Indian Recipe book

RAMADAN REMINDER

It has also been noted by medical experts that fasting improves the physical health in numerous ways. For example, during the fast the body uses up stored cholesterol (fats) which are often deposited in the blood system, as well as in other fatty areas of the body. Thus, it helps to keep the body firm and minimizes the danger of heart attacks.

Fasting trains the individual for Jihad (fighting in the way of Allah) by giving him a good course in self-control. During war the desires of the stomach and the private parts often lead soldiers of war to either commit excesses or to unnecessarily expose themselves to danger.

Exemption from Fasting Ramadan

Journey (Safar):
It is allowable for the traveler to break his fast while traveling, whether he is subjected to rigors and hardships during his travels or not. [1]

Sickness (Marad):
If one has an illness that would be worsened by fasting, or fasting would delay the cure, the fast may be abandoned. For example, a person with diabetes may have to eat every few hours to maintain his blood sugar level, or an epileptic may have to take his medicine at regular intervals to prevent a seizure. [2]

Pregnancy (Haml):
If a woman feels that if she fasts, the fetus will be harmed or she herself will be weakened dangerously, she is permitted to leave the fast. [3]

Breast-feeding (Rida'ah):
If a breast-feeding mother or wet-nurse feels that fasting would he harmful to the baby or herself she is allowed to abandon the fast.

Weakness (Da'f) or Old Age (Kibar as-Sinn):
(a) If a person is convalescing (regaining his strength)
      After an illness and fears that the fast would make       him sick again, he is allowed to defer fasting.

(b) If a person has become extremely weak due to old
      age, he is allowed to abandon fasting. [4]

Jihad (War):
(a) If a person is about to participate in jihad and
      fears that the fasting would weaken him, he may defer the fast.

(b) If jihad is in progress, participants are allowed to
      postpone the fast.

Kaffarah

Kaffarah is the punishment as a compensation for a sin one has committed or for an obligatory deed that one was unable to do or the intentional breaking of the fast in Ramadan. The Kaffarah for breaking the fast of Ramadan is as follows:

If the fast of Ramadan is invalidated intentionally by intercourse, its expiation (Compensation) is fasting for two months consecutively. If one is unable to fast sixty days, he must feed sixty poor persons or one person for sixty days. [5] It should be noted, however, that even these acts do not make up for the lost day(s) of fasting. [6]

A person who has become extremely weak due to old age or disease and has no hope of an early recovery and is unable to fast, is required by Shari'ah to feed an indigent person for every missed day. One can give it in the form of food or one can make someone else an agent, giving him the money to buy the food and give it to the poor. This feeding of the poor in lieu of fasting is called fidyah (redemption).

A woman who breaks her fast due to menses (hayd), bleeding after child birth (nifas), pregnancy, suckling (rida'ah) or the like is only required to make up the days which she missed before the next Ramadan. [7]

Permissible Acts While Fasting

Cleaning the teeth with the siwak (tooth-stick) or its modern substitute, the toothbrush, is allowed, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to use the siwak often while fasting. [1] It is better to avoid the use of toothpaste during fasting hours.