Fasting in Ramadan is a gift from God to help us grow our souls. It teaches us self-control, improves our health, and makes us more appreciative of God.
God wants for us convenience, not hardship in practicing our religion, so He has designed the system of fasting in a way that can help us comfortably fulfill our obligations to Him. All the details we need about fasting are in the Quran (2:183-187). Unfortunately, Muslims around the world have violated the essence of fasting by innovating several harsh and impractical rules that were never decreed by God.
Here are some of the violations frequently committed by Muslims during Ramadan.
Zakat is given only once a year in Ramadan
Zakat is an obligatory charity which God says in Quran verse 6:141, must be given on the “day of harvest.” An example of “day of harvest” is when a person receives his or her salary.
However, despite this clear commandment in the Quran, most Muslims give their Zakat only once a year during the month of Ramadan!
God says that He specifies His mercy for those who give the Zakat (7:156). Therefore, to have our Zakat accepted by God and receive His mercy, it is important to give it in the way God has decreed it to be given.
We can appreciate God’s wisdom in designing Zakat to be given regularly by considering the following:
The new moon must be sighted to start and end fasting
Did you grow up hearing that the new moon must first be seen to confirm the beginning and end of fasting in Ramadan? If we study the Quran, we learn that it's not required. God has given us precise astronomy to calculate phases of the moon (Quran 6:96, 10:5, 17:12, etc.). If we rely on seeing the moon physically, we’re subject to many problems including that the brightness of the sun or cloudy atmospheric conditions often prevent the new moon from being seen on the day it is born. Because of this, we may actually end up fasting on the wrong day! For an explanation about this subject, see our video, “Sighting of moon not required to begin and end fasting in Ramadan.”
Fasting must be for 30 days
The start and end of a lunar month is determined by the birth of the new moon before or after sunset on a particular day. God designed the new moon to appear approximately every 29.5 days which causes some years to have 29 days of fasting and some 30. Some Muslims mistakenly believe that you must always keep 30 fasts every year. So even if Ramadan is actually 29 days for their location in a particular year, they were taught to fast an additional day in the month before or after Ramadan. God designed the lunar months, and nowhere in the Quran do we see that we must fast 30 days if the month is 29 days.
Extra Salat and Tarawih prayers
God has instituted only five daily Contact Prayers (Salat) which are done in the specific Salat format (2:238, 11:114, 17:78, & 24:58). We should submit to God and do exactly as He says. Adding extra Salat Prayers such as “Witr” “Sunnat” and “Tahajjud” therefore is an innovation. Further, “Tahajjud” means meditation on God, which God encourages you to do regularly, not only in Ramadan. There are also no specific “Tarawih” prayers and activities that God has decreed to be done in Masjids during Ramadan.
The fast must be broken with salt or dates
Some people say that the fast can only be ended by eating dates, olives, or with a pinch of salt. Or that having dates from Mecca or Medina are better because those dates have more religious value. These teachings have no basis in Quran. All good provisions are from God. In the Quran, God has clearly pointed out what foods He has prohibited (5:3, 6:145). Other than these foods, you are free to begin and end your fast with any food or drink you want!
The fast must be broken before the sunset prayer
Another incorrect belief is that the fast must be broken before doing the Sunset Contact Prayer (Salat Al-Maghrib). Salat and fasting are two independent religious duties. There is no requirement that the fast must be broken before the sunset prayer. You can break your fast either before or after the prayer.
You cannot swallow saliva, use skin creams or watch TV
There's a belief that it’s sinful to swallow saliva or use skin creams or watch TV during fasting. These are not Quranic rules. Let’s logically look at the matter. During fasting, we do not consume food or drink. Saliva is not food nor a drink. It is simply a natural biological product of the mouth. Many Muslims completely miss the spirit of fasting by focusing on innovated rules such as not swallowing their saliva during their fast. All this does is makes them feel uncomfortable, thirsty and tired. If the idea behind fasting was to feel thirsty and uncomfortable, why do some of those who fast, use fans or air-conditioners to feel cool?
Similarly, skin creams and deodorants are not food. They are used for hygiene or health purposes. They do not get absorbed by the skin and enter your digestive system, so you can use them as required to care for your body.
Likewise, watching TV in Ramadan does not nullify fasting. If you can watch TV during the rest of the year, you can watch TV during Ramadan. What we must keep in mind is that whatever we do, nothing must distract us from remembering God and fulfilling our obligations to Him.
Preventing non-fasting people from eating in public
The Quran teaches us that there is no compulsion in religion (2:256). Every country will have people who do not follow God’s system of Islam defined in the Quran, and therefore they do not fast. There will also be those who follow Islam (Submission) but are unable to fast for some reason. Whether people fast or not, laws cannot be instituted to prevent or punish those who eat or sell food during the day in Ramadan. Such laws violate the principle of freedom of religion.
Doing Salat, Umrah, and giving charity in Ramadan are more holy
Observing the Salat (Contact Prayers) and reading Quran are daily requirements for all Muslims, so they may develop their souls constantly (2:238, 14:31, 17:78, 73:20). Doing these activities exclusively in Ramadan does not demonstrate true submission to God.
Umrah can be done anytime and is equally valid in whichever month it is performed. Likewise, there is no extra benefit of giving charity in Ramadan. Since the poor have ongoing needs, God encourages constant acts of charity and rewards you for it, every time you give it. (2:270, 2:274). In fact, families or institutions that receive charity in Ramadan, often report surplus receipt of provisions. It is not always possible to consume everything together, so food is often wasted, and extra clothing and other donations end up being hoarded rather than being used by someone else.
Traveling to escape fasting
God has allowed those who cannot fast in Ramadan due to illness or travel, to make up their fasts on other days (2:184-5). Some Muslims abuse this provision by deliberately travelling in Ramadan to avoid fasting. If a person is capable of fasting but needs to travel in Ramadan, it is that person’s responsibility to make good the missed fasts at another time. God knows the intention of those who cannot fast during Ramadan for whatever reason.
Women cannot fast during menstruation
Scholars have falsely claimed that Muslim women cannot fast or observe their Salat during their menstruation. This false idea denies women the equal opportunity to develop their souls. Nowhere in the Quran does God prohibit women from performing any religious duty or act of worship during menstruation. Strangely, women are allowed to stay awake all night to commemorate God during the 27th night of Ramadan (Laylat Al-Qadr or “Night of Destiny”). If they can participate in this great act of worship throughout the night during their menstruation, what is the logic of not being allowed to fast or do their Salat during menstruation in Ramadan, or any other time?
“Eid” prayers and celebrations
When Ramadan ends, people hold feasts with friends and family to celebrate completion of a month of fasting. Some make new clothes for this occasion and prepare special dishes associated with the completion of Ramadan fasting. These are social or cultural celebrations, not religious requirements.
Also, as mentioned earlier, there are no Salat (Contact) Prayers other than the five daily prayers. Therefore, there is also no “Eid Salat” which is a short congregational prayer observed by traditional Muslims in local masjids on the morning after Ramadan ends.
Besides the violations mentioned here, there may be more violations committed by Muslims all over the world during Ramadan These violations are a result of not following Quran, but instead, following conjecture, hearsay and false religious sources such as the Hadith and Sunnah. The Hadith and Sunnah are falsehoods attributed to prophet Muhammad about 200 years after his death. They were never decreed by the prophet, who strictly followed the Quran alone, and never asked anyone to follow any religious source except the Quran.
By following other sources besides the Quran, Muslims make the religion difficult for themselves and also create a very wrong impression about the religion that discourages people from wanting to consider Islam (Submission).
The month of fasting is a powerful system to teach many lessons in self-improvement. The more pious actions and consciously good behavior exhibited during Ramadan should be continued consistently throughout the year.