"Fasting in Ramadan According to the Qur'an and the Authentic Sunnah"

"Fasting in Ramadan According to the Qur'an and the Authentic Sunnah" by Dr. Abdul Karim Awad serves as an integrated jurisprudential and educational guide in English. Across its 133 pages, the book offers a simplified yet comprehensive overview of the rulings and etiquettes of fasting, drawing directly from the authentic evidences of the Holy Qur'an and the prophetic Sunnah. The author opens the book with an introduction establishing fasting as a core pillar of Islam, detailing its conditions of obligation such as who must fast (the sane, adult, capable and resident Muslim) and who is exempt (children, menstruating or postpartum women, and the ill) while explaining the essential pillars of fasting: the intention (niyyah) and abstaining from invalidators from dawn until sunset. The book then transitions into prophetic etiquettes and general recommendations for the fasting person, such as hastening to break the fast, eating the pre-dawn meal (suhoor), breaking the fast with fresh dates, guarding one's limbs from sin, and avoiding extravagance in food and drink. It also highlights the virtues and spiritual fruits of fasting, such as attaining piety (taqwa), seeking closeness to Allah, gaining forgiveness and entering Paradise through the gate of Al-Rayyan, alongside a stern warning for those who abandon fasting without a valid excuse. Furthermore, the book addresses daily practicalities by dedicating a detailed guide to recommended acts of worship such as night prayers (taraweeh), reciting the Qur'an, spiritual seclusion (i'tikaf), seeking Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree) and performing Umrah while clarifying permissible acts that do not invalidate the fast, such as brushing teeth, using perfume, eye drops and non-nutritional medical injections. Regarding valid excuses, the author categorizes exemptions into two groups: those permitted to break the fast with a ransom payment (fidyah) like the elderly and those who must make up the days later (qada') like travelers, the temporarily ill and pregnant women, while meticulously detailing the invalidators that require only a makeup day (like deliberate vomiting) versus those requiring a strict expiation (kaffarah) like marital relations during the day. The book concludes its comprehensive guide by providing practical advice on encouraging and training children to fast, the rulings and amounts of Zakat al-Fitr and the preparations and etiquettes for Eid prayer and celebration, ultimately directing the Muslim on how to maintain consistent acts of worship after Ramadan, citing the virtue of fasting the six days of Shawwal.