Common mistakes made during Ramadan
Missing the golden chance of having your Du'a accepted
The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be accepted at the time of breaking fast.
:The Prophet (sal allaahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said
:Three prayers are not rejected '
,the prayer of a father
,the prayer of a fasting person
and the prayer of a traveler.' (al-Bayhaqi, Saheeh by al-Albaani). Instead of sitting down and
making Du'a at this precious time, some people forego this beautiful chance, and are too busy
frying samosas, talking, setting the food, filling their plates and glasses, etc. Think about it....Is
food more important than the chance to have your sins forgiven or the fulfillment of your
.Duas
Fasting but not praying
The fasting of one who does not pray WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. This is because not praying
constitutes kufr as the Prophet (sal allaahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said: 'Between a man and shirk
and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.' (Sahih Muslim)
In fact, NONE of his good deeds will be accepted; rather, they are all annulled. 'Whoever does
not pray 'Asr, his good deeds will be annulled.' (Sahih al Bukhaari)
Fasting and not wearing Hijaab
Not wearing the Hijaab is a major sin as it is obligatory for Muslim women. (See Al Qur'aan,
Surah Nur 24:31, Surah Ahzaab: 33:59). So fasting and not wearing hijaab certainly takes away
.enormously from the rewards of fasting, even if does not invalidate it
Not fasting because of exams or work
Exams or work is NOT one of the excuses allowed by the Shari'ah to not fast. You can do your
studying and revision at night if it is too hard to do that during the day. Also remember that
pleasing and obeying ALLAAH SWT is much more important than 'good grades'. Besides, if
you will fulfil your obligation to fast, even if you have to study, ALLAAH SWT will make it easy
for you and help you in everything you do. 'Whosoever fears ALLAAH, He will appoint for him
a way out and provide for him from where he does not expect, ALLAAH is Sufficient for
whosoever puts his trust in Him.' (Al Qur'aan, Surah at-Talaaq 65:2-3)
Mixing fasting and dieting
DO NOT make the mistake of fasting with the Intention to diet. That is one of the biggest
mistakes some of us make (esp. sisters). Fasting is an act of worship and can only be for the
sake of ALLAAH Alone. Otherwise, mixing it with the intention of dieting may become a form
.of (minor) Shirk
Fighting over the number of Rakaah of Taraweeh
There is no specific number of rak'ahs for Taraweeh prayer, rather it is permissible to do a
little or a lot. Both 8 and 20 are okay. Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: 'No one should be
denounced for praying eleven or twenty-three (raka'ah), because the matter is broader in
scope than that, praise be to ALLAAH.' Having said that, 8 raka'ah is best as it is The Sunnah
:of Prophet saws [+3 witr = 11 raka'ah]
Narrated Abu Salama ibn Abdur Rahman (ra) that he asked Aa'ishah (may ALLAAH be pleased
with her), "How was the prayer of ALLAAH's Apostle (peace be upon him) in Ramadhaan?" She
replied, "He did not pray more than eleven raka'at in Ramadhaan or in any other month. He
used to pray four raka'at - let alone their beauty and length - and then he would pray four - let
alone their beauty and length - and then he would pray three rak'aat (witr)." She added, "I
asked, 'O Allah's Apostle! Do you sleep before praying the witr?' He replied, 'O Aisha, My eyes
.sleep but my heart does not sleep.'" (Sahih al Bukhari, 3/230, English edn)
Praying ONLY on the night of the 27th
Some people pray ONLY on the 27th to seek Lailat ul-Qadr, neglecting all other odd nights,
although the Prophet (sal allaahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said: 'Seek Lailat ul-Qadr among the odd
.numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadhaan.' (Sahih Bukhaari; Sahih Muslim)
Wasting the last part of Ramadhaan preparing for Eid
Some people waste the entire last 10 days of Ramadaan preparing for Eid, shopping and
frequenting malls, etc. neglecting Ibadah and Lailatul Qadr, although, the Prophet (sal allaahu
alaiyhi wa sallam) used to strive the hardest during the last ten days of Ramadhaan in worship
(Sahih Muslim; Musnad Ahmad) and not in shopping. Buy whatever you need for Eid before
Ramadhaan so that you can utilise the time in Ramadhaan to the max. Aa'ishah (ra) said:
"When the (last) ten nights began, the Messenger of ALLAAH (sal allaahu alaiyhi wa sallam)
would tighten his waist-wrapper (i.e. strive hard in worship or refrain from intimacy with his
.wives), stay awake at night and wake his family." (Sahih al Bukhaari; Sahih Muslim)
Iftaar parties
Although inviting each other for breaking fast is something good and encouraged, some
people go to extremes with lavish 'Iftaar parties' with all sorts of disobedience to ALLAAH
SWT, from flirting, mixing of the sexes and hijaab-less women, to show-off and extravagance,
.to heedlessness to Salaah, and Taraweeh to even music and dancing
