Ramadan Fasting example walk through (with Raleigh times)
Tammy Kechout
Asalaam alaykum,
Ramadan Mubarak! Ramadan is expected to begin Friday night at sundown! (In Islam the days start at sundown so the lunar month of Ramadan will start at sundown Friday night.)
Links:
IAR Ramadan Hub - activities at the mosque this month
IAR Ramadan Prayer Timetable - prayer times for Ramadan
For those of you who are new to Islam or who may be new to fasting the entire month of Ramadan or just need a refresher, here's some basics about fasting Ramadan with an example day.
Intention
Before Ramadan begins, make the intention to fast for Allah alone and to do the best that you can to receive all the blessings and forgiveness from Allah. Forgive everyone from your heart and ask Allah to help you in your deen/religion/faith and to accept all your good efforts and to guide you to make the best decisions and actions.
Make your intention to fast the month of Ramadan solely for the purpose of pleasing Allah and seeking His forgiveness. For sisters and anyone who will miss any days of fasting due to an acceptable excuse, it's best to renew your intention before restarting or you can make your intention every night.
Fasting and the Prayer Times
Allah is so merciful that we start out our fasting not by fasting but with the time for eating and drinking! The first day of Ramadan begins at sundown FRIDAY, February 28, 2025. You will eat and drink as usual and be sure to drink plenty of water a couple of days before. Insha'Allah (if Allah wills) Saturday morning, March 1, 2025, you will have your morning meal but probably earlier than usual, ("suhoor" in Arabic), plenty of liquids, and any morning medications in the time before the Adhan/call to worship for the prayer around dawn of the day which is called the Fajr prayer. So Saturday, get up at least 30 minutes (say 5:00 am) before the Fajr prayer time at 5:35 am and have your suhoor. At the initial Fajr time (5:35 for the Fajr adthan, day 1) you should plan to be done with all drinking and eating until Maghrib adthan time (6:10 pm).
Note that it will be getting earlier each morning and there will be a time change in the early morning of March 9. You will need to adjust your alarm to plan ahead each day since the beginning fajr adthan time gets earlier every morning and maghrib gets later and also plan for the time change when you go to bed on March 8. (See the Prayer time table.) Do not eat or drink until the adthan time for the maghrib prayer unless you have a valid excuse to not fast.
Start Fasting
Saturday at 5:35 am ,the Adthan time, you will start your fasting and pray Fajr. (The Iqamah is the congregational prayer time at the masjid/mosque for each prayer. Shuruq is sunrise and you have to pray Fajr before then each day but you'll already be starting your not eating/drinking by the adhan time for fajr.) If you wake up late, you'll go ahead and fast that day but skip suhoor. It's doable but try to have suhoor every morning even if you just drink something.
Daily Evening Schedule
Insha'Allah you will break/end your fast at the Adhan/call to worship time for the evening/sundown prayer, Maghrib, which is 6:10 pm on Saturday. Try not to delay even if all you can do is drink some water at that time. Then you will pray Maghrib as soon as you can. Then you will drink and eat an evening meal and you can take medication then as well or even during the night. Be sure to save room to drink plenty of water/liquids and you can continue to drink until the Adhan time for the beginning of fajr the next day (5:34 am on Sunday, March 2.) If you get dehydrated, try to drink some electrolyte fluids in the evenings.
So for example, using the prayer times for Saturday (March 1, 2025) above, you would break your fast at 6:10 pm by first saying Bismillah and maybe a Sunnah dua'a and or personal dua'a/supplication and then drinking milk and eating dates (traditional) or drinking and/or eating a small healthy snack, soup or just drinking water (if you're driving home from work, this is the easiest option), then pray the Maghrib prayer, then you eat and drink a regular meal with your family and take any meds.
Dua'a/Supplication
Each day and each evening before you break your fast at maghrib, make dua'a/supplication for all of your family, for those in difficulty, for all the new Muslims, and for all Muslims. For the Muslim Ummah that is oppressed around the world. Think of everyone and make heartfelt dua'a for them. It can be in any language. Also, keep making dua'a or supplications while you are fasting during the day as this is a promise from Allah to answer your dua'a while you are fasting. It's recommended to make a dua'a list and you can keep adding to it during the month. You can use this list then all year long and just keep revising and thanking Allah for His response to each request. (On my list I write Alhamdulillah for the prayers that He's answered when I go back to the list. It might be He gave me what I asked for or something better or prevented something harmful instead).
When you are about to break your fast, it is customary/sunnah to make the a Sunnah dua'a or supplication and here's an example one:
‘Umar said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say when breaking his fast: “Dhahaba al-zama’ wa abtalat al-‘urooq wa thabata al-ajr in sha Allaah (Thirst is gone, the veins are moistened and the reward is certain if Allaah wills).”
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2357; al-Daaraqutni, 25. Ibn Hajar said in al-Talkhees al-Habeer (2/202): al-Daaraqutni said, its isnaad is saheeh.
Taraweeh/night prayers
Taraweeh prayers are extra prayers that begin at the mosque just a few minutes after the last evening prayer, called Isha, and only during the month of Ramadan. They are performed in sets of 2 rakahs each. (A rakah is a part of the prayer that occurs from the beginning of the prayer in the standing position reciting Al Fatiha until the start of the next round of standing, bowing, and prostrating).
The entire Quran is recited over the course of the month during the standing portion of the prayers. This makes these prayers longer than the regular prayers and in addition there are many sets of 2 rakahs.
They take about an extra hour to an hour and a half after Isha (depending on the speed of the reciter and the length of the short message given half way through (end of 4 rakat/rakahs) for the first set of taraweeh prayers through the witr (odd/single rakah) prayer.
These prayers are not mandatory but try to come to at least some during Ramadan throughout your life. There is usually free babysitting available in the red brick building behind the main building when Taraweeh prayers are held for children ages 3-7. These Taraweeh prayers are not mandatory so make sure with all the extra good deeds that you're doing that you can also do the mandatory fasting along with getting up for fajr prayer which is also mandatory. Just pace yourself. You can also do Taraweeh at home.
Advice on Implementation
Since it's encouraged to perform many extra voluntary worship acts and voluntary good deeds, please make a daily schedule for yourself so that you won't forget anything and to make it easier.
First put the things you HAVE to do like the 5 prayers and the prayer times (try for the early times in each span of time for the prayer), fasting times, work, feed children, sleep, make sure studying is done, spend time with your spouse, (all fulfilling the rights) etc.
Then add other good deeds with their times like:
dthiker (remembrance of Allan like saying Alhamdulilah, Subhanalah, Allahu Akbar),
giving sadaqa/charity and required annual zakat (2.5% of savings if you usually do this during Ramadan if that's your scheduled time of year), and of course connecting with the Quran (read translation in English/Spanish, recite in Arabic or learn how to recite or learn tajweed (correct pronunciation), listen to tafsir (explanation) of Quran, taleel of Quran (pondering, deep understanding). Do whatever good deeds you can start or continue in Ramadan and even after Ramadan ends. Make sure you do the required activities first like the 5 prayers and fasting first and something to bring you closer to the Quran. If you miss required activities due to extra activities, then cut out the extra stuff to a level you can still maintain the mandatory things. Hey, we're only human.
Don't forget your Brothers and Sisters. Stay connected and encourage one another. The new sisters and the new brothers each have a texting group. If you're not on it, please contact outr...@islam1.org to join! You don't have to have taken your shehada this year to be connected.
If your Eman/faith is slacking, pick up the pace. Call someone or ask in the chat and get a Ramadan buddy. (Contact Br Imran for brothers and me for sisters). Check in with them for a few minutes each day via call or text. Encourage one another.
Sisters, we will have our annual online Quran Ramadan Reflections for sisters only.
Questions & more details:
Here are some sites that have good detailed info should you have questions about fasting:
Rules of the Fasting of Ramadan
Fasting the month of Ramadan is one of the main pillars of Islam. It is obligatory upon every sane, healthy Muslim whose reached puberty and is not traveling during the time of fasting. As for women, they must not fast if they are menstruating or having post-childbirth bleeding.
Fiqh of Fasting of Ramadan with Evidences
Allah ﷻ says in the Qur'an what may be interpreted as, "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you so that you may achieve Taqwah (righteousness, God-fearing)." Al Baqarah 2:183
Islamic Rules and Basis for Determining the Beginning and End of Ramadan
Just as fasting the month of Ramadan is a pillar of Islam, the criteria that marks the start and end of Ramadan is set by Islam as well. The crescent moon marks the beginning of each lunar month in Islam, as Allah ﷻ stated in the Qur'an in what may be translated as, "They ask you [O Muhammad] about the crescent moons, Say, 'They are measurements of time for the people and for hajj (pilgrimage).'"
Raleigh mosque (IAR) will be offering drive-through Iftar (evening meal service) Monday through Thursday, 6:00-7:00 pm during Ramadan on a first-come-first-serve basis for those who need it (those in need, refugees, travelers, those alone) as long as they have food available.
- required before the end of Ramadan
Zakat-ul-Fitr, the charity of breaking the fast, is obligatory on each Muslim young or old, male or female, rich or poor, if he owns extra food that exceeds his and his dependent's needs for a period of twenty-four hours. The easiest way to pay this is online at the link above. The amount is $15/person this year.
- pillar of Islam
Zakat purifies the heart from the detested trait of stinginess, and also purifies the wealth by giving out a portion of that wealth. It also causes the wealth to grow through Allah's blessings. While regular charity is strongly recommended and abundantly rewarded by Allah (SWT), Zakat-ul-mal is a debt we owe Allah (SWT), and must be paid as a part of our belief in Him.
If you are required to fast and you cannot for a valid reason and you cannot make it up later in the year and/or fall in the category that you have a choice to pay the Fidya (replacement for not fasting), then please see more about this is the Fiqh of Fasting link above as needed for more information. If you want to easily pay your Fidya, use this link to Pay Fidya and select "Fidya." The amount of Fidya is $8/day this year.
This was just an email since several new Muslims have questions on implementing Ramadan fasting. May Allah forgive me for any errors or misunderstandings.
May you receive all the blessings of Ramadan, takwa (love and fear of Allah, consciousness of Allah) and have all of your sins forgiven this Ramadan!
May Allah protect you, provide for you, guide you, love you, and grant you all that you asked for for yourself, your family, and your community and guide you all to Jannah tul Firdos!
Ameen.
Tammy
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