Zain's Guide to Overthinking Everything

Ramadan: A Brief Overview     Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar and Muslims around the world are commanded and obligated by God in the Quran and by the Prophet Muhammad in his Sunnah (his normative ethos and actions) to fast i.e. abstaining from food and drink during it as it is one of the five pillars of Islam alongside the declaration of faith, praying, charity, and performing pilgrimage to Mecca if one is able to.   “Islam is built upon five: to worship Allah and to disbelieve in what is worshiped besides him, to establish prayer, to give charity, to perform Hajj pilgrimage to the house, and to fast the month of Ramadan.” (Bukhari 8)   “Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the decisive authority. So whoever is present this month, let them fast. But whoever is ill or on a journey, then ˹let them fast˺ an equal number of days ˹after Ramadan˺. Allah intends ease for you, ...

 Notes on Islam      The word Muslim is an active participle of Islam and Muslim means someone who submits to God’s will with the intention of creating peace, or salam .       Islam can be summarized in the Hadith or saying of the Prophet Muhammad relating to his conversation with the angel Gabriel,  “It is narrated on the authority of Yahya b. Ya'mur that the first man who discussed qadr (Divine Decree) in Basra was Ma'bad al-Juhani. I along with Humaid b. 'Abdur-Rahman Himyari set out for pilgrimage or for 'Umrah and said: Should it so happen that we come into contact with one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) we shall ask him about what is talked about taqdir (Divine Decree). Accidentally we came across Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, while he was entering the mosque. My companion and I surrounded him. One of us (stood) on his right and the other stood on his left. I expected that my companion would authoriz...