By Aminat Ahmad

Preparing the family for the new spirit of Ramadan is more of the wife’s duty. Muslim women therefore need to be adequately prepared for the spiritual exercise.  As a woman at home, you have to buy all the necessary things for the month before the first of Ramadan.  This will enable you to spend less time during the holy month rushing around. It will also help you to be focused on your religious activities and spiritual development.

Remember that everyone in the family, even the kids, can participate; so, preparing them psychologically and physically for the period of fasting is your duty as a woman. You need to plan ahead in order not to lose the balance between your responsibility as a woman at home and your religious duties such as reading Quran, salat, qiyamu-lail and others.

You may have to also  prepare some meals ready to be stored in the freezer. You can  chop onions, vegetables and store them in the freezer to have them ready when cooking during Ramadan. You may also soak maize or millet for pap and store them in the freezer, this way, you will save yourself a lot of efforts in getting them done during the month

If you have bad sleeping habit, start readjusting now so that you can wake up to prepare sahur for your family. For women who are fasting, that can mean long hours preparing meals. Some also have to feed children who are not fasting while avoiding food themselves. All these can be very challenging for women if not adequately planned for.

Ramadan is a great opportunity to share  specifically, its values of spirituality, generosity and kindness with others, especially your neighbours. It’s a great time to invite people for iftar.  If you are planning to invite guests for Iftar, the best time to do that is during your monthly period (menstruation).

This is because you will not only be ready to taste the food that is going to be served, you will also have more time for cooking since you will not be engaged in some acts of worship. Be sure to invite Muslim family and friends including neighbours.

There are clear exemptions in Islam from fasting in Ramadan for those that are rattled by illness, pregnant women, and  breastfeeding mothers. Although some nursing mothers, sick and  pregnant women, still observe their fasts  because of confluence of social, religious, and cultural factors.  It is in order to the extent that there is no harm done by fasting.  Otherwise it can be suspended and paid back at a later date.

A question was sent in by a Muslim on this issue, the response which is found below will also help other Muslim nursing mothers or heavily pregnant women.

Ask Your Imam

My wife has just put to bed and she is presently nursing our newborn baby. She is unable to fast and breastfeed at the same time. Does she really have to make up all those days later on? Can’t she just expiate for the missed days by feeding a poor person for each missed day?

A nursing mother who finds fasting in Ramadan difficult for her is fully within her rights to abstain from fasting.

A pregnant woman and a nursing mother, if they break their fasts on account of their condition, take the same ruling as those who break their fasts because they are ill or on a journey. This means that they must make up the missed fasts at a later date, when doing so becomes easy for them.

There have been a few scholars who held the opinion that pregnant women and nursing mothers can simply opt to expiate for the missed days by feeding a poor person for each day missed. However, this opinion is not a strong one.

The correct ruling is that these women have to make up the fasts that they miss. Allah says: “Whoever among you who is ill or on a journey should fast a number of other days.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 184]

The application of this ruling to pregnant women and nursing mothers is made clear in the following hadîth.

Anas b. Mâlik relates that the Prophet (s.a.w) said: “Allah has excused the traveler from the obligation to fast and from half the units of his prayer. He has excused the pregnant woman and the nursing mother from fasting.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (715), Sunan Abî Dâwûd (2408), and Sunan Ibn Mâjah (1667)]

This indicates to us that the ruling for the traveler being excused from fasting is the same as that of a nursing mother. Since the traveler must make up his fast later on, so must the nursing mother.

And Allah knows best.

2013 Hajj: Zamfara drops 366 intending pilgrim

The Zamfara Government Wednesday announced that it would drop 366 intending pilgrims to the 2013 Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

The Deputy Governor and Chairman of the state Task Force Committee on Hajj, Malam Ibrahim Wakkala stated this in Gusau after the committee’s meeting.

He told newsmen that the reduction was a result of the 20 per cent cut in the number of pilgrims performing this year’s Hajj by the Saudi Authorities.

Wakkala said the situation would bring down the number of Zamfara pilgrims from 4,088 to 3, 712.

He disclosed that over 5000 intending pilgrims had registered with the committee and that a total of 4,441 had paid their fares for the trip to Saudi Arabia.

The deputy governor assured that those performing the Hajj for the first time would be given priority, while those that missed the chance to travel would be given high consideration in 2014.

Wakkala said that the state government had made adequate arrangements for the success of this year’s pilgrimage.

Sultan remains permanent Amirul Hajj — NAHCON

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said recently that the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, remained the permanent National Amirul Hajj.

Mr Uba Mana, the Head, Media Affairs, NAHCON, clarified this in a statement made available to newsmen.

The statement dismissed speculations that the Federal Government has appointed the Shehu of Borno as this year’s Amirul Hajj.

“For the purpose of 2013 Hajj exercise, however, His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto has delegated the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Umar Garbai El-kanemi, who is the Deputy National President of Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), to lead the Federal Government delegation and supervise the conduct of Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

“The Sultan will continue to be involved in all preparations of Hajj exercise prior to the airlift of Nigerian intending pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“As President of Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), His Eminence is at liberty to nominate or delegate any person(s) suitable to lead the Federal Government delegation to Saudi Arabia for Hajj purposes.”