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Ramadan is the name of the Islamic month which Muslims fast. It’s very likely that this will come during your work year. We will look at things we can do to help us fast whilst working.

1.      The Islamic calendar is based on the lunar calendar and the sighting of the moon, and therefore moves ten to eleven days each year. Therefore, there will be times when Ramadan is in the summer and times when it is in the winter.

2.      In Ramadan, we fast the daylight hours. This means we refrain from eating, drinking and other things which are consumed such as smoking.

3.      Ramadan is also a time when we (especially) improve our character and refrain from bad characteristics such as lying and backbiting.

4.      It’s a good idea to start fasting during the month before Ramadan begins so that we can train our bodies to get used to the fasting process.

5.      You may find the first few days difficult but your body will soon get used to the new routine.

6.      It is highly recommended to have a pre-dawn meal. This is also a good time to drink plenty so as to keep hydrated throughout the day.

7.      If the fast opening time which is at sunset is during work hours, you can use your comfort break for this, or depending on your job delay your lunch break to this time. You don’t necessarily need to eat a full meal at this time, just enough to rehydrate and sustain yourself until you can have dinner.

8.      If at any point in this month you fall ill or travel you can miss that day of fasting. You can then make this day up after Ramadan.

9.      Pregnant and nursing women likewise have an exemption from fasting and make the days up at a later time.

God has not informed anyone of the exact timing of the Day of Judgement. This is knowledge He has kept with Himself. However, God has given us signs which show the nearness of the Day of Judgement. God says, “What are the disbelievers waiting for, other than the Hour which will come upon them unawares? Its signs are already here, but once the Hour has actually arrived, what use will it be then to take heed?” [47:18]

Therefore, God tells us to take heed of the signs of the Day of Judgement so that we can ensure we are working towards what pleases God. There are many signs of the Day of Judgement, however they can generally be split into minor and major signs. The minor signs are many and are those which are events and changes that occur well before the Day of Judgement and continue up to it.

The coming of the Messenger Muhammad and his death were from the first minor signs of the Day of Judgement. Since then, they have been occurring. A sign of the Day of Judgement does not necessarily mean that it is evil but prophecies which show to us the truthfulness of the Messenger Muhammad and remind us to prepare for the Day of Judgement.

Other minor signs of the Day of Judgement include increased ignorance of religion, increase in frequency of earthquakes, indiscriminate murder and killing, time passing by quickly, increase of immorality and bad conduct. To be aware of these and other signs is to know that the Day of Judgement is drawing close and the need to prepare for it.

There are a number of Arabic terms which you may come across when studying this topic. Here is a brief overview of some of these terms:

1. Sunnah – literally a way or something which is followed. The term however is used generally to refer to all of the sayings, actions, tacit approvals and descriptions of the Messenger Muhammad. The term ‘sunnah’ can also refer to something which is recommended, this latter use is a more restricted term to show that an action is not compulsory but to perform it is rewarding.
2. Hadith – literally speech. This term refers to everything which is attributed to the Messenger Muhammad. As with the term ‘sunnah’ it includes sayings, actions, tacit approvals and descriptions. A hadith consists of two parts, the sanad which is the chain of narrators and the matan which is the text.
3. Sanad/Isnad – This refers to the chain of narrators between the Messenger Muhammad and the scholar who would eventually record the hadith in a book. A sanad can typically include three narrators or more. Each narrator is usually from a different generation. The chain of narrators helps hadith specialists to ascertain whether or not a hadith has been correctly preserved or whether there is a defect in it.
4. Matan – This is the second part of a hadith and is the part which contains the text which would be the saying, action, tacit approval or description of the Messenger Muhammad.
5. Sahih – This means authentic, i.e. that all the narrators are reliable people and they correctly recorded and relayed the hadith.
6. Da’if – which means weak. This is when there is a defect in the hadith either in transmission or the text. This is mostly due to one or more of the narrators being unreliable.

There are four parts to God’s providence and decree:

1. God’s infallible and complete knowledge – God has knowledge of everything which takes place. His knowledge includes all that has happened and will happen. God says, “Not even the weight of a speck of dust in the heavens or earth escapes His knowledge, nor anything smaller or greater.” [34:3] God’s knowledge is perfect. He does not forget or make mistakes. His knowledge is also all-encompassing. Nothing is beyond His knowledge. There is nothing that God does not know about.
2. God has recorded everything – God has recorded everything that will occur until the Day of Judgement. It is recorded in the Preserved Tablet (in Arabic: Al-Lawh al-Mahfuz). The Messenger Muhammad informed us that God first created the pen and asked it to record all that would take place.
3. Whatever God wills happens – God says, “When He will something to be, His way is to say, ‘Be’ – and it is.” [36:82] Therefore, only what God wills to happen and take place. If things happened without God’s will or permission, it would be a weakness in God and He is far removed from all weaknesses.
4. God is the Creator of everything – God says, “Praise belongs to God who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light.” [6:1] This includes all creations, their actions and their characteristics. In short, God is the creator of a

If God has decreed and pre-ordained everything, what role and freedom do we have as humans? Is it worth doing anything if it is all decreed to happen anyway?

In Islam, we believe that God’s providence and decree does not interfere with our ability as humans to make choices. God Himself gave us that ability and so our free will is part of God’s will. God does not force us to do anything or compel us to follow a certain way. If God had done so, there would be no disbelievers. However, the opposite is true as God says in the Quran, “There is no compulsion in religion.” [2:256]

Thus, we are all free to make our own choices and we do so on a daily basis. However, we cannot know what God has decreed for us. For us to assume that God has decreed us to be evil or a non-believer goes against common sense. We work to the best of our ability hoping in God’s reward and grace. We wouldn’t sit at home and expect money to come to us, or food to appear on our table without putting in some work and effort. Therefore, the believer in God trusts in His decree but also works to ensure they have a good life in accordance to God’s commands.

The Messenger Muhammad told us that we should work towards what is beneficial and seek God’s help. If something bad happens, we don’t say, ‘If only I’d done such and such’, because ‘if’ only opens the door to evil. Instead, we trust in God’s decree and say, ‘It is the decree of God and He decrees what He wills.’