THE FASTING

 

Its excellence:

1- On the authority of Abu Huraira: That the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had said: Allah (the Exalted and the Glorious) said: Every deed done by the son of Adam is for him except the fasting, it is for Me and I reward with it, and the fasting is a protection from the sins. If you were fasting you should not say lewd things, nor to shout, or to be prudent. If anyone abuses him or fights with him, let him say: I am fasting, twice. By whom the soul of Muhammad is in His Hand the smell of the mouth of the fasting person is more favourable to Allah (the Exalted) on the Day of Judgement from the smell of musk. For the fasting person two joys which he is happy with: If he breaks the fast he is happy with his breaking of the fast, and if he meets His Lord he is happy with his fasting. This was narrated by Ahmad, Muslim and by An-Nasa’i.

2-         The narration by Al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud: The fasting is a protection from the sins. If anyone of you is fasting he should not say lewd sayings, nor he should be prudent. That if the human being fights him or if one abuses him, let him say: I am fasting, two times. By whom the soul of Muhammad is in His Hand, the smell of the mouth of the fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the smell of musk. One leaves his food and drink and his lust because of Me. The fasting is for Me and I reward with it, and the virtue is ten times its equal.

3-         On the authority of ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr that the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The fasting and the Qur’an intercede for the bondsman on the Day of Judgement. The fasting says, O’ Lord I prevented him from the food and from the lusts during the day and I intercede for him. And the Qur’an says: I prevented him from the sleeping during the night. May Thou intercede the Qur’an for me as well, thereupon their two intercessions are accepted. This was narrated by Ahmad with a righteous chain of transmitters.

4-         On the authority of Abu Umama who said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). I said: Order me with a deed that makes me enter the Paradise. He said: You have to adhere to the fasting, that there is no equivalent to it. Then I said to him another time: You have to adhere to the fasting. This was narrated by Ahmad, An-Nasa’i, and by Al-Hakim who had corrected it.

5-         And on the authority of Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): That the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had said: No day a bondsman fasts in the way of Allah (the Exalted) but Allah separates with that day the Fire from his face the span of seventy autumns. This was narrated by the group except Abu Dawud.

6-         And on the authority of Saleh bin Sa’d: That the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had said: That for the Paradise a door, called: Ar-Rayyan. It would be said on the Day of Judgement: Where are the fasting people? When the last of them enters, that door will be closed. This was narrated by Al-Bukhari and by Muslim.

The fasting of Ramadan is obligatory in the Book, in the tradition and by the consensus.

As to the Book: Is the saying of Allah (the Exalted): «0′ you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for the people before you in order for you to gain God consciousness» (2:183). And He (the Exalted) said: «The month of Ramadan, during which the Qur’an was revealed, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance and the criterion; and whoever of you is resident, let him fast the month» (2:185).

As to the tradition: Is the saying of the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): Islam is constructed on five: The testimony that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, paying the Zakat, fasting the month of Ramadan, and the Pilgrimage to the House.

And in the hadith by Talha bin ‘Ubaid: That a man had asked the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He said: O’ Messenger of Allah, tell me what Allah (the Exalted) had enjoined on me of the fasting? He said: The month of Ramadan. He asked: Is there any other thing due on me? He said: No, except that you fast voluntarily.

The excellence of the month of Ramadan, and the excellence of the working in it:

1- On the authority of Abu Huraira: That the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: (When it was the time of Ramadan). Here has come a blessed month, in which fasting is enjoined on you, when the doors of Paradise are opened for you, and when the doors of Hell are closed. The Satans at that time are enchained. In it a night which is better than a thousand month, that who is prohibited of its goodness, he is himself prohibited. This was narrated by Ahmad and An-Nasa’i, and by Al-Baihaqi.

2- And on the authority of Arjafa who said: I was visiting ‘Utba bin Farqad (while he was narrating about Ramadan). He said: A man of the Companions of Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had come upon us, when ‘Utba saw him he feared, so he kept silent. He said: That was narrated about Ramadan. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying in Ramadan: The doors of Hell are closed, and the doors of Paradise are opened, and the satans are shackled. He said: And a king calls in it: O’ desirer of good, have the glad tiding, or desirer of evil, detain until Ramadan is over. This was narrated by Ahmad and by An-Nasa’i and his chain of transmission was good.

3- On the authority of Abu Huraira: That the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The five prayers and the prayer from Friday to Friday, and from Ramadan to Ramadan are expiations to what is between them, if the sins are avoided. This was narrated by Muslim.

4- On the authority of Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had said: That who fasts Ramadan and knows before hand its limits, and to guard against what ought to be guarded of, of all the sins he committed before that will be expiated. This was narrated by Ahmad and by Al-Baihaqi with a good chain of transmitters.

5- And on the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: That who fasts Ramadan out of faith and seeking the face of Allah, all his previous sins are forgiven for him. This was narrated by Ahmad and by the authors of the traditions.

The frightening of the breaking the fast in Ramadan:

1- On the authority of the son of ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): That the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The bare essence of Islam and the basis of the religion are three, on which the Islam is established. That who leaves one of it, then he is an infidel, then his blood is lawful: The testimony that there is no God but Allah, and the written prayer, and the fasting of Ramadan. This was narrated by Abu Ya’la, Ad-Dailami, and Ath-Thabahi had corrected it.

2- On the authority of Abu Huraira: That the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had said: That who breaks the fast of one day in Ramadan with no permission by which Allah (the Exalted) had made permissible for him, the fasting of all the days ever after will not compensate for it. This was narrated by Abu Dawud, the son of Maja and by At-Tirmithi. Al-Bukhari said: And it is mentioned by Abu Huraira who reported from the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): That who breaks the fast of one day in Ramadan with no excuse or a sickness, the fasting of all the days ever after will not compensate for it. With it said the son of Mas’oud.

Ath-Thahabi said: And to the believers it is determined: That who abandons the fasting of Ramadan with no sickness, is worse than the commitment of the fornicator and the addict, even though they doubt in his Islam, and even if they think about him to be irreligious and indecent.