Fasting

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj fromAbu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "Beware of wisal. Beware of wisal." They said, "Butyou practise wisal, Messenger of Allah." He replied, "I am not thesame as you. My Lord feeds me and gives me to drink."

Yahya related to me, and I (myself) heard Malik say, "The bestthat I have heard about some one who has to fast for two consecutivemonths because of having killed someone by mistake or havingpronounced the dhihar form of divorce, becoming very ill and having tobreak his fast, is that if he recovers from his illness and is strongenough to fast, he must not delay doing so. He continues his fast fromwhere he left off.

Similarly, a woman who has to fast becauseof having killed some one by mistake should not delay resuming herfast when she has become pure after her period. She continues her fastfrom where she left off.

No one who, by the Book of Allah,has to fast for two consecutive months may break his fast except for areason - illness or menstruation. He must not travel and break hisfast."

Malik said, "This is the best that I have heard aboutthe matter."

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "What I have heard from thepeople of knowledge is that if a man succumbs to an illness whichmakes fasting very difficult for him and exhausts him and wears himout, he can break his fast. This is the same as with a sick man in theprayer, who finds standing to be too difficult and exhausting, (andAllah knows better than the slave that it is an excuse for him andthat it really cannot be described). If the man is in such acondition he prays sitting, and the deen of Allah is ease.

Allah has permitted a traveller to break the fast when travelling, andhe has more strength for fasting than a sick man. Allah, the Exalted,says in His book, 'Whoever among you is ill or on a journey (mustfast) a number of other days,' and Allah has thus permitted atraveller to break his fast when on a journey, and he is more capableof fasting than a sick man.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Said ibnal-Musayyab was asked whether a man who had vowed to fast a monthcould fast voluntarily, and Said said, "He should fulfil his vowbefore he does any voluntary fasting."

Malik said, "I haveheard the same thing from Sulayman ibn Yasar."

Malik said,"If someone dies with an unfulfilled vow to free a slave or to fast orto give sadaqa or to give away a camel, and makes a bequest that hisvow should be fulfilled from his estate, then the sadaqa or the giftof the camel are taken from one third of his estate. Preference isgiven to it over other bequests, except things of a similar nature,because by his vow it has become incumbent on him, and this is not thecase with something he donates voluntarily. They (vows and voluntarydonations) are settled from a limited one-third of his estate, and notfrom the whole of it, since if the dying man were free to dispose ofall of his estate, he might delay settling what had become incumbenton him (i.e. his vows), so that when death came and the estate passedinto the hands of his heirs, he would have bequeathed such things(i.e. his vows) that were not claimed by anyone (like debts). If that(i.e. to dispose freely of his property) were allowed him, he woulddelay these things (i.e. his vows) until when he was near death, hewould designate them and they might take up all of his estate. He mustnot do that."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullahibn Umar used to be asked, "an some one fast for some one else, or dothe prayer for some one else?" and he would reply, "No one can fast ordo the prayer for anyone else."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from hisbrother Khalid ibn Aslam that Umar ibn al-Khattab once broke thefaston a cloudy day thinking that evening had come and the sun had set.Then a man came to him and said, "Amir al-muminin, the sun has comeout,'' and Umar said, "That's an easy matter. It was our deduction(ijtihad)."

Malik said, "According to what we think, andAllah knows best, what he was referring to when he said, 'That's aneasy matter' was making up the fast, and how slight the effortinvolved was and how easy it was. He was saying (in effect), 'We willfast another day in its place.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to say, "Someone who breaks the fast in Ramadan because he is illor travelling should make up the days he has missed consecutively."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibr Shihab that Abdullah ibnAbbas and Abu Hurayra differed about making up days missed in Ramadan.One of them said that they were done separately and the other saidthat they were done consecutively. He did not know which one of themit was who said that they were done separately.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to say, "If some one makes himself vomit while he is fasting hehas to make up a day, but if he cannot help vomiting he does not haveto make up anything."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that he heardSaid ibn al Musayyab being asked about making up days missed inRamadan, and Said said, "What I like best is for days missed inRamadan to be made up consecutively, and not separately."

Yahya said that he had heard Malik say, about some one who made up thedays he had missed in Ramadan separately, that he did not have torepeat them. (What he had done) was enough for him. It was, however,preferable, if he did them consecutively.

Malik said,"Whoever eats or drinks thoughtlessly or forgetfully in Ramadan orduring any other obligatory fast that he must do, has to fast anotherday in its place."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Humayd ibn Oays al-Makki toldhim, "I was with Mujahid while he was performing tawaf around theKaba, and a man came to him and asked whether the days (of fasting)for kaffara had to be fasted consecutively, or could they be split up.I said to him, 'Yes, they can be split up, if the person so wishes.'Mujahid said, 'He should not split them up, because in Ubayy ibn Kab'srecitation they are referred to as three consecutive days.' "

Malik said, "What I like most is what Allah has specified in theQur'an, that is, that they are fasted consecutively."

Malikwas asked about a woman who began the day fasting in Ramadan andthough it was outside of the time of her period, fresh blood (i.e. notmenstrual blood) flowed from her. She then waited until evening to seethe same, but did not see anything.Then, on the next day in themorning she had anotherflow, though less than the first. Then, somedays before her period, the flow stopped completely. Malik was askedwhat she should do about her fasting and prayer, and he said, "Thisblood is like menstrual blood. When she sees it she should break herfast, and then make up the days she has missed. Then, when the bloodhas completely stopped, she should do ghusl and fast."

Malikwas asked whether someone who became muslim on the last day of Ramadanhad to make up all of Ramadan or whether he just had to make up theday when he became muslim, and he said, "He does not have to make upany of the days that have passed. He begins fasting from that dayonwards. What I like most is that he makes up the day on which hebecame muslim."

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "Someone who eats or drinks out of neglect or forgetfulness during a voluntary fast does not have to repeat his fast, but he should continue fasting for the rest of the day in which he eats or drinks while voluntarily fasting, and not stop fasting. Someone to whom something unexpected happens which causes him to break his fast while he is fasting voluntarily does not have to repeat his fast if he has broken it for a reason, and not simply because he decided to break his fast. Just as I do not think that someone has to repeat a voluntary prayer if he has had to stop it because of some discharge which he could prevent and which meant that he had to repeat his wudu."

Malik said, "Once a man has begun doing any of the right actions (al-amal as-saliha) such as the prayer, the fast and the hajj, or similar right actions of a voluntary nature, he should not stop until he has completed it according to what the sunna for that action is. If he says the takbir he should not stop until he has prayed two rakas. If he is fasting he should not break his fast until he has completed that day's fast. If he goes into ihram he should not return until he has completed his hajj, and if he begins doing tawaf he should not stop doing so until he has gone around the Kaba seven times. He should not stop doing any of these actions once he has started them until he has completed them, except if something happens such as illness or some other matter by which a man is excused. This is because Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says in His Book, 'And eat and drink until the white thread becomes clear to you from the black thread of dawn, (and) then complete the fast until night-time,' (Sura 2 ayat 187), and so he must complete his fast as Allah has said. Allah, the Exalted, (also) says, 'And complete the hajj and the umra for Allah,' and so if a man were to go into ihram for a voluntary hajj having done his one obligatory hajj (on a previous occasion), he could not then stop doing his hajj having once begun it and leave ihram while in the middle of his hajj. Anyone that begins a voluntary act must complete it once he has begun doing it, just as an obligatory act must be completed . This is the best of what I have heard."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Anas ibnMalik used to pay fidya when he had grown old and could no longermanage to do the fast.

Malik said, "I do not consider that todo so is obligatory, but what I like most is that a man does the fastwhen he is strong enough. Whoever pays compensation gives one mudd offood in place of every day, using the mudd of the Prophet, may Allahbless him and grant him peace."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abdullahibn Umar was asked about what a pregnant woman should do if the fastbecame difficult for her and she feared for her child, and he said,"She should break the fast and feed a poor man one mudd of wheat inplace of every day, using the mudd of the Prophet, may Allah bless himand grant him peace."

Malik said, "The people of knowledgeconsider that she has to make up for each day of the fast that shemisses as Allah, the Exalted and Glorified, says, 'And whoever of youis sick or on a journey should fast an equal number of other days, 'and they consider her pregnancy and her concern for her child as asickness."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Qasimthat his father used to say, "If someone has to make up for days notfasted in Ramadan and does not do them before the next Ramadan comesalthough he is strong enough to do so, he should feed a poor man witha mudd of wheat for every day that he has missed, and he has to fastthe days he owes as well."

Yahya related to me from Malikthat he had heard the same thing from Said ibn Jubayr.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from AbuSalama ibn Abd ar-Rahman that he heard A'isha, the wife of theProphet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "I used to haveto make up days from Ramadan and not be able to do them until Shabancame."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard the people ofknowledge telling people not to fast on the day in Shaban when therewas doubt (about whether it was Shaban or Ramadan), if they intendedby it the fast of Ramadan . They considered that whoever fasted onthat day without having seen (the new moon) had to make up that day ifit later became clear that it was part of Ramadan. They did not seeany harm in voluntary fasting on that day.

Malik said, "Thisis what we do, and what I have seen the people of knowledge in ourcity doing."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'n Nadr, the mawla of Umaribn Ubaydullah, from Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman that A'isha, thewife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,"The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, usedto fast for so long that we thought he would never stop fasting, andhe would go without fasting for so long that we thought he would neverfast again. I never saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, fast for a complete month except for Ramadan, andI never saw him do more fasting in any one month than he did inShaban.'

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z Zinad from al-A'rajfrom Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "Fasting is a protection for you, so when youare fasting, do not behave obscenely or foolishly, and if any oneargues with you or abuses you, say, 'I am fasting. I am fasting.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z Zinad from al-Araj fromAbu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "By the One in Whose hand my self is, the smell ofthe breath of a man fasting is better with Allah than the scent ofmusk.' He leaves his desires and his food and drink for My sake.Fasting is for Me and I reward it. Every good action is rewarded byten times its kind, up to seven hundred times, except fasting, whichis for Me, and I reward it.' "