Allah (swt) commands: “If My servants ask you about Me, well, I am near; I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls to Me. Let them then respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may follow the right way.” (Surah 2:186)
وَاِذَا سَاَلَـكَ عِبَادِىۡ عَنِّىۡ فَاِنِّىۡ قَرِيۡبٌؕ اُجِيۡبُ دَعۡوَةَ الدَّاعِ اِذَا دَعَانِ فَلۡيَسۡتَجِيۡبُوۡا لِىۡ وَلۡيُؤۡمِنُوۡا بِىۡ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡشُدُوۡنَ
1. Close Relationship with Allah (swt):
This ayah fills a believer’s heart with love, confidence and utter reassurance.
How kind and compassionate Allah (swt) truly is! Any hardship encountered in keeping the fast fades in comparison with this friendly and gentle reassurance. The choice of words creates an atmosphere of intimacy and accessibility, with Allah (swt) Himself stating a direct contact between Him (swt) and His (swt) servants.
He (swt) does not give instructions to His Messenger, the Prophet Muĥammad on how to answer believers’ questions about Him.
He (swt) gives the answer Himself: “I am near.”
His (swt) closeness is not only to listen but also for immediate response: “I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls to Me.”
In this atmosphere of friendliness and compassion, Allah (swt), who has no need for anyone, directs believers to respond to Him and believe in Him, in the hope that this will guide them to wisdom and righteousness. "Let them then respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may follow the right way.” By earning Allah (swt)’s generosity and guidance, believers end up winners on all counts. Belief in Allah (swt) and response to His commands lead to true guidance. The way of life Allah (swt) has ordained for man is the only one truly worthy of adoption and adherence.
2. Time before breaking the Fast :
A fasting person has the best chance of his prayers being answered.
Abū Dāwūd al-Ţayālisī relates on the authority of `Abdullāh ibn `Umar that the Prophet said: “The prayer a fasting person says at the time when he is about to finish his fast shall be answered.” Accordingly, `Abdullāh ibn `Umar, a learned Companion of the Prophet, used to gather his family together when breaking the fast and pray. Ibn Mājah also relates a ĥadīth in which `Abdullāh ibn `Umar quoted the Prophet as saying: “On breaking the fast, the prayer of a fasting person is never turned down.” This is supported by a ĥadīth in which Abū Hurayrah quotes the Prophet as saying: “Prayers by three people shall never be turned down: a just ruler, a fasting person until he breaks the fast, and the oppressed for whose prayer [duā’] the gates of heaven shall be opened wide and Allah (swt) shall say to him, ‘By My power, I shall support you, even though it may be in due course.’“ [Related by Imām Aĥmad, alTirmidhī, al-Nasā’ī and Ibn Mājah] From these reports one can clearly see the close relationship between prayer and fasting.
3. Time to be intimate with Spouse:
married Muslims are permitted sexual intimacy with their spouses between sunset and dawn.
When fasting was first instituted, once one got to sleep at night, one would not eat, drink or have sexual intercourse with his wife, even if one woke up before dawn. It so happened that some Muslims did not have anything to eat at the time of the evening meal. One person was overtaken by sleep before he could eat anything and had to fast the following day as well, which made the fast arduous. Likewise, some were inclined to have sexual intercourse and did so. The Prophet became acutely aware of the hardship the Muslims were experiencing. Soon afterwards, Allah (swt) eased the situation by revealing this ayah as a token of His mercy and benevolence.
اُحِلَّ لَـکُمۡ لَيۡلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ اِلٰى نِسَآئِكُمۡؕ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَّـكُمۡ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ لِبَاسٌ لَّهُنَّ ؕ عَلِمَ اللّٰهُ اَنَّکُمۡ كُنۡتُمۡ تَخۡتَانُوۡنَ اَنۡفُسَکُمۡ فَتَابَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَعَفَا عَنۡكُمۡۚ فَالۡـٰٔنَ بَاشِرُوۡهُنَّ وَابۡتَغُوۡا مَا کَتَبَ اللّٰهُ لَـكُمۡ وَكُلُوۡا وَاشۡرَبُوۡا حَتّٰى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَـكُمُ الۡخَـيۡطُ الۡاَبۡيَضُ مِنَ الۡخَـيۡطِ الۡاَسۡوَدِ مِنَ الۡفَجۡرِؕ ثُمَّ اَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ اِلَى الَّيۡلِۚ وَلَا تُبَاشِرُوۡهُنَّ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ عٰكِفُوۡنَ فِى الۡمَسٰجِدِؕ تِلۡكَ حُدُوۡدُ اللّٰهِ فَلَا تَقۡرَبُوۡهَا ؕ كَذٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّٰهُ اٰيٰتِهٖ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَّقُوۡنَ
It is lawful for you to be intimate with your wives during the night preceding the fast. They are as a garment for you, as you are for them. Allah (swt) is aware that you have been deceiving yourselves in this respect, and He has turned to you in His mercy and pardoned you. So, you may now lie with them and seek what Allah (swt) has ordained for you. Eat and drink until you can see the white streak of dawn against the blackness of the night. Then resume the fast till nightfall. Do not lie with your wives when you are in retreat in the mosques. These are the bounds set by Allah (swt), so do not come near them. Thus Allah (swt) makes clear His revelations to people, that they may remain Allah (swt)- fearing. (Surah 2:187)
It gives the exact time for the fasting which extends from dawn till sunset. It points out that during any period when people retire to a mosque for worship in Ramadan (i.e. i'tikāf) sexual intimacy is not permitted for married people. To enhance their sense of devotion and enable them to concentrate their hearts and minds on the worship of Allah (swt) during such retreat, or i'tikāf Muslims are barred from sexual intercourse with their wives during such period.
4. Parts of the day and night allocated for fasting
when taken with reports from the Prophet’s own practice, indicate that fasting begins not long before sunrise.
Ibn Jarīr relates on the authority of Samurah ibn Jundub who quotes the Prophet as saying: “Do not take much heed of Bilāl’s call for dawn Prayer or this whiteness; do not start the fast until dawn breaks fully.” Another version quotes the Prophet as saying: “Do not abstain from eating if you hear Bilāl calling for the dawn Prayer, or when you see the elongated dawn light. But begin the fast when the dawn spreads over the horizon.” This means the light spreading in the eastern sky a short while before sunrise. It is also important to recall here that Bilāl used to raise the call to prayer early to wake people up, while Ibn Umm Maktūm used to make a second call at a later time to indicate the beginning of the fast. Hence, the Prophet clarifies the point of starting the fast.
5. The night before Eid-ul-Fitr
Once Ramadan ends, one is not “free” to go back to his old sinful ways, free from the constraints of Ramadan. Rather, we celebrate Eid because Allah blessed us with the opportunity to worship Him and ask for forgiveness. Also, we celebrate with the hope that we are from the ones that will be freed from Hellfire and rewarded with Jannah.
There is no specific ibaadat (worship) to be performed in the night before Eid. One may engage in any form of ibaadat, salaah, zikr, dua, tilawaat, etc.
Some people think that it is prescribed to spend the night of Eid in worship based on a WEAK hadeeth which says, “Whoever stays up on the night of Eid, his heart will not die on the day when hearts die.” This hadeeth is NOT saheeh (Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah wa’l-Mawdoo’ah by Sheikh al-Albaani). So DO NOT single out the night of Eid for Ibaadah, as this is a kind of bidah that is NOT proven from the Prophet (pbuh), unless it is part of you NORMAL nightly routine.
Some people do the exact opposite of the above and spend the night before Eid, singing, dancing , listening to music, with free mixing of men and women, lack of hijaab and Hayaa’. They forget the promise they made to Allaah to stay away from haraam. Common Mistakes related to Eid-ul-Fitr:
Spending the night of Eid in worship.
Celebrating “Chand Raat”
Fasting on the Day of Eid
Visiting graves specifically on the day of Eid
Women mixing with men in the prayer area and elsewhere
Women going out wearing perfume and makeup, and without hijaab
Listening to music and attending Eid parties with haraam things.
Shaking hands with non-Mahrams
Not praying the Eid prayer.
Not saying the Takbeeraat out loud (for men) or at the right time
Thinking that one is released from the “Prison of Ramadaan”
Delaying Zakaat al-Fitr
Do you really want to throw away all your hard work and effort you put in worship during Ramadaan for just a few hours of utterly useless waste of time?
When one responds to Allah (swt)’s call, one must be confident that Allah (swt) will answer one’s prayers (duā). However, one should not hasten Allah (swt)’s response, for He alone decides the most appropriate time to respond.
Salmān, a Companion of the Prophet, quotes the Prophet as saying: “Allah (swt) would not like to see His servant holding out his arms pleading for help and turn him away empty handed.” [Related by Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah] `Ubādah ibn al-Şāmit also quotes the Prophet as saying: “Allah (swt) shall answer the prayer (duā’) of any Muslim anywhere on earth, or He will protect him against contrasting harm, as long as he does not ask for something evil or for the break-up of kinship relations.” [Related by al-Tirmidhī on ibn Thawbān’s authority and by `Abdullāh ibn Imām Aĥmad].
The Prophet is also reported to have said: “Your prayers shall be answered as long as you remain patient. Do not say, ‘I have prayed but my prayer has never been answered!’“ [Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim] He is also reported as saying: “Prayers [duā’] shall be answered unless one asks for something evil or the break-up of kinship relations, and as long as one does not become impatient.” When the Prophet was asked to explain how one becomes impatient, he said: “One says, ‘I have prayed many times but I have had no response,’ then gives up hope and abandons praying [duā’] altogether.” These rulings represent parts of a harmonious and divinely-ordained way of life, firmly bound together in a common framework of maintaining the fear of Allah (swt), or taqwā. This makes Islam a potent and well integrated system which cannot be fragmented or disconnected, taking some parts of it and discarding others. That would be a gross transgression and a most vile offence against Allah (swt) Almighty.
Rest Allah knows best.
Source: Quran, Sunnah, Tafseer, In the Shade of the Quran, Review for further information: https://www.thekhalids.org/newsletter-archive/172-common-mistakes-related-to-eid-ul-fitr