The Command to Fast

Filed under: Quran,Ramadaan,ibn Kathir — al Ghurabaa

The Command to Fast
ibn Kathir

183. 0 you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may acquire Taqwa

184. Fast for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g., an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskin (poor person) (for every day). But whoever does good of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast is better for you if only you know.

The Order to Fast
In an address to the believers of this Ummah, Allah ordered them to fast, that is, to abstain from food, drink and sexual activity with the intention of doing so sincerely for Allah the Exalted alone. This is because fasting purifies the souls and cleanses them from the evil that might mix with them and their ill behavior. Allah mentioned that He has ordained fasting for Muslims just as He ordained it for those before them, they being an example for them in that, so they should vigorously perform this obligation more obediently than the previous nations.

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The Etiquette of Women Walking in the Street

Filed under: Women,ibn Kathir — al Ghurabaa

The Etiquette of Women Walking in the Street
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Allah’s saying: (And let them not stamp their feet…)

During Jahiliyyah, when women walked in the street wearing anklets and no one could hear them, they would stamp their feet so that men could hear their anklets ringing. Allah forbade the believing women to do this.

By the same token, if there is any other kind of adornment that is hidden, women are forbidden to make any movements that would reveal what is hidden, because Allah says: (And let them not stamp their feet…) to the end of it.

From that, women are also prohibited from wearing scent and perfume when they are going outside the home, lest men should smell their perfume. Abu `Isa At-Tirmidhi recorded that Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet said:

(Every eye commits fornication and adultery, and when a woman puts on perfume and passes through a gathering, she is such and such) — meaning an adulteress.

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