Having to care for kids, to cook and feed everyone their iftar and suhur meals, and then not being able to pray and fast during the days of menstruation…These factors lead some women to feel as if they are missing the blessings and benefits of Ramadan. The idea that women simply cannot catch up with men is so engrained in the modern Western mind that some modernist type Muslim activists will even encourage menstruating women to pray and fast in Ramadan if they feel up to it. The idea is that women can take charge of their Ramadan schedule on their own terms and not be compelled to miss out on anything that men are able to take part in.
In this episode, we talk about the fact that the worship of Ramadan is defined not by men or women’s standards, but by Allah’s standards. As we see in the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, “Whoever fasts Ramadan, out of faith (iman) and expecting reward (ihtisaban), will have his previous sins forgiven” (Bukhari, 38). The phrase “out of faith and expecting reward” is a key condition here. As a commentator on the hadith explains, this phrase means that one should fast in Ramadan: “1) out of belief in the command to do so, 2) knowing its obligation, 3) fearing the punishment for neglecting it, and 4) and hoping for the great reward of fasting.” The commentator goes on to explain that “these are the characteristics of a believer, i.e. one who has iman” (المرادُ مَن صامه تصديقًا بالأمرِ به، عالِمًا بوجوبِه، خائفًا مِن عقابِ تركِه، محتسِبًا جزيلَ الأجرِ في صومِه، وهذه صفةُ المؤمِنِ al-Durar al-Saniyya).
What does this hadith then tell us about women and how they feel about the fasting and all the other work they do during Ramadan? The main point is: do it for Allah, and you will not be disappointed. We simply need to turn our focus toward the fact that it is Allah who has blessed Ramadan, and it is He who will recompense every Muslim according to their degree of striving. In this way, the tediousness of cooking and feeding, and even the ritually preventative nature of menstruation end up having great positive value in the life and worship of a believing woman.
This episode references Ustadha Sadaf Khan Ahmad’s article on women’s worship in Ramadan, available soon on the Sila Initiative’s website (thesilainitiative.org).
TEXT IN FOCUS:
عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ رَمَضَانَ شَهْرٌ افْتَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ صِيَامَهُ وَإِنِّي سَنَنْتُ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ قِيَامَهُ فَمَنْ صَامَهُ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا خَرَجَ مِنْ الذُّنُوبِ كَيَوْمِ وَلَدَتْهُ أُمُّهُ
Abdur Rahman ibn Awf reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, Ramadan is a month in which Allah Almighty has obligated its fasting. I have instituted for Muslims the practice of prayer at night. Thus, whoever fasts it with faith and expecting reward will be rid of sins like the day he was born from his mother.”
Source: Musnad Aḥmad 1688
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