The prophetic guidance in Ramadan

Authored by Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Muqayyid The Prophet, peace be upon him, in the month of Ramadan. This - O my noble reader - are some of the states of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and his guidance in the month of Ramadan. We mention them here briefly - and they are the essence of what has passed in the message in detail with its evidences - so that you may be certain of that, and follow his example in it, for the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace be upon him: • "He, peace be upon him, would not fast until he saw the lunar crescent with a confirmed visual sighting, or by the testimony of a trustworthy fair person, or by completing the count of Sha'ban to thirty days. • And he, peace be upon him, was satisfied with the testimony of one person, and it was established that he fasted and the nation fasted with him upon seeing a Bedouin who came from the desert, and he informed the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he saw the lunar crescent. The Prophet ordered Bilal to call for fasting, and this is a proof of accepting the testimony of one person. • And he, peace be upon him, forbade his nation from beginning Ramadan with fasting one or two days as precaution and caution, unless it was a custom for someone. Therefore, he forbade fasting on the Day of Doubt. • And he, peace be upon him, would intend to fast from the night before dawn, and he ordered his nation to do so; and this ruling is specific to obligatory fasting, but voluntary fasting is not included in this ruling. • And he, peace be upon him, would not abstain from eating, drinking, and invalidators until he saw the true dawn with a confirmed sighting, acting according to the verse: "And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread" [Al-Baqarah / 18]. • And he, peace be upon him, explained to his nation that dawn is two dawns: a true one and a false one. The false dawn does not prohibit food, drink, or intimacy. • And he, peace be upon him, would hasten breaking the fast and delay the pre-dawn meal (Suhur), and he commanded his nation to do so, saying: "My nation will remain upon goodness as long as they hasten the breaking of the fast." • And between his Suhur and his standing for the dawn prayer, it was the reading of fifty verses. • As for his character, peace be upon him, speak of its goodness and highness, and there is no shame. He was the best of people in manners, how could he not be, when his character was the Qur'an, as described by the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. And he commanded his nation to have good manners, especially those who are fasting, saying: "Whoever does not abandon false speech and acting upon it, Allah has no need that he leaves his food and drink" [Bukhari]. • And he would care for his family and improve his companionship with them more during Ramadan than at other times. • And he would not leave using the siwak (tooth-stick) during Ramadan or outside it, to purify his mouth and please his Lord. • And he, peace be upon him, would strive in worship during Ramadan, and he would order his companions to break their fast to strengthen themselves against their enemies. • And from his mercy to the nation, he permitted the traveler to break his fast, and the sick, and the elderly who are fading, and the pregnant or breastfeeding woman, so the traveler would make up the days, and the elderly, pregnant, or breastfeeding women would feed a poor person. • And he would exert effort in worship and standing in prayer during Ramadan more than at other times, especially in the last ten nights seeking Laylat al-Qadr. • And he would observe I'tikaf (spiritual retreat) during Ramadan, especially in the last ten nights, and he observed I'tikaf in the year he passed away for twenty days. He would only observe I'tikaf while fasting. • As for his recitation of the Qur'an, no one exerted himself like him. Jibreel used to meet him during Ramadan to review the Qur'an with him because it is the month of the Qur'an. • As for his generosity and nobility during Ramadan, they are indescribable; he was like a wind sent forth with goodness, not fearing from the Owner of the Throne any diminution. • And he, peace be upon him, was the greatest of fighters, and fasting did not prevent him from participating in battles. He fought in six battles over nine years, all during Ramadan, and he undertook major actions in Ramadan, such as demolishing the Mosque of the Prophet (the Mosque of the Dhirar), destroying the most famous Arab idols, receiving delegations, and opening Mecca during Ramadan. The summary is that the month of Ramadan is a month of striving, jihad, and sacrifice in the life of the Messenger (peace be upon him), not as some of our Muslim contemporaries understand (or do) it — as a month of laziness, negligence, sluggishness, and idleness. So, O Allah, grant us success to follow in the footsteps of Your Prophet, peace be upon him, and keep us alive upon his Sunnah, and cause us to die upon his Shariah.