started, you should stop eating and fast for that day, making that day up after Ramadhan/Eid ends.
5) Many people don’t think you pray Tarawih on the first night of Ramadhan. They believe you pray it after the first day you actually fast. They forget that the Islamic calendar runs on the moon, Maghrib is the start of the new day.
6) Many people believe if you eat or drink on accident this breaks your fast. This is false, if you do this on accident then you continue fasting and do not need to make up the day.
7) Some people take the opinion that if they see someone eating or drinking they should not remind the person that he/she is fasting. According to Shaykh Bin Baz [ra], this is incorrect and it is an order from Allah for us to ordain the good and forbid the evil. Thus we tell the person, because we are forbidding the evil this way.
8) Many sisters believe they cannot use Hennah while fasting. This is incorrect, they are allowed to use it during Ramadhan.
9) Some people believe when you are cooking you cannot taste the food to see if it has the right spices/flavors. This is false, and allowed in Islam as long as the person cooking is not eating the food. Rather they can taste it to see if it needs salt, or more spices.
10) Many people think you cannot use a Miswak or toothbrush during Ramadhan. This is false, for the Prophet [peace be upon him] used to use a miswak during Ramadhan. Also you CAN use toothpaste; the reasoning by the scholars is that the Miswak has flavor, thus toothpaste is okay to use [if you are not eating it].
Part -2 Common Mistakes During Ramadan:
11) Some people make the Fajr Adhan early. They do this so people will stop eating before Fajr and not invalidate their fast. This is wrong and something we should not do.
12) Some people make the Maghrib Adhan late. They do this so people will start eating late, just incase Maghrib has not come in yet. This too is wrong and we should not do this.
13) Many many people believe you cannot have intercourse with your spouse during the whole month of Ramadhan. This is false, you cannot do this only during the times when you are fasting. Between Maghrib and Fajr it is permissible to do.
14) Many women believe that if their period has just ended and they did not make Ghusl, they cannot fast that day [considering their period ended at night, and they went to bed without Ghusl, waking up without having a chance to make it]. This is incorrect, if a women has not made Ghusl she can still fast.
15) Many men believe that if he has had intercourse with his wife and did not make Ghusl [similar to the above] then he cannot fast the next morning. This is also incorrect, for he can fast even if he has not made Ghusl. They can take Ghusl during the fasting time and continue their prayers.
16) Some people pray Dhur and Asr prayers together during Ramadan. (mainly in Arab countries) This is incorrect and should be avoided.
17) Some people believe you cannot eat until the Muadhthin is done calling the Maghrib Adthan. This is incorrect, as soon as he starts a person can break their fast.
18) Many people don’t take advantage of making D’ua before they break their fast. This is one of the three times when Allah accepts a person D’ua.
19) Many people make the mistake of spending the later part of Ramadhan preparing for ‘Id, neglecting Ramadhan. This is incorrect and these people lose the concept of what Ramadhan is about.
20) Many parents do not let their children fast during Ramadhan [young children]. This is something counter productive to a child. By allowing him to fast he will grow up to know he must do this act.
Part -3 Common Mistakes During Ramadan:
21) Many people think Ramadhan is just about not eating and forget about controlling their tempers and watching what they say. In actuality we are supposed to control our tempers and mouths even more during Ramadhan.
22) People often waste their time during Ramadhan. They go to sleep during the day and get nothing done. We should be taking advantage of this blessed month by doing extra Ibaadat.
23) Some people don’t go on trips or travel during Ramadhan. They think they have to break their fast when traveling. This is actually optional, if you want to break your fast while traveling you can [with making it up later], and if you don’t you can continue fasting.
24) Many people who are able don’t make I’tikaf at the masjid. We should take advantage of our good health and spend lots of time at the Masjid, especially the last 10 days of Ramadhan.
25) Some people believe they cannot cut their hair or nails during Ramadhan. This is also false.
26) Some people say you cannot swallow your spit during Ramadhan. This too is false. However you cannot swallow mucus that has entered your mouth.
27) Some people say you cannot use scented oils or perfumes during Ramadhan. This too is false.
28) Some people believe bleeding breaks the fast. This is not true.
29) Some people believe if you throw up on accident it breaks your fast. This is not true, however if you do it intentionally it does.
30) Some people think you cannot put water in your nose and mouth during wudhu in Ramadhan. This too is incorrect.
DO NOT Consume foods with high amounts of sodium
- Why?: Sodium triggers thirst through out the fasting hours of the day.
- Solution: Instead, eat foods that are high in potassium, they retain water and supress your thirst.
Bananas are high in potassium. A banana at Suhoor time can control your thirst level through out the day.
Best sources of potassium for Suhoor time:
- Bananas
- Milk
- Dates
- Avocados
- Dried peaches
- Pistachios
- Pumpkin
- Peas
- Dark chocolate
Worst choices for Suhoor:
- Biryani
- Kebab
- Pizza
- Fast food in general
- Cheese
- Haleem
Best choices for Suhoor:
- Potato
- Rice
- Dates
- Whole grain bread
- Banana
Drinking lots of water at suhoor is important, but not as much as drinking it through out your non-fasting hours.
The Grave is calling……! Listen very very carefully! Oh son of Adam! I’m full of darkness so bring with you the light of Salaat. I’m a place of fear, so bring with you the peace of Al-Quran. I’m full of snakes and scorpions so bring with you the Sunnah of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). I’m full of punishment so bring with you the reward of charity/sadaqah. DON’T FORGET ME AS I AM EAGERLY WAITING FOR YOUR ARRIVAL……! Please do not keep this reminder to yourself, share with your beloved brothers and sisters.
Knowledge for Material Gain
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) said that the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever seeks knowledge that should be sought seeking the Face of Allah, but he only seeks it for the sake of some worldly gain, he will not smell the fragrance of Paradise on the Day of Ressurrection.”
(Hasan) [The Book of Knowledge: Sunan Abu Dawud]
This hadith reminds us to acquire knowledge for the pleasure of Allah alone. If a religious scholar acquires it to make it a means of worldly gains, then it turns into such a serious crime that such an alim/scholar will not even smell the fragrance of Jannah, although its fragrance can be smelt from a very great distance. This means that he or she will not enter Jannah along with the saved. May Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) save us from such an end.
However, if a scholar gains wealth or other worldly gains through it without that being his or her intention, then it is a different matter. In that case, it is not harmful for him or her, as long as he or she uses the wealth or power gained, in a manner pleasing to Allah.