The Spirit of

“O you who believe, is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you become self vigilant.” (The Holy , 2:183)

Fasting in the of Ramadan is one of the foundational pillars of . The month of fasting, reflecting and boosting the spiritual immune system through building a connection with the Qur’an which is and should be the guidance for all of mankind. Being revealed in this month there is evidently a special connection between the two which we should search for by listening and reading the Quran.

The benefits of fasting and its importance are many:

• To attain purity of the body and soul • To submit to Allah • Guard against evil and sinful acts • Develop and consolidate self-control on desires • Refrain from hurtful habits like anger and guarding the tongue

We refrain from in order to strengthen our souls, refrain from evil and sinful acts and to experience and feel the hunger of the poor. We try to increase our good deeds and show more sympathy towards the needy by showing generosity towards His creation, feeding the hungry and sheltering the destitute; and by this doing this we learn to appreciate Allah’s generosity in feeding, sheltering and clothing us. As you break your fast in the evening you keep a portion for the poor and needy. The rewards for giving charity in the month of Ramadan is multiplied to seventy folds for every penny you give in charity.

One of the main aims of fasting is to keep a check on our greed and controlling our lusts. We must try to refrain from all evil acts and acts which may hurt others. We must also submit ourselves totally to our Creator thanking Him for what He has given us and making a practical resolution to improve our connection with him and keep a strong security on our hearts, minds, eyes, ears and the rest of our body.

The reward for such fasting is that Allah will reward us Himself from His endless bounties. The aim of fasting is to develop a level of purity of the heart where there is no room for evil intents, tyrannical aims or such a behaviour that is deemed undesirable in Allah's sight or contradicts the concept of Islam which means complete and unquestioning to Allah and His messenger.

There is also great reward for studying, reading and listening to Quran recitations in this month and keeping our tongues moist with remembrance of allah (zikr)

May Allah grants us the opportunity of His pleasure in this month, accept our weak and small endeavours and strengthen our resolve to live the aims and objectives of fating Ramadan throughout our lives.

Please pray for a successful and praiseworthy life for yourselves, your families and friends. Also pray for the worldwide and the whole humanity, not forgetting your deceased parents and for fathers. Also pray that Allah removes the pandemic of Coronavirus and protects all people from this and other that threaten human life on this earth. Ramadan Mubarak!

Ramadan Timetable 1441AH – 2020AD

Fasting Islamic Date Fasting Day Starts at/Fajr Date* April/May End Time time Fri 1 24 04:07 08:16 Sat 2 25 04:05 08:18 Sun 3 26 04:03 08:19 Mon 4 27 04:00 08:21 Tue 5 28 03:58 08:23 Wed 6 29 03:57 08:24 Thu 7 30 03:54 08:26 Fri 8 1 03:51 08:28 Sat 9 2 03:49 08:29 Sun 10 3 03:46 08:31 Mon 11 4 03:44 08:32 Tue 12 5 03:41 08:34 Wed 13 6 03:40 08:36 Thu 14 7 03:37 08:37 Fri 15 8 03:35 08:39 Sat 16 9 03:33 08:40 Sun 17 10 03:31 08:42 Mon 18 11 03:28 08:43 Tue 19 12 03:27 08:45 Wed 20 13 03:24 08:47 Thu 21 14 03:23 08:48 Fri 22 15 03:20 08:50 Sat 23 16 03:19 08:51 Sun 24 17 03:16 08:53 Mon 25 18 03:15 08:54 Tue 26 19 03:13 08:55 Wed 27 20 03:11 08:57 2sun

*Islamic dates are subject to the sighting of the moon. Pease check with your local .

You can download this timetable here.

You may also contact the University Imam on: Tel: 020 7040 4218 or email: [email protected]

NOTES

Ramadan 1- Fasting in Ramadan is mandatory on every man and woman from the age of sexual maturity.

2- Fasting means that food or liquid must not pass your throat during fasting hours.

3- You are permitted to swallow your saliva.

4- Particular care should be taken when performing Wudhu that no water passes down the throat.

5- If you have swallowed some food or water unknowingly, you are permitted to continue fasting.

6- The end time is exactly the fajr starting time.

7- The night of Qadr will fall in the last ten day of the Ramadan. Either 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th of Ramadan. Everyone must try to take advantage of these nights.

Zakat ulFitr

Zakat ulFitr is £7.00 per head. It must be paid before the end of Ramadan.

Taraweeh You can perform this in your home. You can do eight, twelve or twenty rakaa individually or with your family.

I’tekaf (Retreat) To retreat for the last 10 days is Sunnah. You can perform your I’tekaf in your room on the payer mat. As assessments would be online you do not need to move from your prayer mat meaning you can still do the online assessment duringI’tekaf.

Covid-19

If you feel the covid-19 symptom arise, such as in your respiratory system, break your fast without delay.

School of Health Sciences students

Muslim students and staff from the School of Health Sciences who are taking care of Covid-19 patients, are advised against fasting in Ramadan due to the danger of dehydration. You can however, feed a needy person in lieu of fasting.