KNOW that fasting has one special attribute which belongs to it alone. That is that Allah assigned it to Himself as in the following hadith:
البخاري
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ اللَّهُ كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلَّا الصِّيَامَ فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ وَالصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ وَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلَا يَرْفُثْ وَلَا يَصْخَبْ فَإِنْ سَابَّهُ أَحَدٌ أَوْ قَاتَلَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ صَائِمٌ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَخُلُوفُ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ يَفْرَحُهُمَا إِذَا أَفْطَرَ فَرِحَ وَإِذَا لَقِيَ رَبَّهُ فَرِحَ بِصَوْمِهِ
Allah's Messenger (sas) said: Allah said: Every deed of the son of Adam is his except for fasting for it is mine and I reward it. And fasting is a protection so whenever one of you is fasting a day, do not argue and do not shout. And if anyone insults you or fights with you, say, "I am a man who is fasting." By the one in whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, the bad breath of one who is fasting is more pleasing to Allah than the scent of musk. The one who fasts has two pleasures: when he breaks his fast it is a pleasure and when he meets his Lord, he is pleased with his fasting.
البخاري
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الصَّوْمُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ يَدَعُ شَهْوَتَهُ وَأَكْلَهُ وَشُرْبَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي وَالصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ ...
From Abu Huraira from the Prophet (sas) who said: Allah said: Fasting is mine and I reward it. He left his pleasures, his food and his drink for My sake. And fasting is a protection...
For Allah to call the fast "his" is an honor similar to Allah calling the Kaaba "his" house. Allah said:
الحج
وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ مَكَانَ الْبَيْتِ أَنْ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِي شَيْئًا وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْقَائِمِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ(26)وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ(27)
{And when We prepared for Ibrahim the place for the House that you should not associate anyone with Me and purify my house for those making tawwaaf, those standing [in prayer] and those bowing and prostrating. (27) And announce to the people the Pilgrimage. They will come to you walking and on every exhausted animal, coming from every deep valley. (27)
What is the meaning of this special status of fasting?
- Because it is a hidden, inward act of obedience, unseen by any of Allah's creation and in which ostentation (ri'aa') is not an issue.
- Because it represents the overpowering of Allah's enemy. That is because his means is lusts and desires and desires are strengthened by eating and drinking. As long as there exists a fertile ground of these desires, the shayateen will continue to exploit them. Eliminating the desires, reduces the opportunities of shaitaan for mischief.
The Sunan of Fasting
- Eating suhoor and doing it late; rushing to break fast and breaking fast with dates.
- Generosity is very desireable during Ramadhan as well as doing all manner of good deeds toward others such as giving sadaqa after the example of Allah's Messenger (sas).
- Studying of the Qur'an and isolation in the masjid - especially during the last ten days and making extra effort during those ten days. Aisha said:
- مسلم
- كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا دَخَلَ الْعَشْرُ أَحْيَا اللَّيْلَ وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ وَجَدَّ وَشَدَّ الْمِئْزَرَ
- It was the custom of Allah's messenger when the last ten days [of Ramadhan] began to spend the nights in prayer, wake hsi family, exert extra efforts and tighten his waist band.
- About the meaning of "tightened his waist band", the scholars mentioned the following:
- Staying away from his wives during those days.
- An expression to mean the exertion of extra effort. The reason for his (sas) extra effort during those days was the seeking of lailatul-qadr.
Etiquettes of Fasting
There are three levels of fasting: basic fasting, special fasting and extra special fasting.
Fasting in its most basic level means refraining from satisfying the desires for food, drink and sex.
Special fasting adds restraining the eyes, the tongue, the legs, hearing, vision and all of the body parts from sin.
Extra special fasting adds restraining the heart from lowly concerns and the thoughts from everything which distances one from Allah. In short, refraining from everything except Allah Most High.
Among the etiquettes of the special fast are lowering the gaze and guarding the tongue against engaging in any harmful speech of the forbidden or the disliked. Likewise speech which is of no benefit. And protecting all of the body parts in a similar manner. The Prophet (sas) said:
البخاري
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ لَمْ يَدَعْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ فَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ حَاجَةٌ فِي أَنْ يَدَعَ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ
From Abu Huraira (ra) who said that Allah's Messenger (sas) said: "Whoever did not desist from speaking falsehood and acting upon it, Allah has no need for him to leave his food and his drink.
Also among the etiquettes of fasting is to no fill your stomach when eating at night. You should just eat the appropriate amount (1/3 capacity). The Prophet (sas) said:
الترمذي
عَنْ مِقْدَامِ بْنِ مَعْدِي كَرِبَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ مَا مَلَأَ آدَمِيٌّ وِعَاءً شَرًّا مِنْ بَطْنٍ بِحَسْبِ ابْنِ آدَمَ أُكُلَاتٌ يُقِمْنَ صُلْبَهُ فَإِنْ كَانَ لَا مَحَالَةَ فَثُلُثٌ لِطَعَامِهِ وَثُلُثٌ لِشَرَابِهِ وَثُلُثٌ لِنَفَسِه
From Miqdaam ibn Ma'diy Karib who said, I heard Allah's Messenger (sas) say: "A human never fills any container worse then his stomach. Enough for him is pieces of food which keep his back straight. If you must, then one third for food, one third for drink and one third for your breath.
If you become full at the beginning of the night, you will derive little benefit from the rest of the night. Likewise if you fill yourself at suhoor, you will be of no use to yourself until around dhuhr. That is because lots of food causes laziness and slowness. The intention of fasting can be negated by overeating. Fasting means tasting "the sweetness of hunger" and leaving that which you desire.
As for voluntary fasting, its blessing is especially in certain "honored" days for this purpose. Some of these days come around every year like six days of Shawwal, the day of Arafat (for those NOT on the Hajj), Ashooraa (10th Muharram), the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah and the month of Muharram. Others come around each month such as the three "bright days" (13, 14 and 15 of the lunar month). Still others come around each week such as Tuesday and Thursday.
The best possible voluntary fast is the "fast of Daud" (AS), who used to fast one day and break fast the next. There are three meanings to this:
- The self is given its share on the day of eating and it fulfills its worship of Allah of the day of fasting. So this combines what is for the self and what is upon it and in that is justice and balance.
- The day of eating is a day of giving thanks (shukr) while the day of fasting is a day of patience (sabr) and so this brings together the two halves of belief: patience and thanks.
- That it is the most difficult form of fasting to complete because just when it get used to one condition, it is taken to the other.
There should be balance in your fasting and other acts of worship:
البخاري
سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا بَلَغَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنِّي أَسْرُدُ الصَّوْمَ وَأُصَلِّي اللَّيْلَ فَإِمَّا أَرْسَلَ إِلَيَّ وَإِمَّا لَقِيتُهُ فَقَالَ أَلَمْ أُخْبَرْ أَنَّكَ تَصُومُ وَلَا تُفْطِرُ وَتُصَلِّي فَصُمْ وَأَفْطِرْ وَقُمْ وَنَمْ فَإِنَّ لِعَيْنِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَظًّا وَإِنَّ لِنَفْسِكَ وَأَهْلِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَظًّا قَالَ إِنِّي لَأَقْوَى لِذَلِكَ قَالَ فَصُمْ صِيَامَ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام قَالَ وَكَيْفَ قَالَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَلَا يَفِرُّ إِذَا لَاقَى قَالَ مَنْ لِي بِهَذِهِ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ قَالَ عَطَاءٌ لَا أَدْرِي كَيْفَ ذَكَرَ صِيَامَ الْأَبَدِ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الْأَبَدَ مَرَّتَيْنِ
Each individual should know his/her level and not go beyond it. Ibn Masood used not to fast very much and he said that when he fasted he became weak in prayer and that he chose prayer over fasting. Others reported that when they fasted a lot they became weak in reading Qur'an and so they chose to do little voluntary fasting and more reciting of the Qur'an. Each individual should be most knowledgeable of his condition and what is best for him.
Ibn Abdul-Barr reports in his book "At-Tamheed":
Al-'Umary Al-Aaabid wrote to Malik urging him to practice isolation and seeking to meet with him regarding knowledge. Malik wrote back to him: "Allah has divided good deeds just as He divided wealth and sustenance. So, while one man may have been given much in the area of paryer he may have been given less in the area of fasting. Another may have been given much in the area of giving charity but less in fasting. Still another may have been given much in the area of jihad but less in the area of prayer. Spreading knowledge and teaching it is one of the best acts of righteousness and I am content with that which Allah has granted me in that regard. I don't believe that that which I am involved in is any less than that which you are involved in and I hope that both of us are upon good and righteousness. It is obligatory upon each of use to be content with that which Allah has apportioned to use. Peace.
