From: Mohammad Usman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Giving charity in the last ten days of Ramadan
To: "Mohammad Usman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Saturday, 20 September, 2008, 8:08 AM
Al-salaamu alaykum wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu
(Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings).
Welcome to the e-mail list of the Islam Q&A website. There follows a list of today’s new questions
1. If he gives iftaar to a rich relative, he will have the reward of one who gives iftaar to a fasting person.
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http://islamqa.com/en/ref/50047
I hope that you can tell me whether giving iftaar to a relative of mine who is well off is included in the hadeeth, “Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting…”?.
Praise be to Allaah.
This hadeeth was narrated by al-Tirmidhi (807) from Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the reward of the one who fasted.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
This hadeeth is general in meaning and applies to all who fast, whether they are rich or poor. It also includes relatives and others.
See Fayd al-Qadeer by al-Manaawi, commentary on hadeeth no. 8890.
Indeed, giving iftaar to a fasting person who is a relative may bring a greater reward, because by doing so you may earn the reward of giving iftaar to one who is fasting and of upholding the ties of kinship, so long as the one who is not a relative is not a poor person who cannot find any food with which to break his fast, in which case giving him iftaar will bring a greater reward because that will be meeting his needs.
By the same token, giving charity to a poor relative brings a greater reward than giving charity to a poor person who is not a relative.
Al-Tirmidhi (658) and Ibn Maajah (1844) narrated that Salmaan ibn ‘Aamir al-Dabiy said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Charity given to a poor person is charity, but charity given to a relative is two things: charity and upholding the ties of kinship.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.
Al-Haafiz said in Fath al-Baari:
It is not necessarily the case that a gift given to a relative is better in all situations, because there is the possibility that a poor person may be in desperate need and the other person (the relative) may not need it at all.
Conclusion:
Giving iftaar to a relative comes under the meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his,” and giving him iftaar may bring a greater reward than giving iftaar to one who is not a relative, or it may be the opposite, depending of the needs of those concerned and the interests served by giving him iftaar.
And Allaah knows best.
2. Giving charity in the last ten days of Ramadaan .
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http://islamqa.com/en/ref/37720
Is it better to give in charity in the last ten days of Ramadaan, or to spend the nights of those days in prayer and dhikr which is the only special thing about those nights?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning staying up at night during the last ten nights of Ramadaan is that those nights should be spent in prayer and dhikr.
Charity during Ramadaan is better than charity at other times, but we do not know of anything in the Sunnah to indicate that giving charity in the last ten days is better.
But the scholars stated that righteous deeds are better when done at times of virtue, and undoubtedly the last ten nights of Ramadaan are better than any other nights, because Laylat al-Qadr is among them, which is better than a thousand months.
Whatever the case, what is prescribed for the Muslim is to give a great deal of charity throughout Ramadaan. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most generous of people and he was at his most generous during Ramadaan. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6; Muslim, 2308
And Allaah knows best.
3. Conditions of I’tikaaf .
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http://islamqa.com/en/ref/12411
What are the conditions of i'tikaaf? Is fasting one of them? Is it permissible for the mu’takif (person in i’tikaaf) to visit one who is sick, or to accept an invitation, or to attend to his family’s needs, or to attend a funeral, or to go to work?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is prescribed to observe i’tikaaf in a mosque in which prayers in congregation are held. If the mu’takif is one of those for whom Jumu’ah is obligatory and the period of his i’tikaaf will include a Friday, it is better for him to stay in a mosque where Jumu’ah prayer is observed.
It is not a condition for him or her to be fasting.
The Sunnah is for the mu’takif not to visit any sick person during his i'tikaaf, or to accept any invitation, attend to his family’s needs, attend any funeral or go to work outside the mosque, because it was proven that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The Sunnah for the mu’takif is not to visit any sick person, or attend any funeral, or touch or be intimate with any woman, or go out for any reason except those which cannot be avoided.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2473.
Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas, Fataawa al-Lajnah, 10/410
We ask Allah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allah grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions! (Ameen)
