12.
FASTING IN RAMADAN (5)
G. Qaḍā’ (القَضَاء), Fidyah (الْفِدْيَة), and Kaffārah
(الْكَفّارَة). Qaḍā’
is restitution of the suspended fasting by fasting for the same number of the
days missed. This is applied to (1) travelers including people undertaking a
strenuous journey, (2) those who are too thirsty (3) those who are too hungry (4)
those who are forced to break their fast (5) those who are involved with strenuous
occupations, such as soldiers in the battle (jihad), (6) people with temporary
illness, (7) women who are menstruating, (8) women experiencing post-natal
discharges, (9) pregnant women (10) breastfeeding women. These people have to
make qaḍā’, make up the days they missed before next Ramadan.
A person who intentionally misses fasting such as with drinking and
eating becomes very sinful and has to repent sincerely to Allah and makes up (qaḍā’)
the days he missed before next Ramadan. This is the view of the Shāfi‘ī and Ḥanbalī
schools, Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr, al-Nakha‘ī, Ibn Sīrīn, Ḥammād and Dā’ūd. On the
contrary, according to Ḥanafī and Mālikī schools, ‘Aṭā’,
al-Ḥasan, al-Zuhrī, al-Thawrī, al-Awzā‘ī, Isḥāq, and Abū Thawr, the person has
to pay kaffārah. According to Mālikī school, he has to make up (qaḍā’)
the days he missed before next Ramadan.
Fidyah is a ransom to be redeemed and paid for each day of fasting missed. It
is either feeding a needy person for each day of fasting missed, or by giving
charity with equal amount. This is applied to (11) old people who are no longer
able to fast, and those who are chronically ill and cannot make up the lost days afterwards or
terminally ill.
A person who would
normally be able to fast but for some reason, such as a pregnant and a breast-feeding
woman, who suspended fasting in order to adequately nourish and breastfeed her
baby--has to restitute by fasting the number of days missed as well as feed (iṭ‘ām) one person (or donate the monetary equivalent) for each day meal (2
meals, lunch and dinner) of fasting that she has missed. It is equivalent to
the zakat al-fitr, of a person, in Australia, between $10 and $12. This
is the view of the Shāfi‘ī and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.
According to Abū Ḥanīfah
and his followers among the Ḥanafī school feeding the poor as fidyah is
not required for her (namely, pregnant or breast-feeding woman), but making up
the missing days she did not fast, and are considered like temporary sick
people. This is also the view of scholars like al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, ‘Aṭā’
ibn Abī Rabāḥ, al-Ḍaḥḥāk, al-Nakha‘ī, al-Zuhrī, Rabī‘ah, al-Awzā‘ī, Abū ‘Ubayd
and Abū Thawr. This is a relief and an encouragement for poor women who cannot
afford paying fidyah, but worry about their babies.
Menstruating women and those experiencing
post-natal discharges are only to make up (qaḍā’) the missing days,
without paying fidyah. It is not “their fault” if they do not fast, as
they are not even allowed to do so, and Allah does not want to give them “a
burden” more than just making qaḍā’ of the day they missed, namely, no fidyah.
Allah says,
فَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا
فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَهُ وَأَنْ تَصُومُوا
خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (البقرة:184)
But whoever does good of his own accord, it is
better
for him. And that you fast is better for you
if only
you know. (Q. 2:184)
فَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ
خَيْرًا “But whoever does good of his own accord,” means (1)
“feeding more than one poor person” according to ‘Aṭā’
and al-Suddī, (2) “giving more food” according to Mujāhid, (3) “fasting
and paying fidyah” according to Ibn Shihāb, (4) “the right view
according to Abū Ja ‘far al-Ṭabarī, is that there is no specification here, so
that it includes fasting with paying fidyah, and feeding more poor
people in paying fidah, and voluntary fasting with paying fidyah, فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ
لَهُ ‘it is better for him’, because all of them
are included among voluntary good deeds.”
خَيْرٌلَكُمْ وَأَنْ تَصُومُوا “And that you fast is better for you means “whoever is
prescribed to fast and fasts then it is better for him than not fasting and
paying fidyah,” according to al-Ṭabarī’s commentary.
إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُون “if only you know” means “if you know the goodness of
the two: paying fidyah without fasting, or fasting as prescribed by
Allah.
Kaffārah
means "atonement" or "expiation" applied to a person
who has sexual relationship on the daytime of Ramadan. As this is a serious offense, the penalty of this transgression as
atonement is double of the normal one. Instead of fasting one month like that
of Ramadan, he has to fast two months, namely, 60 consecutive days; otherwise,
he has to feed 60 needy people, give charity the amount equal to the cost of
feeding 60 needy people.
The difference between fidyah (ransom) and kaffārah
(atonement) is that fidyah is paid for any day missed through necessity,
whereas kaffārah is paid by those who have sexual relationship
on the day of Ramadan according to Shāfi‘ī and Ḥanbalī schools, as well as by
those who miss any days unnecessarily, namely, without any valid reason, according to Ḥanafī and Mālikī schools. The present rate of the zakāt al-fiṭr as well as fidyah for one day in Canberra is A$10 or £5 for one
person with two meals or two persons with one meal.
H. Some physical
benefits of fasting are as follows:
(1) More blood
flowing to other parts of the body, as less blood going to the digestive system
because of fasting. The chance of heart disease will decrease with 58%, as
there is no bad cholesterol level, and blood vessels can be purified faster.
(2) Fasting promotes detoxification. When fat is burned toxins are released. As
the body breaks down its fat reserves while fasting, it mobilizes and
eliminates stored toxins. Fasting helps removing toxins we breathe from the
lung.
(3) The stomach and
intestines, after one month less active, regulate themselves to have better
digestion.
(4) Fasting will normalize
blood pressure in many cases. The kidneys increase the process of eliminating
salt and water which are not useful materials, and therefore, decreases blood
pressure caused by salt.
(5) Brain becomes more active
because of fasting, as it stimulates the production of protein called BDNF
(brain-derived neurotropic factor). It activates brain stem cells, and protects
them from changes which have connected with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
(6) The immune system improves
as fasting reduces free radical damage as well as starving off cancer cell
formation; fruits containing vitamins A and E which boosts immunity should be
taken while breaking the fast.
(7) During fasting the
digestive system rests, so that metabolism increases and
becomes faster.
(8) Fasting promotes the
secretion of human growth hormone (HGH) which is important for burning fat.
While decreasing insulin levels fasting can also promote muscle building. Both
of them are effective in burning fat.
(9) Fasting normalizes insulin
sensitivity. Too much carbohydrates and sugar in the body can make insulin
resistant which will lead to chronic diseases. With fasting we keep our body
sensitive to insulin, and when its sensitivity is up we can better prevent
diabetes, cancer, and heart complications.
(10) Fasting can slow down the
ageing process. As fasting can cause the body to produce more human growth
hormone (HGH) which is closely connected to the ageing process, then fasting
can help the body age slowly.[1]
(11) Fasting con normalize ghrelin
(hunger hormone) levels. When we fast the ghrelin levels in our body become
normal, so that it becomes accurate in telling us if we are really hungry, and
we usually feel full faster than usual.
(12) Fasting decreases the
levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, thought as “bad”
cholesterol as it can block blood vessels which lead to heart diseases. It also
decreases the formation of triglycerides. But fasting does nothing to the
levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol; it is called the “good”
cholesterol, because it protects against heart disease by scavenging up the
cholesterol deposited in the blood vessels.
I. Zakāt is an obligatory charity, and
is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is mentioned in the Qur’ān after
mentioning al-Ṣalāt (the obligatory prayer). There are two kinds of Zakāt,
Zakāt al- al-Fiṭr, and Zakāt
al-Māl. (a) Zakāt al- al-Fiṭr is obligatory for every Muslim, young
and old, even baby, who has a surplus of a day’s need of himself to give to the
poor. According to the Australian National Imams Council it is $12 per person
this year 1438/2017. It has to be paid before performance of the ‘Id al-Fiṭr prayer. (b) Zakāt al-Māl is
paid for the wealth. The Australian National Imams Council has determined the niṣāb
(threshold) of it this year is 85 grams of 24 karat gold (85xA$554.70)
equals A$4,649.5. Therefore, whoever owns this minimum amount for a year (since
last year), he has to pay 2.5% of it as Zakāt al-Māl. As paying this
kind of zakat could be complicated for some, they can find in the internet some
information of how to calculate zakat or probably zakat forms which can be
filled comfortably. As the price of gold differs from one country to another,
the niṣāb of the zakat al-māl will also be different, as well as
the amount to be paid for zakat al-fiṭr.
Zakāt
is not tax. Zakāt is a spiritual act, a religious duty, whereas tax is a
requirement of secular law. Therefore, as good and pious citizens, we obey the
rules of the country where we live - in
this case Australia - by paying tax, and obey the law of Allah by paying
zakāt, which is the fourth pillar of Islam.
(Civic,
16 June, 2017)
المراجع:
المكتبة الشاملة
تفسير الطبري (ت.
310/922 (
تفسير القرطبى (611 -
671 هـ / 1214 - 1273 م (
تفسير ابن كثير (ت.
774/ 1373(
تفسير الخازن.
الزحيلى, أ.د. وهبة. الفقة
الإسلامي وأدلته. ج 3. دمشق: دار الفكر المعاصر, 1427\2006
Bin
Jamil Zeno, Shaykh Muhammad. The Pillars of Islam & Iman. Riyadh:
Dār al-Salām, 1416/1996
Al-Wasat
newspaper No. 78 (Ramadan, 1438/May, 2017)
ttp://haveenergyatanyage.com/presentation/video.php?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=803609424&gclid=COPN4_nFvNQCFYmUvQodik4KXw
[1] Prof. Prof. C.M. Child of the University of Chicago
found that in certain species of insects, insects with abundant food live in
three to four weeks. But if the food is greatly reduced or the insects are
forced to fast, they may continue to be active and young for at least three
years. This reminds us of the swarm of millions of locusts that suddenly
appeared devastating crops in Africa and Asia, but suddenly disappeared. Being
overfed, they killed themselves by eating too much. But some were not overfed,
and therefore, were not completely destroyed, and had chance to survive longer
and to breed and to threaten us again in the future. For further details, see Khuṭab I, “Fasting
and Health,” pp. 93-97.
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