5 hadiths on Ramadan:
fasting, praying and giving

Understanding this hadith

Two words accompany the act: imanan, with faith, and ihtisaban, seeking reward from Allah. The person fasting turns to Allah through what they do and hopes for forgiveness from Him. Before work or while preparing a meal, recalling this intention restores meaning to an effort that others may not see.

Tiredness alone is not a sign of a bad intention. You can hope for reward and find a day long. The text invites us to fast with faith; it does not ask us to feel constant enthusiasm.

The promise of forgiveness is read alongside the other texts: Muslim 233c mentions expiation between two Ramadans on condition that major sins are avoided. For wrongs against others, al-Bukhari 2449 calls for making amends or obtaining pardon in this life. Hoping for forgiveness through fasting therefore does not remove the need to repent or settle these wrongs.

Understanding this hadith

The hadith concerns false words and the actions that accompany them. For example, knowingly confirming false information to get a colleague blamed does not become acceptable because one abstains from food and drink.

Hunger or irritability may explain why a conversation is harder; they do not make lying right. If you have distorted a fact, the useful action is to correct it with those who heard it. If a discussion pushes you to respond without checking, you can wait before sending your message.

This saying does not tell a fasting person who has lied to eat or drink. Commenting on the seriousness of a fault is not the same as the legal question of whether a fast is valid. The advice here is to give up lying and correct the harm caused, without abandoning the fast because of that fault.

Understanding this hadith

The Prophet ﷺ recommends eating before dawn and says there is blessing in the meal. Deliberately skipping suhur to make fasting harder is therefore not what he recommends.

Preparing something simple to eat the night before may avoid spending all the available time cooking when you wake.

Al-Bukhari places this text in a chapter on the blessing of suhur without making it obligatory. Missing it because you did not wake should therefore not be confused with missing the fast itself. For when to stop eating, use the dawn time for your location.

Understanding this hadith

Qiyam here means prayer performed at night. As with fasting, the hadith connects forgiveness with faith and hope for reward. These are two distinct acts united by this intention.

When evenings fill up with meals and visits, prayer can end up receiving only the time left over. Setting aside time for it before organising the rest of the evening helps give it a real place.

The promise of forgiveness invites us to come to prayer with hope. Someone working at night, caring for a child or going through illness does not have the same availability as someone else; comparing hours spent at the mosque is not enough to compare their intentions.

For the end of the month, discover seeking Laylat al-Qadr in the final nights.

Understanding this hadith

Ibn ‘Abbas describes the Prophet ﷺ as the most generous of people, and even more generous during Ramadan when Jibril came to study the Quran with him. The account connects those meetings over the Quran with increased generosity.

For your own Quran reading, you can choose a passage and take time to understand its meaning. Reading with someone able to help with understanding may also reveal questions we overlook when reading alone.

As for sharing, start with an identified need: a meal someone is waiting for, groceries or a contribution to organised aid. Generosity is not limited to the beauty of an iftar table. Spending on someone who lacks necessities may remain discreet and appear in no photograph.

If you have little, read why a small act of charity matters too.