Fasting

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the peopleof knowledge did not disapprove of people fasting using tooth-sticksat any hour of the day in Ramadan, whether at the beginning or theend, nor had he heard any of the people of knowledge disapproving ofor forbidding the practice.

Yahya said that he heard Maliksay, about fasting for six days after breaking the fast at the end ofRamadan, that he had never seen any of the people of knowledge andfiqh fasting them. He said, "I have not heard that any of ourpredecessors used to do that, and the people of knowledge disapproveof it and they are afraid that it might become a bida and that commonand ignorant people might join to Ramadan what does not belong to it,if they were to think that the people of knowledge had givenpermission for that to be done and were seen doing it.

Yahyasaid that he heard Malik say, "I have never heard any of the people ofknowledge and fiqh and those whom people take as an example forbiddingfasting on the day of jumua. Fasting on it is good, and I have seenone of the people of knowledge fasting it, and it seemed to me that hewas keen to do so."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umarthat the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,once mentioned Ramadan and said, "Do not begin the fast until you seethe new moon, and do not break the fast (at the end of Ramadan) untilyou see it. If the new moon is obscured from you, then work out (whenit should be)."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Dinar fromAbdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "A month has twenty-nine days in it. Do notstart the fast or break it until you see the new moon. If the new moonis obscured from you, then work out (when it should be)."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Thawr ibn Zayd ad-Dili fromAbdullah ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, once mentioned Ramadan and said, "Do not startthe fast or break it until you see the new moon. If the new moon isobscured from you, then complete a full thirty days."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that once in thetime of Uthman ibn Affan the new moon had been seen in the afternoonand Uthman did not break his fast until evening had come and the sunhad set.

Yahya said that he had heard Malik say that some onewho sees the new moon of Ramadan when he is on his own should startthe fast and not break it if he knows that that day is part ofRamadan. He added, "Some one who sees the new moon of Shawwal when heis on his own does not break the fast, because people suspect thereliability of someone among them who breaks the fast. Such peopleshould say, when they sight the new moon, 'We have seen the new moon.'Whoever sees the new moon of Shawwal during the day should not breakhis fast but should continue fasting for the rest of that day. This isbecause it is really the new moon of the night that is coming ."

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "If people are fasting on theday of Fitr thinking that it is still Ramadan and then definiteevidence comes to them that the new moon of Ramadan had been seen oneday before they began to fast and that they are now into the thirty-first day, then they should break the fast on that day at whatevertime the news comes to them. However, they do not pray the id prayerif they hear the news after the sun has begun to decline."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that A'isha and Hafsa, the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said that.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Hazim ibn Dinar from Sahlibn Sad as Saidi that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "People will remain in good as long as they arequick to break the fast."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Harmala al-Aslami from Said ibn al-Musayyab that the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, "People will remain in goodas long as they are quick to break the fast."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Humayd ibnAbd ar-Rahman that Umar ibn al-Khattab and Uthman ibn Affan would praymaghrib when they saw the night darkening, before they broke theirfast, and that was during Ramadan.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abd ar-Rahmanibn Mamar al-Ansari from Abu Yunus, the mawla of A'isha, from A'ishathat she overheard a man standing at the door saying to the Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Messenger ofAllah, I get up in the morning junub, in a state of major ritualimpurity, and want to fast," and the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, said, "I too get up in the morningjunub and want to fast, so I do ghusl and fast." The man said to him,"You are not the same as us. Allah has forgiven you all your wrongactions that have gone before and those that have come after." TheMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, got angryand said, "By Allah, I hope that I am the most fearful of you withrespect to Allah and the most knowledgeable of you in how I havetaqwa."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd Rabbih ibn Said from AbuBakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham from A'isha and UmmSalama, the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, usedto get up in the morning junub from intercourse, not a dream, inRamadan, and then he would fast."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Sumayy, the mawla of Abu Bakribn Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham that he heard Abu Bakr ibnAbd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham say, "My father and I were withMarwan ibn al Hakam at the time when he was amir of Madina, andsomeone mentioned to him that Abu Hurayra used to say, 'If someonebegins the morning junub, he has broken the fast for that day.'Marwan said, 'I swear to you, Abdar-Rahman, you must go to the two ummal muminin, A'isha and Umm Salama, and ask them about it.'

''Abd ar-Rahman went to visit A'isha and I accompanied him. He greetedher and then said, 'Umm al-muminin, we were with Marwan ibn al Hakamand someone mentioned to him that Abu Hurayra used to say that if someone had begun the morning junub, he had broken the fast for that day.'A'isha said, 'It is not as Abu Hurayra says Abd ar-Rahman. Do youdislike what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, used to do?', and Abd ar-Rahman said, 'No, by Allah.' A'ishasaid, 'I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, used to get up in the morning junub fromintercourse, not a dream, and would then fast for that day.' "

He continued, "Then we went and visited Umm Salama, and Abd ar-Rahman asked her about the same matter and she said the same as A'ishahad said. Then we went off until we came to Marwan ibn al-Hakam Abdar-Rahman told him what they had both said and Marwan said, 'I swearto you, Abu Muhammad, you must use the mount which is at the door, andgo to Abu Hurayra, who is on his land at al Aqiq, and tell him this.'So Abd ar-Rahman rode off, and I went with him, until we came to AbuHurayra. Abd ar-Rahman talked with him for a while, and then mentionedthe matter to him, and Abu Hurayra said, 'I don't know anything aboutit. I was just told that by someone.'"

Yahya related to me from Malik from Sumayy, the mawla of AbuBakr, from Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman that A'isha and Umm Salama, thewives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,"The Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, usedto get up in the morning junub from intercourse, not a dream, andwould then fast."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibnYasar that a certain man kissed his wife while he was fasting inRamadan. This made him very anxious, and so he sent his wife to theProphet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to ask him aboutthat for him. She went in and saw Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and mentioned the matter toher, and Umm Salama told her that the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, used to kiss while he was fasting. Soshe went back and told her husband that, but it only made him findfault all the more and he said, "We are not like the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Allah makespermissible for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, whatever He wishes."

His wife then went back toUmm Salama and found the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, with her. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, "What's the matter with this woman?", andUmm Salama told him. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "Didn't you tell her that I do that myself?"and she said, "I told her, and she went to her husband and told him,but it only made him find fault all the more and say, 'We are not likethe Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Allahmakes permissible for His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, whatever He wishes.' " The Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, got angry and said, "By Allah, I am the onewith the most taqwa of Allah of you all, and of you all the one whobest knows His limits."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that A'isha, umm al-muminin, may Allah be pleased with her,said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, used to kiss certain of his wives when fasting," and then shelaughed.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Atikabint Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl, the wife of Umar ibn al-Khattab, used tokiss Umar ibn al-Khattab's head while he was fasting, and he did nottell her not to.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'n-Nadr, the mawla of Umaribn Ubaydullah that A'isha bint Talha told him that she was once withA'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, and her husband, who was fasting, came and visited her there.(He was Abdullah ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Bakras-Siddiq.) A'isha saidto him, "What's stopping you from coming close to your wife andkissing her and joking with her?" He said, "Can I kiss her when I amfasting?" She said, "Yes."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that AbuHurayra and Sad ibn Abi Waqqas used to say that someone who wasfasting was allowed to kiss.

Yahya said that Malik said that Hisham ibn Urwa ibn az-Zubayr had said, "I do not think that kissing invites to good for people who are fasting."