FASTING IN THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN

Praise be to Allah the master of the universe the creator of mankind and all living creatures , as we have just ended this year's fasting i first all want to wish all Muslims around the world a happy Eid mubarak ,may Allah accept our fasting and all the good deeds throughout this Holy month of Ramadan, we seek forgiveness of our past sins and may he reward us with paradise(Al-jannah)


what is fasting in the holy month of Ramadan (Asiyaam)

In the book of the holy Quran Allah made mention of fasting in the holy month of Ramadan saying [o ye who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that ye may off(evil);[2:183]  
fasting is the fourth pillar of Islam and mandatory to every Muslim , but there are some people who may skip their fasting due to their state and condition.


which people can skip their fasting 

Allah revealed in the Holy Quran saying [ (fast) a certain number of days;
and for him who is sick among you, or on a journey, should fast(the same) number of other days; and for those who can afford it there is a ransom: the feeding of a man in need-but whoso doeth good of his own accord, it is better for him: and that ye fast is better for you if ye know-[184]
these verse of the holy Quran proofs that a Muslim may skip his fasting when he is not in a good healthy condition whiles on medication, but should fast the number of days he was unable to fast during the holy month of  Ramadan, after he is well fit to fast on other days after Ramadan,  someone on a journey can also skip his fasting to other days after Ramadan, and for those who can afford to feed the poor can also choose this option
many scholars recommend this option for those with long term diseases or treatment like stomach ulcer etc...  It is not of any good interest to any muslim to skip his/ her fasting in the holy month without having a real problem , the reward of fasting is so huge that only Allah knows, and  that he said if  ye fast is better for him if ye knows,  women also are to skip their fasting when they are having their menstruation  but should fast on other days after Ramadan the number of days they skipped, the holy month of Ramadan is full of blessing and reward for the believer(momen) it's more like a bonus month for muslims where every good deeds of a muslim is doubled in reward in the holy month, the holy Quran was also revealed in Ramadan ,Allah says in the holy Quran [ [the month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind, and a clear proofs of guidance, and the criterion(of right and wrong) and whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month ,and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey,let him fast the same number of other days. Allah desireth for you ease he desireth not for your hardship for you; and he desireth that ye should complete the period, and that ye should magnify Allah for having guided you and that peradventure  ye may be thankful.[185], in this verse we notice that Allah made mention of those who may skip their fasting again but this time showing us the reason why he gave those options to muslims, saying he desireth  ease for us not hardship.
The holy prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) encourage muslims to read the holy Quran more often because it's  the month of quranic recitation he usually put all other act of worship aside and concentrate on reading the holy quran


how do muslims fast

The holy prophet (S.A.W) once said fast by sighting the moon and end by sighting the moon, muslims all over the world start their fasting when they confirm the sight of the moon if they aren't able to see the moon 
on the 29th of the month before Ramadan they wait and start after the 30th day
, muslims start their fasting by having  the intention to fast the whole month of Ramadan on the 30th or 29th  it depends on whether the moon is sighted on the 29th if not they complete on the 30th, then have the intention to fast the entire  month, they eat before the rise of dawn and  stop eating before SALAT- AL FAJR  and then break their fasting after sunset,
fasting is not only about staying away from eating or drinking but a muslim should be in the act of worship throughout the fasting period every part of the body is taking part in fasting, in the same manner a Muslim will abstain himself from food the same apply to the rest of the body,he is responsible to

keep and control himself from committing any  kind of sin by his eyes, mouth, ears,hands, legs and the entire body if he or she wants their fasting to be accepted by Allah. We can give an example of Ramadan to be a 30 day special course for every Muslim  to abstain from evil doing and come out more righteous person than he was before , there are rules to follow when fasting, your eyes must see what is permissible in Islam, your mouth must speak good only , your ears must also listen to good things only your legs must not walk to places that are inappropriate for Muslims like nightclubs ,places of gossip, drinking bar, etc... a Muslim must be busy in the act of worship, men must not have sexual intercourse with their wives  when fasting and can do so after they break their fast, Allah said in the holy Quran[It is made lawful for you to go in onto your wives on the night of the fast.They are raiment for you and you are raiment for them. Allah is aware that ye were deceiving yourselves in this respect and and he hath turned in mercy toward you  and relieved you, so hold intercourse with them and seek that which Allah hath ordained for you,  eat and drink until the white thread become distinct to you from the black thread of the dawn. then strictly observe the fast till nightfall and touch them not, but be at your devotions in the mosques. these are the limits imposed by Allah, so approach them not. thus Allah expoundeth His revelation to mankind that they may ward of (evil)
after sunset Muslims wait to hear the call of (AZAN) at various Mosque near them and start by saying in the name of Allah , oh Allah to you we fast, to you we believe in and with your wealth we break our fast, and the holy prophet start by eating three rutabs(moist dates) or else tamr(dry dates)

or else water ,the holy prophet once sajid if you give to your fellow Muslim food to break his/her fast you will get the same reward of that person fast that day without affecting his reward or yours, so every body is eager to share their food when it's time to break the fast, the holy month of Ramadan teaches Muslims many good practices,  first of all abstaining from sins
reading the holy book for guidance to  know how to live a righteous life giving and sharing with the poor, showing kindness to people speaking polite to your fellow brother and staying away from trouble, all this good vertue is supposed to reflect in a Muslim life not only in Ramadan but for the rest of his life, just like i said earlier Ramadan is a course for Muslims to strengthen their faith with Allah and become more righteous in their lives, and this Holy month gives muslims the opportunity to do so, Allah becomes very merciful in this special  month, all the gate of Heaven are opened and all the gate of Hell are closed only in this special month, and also all evil forces and jinn are chained up, the Holy prophet said Ramadan is divided into three part the first ten days is Allah kindness to Muslims,  so we should seek kindness and blessing from him, the midth 10 days is forgiveness from Allah, so we should seek forgiveness from Allah and the last ten days is saving us from hell fire so we should work hard to be among those he shall save from hell fire, the last ten days also has a special night called lailatul qadr(the night of power) this night is within the last 10 days, the actual number of the night of power within the last ten days is unknown to us  so every Muslim must be active throughout the last ten days because we never know which night is for certain, when it reaches the last ten days the Holy prophet becomes more aggressive in his worship and temporarily move and settle in the mosque cutting contact with any worldly activity  which is called [Itikaf] it is recommended for muslims to engage in this act of worship during the last 10 days.


what is special about the night of power

Allah says in the Holy Quran[In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful.
Lo! we revealed it on the night of predestination. 
Ah what will convey unto thee what the night of power is!.
The night of power is better than a thousand month.
The angels and the spirit descend therein by the permission of their lord with all decrees.
The night is peace until the rising of the dawn.[surah Al-Qadr]

the night of power is better than a thousand month of worship this is a great gift from Allah to all muslims, making it possible for us to get a reward better than a thousand month in a single night ,that must be huge huge reward from our lord the Almighty, no Muslim will wanna miss the night of power ,unknown numbers of angels descend onto earth together with the spirit, the spirit here is the angel Gabriel joining muslims in the act of worship at various mosque and homes seeking forgiveness for mankind , what a wonderful moment,
Muslims finally gadders at major Mosques to perform prayer at the end of the holy month of Ramadan and celebrate Eidul fitr,before going to the mosque muslims must give zakat-fitr to their neighbour before leaving to the mosque 
it could be maiz if in season, rice or  any other cereal food available ,
giving it after coming from the mosque will not be considered as zakat-al fitr 
Allah u Akbar Allah u Akbar 
Allah u Akbar La ilaha ila llah...... is what you will be hearing all around you by Muslims beginning from Dawn. you can watch this short video, stay blessed.