Just the Basics
Fasting is an obligation on each mature and capable Muslim. Likewise, understanding its correct method and legal rulings is also essential to ensure that our efforts in the sacred month of Ramadan are not made in vain. The Messenger of God (PBUH) said, “Many a people fast and derive nothing from their fasts except hunger. And many a people stand in prayer and derive nothing from their standing except wakefulness in late hours.” Although embodying the spiritual aspects of fasting and the blessings associated with its season are certainly essential, the proper outer practice of divinely ordained ritual worship remains conditional to reap their deeper benefits. God commands us in the Qur’an: “Ask those of remembrance if you know not.” While these notes certainly cannot alleviate the need to humble oneself in learning from those who have also done the same, it is intended that they may be a supplement to students already in their quest for sacred knowledge, which our beloved Messenger (PBUH) equated with the path to Paradise.
