Welcome to part three of this overview of the Islamic pillars. We have talked about the two pillars, Kalimah Tayyibah (Imaan) and Salaat in the first two parts and hopefully have reached a better understanding of those two pillars. This has left us with three pillars left, which are Saum, Zakat and Hajj.

The last three pillars

When many people view the Islamic faith and hence the five pillars they make an interesting observation. The first two pillars of Islam (Imaan and Salaat) are both essentially a non-physical thing and requires spirituality more than physical effort. But the last three pillars are all more physical than they seem spiritual to the observer. These people often wonder why this is and never really fully understand it.

The primary thing that needs to be realised is that though the first two pillars are essentially the most important parts of the Islamic faith these last three are regarded as just important as well in their own unique way. What is meant by this is that if they where not as important as the other two pillars then these three would not be compulsory on all Muslims and make up part of the five pillars of Islam. One way of viewing it is that Imaan and Salaat are what is required to be a Muslim and that Saum, Zakat and Hajj are the best ways to improve ones level of faith and remembrance of God which leads to Salaat becoming more central in life and which in turn increases one's Imaan in God.

Muslims believe that by believing in the first two pillars it makes the intention¹ of the last three pillars possible. When one has intention and performs the last three pillars it increase the individuals spiritual growth, and in turn, strengthens the first two pillars.

These last three pillars are well known just like the first two but again the understanding of the significance for Muslims is not there for the majority of people. As we have seen above this significance is very important to Muslims.

Ramadhan

Ramadhan is the name given to the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Like the Gregorian calendar the Islamic calendar has twelve months ² but instead of using the sun to determine the months the Islamic calendar uses the moon. A lunar year is around 10 or 11 days shorter than a solar year and so the Islamic months cycle through the Gregorian calendar coming 10 or 11 days earlier each year. This cycle takes approximately thirty four years to complete and so on average every Muslim goes through at least two complete cycles of fasting in his or her life time. This means that all Muslims experience fasting through the longer and hotter days of Summer and the shorter colder days of winter where as by following the solar calendar the dates of Ramadhan would remain the same and so some Muslim's would only experience the hardship of fasting through the summer months, while the others living in other places on Earth would always have the easier winter months.

The word Ramadhan is derived from the Arabic verb³'ramad' which literally means 'to bake a sheep in its skin'. It was named this because at the time of the Prophet in Mecca if fell during the height of summer, and so fasting in these conditions in a desert used to make one's stomach feel like it was roasting due to lack of water. What the word Ramadhan actually means in the context of the five pillars is the month of burning away sins and the actual meaning symbolises this.

The month of Ramadhan coincides with the sighting of the new moon and ends with the sighting of the next new moon. If the moon can not be spotted for some reason⁴ then Ramadhan starts when the previous month⁵has reached 30 days in length.

Some people think that the use of the new moon is because of superstitious reasons that have prevailed through all ages in some form or another⁶. The Muslim Holy book Al Qur'an warns Muslims from this train of thought in sura 2 ayah 189⁷ by telling Muslims that the use of the New moon is that as a guide so Muslims have a clear sign of when to start and when to end their fasts and for other such things.

The mentioning of the Qur'an brings us on to the final things to say about Ramadhan which is that the Qur'an was sent down to mankind in the month of Ramadhan according to Sura 2 ayah 185⁸. The Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Qur'an during the month that became known as Ramadhan.

Saum and Rozah

The Arabic word 'Saum' in its literal sense means 'abstain' and when used to refer to the five pillars of Islam then people take it to mean 'Rozah' which actually means fasting. This Rozah under the five pillars happens during the month of Ramadhan. Unfortunately the word fasting can be a bit misleading as for many non Muslim people the word fasting simply means to go without food and drink for some duration of time.

For Muslims fasting is not just about going with out food and drink for a month, as many things that where permissible (Halal) are made forbidden (Haram) during Ramadhan.

An example of some of the things forbidden in Islam is given in the following hadith ⁹:

"Fasting is not abstaining from eating and drinking only, but also from vain speech and foul language. If one of you is being cursed or annoyed, he or she should say, I am fasting. I am fasting."

This hadith reflects in essence how during Ramadhan a Muslim must guard not only his hunger but also his tongue and his attitude. Ramadhan is not just about fasting either; it involves many other important things that form this one pillar of Islam called Saum. This entry will be dealing with all these to bring about a better understanding as to what Muslims actually have to do during Ramadhan.

As stated in the above hadith fasting is not just about refraining from eating and drinking, though this is the most easily recognised part. When Muslims fast they have to abstain from several things between sunrise and sunset, which are:

These are the four physical things that Muslim must abstain from doing, but there are also several other things to be abstained from which are:

These last things should be refrained from at all times but especially so during the month of Ramadhan and while fasting.

The goals of fasting

As already mentioned fasting is not just a physical act to Muslims and when performed under the right intentions then it has many rewards. Every time a Muslim fasts during Ramadhan his spiritual growth increases. Here is a list of the key things that Muslims believe are the benefits of fasting:

All these things are only achieved however by fasting for the right reasons, for the right intention. For example fasting just because your told to or because you want to be able to use fasting for ones own advantage¹³ will lead to no spiritual growth.

Taqwa and Shukr

The Arabic word 'Taqwa' comes from the root word 'waqa' which means 'to produce', 'to protect', and 'to keep safe'. Muslims believe that the best way for a Muslim to avoid doing wrong deeds is to have God consciousness. It is this God consciousness that is referred to as Taqwa. Muslims believe that God has not only full knowledge of all that we do, but also all that we think, and so knows what our intentions are behind any action. When Muslims are aware of this it is called having Taqwa, and as such helps a Muslim to avoid from doing wrong. Muslims believe that all people hear the whispers of shaytan¹⁴ and can be tempted by them. This would include the bad thoughts that people some times have urging them to do something they should not. Taqwa helps a Muslim to ignore such temptations or thoughts as they aware that it is wrong and that God knows all. This is what is meant by God protecting people who believe and not those who disbelieve. Only a person who believes in God can have the added benefits of Taqwa.

A recorded dialect between Ubayy ibn K’ab to the second caliph’ Umar ibn Al-khattab gives a good example of how a Muslim applies Taqwa to life. Here is what was said:

'Umar asked 'Ubayy to define what Taqwa was, to which 'Ubayy replied "Have you ever walked along a thorny path?", "Yes" came the answer from 'Umar. "What did you do?" asked 'Ubayy. "I was on my guard", 'Umar replied and 'Ubayys reply to this was "That is Taqwa".

What is meant by this is that as a Muslim walks the journey that is life, he should be mindful and careful at all times to refrain from doing wrong. Of course every one makes mistakes and people are bound to do something wrong at sometime in their lives, but one should do their best to refrain from wrong and seek forgiveness when they do err.

Another translation of Taqwa is 'fear of God' and a good explanation about the meaning of Taqwa in this way can be found in Ibid¹⁵:

"Hence Taqwa means to protect oneself against the harmful of evil consequences of ones conduct. If, then, by 'fear of God' one means fear of the consequences of ones actions -whether in this life or the next (fear of punishment on the last day) - one is absolutely right. In other words, it is the fear that comes from an acute sense of responsibility, here and in the hereafter, for the God of the Qur'an has unbounding mercy - although He also wields dire punishment, both in this world and in the hereafter.

Taqwa makes Muslims more alert and cautious of the things happening around them and their own actions and intentions. This helps Muslims to avoid from committing bad actions and keep them doing good deeds. When a Muslim has Taqwa they also have something called Shukr. Shukr translates as thankfulness and in terms of Muslims it means thankfulness to God. Muslims believe it is their duty to be thankful to God and that they should be thankful for all things that they have¹⁶.

Taqwa and Shukr are interconnected with each other and so a Muslim who is conscious of God is also thankful to God. This Taqwa helps Muslims during Ramadhan to ignore any temptations that might arise, such as having a sneaky bite to eat. While when Muslim break their fast they are thankful to God for giving them the strength to fast, and for the food and drink they have.

Intention

As with all things in Islam a Muslim must make intention when he/she fasts. It is important for Muslims to make intention for Fasting at or before Subha saadiq (early dawn). This intention is called niyyat and like in prayer does not have to be verbal declaration and so can just be said in a Muslims thoughts. There are several reasons why making intention is important. Here is a brief summary of the main reasons:

Aside from fasting, intention is important because it is what God judges everyone on. Muslims are told that actions are judged according to the intention behind them, and for everyone is what he has intended¹⁸.

People exempt from fasting

While fasting during Ramadhan is very important there are a few exceptions on who has to fast. These exceptions are:

Children have no obligation to fast until they reach puberty but can be encouraged to participate in fasting up to their own capacity. For example a child may wish to fast from morning till noon and can be encouraged to do so, but a child can not be forced to fast or to continue fasting if they are having difficulties.

Muslims who are sick, travelling, doing heavy and strenuous manual work or women on their monthly periods or breastfeeding are exempt from fasting but should make up for missed days of fasting in the following year at some point or after the next Ramadhan. Making up for missed fasts can be done however the person wants. For example they may have missed seven days of fasting and so they may decide to fast one day of the week for seven weeks. If it is not possible to make up for missed prayers for some reason or another ¹⁹ then they should feed a person in need for every day they have missed if they can afford to do so.

The chaining of Shaytans

Muslims believe that Shaytan²⁰Muslims believe that Shaytan started his goal at defying God at the same time of the creation of Adam. Shaytan was banished from paradise but given respite till the day of judgement. Shaytan swore to corrupt mankind and make all that is bad seem good to them and so lead them astray except those who are strong believers²¹.

Shaytan’s aim is to do what ever he can to lead people astray from the straight path. While Muslims believe that shaytan has no real power or control over humanity they believe that he relies on humanity's weaknesses such as selfishness and greed etc. Muslims believe he influences the bad thoughts that people some times have to try and get people to do bad things. As Muslims believe Shaytan has no real power it means that all people are responsible for their own actions²² and so should protect themselves with Taqwa.

However during the month of Ramadhan Muslims believe that Shaytan and his followers are not allowed to roam about freely, and so as such any action someone takes is free from the whisperings of Shaytan. But if someone is influenced during the other 11 months by shaytan then it is most likely they will continue this way through Ramadhan. The point of a month free from this influence is for peoples Taqwa to increase and helps develop it for those whom may be finding it hard to stay on the straight path but wish to become stronger.

Accidentally breaking fast

It can be easy for some Muslims to forget they are fasting, especially during the first few days before the routine is established, and in doing so eat or drink something by accident. Should someone who is fasting accidentally eats or drinks something then this forgetfulness does not break the fast. In the Qur’an Muslims are told the following:

It is interesting to note that the Arabic word for human being is ‘Insan’ which is derived from the word ‘Nasiya’ which means ‘to forget’. This indicates that it is in human nature to forget and make mistakes and so Muslims believe that humans should be aware of this and be quick to repent if they do wrong and not dwell on it afterwards as everyone makes mistakes.

Now that we have looked at the general rules to fasting lets take a brief look at how Muslims implement the above in their lives throughout Ramadhan.

Suhur and Iftar

Suhur is the Arabic name given to the pre-dawn meal eaten by Muslim’s before they start a days fast. As the first light of dawn appears Muslims will sit down and eat this meal to give them strength for the day. It is also a time for Muslims to be thankful for the food and drink they have, as soon they will know what it is like to be with out food and water. The point of Suhur is not to over indulge but just to have a glass of water and a small bite to eat, it is no way intended to be a three course meal affair, but rather it should be a little food to give energy for the rest of the day.

Iftar is the Arabic word given to name the breaking of the fast at the end of the day. Shortly before the sun starts to set Muslims will sit and reflect upon the passing day and their fast. After everyday of fast a Muslim hopes that they have improved themselves in some way and will make supplications to God to accept their fast.

Just before Maghrib²⁵ Muslims will break their fast with some dates and water then after completing Maghrib they will sit down and have their main meal. This meal should be simple and not to big²⁶. Iftar is usually a time spent with friends and family at home or at the mosque as Muslims believe that there is much reward in giving someone food so they can break their fast.

Tarawih

During Ramadhan Muslims are urged to spend some of the night at the Mosque taking part in something called Tarawih ²⁷ prayers. This prayer is usually performed just after Isha²⁸ prayer by a Hafiz²⁹ and one thirtieth of the Qur’an is recited each day.

Life after Ramadhan

Ramadhan is a time of change and reflection for Muslims. It is about psychological, spiritual and physical change in a Muslims life. Ramadhan is a bridge for those who believe, it is a way of getting from one level of faith to the next, for Muslims who want to get more devout then their Imaan will continue to grow after Ramadhan but for those who don’t then it will pass them by and they will return to the state they where in before. For Muslims who wish to improve their level of faith then Ramadhan can be just the thing to help them improve. Muslims believe that everyday they should reflect on the day they leave behind and to recognise their own weaknesses and strengths, and to re-evaluate their awareness of God.

To conclude this entry here is a quote from Iman al-Haddad’s ‘The book of Assistance’.