The Book of Fasting

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet said, “Fast when you see it and end the fast when you see it. If it is obscured from you, then complete the count.”

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Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah said, “Fast when you see it and end the fast when you see it. If the month is obscured from you, then count thirty days.”

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah mentioned the crescent and said, “When you see it, fast, and when you see it again, end the fast. If it is obscured from you, then count thirty days.”

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah said, “Do not fast one or two days before Ramadan, except a person who regularly fasts on a certain day; let him fast that day.”

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This hadith was transmitted from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir through the same chain, in similar wording.

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Al-Zuhri reported that the Prophet swore not to visit his wives for a month. Al-Zuhri said that Urwa informed him, from Aisha, who said: When twenty-nine nights had passed, which I had counted, the Messenger of Allah came to me—he began with me. I said, “Messenger of Allah, you swore not to come to us for a month, yet you came after twenty-nine nights, which I counted.” He replied, “The month is twenty-nine days.”

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Jabir reported that the Messenger of Allah stayed apart from his wives for a month, then came out to us after twenty-nine days. We said, “Today is only the twenty-ninth.” He replied, “The month is…” and clapped his hands three times, holding back one finger on the last count.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Jabir ibn Abdullah reported that the Prophet stayed apart from his wives for a month and came out to us on the morning of the twenty-ninth. Some people said, “Messenger of Allah, this morning is only the twenty-ninth.” The Prophet replied, “A month can be twenty-nine days.” He then joined his hands three times: twice with all the fingers of both hands, and the third time with nine fingers.

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Umm Salama reported that the Prophet swore not to visit some of his family for a month. When twenty-nine days had passed, he went to them in the morning—or evening. Someone said, “Prophet of Allah, you swore not to visit us for a month.” He replied, “A month can be twenty-nine days.”

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim and Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna transmitted a similar report through the same chain from Ibn Jurayj.

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Saad ibn Abi Waqqas reported that the Messenger of Allah struck one hand against the other and said, “The month is like this and this.” Then, on the third count, he folded one finger.

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Muhammad ibn Saad reported from his father, Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, that the Prophet said, “The month is like this, this, and this”—ten, ten, and nine, once.

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This report was transmitted by Ismail ibn Abi Khalid through the same chain, with a meaning similar to the preceding narrations.

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Kuraib reported that Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith sent him to Muawiya in Syria. He arrived there, took care of her business, and Ramadan began while he was in Syria. He saw the crescent on Friday night. At the end of the month, he returned to Medina, where Abdullah ibn Abbas asked him about the crescent. Kuraib said, “We saw it on Friday night.” Ibn Abbas asked, “Did you see it yourself?” He replied, “Yes. The people saw it too, and they fasted, as did Muawiya.” Ibn Abbas said, “But we saw it on Saturday night, so we will continue fasting until we complete thirty days or see the crescent.” I asked, “Is the sighting and fasting of Muawiya not enough for you?” He said, “No. This is how the Messenger of Allah commanded us.” Yahya ibn Yahya was uncertain whether the wording was “Is it enough for us?” or “Is it enough for you?”

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Abu al-Bakhtari reported: We set out to perform Umra and camped in the valley of Nakhlah. We looked for the crescent, and some people said it was three nights old while others said it was two nights old. We met Ibn Abbas and told him what we had seen and what people said. He asked, “On which night did you see it?” We told him the night. He replied that the Messenger of Allah said Allah had made the moon visible for sighting, so it is counted from the night when it is seen.

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Abu al-Bakhtari reported: We entered the month of Ramadan while at Dhat Irq and sent a man to ask Ibn Abbas. Ibn Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah said, “Allah has made it appear for sighting; if it is obscured from you, then complete the count.”

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Abu Bakra reported from his father that the Prophet said, “The two Eid months do not fall short: Ramadan and Dhu al-Hijjah.”

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Abu Bakra reported that the Prophet said, “The two Eid months do not fall short.” In the version of Khalid, it says, “The two Eid months are Ramadan and Dhu al-Hijjah.”

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Adi ibn Hatim reported that when the verse “until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread at dawn” was revealed, he said, “Messenger of Allah, I put two cords beneath my pillow, one white and one black, so I can tell night from day.” The Messenger of Allah replied, “Your pillow must be very wide! What is meant is the darkness of night and the brightness of day.”

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Sahl ibn Sad reported that when the verse “Eat and drink until the white thread becomes distinct from the black thread” was revealed, a man would take a white thread and a black thread and keep eating until he could distinguish them. Then Allah revealed the words “at dawn,” clarifying the meaning.