5 TIPS FOR MAKING UP MISSED RAMADAN FASTS by Aasiya Maryam Bismillah Debt is one of the many reasons people worry. Imagine taking a loan from someone, with intent of returning it by the following year. Now imagine not being able to repay this loan by the due date, and it just so happens that there arises a need to take out this loan again the following year, and the year after, and so forth. What you have now is a big debt on your shoulder, which has accumulated over the years. And now you do not understand what to do about it! How do you repay such a huge loan?! While we are worried about this worldly debt, there is another debt that, if not repaid, can affect our akhirah (hereafter). A debt we owe to Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) - the debt of our missed fasts! Most of us have not been able to make up the missed fasts from the past Ramadan, whether it is due to our own personal reasons, or simply out of ignorance. We must realise that it is extremely important for us to make up these fasts because they are fard (obligatory) on us. It is an obligatory act and, in fact, we should have made them up before Ramadan of the present year. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) says in the Qur’an – The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful. (2:185) Here are 5 tips to get you started on this absolutely important task of making up your missed obligatory fasts: 1. INTENTION: Umar ibn al-Khattab relates that he heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, say, Verily actions are by intentions, and for every person is what he intended…” [Bukhari] Begin with making a strong intention to make up all your missed fasts for the sake of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala). Seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent for delaying it. Make the intention to repay this debt in order to protect your akhirah. 2. PLAN: Brainstorm and create a plan to make up these fasts. · Firstly, count the number of days you missed. If you do not remember the exact number, then approximate, add a few extra days to stay on the safe side. · Set a deadline – say 6 months or by end of the year. This is your deadline by when you must complete all the fasts. · Depending on what is preferred and convenient for you, decide how many days a week you will fast. This could be Mondays and Thursdays, the white days (13,14,15) of every month of Islamic calendar, or Dawood’s alayhissalaam fast – fasting on alternative days, etc. 3. PREPARE: Make all arrangements of what you want to eat for suhoor. Since you may be the only person fasting at home, you want to be ready for it. If you face a problem of waking up for suhoor set 3 – 4 alarms; you are sure to get up from at least one of them, inshaAllah. 4. ‘FAST’ FRIEND: I have had a tough time motivating myself to make up my missed fasts. It was not until a close friend asked me to be her “fast friend” that I was able to kick start my mission- “make up missed fasts,” alhumdulillah. In case you are facing the same problem, find a ‘fast friend’ – you can keep each other updated about the number of fasts you have left, which days you plan to fast, how you plan to make up further fasts, wake each other up for suhoor, and also give each other the required motivation to keep going when you find yourselves getting lazy again, inshaAllah! 5. MOTIVATE: I did not realize the importance of making up missed fasts until another close friend added me to her facebook group – (Sisters Only) Making Up Missed fasts of past Ramadans. It provides a lot of motivation and inspiration from other sisters to pay back the debt we owe to Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala. I urge you to join the group to help you get going, inshaAllah! Fasting during Ramadan is an obligatory act of worship, and not making up the missed fasts before the next Ramadan (without a valid reason) is a sin. So, let’s seek Allah’s subhaanahu wa ta’aala forgiveness for it and make a firm intention to make them up on time in the future, inshaAllah. May Allah forgive us and grant us ease to complete all the missed fasts.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 09:26:30 +0000
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