Essentials of Ramadan, The Fasting Month

All praise is due to Allah, Subhanahu wa ta`ala, the Sustainerof the worlds. I pray that His peace and blessings descend uponthe Most Noble of all the Messengers of Allah, MuhammadBin Abdullah, sallallahu 'Alaihi wa salam, his family and companions.Whenever the orbit turns and another month of Ramadan approaches,happiness and joy return to the Ummah, for with itcome two of the greatest gifts of Allah, namely the fastingmonth of Ramadan and the celebration of the revelation of AlQur'an.Fasting is an eloquent expression of Allah, leading this Ummahto the gates of His mercy, a key to unlocking the mysteries ofHis nearness. While humanity is divided on the basic elementsof the notion of the Creator, a Muslim is far ahead of the rest ofthe world in this field and travelling at the speed of light to theneighborhood of the Throne of the Creator. Where else wouldyou find a discipline that provides direct communication betweenthe servant the Served? Where else would you have anact of 'Ebadah that enriches self-worth, self-strength, selfrebuilding,self discipline and control? Where else would onefind a discipline that moves the believer from unauthentic toauthentic as the institution of fasting? Where else would youfind a discipline that enriches the vital needs of human being,both physical and spiritual? Praise be to Allah!The institution of Fasting is a unique form of worship prescribedas part of an overall system of Islam. Its uniquenessmirrors the uniqueness of the human being, a creature of physicaland spiritual parts whose excellence depends on the rightproportion of these two parts. Too much of the physical materialwill ruin man, and too much of the spiritual will, too. Fast4ing orients the observer to the art of balancing the spiritual essentialswith physical needs, a vivid proof that there is in all ofus the will power, a pivotal element that controls our actions.This will be needed to help us curb the animalistic tendenciesoriginating from the stomach, in full. Therefore, ESSENTIALS of RAMADAN, THE FASTINGMONTH is a summary of the fundamental rules and laws onthe Fiqh of Fasting, based on Al-Qur`an and the Sunnah of theMessenger (saas) to assist the reader in observing this special'Ebadah of worship, as well as the traditionally related dutiesand obligations as mentioned earlier, Zakat and the reading ofAl-Qur`an. All praise be to Allah the Most High in the beginningand in the end.