Fasting
كتاب الصيام
Chapter 1: What was narrated concerning the virtues of fasting
مَا جَاءَ فِي فَضْلِ الصِّيَامِ
“Every good deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied manifold.Agood deed will be multiplied ten times up to as many as sevenhundredtimes, or as much as Allah wills. Allah says: ‘Except forfasting,which is for Me and I shall reward for it. He gives up hisdesire andhis food for My sake.’ The fasting person has two joys, onewhen hebreaks his fast and another when he meets his Lord. The smellthatcomes from the mouth of a fasting person is better before Allahthanthe fragrance of musk.”
“I am fasting.”‘Uthman said: “Iheard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Fastingis a shield againstthe Fire just like the shield of anyone of youagainst fighting.’”
“InParadise there is a gate called Rayyan. On the Day of Resurrectionthecall will go out saying: ‘Where are those who used to fast?’Whoeveris among those who used to fast will enter it, and whoeverenters itwill never experience thirst again.”
Chapter 2: What was narrated concerning the virtues of Ramadan
مَا جَاءَ فِي فَضْلِ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ
‘Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and the hope of reward willbeforgiven his previous sins.”
“When the first night of Ramadan comes, the satans andmischievousjinns are chained up, and the gates of the Fire areclosed, and noneof its gates are opened. The gates of Paradise areopened and none ofits gates are closed. And a caller cries out: ‘Oseeker of good,proceed, O seeker of evil, stop.’ And Allah has necks(people) whomHe frees (from the Fire), and that happens every day.”
“Atevery breaking of the fast Allah has people whom He frees (fromtheFire), and that happens every night.”
“Ramadan began, and theMessenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘This month has come to you, and initthere is a night that is better than a thousand months. Whoever isdeprived of it is deprived of all goodness, and no one is deprived ofits goodness except one who is truly deprived.’”
Chapter 3: What was narrated concerning fasting on the day of doubt
مَا جَاءَ فِي صِيَامِ يَوْمِ الشَّكِّ
“We were with ‘Ammar ontheday concerning which there was some doubt. A (roasted) sheep wasbrought and some of the people moved away. ‘Ammar said: ‘Whoeverisfasting on this day has disobeyed Abu Qasim (ﷺ).’”
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)forbade anticipating the fast by fasting one day before sighting (ofthe crescent).”
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)usedto say from the pulpit, before the month of Ramadan: ‘Fastingwillbegin on such and such a day, but we are going to start fastingearlier, so whoever wants to start fasting earlier (i.e., inSha’ban),let him do so, and whoever wants to wait until Ramadanbegins, let himdo so.’”
Chapter 4: What was narrated concerning joining Sha`ban to Ramadan
مَا جَاءَ فِي وِصَالِ شَعْبَانَ بِرَمَضَانَ
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)usedto join Sha’ban to Ramadan.”
“He used to fast all ofSha’ban, until he joined it to Ramadan.”
Chapter 5: What was narrated concerning the prohibition of anticipating Ramadan by fasting before it, except for one who has a habitual pattern of fasting and it coincides with that
مَا جَاءَ فِي النَّهْىِ عَنْ أَنْ يَتَقَدَّمَ رَمَضَانَ بِصَوْمٍ إِلاَّ مَنْ صَامَ صَوْمًا فَوَافَقَهُ
‘Do not anticipate Ramadan by fasting one or two days before,except for a man who has a habitual pattern of fasting, in which caselet him fast.”
‘When it is the middle of Sha’ban, do not fast until Ramadancomes.”