Khutba on Basic Fiqh of Ramadan

الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي بنى دينَه على قواعد وأركان، وجعل منها صومَ رمضان، نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير،  ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدٌى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر.

قال الله تعالى في كتابه الكريم  يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ أَيَّامًا مَعْدُودَاتٍ.

Allah says in His Noble Book, the translation of which is, “O you who have belief, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you – so that perhaps you will gain taqwa – for a specified number of days.” Fasting the month of Ramadan is maktubun alayna/prescribed for us. It is an obligation on every mukallaf, every adult Muslim of sound mind. It is one of the foundations upon which this great deen is built, one of its most important and significant elements. The Messenger of Allah said, 

بُنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ وَحَجِّ الْبَيْتِ وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ

“Islam is built on five (pillars); bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, establishing the prayer, paying zakat, performing Hajj to the House and fasting Ramadan.” And so it is incumbent that we implement it and establish it in the right way, that we fulfil all of its rulings and conditions so that it be acceptable and pleasing to our Lord.
The first thing we must realise is that although fasting itself is a very private act of worship, the establishment of the month of fasting is not, it is a highly social and political act. The start of the month is not a personal decision, it is a communal one based upon the witnessing, the physical sighting, of the newly-born moon. The Prophet said,

صوموا لرؤيتِه، وأفطروا لرؤيتِه، فإن غُمَّ عليكم فعُدُّوا ثلاثين

“Begin the fast when you see it and end the fast when you see it. If it is clouded over, however, then complete the thirty days.” The word, sumu, ‘begin the fast’, is in the plural – it is something the community does together. Based on this and other similar hadith, and based on the practice of the salaf – the right-acting generations of the Muslims, the ulama of all four madhhabs have up until very recently been in agreement that an actual witnessing of the new moon with the naked eye (or, in the absence of that, the passage of thirty days of the previous month) is a condition for the commencement of the fast, with the only difference of opinion being whether that sighting must be local or or can have occurred anywhere in the world. Regardless, the decision is left to the leadership of the land – it is they who decide, and the month is begun and completed as a single community. 
As the sighting of the moon is an act of shahada, an act of witnessing, the rules of shahada must be applied. The witnesses must be adl, that is to say trustworthy practising Muslims of unblemished character, and must deliver their testimony to the leader or his representatives. There must be a minimum of two of them or even more in the case of clear skies, and their testimony must consist either of having seen the moon themselves with their own naked eyes, or to their knowledge of such-and-such a land having announced the fast. These testimonies are then totted up and weighed up by the authorities, and if the minimum requirements are met, the leader or his representatives announce the beginning of the fast. This is and always has been the way of the Muslims.
If this simple procedure is not followed and instead every person follows his own whim, some following such-and-such a country, some following another, some using one form of calculation and some another, then chaos ensues and you get the absurd situation which we see all too often today of half the Muslims in one street, or even within a single household, openly fasting and declaring it to be Ramadan while the other half openly eat and drink and declare it not to be Ramadan. You get division and strife, not an ummatun wahida. And as Allah says,

وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ

the translation of which is, “Fitna is worse than killing.” We are commanded by our Lord to avoid fitna and take every step to avoid it, and that means avoiding anything that threatens the unity of this great community. Thus, it is not optional to follow the decision of your local leader in this matter, it is fard, it is compulsory. Everyone must abide by his decision, and not step away from the group and take up some contrary position. That would be an act of dissent – indeed, an act of open rebellion to the leadership of the land and the leader would be within his rights to punish whoever does that. When I was in Morocco, a group of people there decided to openly disregard the official position regarding the start of the month and follow another country instead, namely Saudi Arabia. What was the response of the king? He put them all in prison until they agreed to abide by the ruling of the land, thereby preserving the unity and well-being of the community. This was an appropriate and correct response. I cannot stress enough how important this is. This is not a deen of disparate individuals, it is a deen of jama’ah. And until we realise that, we cannot expect the help of our Lord, for His hand is with the group.
This year, groups of people will be going out to look for the moon on Wednesday night. If it is seen, then the fasting will be announced for the Thursday. Otherwise it will begin on Friday the 19th June.
The second thing we must be aware of with respect to the fast is the importance of the intention. Fasting is very much an act of worship and worship can only be done with intention – it must be a conscious act, something done with awareness and knowledge and entered into upon that basis. In other words, the intention must immediately precede or at the very least accompany the commencement of the act. The Prophet said,

لا صيامَ لمن لم يبيِّتِ الصوم

“He who does not make his intention to fast in the night before the fast has no fast.” This applies to any sort of fast – you cannot wake up halfway through the day, and because you haven’t eaten or drunk anything yet, say, ‘I think I’ll fast today’, but most especially it applies to Ramadan. This intention can be made at any time during the night, starting at Maghrib on the last day of Sha‘ban and continuing up to Fajr, but it is safest to make the intention before you go to sleep just in case you fail to wake up in time. If you make the intention before Maghrib or after Fajr, you have missed its time and must make up the day and remake your intention the following night.
This intention, as with all intentions, does not have to be verbalised. The home of the intention is the heart not the tongue. Reciting an Arabic formula or litany that you have memorised is not an intention, but knowing exactly what you are embarking upon and having a firm resolve to do it as your Lord prescribed is. And that thing that you are embarking upon is not just any fast, but the obligatory fast of Ramadan. It is not enough to intend to fast in a general way, rather you must intend to fast the month of Ramadan. And you must know for certain that it is Ramadan. You cannot go to sleep, for example, not knowing if Ramadan has begun or not, and make an intention that if it is Ramadan you will fast, otherwise you won’t. Such an intention is not valid and, even if does turn out to be Ramadan the next day, you will have to make up the day and renew the intention the following night.
According to Imam Malik, one intention made at the beginning of the month is sufficient for the entire month, and does not have to be renewed every night. This intention can only be broken by acts which render the fast either forbidden or non-obligatory, such as menstruation, travelling or illness. The first category, menstruating women, must renew their intention when their periods end and they renew their fast. The latter two, travellers and the sick who do decide to fast, must renew their intention every single night until they once again become resident or well. This is the position of the great alim of Madina, although it should be noted that Imam ash-Shafi’i and Imam Abu Hanifa consider it to be obligatory for everyone without exception to renew their intention every night. What this means is that you should strive to be aware at all times throughout this month of the great act of worship you are fulfilling. We ask Allah to give us all a clear intention and a firm resolve. And protect us from the waswas of Shaytan and the doubts and misgivings of our own selves.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم

الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين. أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته

Ramadan is the month of sawm, of fasting or abstinence. Fasting can take many forms – it can mean refrain from speaking or refraining from eating one particular form of food, but for us it has a very particular meaning, laid out for us and defined by Allah and His Messenger. Allah says,

فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ

the translation of which is, “Now you may have sexual intercourse with them and seek what Allah has written for you. Eat and drink until you can clearly discern the white thread from the black thread of the dawn, then fulfil the fast until the night appears.” This aya mentions both the things which must be avoided and the time frame during which they must be avoided. From it, we can define fasting as abstaining from food, drink and sexual intercourse from the first crack of dawn until sunset. The first crack of dawn means the onset of the time of Fajr. Thus, the prohibition against eating, drinking and sexual intercourse begins as soon as the first syllable of the adhan of Subh is called. From that moment your fast has begun, so no more food and drink can pass your lips, only what is within your mouth already may be swallowed. Those first few moments, qualitatively-speaking, are no different to any other moment in the day, so being loose with them and disregarding them holds the same consequences and brings the same kaffara penalties, so be careful and try to leave a short gap between when you stop eating and when Fajr begins.
For the purposes of fasting, the words food and drink are used in their widest sense. In other words, they refer to any solid, liquid, gas or smoke that is ingested, whether through the mouth or any other orifice, provided that they reach the throat or stomach, unless they have absolutely no nutritional value and pass through the body unchanged such as a stone, or have entered your body in an unavoidable manner such as dust from the road or insects flying into your mouth. If ingestion is avoidable, then according to Imam Malik, your fast is broken as soon as those substances reach your throat or stomach, even if that happens accidentally or due to forgetfulness. So take great care when you do wudu and do not be as vigorous as you would outside of the month when you wash your mouth or nose lest water reach your throat and you become required to make up the day.
Sexual intercourse is also used in its broadest sense and refers not just to the sexual act but all other activities that lead to sexual fulfilment, even the simple acts of looking and day-dreaming. One thing it does not refer to, however, is what occurs while you are asleep as that is something totally beyond your control. So wet dreams that occur during daytime sleep do not break the fast.
Although it is enough to eat something before you sleep and then wake up during the time of Fajr, the best way to fast is to wake up during the time of sahur before Fajr and eat something then. This meal is known as suhur. Similarly, it is also best to break your fast as soon as night comes rather than delaying it until later. There is no extra reward for fasting longer than required, only disapproval. In fact, any sort of unprescribed excess in the deen is a sign of an umma’s sickness, not its wellbeing. The Prophet said,

لا تزالُ أمتِي بخير ما عجّلوا الفطرَ وأخّروا السحور

“My umma will continue to be in good state so long as they hurry to break their fasts and wait [until the end of the night] to eat their suhur.” 
Like any form of meal, iftar is best done in company, and the larger the gathering the more the blessing. And the best way to break is the way of our noble Messenger, with dates and water or milk. So, they will be served every night here in the mosque throughout the month of Ramadan, followed by soup and bread after the Maghrib prayer. Everyone is welcome to come and break their fast here with us.
The month of Ramadan is about qiyam as well as siyam, so there will be qiyam al-layl, that is to say the Taraweeh prayer, immediately after Salat al-Isha every single night of the month. Although taraweeh is not obligatory, it was important enough for the second Khalifa, Umar ibn al-Khattab, to establish it in the mosque of the Prophet and call it the best of bid’as. And, since that time, the Muslims have never wavered in praying it, and no Ramadan has gone by without its being established. It is one of the chief means by which the nights of Ramadan are brought to life. The taraweeh in this mosque will comprise twenty rakats, and in the course of the month we aim to complete the khatm of Quran. Our imams will be reciting in the riwayat of Imam Warsh, a riwaya with strong historical ties to the African continent. So we invite you all to come. Don’t miss the opportunities that this month provides.
We ask Allah to bless this month of Ramadan and bless all who fast it and all who stand it in prayer. We ask Him to make it a month of openings for us and for all the Muslims, and a month in which our hearts are joined together and our differences forgotten. We ask Allah to give victory to His deen.

إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً. 

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ  أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وعن أم المومنين عائشة التي أمرنا الله في سورة النور أن ندافع عنها، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ، وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى. 

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ. 

إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.