COMMON MISTAKES DURING RAMADAN

• Too much stress on food and drink

For some people, the entire month of Ramadan revolves around food. They spend the ENTIRE day planning, cooking, shopping and thinking about only food, instead of concentrating on Salaah, Qur’an and other acts of worship. All they can think of is FOOD. So much so that they turn the month of 'fasting' into the month of 'feasting'. Come Iftaar time, their table is a sight to see, with the multitudes and varieties of food, sweets and drinks. They are missing the very purpose of fasting, and thus, increase in their greed and desires instead of learning to control them. It is also a kind of waste & extravagance.  'and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)' [al-A'raaf :31]

• Spending all day cooking

Some of the sisters (either by their own choice or forced by their husbands) are cooking ALL day and ALL night, so that by the end of the day, they are too tired to even pray Ishaa, let alone pray Taraweeh, Tahajjud or read Qur’aan, etc.

• Eating too much

Some people stuff themselves at Suhoor until they are ready to burst, because they think this is the way to not feel hungry during the day and some people eat at Iftaar, like there is no tomorrow, trying to 'make up for the food missed.' However, this is completely against the Sunnah. Moderation is the key to everything.
The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach; for the son of Adam a few mouthfuls are sufficient to keep his back straight. If you must fill it, then one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air.' (Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani).
Too much food distracts a person from many deeds of obedience and worship, makes him lazy and also makes the heart heedless. It was said to Imam Ahmad: Does a man find any softness and humility in his heart when he is full? He said, I do not think so.
  

• Sleeping all day

Some people spend their entire day (or a major part of it) 'sleeping away their fast'. Is this what is really required of us during this noble month? These people also are missing the purpose of fasting and are slaves to their desires of comfort and ease. They cannot 'bear' to be awake and face a little hunger or exert a little self-control. For a fasting person to spend most of the day asleep is nothing but, negligence on his part.
  

• Wasting time

Other people waste away their day playing video games, or worse still, watching TV, movies or even listening to music. Subhaan Allaah! Trying to obey Allaah by DISOBEYING him!

• Fasting but not giving up evil

Some of us fast but do not give up lying, cursing, fighting, backbiting, etc. and some of us fast but do not give up cheating, stealing, dealing in haraam, buying lotto tickets, selling alcohol, fornication, etc. and we think we are sooooo good.
The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, and ignorance, Allaah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.' (Bukhaari)

• Smoking

Smoking is forbidden in Islam whether during Ramadan or outside of it, as it is one of al-Khabaa'ith (evil things).(This includes ALL eg. cigars, cigarettes, pipes, 'Sheesha' ,etc.) 'he allows them as lawful At Tayyibaat (all good and lawful things), and prohibits them as unlawful Al Khabaa'ith (all evil and unlawful things) [al-A'raaf :157]
It is harmful, not only to the one smoking, but also to the ones around him. It is also a means of wasting ones wealth.
The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'There should be no harming or reciprocating harm.' This is especially true during fasting and it invalidates the fast. (Fatwa-Ibn 'Uthaymeen)

• Skipping Suhoor

The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Eat suhoor for in suhoor there is blessing.'(Bukhaari, Muslim). And he (pbuh) said: 'The thing that differentiates between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book is eating suhoor.' (Muslim)  Stopping Suhoor at 'Imsaak' Some people stop eating Suhoor 10-15 minutes earlier than the time of Fajr to observe 'Imsaak'. Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: This is a kind of bid'ah (innovation) which has no basis in the Sunnah. Rather the Sunnah is to do the opposite. Allaah allows us to eat until dawn: 'and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night)' [al-Baqarah 2:187]
 And the Prophet (pbuh) said: '....eat and drink until you hear the adhaan of Ibn Umm Maktoom, for he does not give the adhaan until dawn comes.' This 'imsaak' which some of the people do is an addition to that which Allaah has enjoined, so it is false. It is a kind of extremism in religion, and the Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Those who go to extremes are doomed, those who go to extremes are doomed, those who go to extremes are doomed.' (Muslim)
  

• Not fasting if they missed Suhoor – Very Important

Some people are too scared to fast if they miss Suhoor. However, this is a kind of cowardice and love of ease. What is the big deal if you missed a few morsels of food? It's not like you will die. Remember, obedience to Allaah overcomes everything.

• Saying the intention to fast 'out loud' or saying a specific dua to start fasting

The intention is an action of the heart. The Muslim should resolve in his heart that he is going to fast tomorrow. It is not prescribed for him by the Shari'ah to say out loud, 'I intend to fast','I will fast tomorrow' or other phrases that have been innovated by some people. All he needs to do is to resolve in his heart that he is going to fast tomorrow. 

•  Delaying breaking fast

Some people wait until the adhaan finishes or even several minutes after that, just to be 'on the safe side'. However, the Sunnah is to hasten to break the fast, which means breaking fast right after the sun has set.
Aa'ishah said: This is what the Messenger of Allaah (pbuh) used to do. (Muslim)
The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'The people will continue to do well so long as they hasten to break the fast.' (Bukhaari, Muslim) Determine to the best of your ability, the accuracy of your clock, calendar, etc. and then have tawakkul on Allaah and break your fast exactly on time.

• Missing the golden chance of having your Dua accepted

The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be accepted at the time of breaking fast. The Prophet (pbuh) 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 Dua at this precious time, some people forego this beautiful chance, and are too busy talking, setting the food, filling their plates and glasses, etc. Food is more important to them than the chance to have their sins forgiven or the fulfillment of their 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 (pbuh) said: 'Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.'(Muslim). In fact, NONE of his good deeds will be accepted; rather, they are all annulled. al-Bukhaari narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever forsakes ‘Asr prayer, his deeds are in vain.” (al-Bukhaari, 553). What is meant by “his deeds are in vain” means that they become invalid and will not avail him anything.  This hadeeth indicates that in the case of one who does not pray, Allaah will not accept any deed from him, so the one who does not pray will not benefit at all from his deeds, and no good deeds of his will ascend to Allaah. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning the meaning of this hadeeth: “The apparent meaning of this hadeeth is that those who do not pray are of two types: those who do not pray at all, which renders all of their deeds invalid, and those who do not pray some days, which renders his deeds on that day invalid. So the loss of all good deeds happens to those who do not pray at all, and the loss of some deeds happens to those who miss some prayers.” From Kitaab al-Salaah, p. 65

• 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 is much more important than 'good grades'.

• 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 Allah alone. Mixing it with the intention of dieting is a form of Shirk.

• Fighting over the number of Raka'ah 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.'

• 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 (pbuh) said: 'Seek Lailat ul-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadaan.' (Bukhaari, Muslim).

May Allah Almighty accept our fasting and all our prayers and make us the dwellers of Paradise (Aameen).
Please include the entire Ummaah in your daily prayers (Especially the person, who wrote this awesome article).
 Anas (Radhi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam) say: "Allah the Almighty said: O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it." [at-Tirmidhi, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal]

Revelation Order of the Qur'an

Revelation Order of the Qur'an

The Qur'an was sometimes revealed to respond to various events and incidents. Sometimes it was revealed to support the Prophet (saws) who was faced with many questions, whether by Muslims or non-Muslims, and hardships. Other times was revealed for legislation and for putting rules to govern the social, economical, and political life of Muslims.
The first verses to be revealed, according to the most correct opinion of scholars, are the first five verses of Surat Al-`Alaq, which happens to be Chapter 96 of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an.

Order of Verses
Muslim scholars agree that the order of the verses in every chapter was done or commanded by the Prophet (saws) himself following the commands of Almighty Allah.
The Prophet (saws) once told his Companions after he had received a certain revelation that the arch-angel Gabriel had specified for him the particular order of verses (Ahmad).
There are also many incidents narrated in the books of Sunnah regarding the Prophet's (saws) recitation during prayer. The Companions used to pray every day behind the Prophet (saws) and he used to recite the Qur'an in the order given to him by Allah, and they used to learn and memorize from his recitation.
There have never been any incident in which any of the Companions reciting in any order that violated the order of the verses showed to us by the Prophet (saws).

Order of Surahs
As for the order of the surahs (chapters), the most accepted view is that it was also applied following an instruction given by Almighty Allah. It has been recorded that the Prophet (saws) reviewed the Qur'an with the arch-angel Gabriel 24 times all within his life.
Every year, he used to review it once during the month of Ramadan with Gabriel. During the final year of the Prophet's life, Gabriel revised the Qur'an twice with the Prophet (saws) as a way of confirming it. The Prophet (saws), in turn, used to follow this order in teaching his Companions and communicating the message to them.

Significance of Order
The question of why a surah like Surat Al-`Alaq, which was revealed first not put first in the mushaf (a physical copy of the Qur'an), this will require us to search more in the Qur'an and explore some of its secrets. A deeper look into the whole matter will show us that the order of the Qur'an has a purpose and the revelation of the Qur'an also has a purpose.
For instance, the revelation of the Qur'an responding to specific problems or incidents carries the purpose of solving these problems or providing guidance in these incidents.
During the first 13 years of Islam, the main task of the Prophet (saws) was to call people to Islam based on the Qur'anic revelations that focused on the Oneness of Allah and righteous conduct.
When Muslims migrated to Madinah and an Islamic community started to be well-established and new challenges emerged, the main focus of the revelation was to regulate the life of Muslims through detailing the rulings pertaining to different acts of worship and setting punishments for crimes and so on.
This shows us that the revelation in each of the two stages has a purpose. When the revelation stage was completed, the whole Qur'an was there and the whole message was put in the order that was intended for it to stay till the Day of Judgment.

Explanation of Order
Such an order serves in delivering the message the Qur'an is put for, as it has got another purpose.
If you look at the first surah of the Qur'an, namely Al-Fatihah, you can perceive that it acts as a summary for the structure and the message of the Book (Qur'an) ahead of every reader.
Being Umm Al-Qur'an (the Mother of the Qur'an), it carries all its themes; it summarizes them. It tells us who Allah is: the source of all love and mercy. Therefore, knowing who He is, we should be thankful to Him and worship Him alone. We should seek His help, and He has all the power to give us whatever we need. It makes it clear that Allah is the only One Who can really guide. It speaks about life after death and the consequences of human action and behavior.
The same holds true for Surat Al-Baqarah. The first verses speak about the fact that this Book is above all doubts and it is beyond the abilities of doubters to try to challenge its validity. Then it gives a hint on its main theme — guiding the righteous — and then goes on to speak about the beginning of creation and the story of Adam to establish the theme that humankind is here on earth as a vicegerent of the Creator and should use the Book as a manual to carry out the mission in the right way.
All these themes and messages cannot be carried except through this logical order in which Allah commanded for the Qur'an to be put. If a surah like Al-`Alaq was to be put at the beginning instead of Al-Fatihah, it could have given a significance of course and give a message, but not the exact fully wonderful message that we can get from the order of the Qur'an as it is now.

Why Al-`Alaq in the Current Order?
As for why Surat Al-`Alaq is mentioned in this specific order in the Qur'an, scholars hold the view that in the previous surah of At-Tin, Allah says what means that He has created humans in the best make (At-Tin 95:4). The details of that creation are cited in Surat Al-`Alaq:
*{Read in the name of your Lord Who created. Created humans, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood.}* (Al-`Alaq 96:1-2)

Revelation Order of the Qur'an

Revelation Order	Surah Number	Surah Name	Arabic Name	Total Verses	Revelation Place
1	96	Alaq		19	Macca
2	68	Qalam		52	Macca
3	73	Muzammil		20	Macca
4	74	Mudathir		56	Macca
5	1	Fatehah		7	Macca
6	111	Lahab		5	Macca
7	81	Takwir		29	Macca
8	87	A'la		19	Macca
9	92	Leyl		21	Macca
10	89	Fajr		30	Macca
11	93	Duha		11	Macca
12	94	Inshira		8	Macca
13	103	Asr		3	Macca
14	100	Aadiyat		11	Macca
15	108	Kauthar		3	Macca
16	102	Takatur		8	Macca
17	107	Alma'un		7	Macca
18	109	Kafirun		6	Macca
19	105	Fil		5	Macca
20	113	Falaq		5	Macca
21	114	Nas		6	Macca
22	112	Iklas		4	Macca
23	53	Najm		62	Macca
24	80	Abasa		42	Macca
25	97	Qadr		5	Macca
26	91	Shams		15	Macca
27	85	Buruj		22	Macca
28	95	T'in		8	Macca
29	106	Qureysh		4	Macca
30	101	Qariah		11	Macca
31	75	Qiyamah		40	Macca
32	104	Humazah		9	Macca
33	77	Mursalat		50	Macca
34	50	Q'af		45	Macca
35	90	Balad		20	Macca
36	86	Tariq		17	Macca
37	54	Qamr		55	Macca
38	38	Sad		88	Macca
39	7	A'Raf		206	Macca
40	72	Jinn		28	Macca
41	36	Ya'sin		83	Macca
42	25	Furqan		77	Macca
43	35	Fatir		45	Macca
44	19	Maryam		98	Macca
45	20	Ta Ha		135	Macca
46	56	Waqiah		96	Macca
47	26	Shuara		227	Macca
48	27	Naml		93	Macca
49	28	Qasas		88	Macca
50	17	Bani Israil		111	Macca
51	10	Yunus		109	Macca
52	11	Hud		123	Macca
53	12	Yousuf		111	Macca
54	15	Hijr		99	Macca
55	6	Anam		165	Macca
56	37	Saffat		182	Macca
57	31	Luqman		34	Macca
58	34	Saba		54	Macca
59	39	Zumar		75	Macca
60	40	Mumin		85	Macca
61	41	Hamim Sajdah		54	Macca
62	42	Shura		53	Macca
63	43	Zukhruf		89	Macca
64	44	Dukhan		59	Macca
65	45	Jathiyah		37	Macca
66	46	Ahqaf		35	Macca
67	51	Dhariyat		60	Macca
68	88	Ghashiya		26	Madina
69	18	Kahf		110	Macca
70	16	Nahl		128	Macca
71	71	Noah		28	Macca
72	14	Ibrahim		52	Macca
73	21	Anbiya		112	Macca
74	23	Muminun		118	Macca
75	32	Sajdah		30	Macca
76	52	Tur		49	Macca
77	67	Mulk		30	Macca
78	69	Haqqah		52	Macca
79	70	Maarij		44	Macca
80	78	Naba		40	Macca
81	79	Naziat		46	Macca
82	82	Infitar		19	Macca
83	84	Inshiqaq		25	Macca
84	30	Rum		60	Macca
85	29	Ankabut		85	Macca
86	83	Tatfif		36	Macca
87	2	Baqarah		286	Madina
88	8	Anfal		75	Madina
89	3	Aal-e-Imran		200	Madina
90	33	Ahzab		73	Madina
91	60	Mumtahana		13	Madina
92	4	Nisa		176	Madina
93	99	Zilzal		8	Macca
94	57	Hadid		29	Madina
95	47	Muhammad		38	Madina
96	13	Ra'd		43	Madina
97	55	Rahman		78	Macca
98	76	Dahr		31	Madina
99	65	Talaq		12	Madina
100	98	Beyinnah		8	Madina
101	59	Hashr		24	Madina
102	24	Nur		64	Madina
103	22	Hajj		78	Madina
104	63	Munafiqun		11	Madina
105	58	Mujadila		22	Madina
106	49	Hujurat		18	Madina
107	66	Tahrim		12	Madina
108	64	Taghabun		18	Madina
109	61	Saff		14	Madina
110	62	Jumah		11	Madina
111	48	Fath		29	Madina
112	5	Maidah		120	Madina
113	9	Taubah		129	Madina
114	110	Nasr		3	Madina