Baadhi ya mambo ni wajibu (waajib), na mengine ni mustahabb (yanapendekezwa).

Some aspects are obligatory (waajib) and others are recommended (mustahabb).

Tunapaswa kuhakikisha kwamba tunakula na kunywa kitu wakati wa daku (suhoor), na tuchelewe hadi karibu kabisa na adhana ya Alfajiri. Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Kuleni daku, kwa kuwa katika daku kuna baraka." (Imepokewa na al-Bukhaari, Fath, 4/139). "Daku ni chakula chenye baraka, na ndani yake kuna kutofautiana na watu wa Kitabu. Ni daku nzuri kwa muumini tende." (Imepokewa na Abu Dawood, no. 2345; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/448).

We should make sure that we eat and drink something at suhoor, and that we delay it until just before the adhaan of Fajr. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Have suhoor, for in suhoor there is blessing (barakah).” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 4/139). “Suhoor is blessed food, and it involves being different from the people of the Book. What a good suhoor for the believer is dates.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 2345; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/448).

Kutokuchelewesha iftari, kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Watu wataendelea kuwa katika hali njema mradi tu hawachelewi iftari." (Imepokewa na al-Bukhaari, Fath, 4/198). Kufungua saumu kwa namna iliyoelezwa katika hadithi aliyoipokea Anas (Allah amridhie): "Mtume ﷺ alikuwa akifungua saumu yake kwa tende mbichi kabla ya kuswali; ikiwa tende mbichi hazikupatikana, alikuwa akila tende kavu; ikiwa tende kavu hazikupatikana, alikuwa akinywa funda chache za maji." (Imepokewa na at-Tirmidhi, 3/79 na wengine. Alisema ni hadithi ghariib hasan. Imethibitishwa kuwa sahihi katika al-Irwa', namba 922). Baada ya iftari, kusoma maneno yaliyopokelewa katika hadithi aliyoipokea Ibn ‘Umar (Allah awaridhie wote wawili), kulingana na ambayo Mtume ﷺ, alipofungua saumu yake, alikuwa akisema: "Dhahaba al-zama', wa'btallat al-‘urooq, wa thabat al-ajru in sha Allah (Kiu imeondoka, mishipa imeanza kutiririka tena, na thawabu ni hakika, in sha Allah)." (Imepokewa na Abu Dawood, 2/765; sanadi yake imetajwa kuwa hasan na ad-Daaraqutni, 2/185). Kujiepusha na dhambi, kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Mmoja wenu anapofunga saumu, asifanye dhambi…" (Imepokewa na al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, namba 1904). Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Yeyote asiyeacha kusema uongo na kutenda kwa kuufuata, Allah hana haja naye kuacha chakula chake na kinywaji chake." (al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, namba 1903). Mtu anayefunga saumu anapaswa kujiepusha na aina zote za matendo ya haramu, kama vile ghiba, uchafu na uongo; vinginevyo thawabu yake yote inaweza kupotea. Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Huenda mtu anayefunga akapata kutoka katika saumu yake njaa tu." (Imepokewa na Ibn Maajah, 1/539; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/453).

Not delaying iftaar, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The people will be fine so long as they do not delay iftaar.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 4/198). Breaking one's fast in the manner described in the hadeeth narrated by Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to break his fast with fresh dates before praying; if fresh dates were not available, he would eat (dried) dates; if dried dates were not available, he would have a few sips of water.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3/79 and others. He said it is a ghareeb hasan hadeeth. Classed as saheeh in al-Irwa’, no. 922). After iftaar, reciting the words reported in the hadeeth narrated by Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when he broke his fast, would say: “Dhahaba al-zama’, wa’btallat al-‘urooq, wa thabat al-ajru in sha Allaah (Thirst is gone, veins are flowing again, and the reward is certain, in sha Allaah).” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 2/765; its isnaad was classed as hasan by al-Daaraqutni, 2/185). Keeping away from sin, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any of you is fasting, let him not commit sin…” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 1904). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does not stop speaking falsehood and acting in accordance with it, Allaah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.” (Al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 1903). The person who is fasting should avoid all kinds of haraam actions, such as backbiting, obscenity and lies, otherwise his reward may all be lost. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It may be that a fasting person gets nothing from his fast except hunger.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 1/539; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/453).

Miongoni mwa mambo yanayoweza kuharibu hasanaat (matendo mema) za mtu na kuleta sayi'aat (matendo mabaya) ni kujiruhusu kuvurugwa na vipindi vya maswali, tamthilia za sabuni, filamu na mechi za michezo, mikusanyiko isiyo na faida, kuzurura mitaani pamoja na watu waovu na wanaopoteza muda, kuendesha gari bila sababu yoyote, na kujaa kwa mitaa na njia za watembea kwa miguu, hadi miezi ya tahajjud, dhikr na ibada inakuwa, kwa watu wengi, mwezi wa kulala mchana ili kuepuka kuhisi njaa, hivyo wanakosa swala zao na fursa ya kuzisali kwa jamaa, kisha wanatumia usiku wao kwa burudani na kufuata matamanio yao. Baadhi ya watu hata huupokea mwezi kwa hisia za kuchukizwa, wakiwaza tu starehe watakazozikosa. Katika Ramadhani, baadhi ya watu husafiri kwenda nchi za makafiri kufurahia likizo! Hata misikiti haiko huru kutokana na maovu kama hayo, kama vile kuonekana kwa wanawake wakiwa wamejipaka vipodozi na kujipaka manukato, na hata Nyumba Tukufu ya Allaah haiko salama dhidi ya maovu haya. Baadhi ya watu hufanya mwezi huo kuwa msimu wa kuomba, ilhali hawana haja nayo. Baadhi yao hujiburudisha kwa fataki hatari na kadhalika, na baadhi yao hupoteza muda wao sokoni, wakizunguka madukani, au kushona na kufuata mitindo. Baadhi yao huweka bidhaa mpya na mitindo mipya dukani mwao wakati wa siku kumi za mwisho za mwezi, ili kuwaweka watu mbali na kupata thawabu na hasanaat.

Among the things that can destroy one’s hasanaat (good deeds) and bring sayi’aat (bad deeds) is allowing oneself to be distracted by quiz-shows, soap operas, movies and sports matches, idle gatherings, hanging about in the streets with evil people and time-wasters, driving around for no purpose, and crowding the streets and sidewalks, so that the months of tahajjud, dhikr and worship, for many people, becomes the month of sleeping in the day so as to avoid feeling hungry, thus missing their prayers and the opportunity to pray them in congregation, then spending their nights in entertainment and indulging their desires. Some people even greet the month with feelings of annoyance, thinking only of the pleasures they will miss out on. In Ramadaan, some people travel to kaafir lands to enjoy a holiday! Even the mosques are not free from such evils as the appearance of women wearing makeup and perfume, and even the Sacred House of Allaah is not free of these ills. Some people make the month a season for begging, even though they are not in need. Some of them entertain themselves with dangerous fireworks and the like, and some of them waste their time in the markets, wandering around the shops, or sewing and following fashions. Some of them put new products and new styles in their stores during the last ten days of the month, to keep people away from earning rewards and hasanaat.

Kutokuruhusu nafsi yako ichochewe, kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ alisema: “Mtu akipigana naye au akimtukana, aseme: ‘Mimi nimefunga, mimi nimefunga.’” (Imepokewa na al-Bukhaari na wengineo. Al-Fath, namba 1894) Sababu moja ya hili ni kujikumbusha mwenyewe, na sababu nyingine ni kumkumbusha mpinzani wake. Lakini yeyote anayeangalia mwenendo wa wengi wanaofunga ataona jambo tofauti kabisa. Ni muhimu kujizuia na kuwa mtulivu, lakini tunaona kinyume chake kwa madereva wazembe wanaoongeza mwendo wanaposikia adhana ya Maghrib.

Not allowing oneself to be provoked, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If someone fights him or insults him, he should say, ‘I am fasting, I am fasting.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and others. Al-Fath, no. 1894) One reason for this is to remind himself, and another reason is to remind his adversary. But anyone who looks at the conduct of many of those who fast will see something quite different. It is essential to exercise self-control and be calm, but we see the opposite among crazy drivers who speed up when they hear the adhaan for Maghrib.

(*) Kutokula kupita kiasi, kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Mwana wa Adamu hajazi chombo kibaya zaidi kuliko tumbo lake." (Imepokewa na al-Tirmidhi, namba 2380; alisema, hii ni hadithi hasan sahih). Mtu mwenye busara hula ili aishi, si kuishi ili ale. Chakula bora zaidi ni kile kilichopo ili kitumiwe, si kile kilichopo ili kionyeshwe. Lakini watu hujishughulisha kutengeneza aina mbalimbali za vyakula (wakati wa Ramadhani) na kuifanya maandalizi ya chakula kuwa kama sanaa, hivyo kwamba akina mama wa nyumbani na watumishi hutumia muda wao wote kupika chakula, na hili huwaweka mbali na ibada, na watu hutumia fedha nyingi zaidi kwa chakula wakati wa Ramadhani kuliko kawaida yao. Hivyo mwezi huu unakuwa mwezi wa kukosa mmeng'enyo, unene na magonjwa ya tumbo, ambapo watu hula kama walafi na kunywa kama ngamia wenye kiu, na wanapoinuka kusali Taraweh, hufanya hivyo kwa shingo upande, na baadhi yao huondoka baada ya rakaa mbili za kwanza.

(*) Not eating too much, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The son of Adam fills no worse vessel than his stomach.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2380; he said, this is a hasan saheeh hadeeth). The wise person wants to eat to live, not live to eat. The best type of food is that which is there to be used, not that which is there to be served. But people indulge in making all kinds of food (during Ramadaan) and treating food preparation as a virtual art form, so that housewives and servants spend all their time on making food, and this keeps them away from worship, and people spend far more on food during Ramadaan than they do ordinarily. Thus the month becomes the month of indigestion, fatness and gastric illness, where people eat like gluttons and drink like thirsty camels, and when they get up to pray Taraaweeh, they do so reluctantly, and some of them leave after the first two rak’ahs.

(*) Ukarimu kwa kushiriki elimu, kutoa mali, kutumia nafasi ya mamlaka au nguvu za mwili kuwasaidia wengine, na kuwa na tabia njema. Al-Bukhaari na Muslim wameripoti kwamba Ibn ‘Abbaas (Allaah amridhie) alisema: "Mjumbe wa Allaah ﷺ alikuwa mkarimu zaidi wa watu [katika kutenda mema], na alikuwa mkarimu zaidi kabisa katika Ramadhaan, wakati Jibriil alipokutana naye; alikuwa akikutana naye kila usiku wa Ramadhaan na kumfundisha Qur-aan. Mjumbe wa Allaah ﷺ alikuwa mkarimu katika kutenda mema kuliko upepo unaovuma." (Ameripotiwa na al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, namba 6). Je, watu wanawezaje kubadilisha ukarimu kwa ubakhili, na vitendo kwa uvivu, kiasi cha kutofanya kazi zao ipasavyo na kutowatendea wenzao ipasavyo, na kutumia kufunga kuwa kisingizio cha yote haya?

(*) Being generous by sharing knowledge, giving money, using one’s position of authority or physical strength to help others, and having a good attitude. Al-Bukhaari and Muslim reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most generous of people [in doing good], and he was most generous of all in Ramadaan when Jibreel met with him, and he used to meet him every night in Ramadaan and teach him the Qur’aan. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was more generous in doing good than a blowing wind.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 6). How can people exchange generosity for stinginess and action for laziness, to the extent that they do not do their work properly and do not treat one another properly, and they use fasting as an excuse for all this.

Kuchanganya kufunga na kuwalisha masikini ni miongoni mwa njia za kufikia Peponi, kama Mtume ﷺ alivyosema: "Peponi kuna vyumba ambavyo nje yake inaweza kuonekana kutoka ndani, na ndani yake kuonekana kutoka nje. Allah ameviandaa kwa ajili ya wale wanaowalisha masikini, walio wapole katika maneno, wanaofunga mara kwa mara, na wanaosali usiku watu wanapolala." (Imepokewa na Ahmad 5/343; Ibn Khuzaymah, hadithi namba 2137. Al-Albaani alisema katika maelezo yake chini ya ukurasa kwamba isnadi yake ni hasan kutokana na riwaya nyingine zinazoliunga mkono.) Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Anayempa chakula mtu aliyefunga ili afungue nacho, atapata thawabu sawa na yake, bila kupunguza chochote katika thawabu ya aliyefunga." (Imepokewa na al-Tirmidhi, 3/171; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/451). Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyyah] (Allah amrehemu) alisema: "Maana yake ni kwamba amlishe hadi ashibe." (Al-Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah, uk. 109).

Combining fasting with feeding the poor is one of the means of reaching Paradise, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In Paradise there are rooms whose outside can be seen from the inside and the inside can be seen from the outside. Allaah has prepared them for those who feed the poor, who are gentle in speech, who fast regularly and who pray at night when people are asleep.” (Reported by Ahmad 5/343; Ibn Khuzaymah, no. 2137. Al-Albaani said in his footnote, its isnaad is hasan because of other corroborating reports). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives food to a fasting person with which to break his fast, will have a reward equal to his, without it detracting in the slightest from the reward of the fasting person.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3/171; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/451). Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “What is meant is that he should feed him until he is satisfied.” (Al-Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah, p. 109).

Baadhi ya Salaf (Mwenyezi Mungu awarehemu) walipendelea maskini kuliko nafsi zao walipowalisha wakati wa iftaar. Miongoni mwao walikuwa ʿAbd-Allaah ibn ʿUmar, Maalik ibn Deenaar, Ahmad ibn Hanbal na wengineo. ʿAbd-Allaah ibn ʿUmar hakuwa akifungua saumu yake isipokuwa kukiwa na mayatima na maskini pamoja naye.

A number of the Salaf (may Allaah have mercy on them) preferred the poor over themselves when feeding them at the time of iftaar. Among these were ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar, Maalik ibn Deenaar, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar would not break his fast unless there were orphans and poor people with him.