Safahat Ramadaniyya
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dar al-Ma'athir
Safahat Ramadaniyya (Ramadan Pages) is an Islamic treatise on the virtues, history, and rulings of the month of Ramadan and fasting by the contemporary Saudi scholar Abd al-Karim bin Sunitan al-Omari .
Purpose and Themes
The work is structured as a thematic guide aimed at reminding Muslims of the spiritual value of Ramadan and encouraging them to seize its season of obedience through fasting, prayer, repentance, and charitable deeds . It combines legal explanations (fiqh) with spiritual exhortation, citing Quranic verses, prophetic traditions, and reports from early Muslim figures (salaf) .
Content and Structure
The book addresses multiple subjects related to the sacred month, including:
- Etymology and Definitions: It examines the linguistic origins of the name Ramadan—deriving from ramad and ramda', denoting intense heat or the burning away of sins—its Arabic plural forms (such as ramadanat and ramadin), and the various descriptive titles given to the month . It also defines fasting (siyam) both linguistically as restraint and legally as abstaining from physical nullifiers from dawn to sunset, emphasizing that true fasting requires refraining from foul speech, falsehood, backbiting, and disputation .
- History of Legislation: It outlines the historical inception of fasting in Islam, noting that its obligation was instituted on Monday, the second of Sha'ban in the second year of the Hijra . It details the gradual stages of its prescription, from an initial choice between fasting and paying a redemption fee (fidyah) to a definitive obligation, as well as the early ruling where the fast commenced after the night prayer or upon sleeping until the ruling was alleviated .
- Virtues and Spiritual Exhortation: It discusses prophetic glad tidings upon the arrival of Ramadan, the special merits granted to the Muslim community during the month, and warnings against breaking the fast without a valid excuse .
- Acts of Worship in Ramadan: It covers major devotional practices associated with the month, such as the Tarawih night prayers (qiyam), the performance of Umrah in Ramadan and its distinctive reward, and the rulings and social wisdom of the end-of-fast charity (zakat al-fitr) distributed prior to the Eid prayer .
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