Jawal Zad SMS 18

1) Sahoor is a blessing, even if it is only a sip of water. The best food of sahoor is dates. It can only be called sahoor if it occurs in the second part of the night. Eating sahoor involves being different from the People of the Book, and it helps one to worship Allah by fasting and getting up for Fajr prayer. It is Sunnah to delay Sahoor.

2) There is nothing wrong with smelling pleasant fragrances when one is fasting, but one should not inhale incense deeply. Beware of things that may kindle one's desires and spoil the fast, such as speaking, looking repeatedly, or touching. Remember the hadeeth qudsi which praises the fasting person: "He gives up his desire (and according to one version: his wife) for My sake."

3) Having a blood sample taken, if it is a small amount that does not weaken the body, does not break the fast, but if it is a large amount that does cause weakness, then it breaks the fast as cupping does. Based on this, donating blood breaks the fast so it should only be done if it is necessary and that day should be made up.

4) When breaking the fast, the fasting person experiences joy for several reasons: what was forbidden of food and drink has now become permissible, he was able to do an act of worship and complete the day, he breaks the fast with things that Allah has permitted, and he follows the Sunnah by hastening to break the fast, and he is granted a prayer to be answered when he breaks the fast.

5) Allah has honoured us in Ramadan by chaining up the devils, opening the gates of Paradise, closing the gates of Hell and multiplying the reward. Fasting will intercede for a person and protect him from Hell, and admit him to Paradise through the gate of al-Rayyan. If someone were to ask why sins occur during Ramadan when the devils are chained? The answer is that it is the maarids (most of evil jinn) that are chained up, not every devil. And it was said that the chains weaken their movements but do not prevent their whispering (waswaas). If we add to that the devils among mankind, and the self which is inclined towards evil, then we will know the reason why sins happen in Ramadan, although evil is still less at this time.