Page 24 - Demo

Fasting the four sacred months: Rajab, which stands alone, and the three others, which are consecutive: Duhl-Qi%u2019dah, Duhl-Hijjah, and Muharram (months 11, 12, and 1 respectively). These are the best months to fast outside of Ramadan..Fasting Sha%u2019ban.Is it permissible to start a voluntary fast and then break it without an excuse?The scholars have differed on the matter:First opinion: Whoever enters a voluntary fast must complete it; if he does not, he must make it up.Second opinion: Whoever enters a voluntary fast does not have to complete it or make it up. There is no harm in breaking the fast, although it is preferred to complete it, as completing it is completing an act of worship. It is disliked to break the fast without an excuse.When is fasting obligatory?Fasting is obligatory in the following situations:First: Vowed Fasts: If one vows to fast a day or a month to seek nearness to Allah (swt), then he must do so due to making that vow. If he sets a specific month or day for the vowed fast, and then ends up fasting before the specified time, then he is rewarded for fulfilling the vow, and the specific time that was originally set is disregarded.Second: Expiation Fasts: Due to a committed sin, such as: accidental murder, breaking an oath, breaking one%u2019sfast during Ramadan by having sexual intercourse during the day, or vowing to abandon one%u2019s wife sexually and comparing her status to the forbidden status of mother, sister, or daughter.Third: Witnessing any part of the day or night of Ramadan, according to Imam Hanafi: it is an obligation to fast Ramadan, either by seeing its crescent moon in the case of clear skies, or by completing 30 days of Sha%u2019ban in the case of cloudiness or dust.Copyright %u00a9 2023 Islamic Association of Raleigh. All rights reserved. 24