Fasting (Kitab Al-Siyam)

كتاب الصوم

Chapter 9: When The Crescent Is Sighted In A Land A Night Before It Is Sighted In Other Lands

Narrated Kuraib

That Umm al-Fadl, daughter of al-Harith, sent him to Mu'aqiyah in Syria. He said: I came to syria and performed her work. The moon of Ramadan appeared while I was in Syria. We sighted the moon on the night of Friday. When I came to Median towards the end of the month (of Ramadan), Ibn 'Abbas asked me about the moon. He said: When did you sight the moon ? I said: I sighted it on the night of Friday. He asked: Did you sight it yourself ? I said: Yes, and the people sighted it. They fasted and Mu'awiyah also fasted. He said: But we sighted it on the night of saturday. Since then we have been fasting until we complete thirty days or we sight it. Then I said: Are the sighting of the moon by Mu'awiyah and his fasts not sufficient for us? He replied: No. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded us to do so.

Al-Hasan said about a person who was in a certain city. He fasted on Monday, and twp persons bore witness that they had sighted the moon on the night of sunday. He said

That man and the people of his city should not fast as an atonement except that they know (for certain) that the people of a certain city of Muslims had fasted on Sunday. In that case they should keep fast as an atonement.

Chapter 10: That It Is Disliked To Fast The Day Of Doubt

Narrated Ammar

AbuIshaq reported on the authority of Silah: We were with Ammar on the day when the appearance of the moon was doubtful. (The meat of) goat was brought to him. Some people kept aloof from (eating) it. Ammar said: He who keeps fast on this day disobeys AbulQasim (i.e. the Prophet) (ﷺ).

Chapter 11: Regarding Whoever Connected Sha'ban With Ramadan

Narrated Abu Hurairah

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Do not fast one day or two days just before Ramadan, except in the case of a man who has been in the habit of observing the particular fast, for he may fast on that day.

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin

She never saw the Prophet (ﷺ) fasting the whole month except Sha'ban which he combined with Ramadan.

Chapter 12: About That Being Disliked

Narrated AbuHurayrah

AbdulAziz ibn Muhammad said: Abbad ibn Kathir came to Medina and went to the assembly of al-Ala'. He caught hold of his hand and made him stand and said: O Allah, he narrates a tradition from his father on the authority of AbuHurayrah who reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: When the middle of Sha'ban comes, do not fast. Al-Ala' said: O Allah, my father narrated this tradition on the authority of AbuHurayrah from the Prophet (ﷺ)

Chapter 13: Testimony Of Two Men About Sighting The Crescent Of Shawwal

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

Husayn ibn al-Harith al-Jadli from the tribe of Jadilah Qays said: The governor of Mecca delivered a speech and said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took a pledge from us that we should perform the rites of hajj after sighting the moon. If we do not sight it and two reliable persons bear witness, we should perform the rites of hajj on the basis of their witness.

I then asked al-Husayn ibn al-Harith: Who was the governor of Mecca? He replied: I do not know. He then met me later on and told me: He was al-Harith ibn Hatib, brother of Muhammad ibn Hatib. The governor then said: There is among you a man who is more acquainted with Allah and His Apostle than I. He witnessed this from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He then pointed with his hand to a man. Al-Husayn said: I asked an old man beside me: Who is that man to whom the governor has alluded?

He said: "This is Abdullah ibn Umar, and he spoke the truth. He was more acquainted with Allah than he. He (Abdullah ibn Umar) said: For this is what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded us (to do).

Narrated Rib'i b. Hirash

On the authority of a man from the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ): People differed among themselves on the last day of Ramadan (about the appearance of the moon of Shawwal). Then two bedouins came and witnessed before the Prophet (ﷺ) swearing by Allah that they had sighted moon the previous evening. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded the people to break the fast. The narrator Khalaf has added in his version: "and that they should proceed to the place of prayer (for 'Id)".

Chapter 14: Regarding The Testimony Of A Single Person About Seeing The Crescent Of Ramadan

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

A bedouin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: I have sighted the moon. Al-Hasan added in his version: that is, of Ramadan. He asked: Do you testify that there is no god but Allah? He replied: Yes. He again asked: Do you testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah? He replied: Yes. and he testified that he had sighted the moon. He said: Bilal, announce to the people that they must fast tomorrow.

Narrated Ikrimah

Once the people doubted the appearance of the moon of Ramadan, and intended neither to offer the tarawih prayer nor to keep fast. A bedouin came from al-Harrah and testified that he had sighted the moon. He was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ). He asked: Do you testify that there is no god but Allah, and that I am the Messenger of Allah? He said: Yes; and he testified that he had sighted the moon. He commanded Bilal who announced to the people to offer the tarawih prayer and to keep fast.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

The people looked for the moon, so I informed the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that I had sighted it. He fasted and commanded the people to fast.

Chapter 15: Stressing The Sahur (The Pre-Dawn Meal)

Narrated 'Amr b. al-'As

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: The difference between our fasting and that of the people of the Book is eating shortly before dawn.

Chapter 16: Whoever Called Sahur, "Al-Ghada" (Breakfast)

Narrated Al-Irbad ibn Sariyyah

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) invited me to a meal shortly before dawn in Ramadan saying: Come to the blessed morning meal.

Narrated Abu Hurairah

The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: How good is the believers meal of dates shortly before dawn.

Chapter 17: The Time Of Sahur

Addressing (the people) Samurah b. Jundub reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying

The adhan (call to prayer) of Bilal should not prevent you from taking a meal shortly before dawn, not does the whiteness of horizon (before dawn) in this way (vertically) until it spreads out horizontally.

Narrated 'Abd Allah b. Mas'ud

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: The summons (adhan) of Bilal should not restrain one of you from taking a meal shortly before dawn, for he utters adhan or calls (for prayer) so that the man at prayer may return, and the man asleep may get up. Dawn is not (the whiteness) which indicates thus (in perpendicular) - the narrator Musaddad said: Yahya joined his palms (indicating the spread of whiteness vertically - until it indicates thus - and Yahya spread out two ring-fingers of his (demonstrating the spread of whiteness horizontally)l

Narrated Talq ibn Ali al-Yamami

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Eat and drink; let not the white and ascending light prevent you from (eating and drinking); so eat and drink until the red light spreads horizontally.

Narrated 'Adi b. Hatim

When the verse "Until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread" was revealed, I took a white rope and a black rope, and placed them beneath my pillow ; and then I looked at them, byt they were not clear to me. So I mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He laughed and said: Your pillow is so broad and lengthy ; that is (i.e. means) night and day. The version of the narrator 'Uthman has: That is the blackness of night and whiteness of day.

Chapter 18: A Man Who Hears The Call While A Vessel Is In His Hand

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When any of you hears the summons to prayer while he has a vessel in his hand, he should not lay it down till he fulfils his need.

Chapter 19: The Time For The Fasting Person To Break (His Fast)

Narrated 'Umar

The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: When the night approaches from this side and the day retreats on that side, and the sun sets - according to the version of Musaddad - he who fasts has reached the time to break it.