The Book of Fasting

Ali ibn Hujr narrated to us: Ismail—Ibn Jafar—narrated to us: Abu Suhayl narrated to us, from his father, from Talhah ibn Ubaydullah, that a Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, his hair disheveled, and said, Messenger of Allah, tell me what prayers Allah has made obligatory for me. He replied, The five prayers, unless you perform something extra voluntarily. The man asked, Tell me what fasting Allah has made obligatory for me. He replied, Fasting the month of Ramadan, unless you perform something extra voluntarily. The man asked, Tell me what zakah Allah has made obligatory for me. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then informed him of the prescribed duties of Islam. The man said, By the One who honored you, I will perform no voluntary acts, and I will omit nothing that Allah has made obligatory for me. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, He will prosper if he is truthful—or, He will enter Paradise if he is truthful.

Muhammad ibn Mamar narrated to us: Abu Amir al-Aqadi narrated to us: Sulayman ibn al-Mughirah narrated to us, from Thabit, from Anas, who said: In the Quran, we were forbidden to ask the Prophet ﷺ about anything. So we liked it when an intelligent man from the desert people came and asked him. A man from the desert came and said, Muhammad, your messenger came to us and told us that you claim Allah, Mighty and Majestic, sent you. He replied, He spoke the truth. The man asked, Who created the heaven? He replied, Allah. Who created the earth? Allah. Who set up the mountains in it? Allah. Who placed its benefits in it? Allah. The man said, By the One who created the heaven and the earth, set up the mountains in it, and placed its benefits in it, did Allah send you? He replied, Yes. The man said, Your messenger claimed that five prayers each day and night are required of us. He replied, He spoke the truth. The man asked, By the One who sent you, did Allah command you to do this? He replied, Yes. Your messenger claimed that zakah on our wealth is required of us. He replied, He spoke the truth. The man asked, By the One who sent you, did Allah command you to do this? He replied, Yes. Your messenger claimed that we must fast one month each year, Ramadan. He replied, He spoke the truth. The man asked, By the One who sent you, did Allah command you to do this? He replied, Yes. Your messenger claimed that Hajj is required of whoever can make the journey. He replied, He spoke the truth. The man asked, By the One who sent you, did Allah command you to do this? He replied, Yes. The man said, By the One who sent you with the truth, I will neither add anything to these nor omit anything. When he left, the Prophet ﷺ said, If he is truthful, he will surely enter Paradise.

Isa ibn Hammad informed us, from al-Layth, from Said, from Sharik ibn Abi Namir, who said: I heard Anas ibn Malik say: While we were sitting in the mosque, a man came riding a camel, made it kneel in the mosque, and tethered it. He asked them, Which of you is Muhammad? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was reclining among them. We pointed him out: That fair-skinned man reclining there. The man said, Son of Abd al-Muttalib. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, You have found me. The man said, Muhammad, I am going to question you directly and press you in my questioning, so do not take offense. He replied, Ask whatever you wish. The man said, I adjure you by your Lord and the Lord of those before you: Has Allah sent you to all people? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I adjure you by Allah: Did Allah command you to perform the five prayers each day and night? He replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I adjure you by Allah: Did Allah command you to fast this month each year? He replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I adjure you by Allah: Did Allah command you to take this charity from our wealthy and distribute it among our poor? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I believe in what you have brought, and I am the envoy of my people who remain behind. I am Dimam ibn Tha labah, of the Banu Sad ibn Bakr. Yaqub ibn Ibrahim differed from him.

Ubaydullah ibn Sad ibn Ibrahim informed us, from his book: My uncle narrated to us: al-Layth narrated to us: Ibn Ajlan and others among our colleagues narrated from Said al-Maqburi, from Sharik ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Namir, who said: I heard Anas ibn Malik say: While we were sitting in the mosque with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a man entered riding a camel, made it kneel in the mosque, and tethered it. He asked, Which of you is Muhammad? The Prophet ﷺ was reclining among them. We pointed him out: That fair-skinned man reclining there. The man said, Son of Abd al-Muttalib. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, You have found me. The man said, Muhammad, I am going to question you directly and press you in my questioning. He replied, Ask whatever you wish. The man said, I adjure you by your Lord and the Lord of those before you: Has Allah sent you to all people? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I adjure you by Allah: Did Allah command you to fast this month each year? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I adjure you by Allah: Did Allah command you to take this charity from our wealthy and distribute it among our poor? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I believe in what you have brought, and I am the envoy of my people who remain behind. I am Dimam ibn Tha labah, of the Banu Sad ibn Bakr. Ubaydullah ibn Umar differed from him.

Abu Bakr ibn Ali informed us: Ishaq narrated to us: Abu Umara, Hamzah ibn al-Harith ibn Umayr, said: I heard my father mention, from Ubaydullah ibn Umar, from Said ibn Abi Said al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: While the Prophet ﷺ was with his Companions, a man from the desert came and asked, Which of you is the son of Abd al-Muttalib? They said, This fair-complexioned man reclining there. Hamzah explained: Al-amghar means fair, with a reddish tint. The man said, I am going to question you, and I will press you in my questioning. He replied, Ask whatever you wish. The man said, I ask you by your Lord, the Lord of those before you, and the Lord of those after you: Has Allah sent you? He replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I adjure you by Him: Did Allah command you to perform five prayers each day and night? He replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I adjure you by Him: Did Allah command you to take from the wealth of our rich and give it back to our poor? He replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I adjure you by Him: Did Allah command you to fast this month out of the twelve months? He replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I adjure you by Him: Did Allah command those able to do so to make pilgrimage to this House? He replied, O Allah, yes. The man said, I believe and affirm you. I am Dimam ibn Tha labah.

Sulayman ibn Dawud narrated to us, from Ibn Wahb, who said: Yunus informed me, from Ibn Shihab, from Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Utbah, that Abdullah ibn Abbas used to say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the most generous of people, and he was at his most generous in Ramadan when Gabriel met him. Gabriel would meet him every night in Ramadan and review the Quran with him. When Gabriel met him, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was more generous in doing good than a wind let loose.

Muhammad ibn Ismail narrated to us: Hafs ibn Umar ibn al-Harith narrated to me: Hammad narrated to us: Mamar and al-Numan ibn Rashid narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Urwah, from Aishah, who said: I do not recall the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ever invoking a curse. When he had recently met with Gabriel, peace be upon him, and reviewed the Quran with him, he was more generous in doing good than a wind let loose. Abu Abd al-Rahman said: This is an error. The correct report is the narration of Yunus ibn Yazid; this transmitter has combined one hadith with another.

Ali ibn Hujr narrated to us: Ismail narrated to us: Abu Suhayl narrated to us, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: When the month of Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of the Fire are closed, and the devils are chained.

Ibrahim ibn Yaqub al-Juzajani informed me: Ibn Abi Maryam narrated to us: Nafi ibn Yazid informed us, from Uqayl, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Abu Suhayl informed me, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: When Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of the Fire are closed, and the devils are chained.

Ubaydullah ibn Sad ibn Ibrahim narrated to us: My uncle narrated to us: My father narrated to us, from Salih, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Nafi ibn Anas informed me that his father told him that he heard Abu Hurayrah say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: When Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.

Muhammad ibn Khalid narrated to us: Bishr ibn Shuaib narrated to us, from his father, from al-Zuhri, who said: Ibn Abi Anas, the client of the Taym clan, informed me that his father told him that he heard Abu Hurayrah say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: When Ramadan comes, the gates of mercy are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.

Al-Rabi ibn Sulayman narrated to us, in his narration from Ibn Wahb, who said: Yunus informed me, from Ibn Shihab, from Ibn Abi Anas, whose father told him that he heard Abu Hurayrah say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained. This was also narrated by Ibn Ishaq from al-Zuhri.

Ubaydullah ibn Sad narrated to us: My uncle narrated to us: My father narrated to us, from Ibn Ishaq, from al-Zuhri, from Ibn Abi Anas, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: When the month of Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of the Fire are closed, and the devils are chained. Abu Abd al-Rahman said: This report—meaning the narration of Ibn Ishaq—is an error. Ibn Ishaq did not hear it from al-Zuhri. The correct version is the one we mentioned earlier.

Ubaydullah ibn Sad narrated to us: My uncle narrated to us: My father narrated to us, from Ibn Ishaq, who said: Muhammad ibn Muslim mentioned from Uways ibn Abi Uways, one counted among Banu Taym, from Anas ibn Malik, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Ramadan has come to you. During it, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of the Fire are closed, and the devils are chained. Abu Abd al-Rahman said: This report is an error.

Abu Bakr ibn Ali informed us: Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Abd al-Ala narrated to us, from Mamar, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Prophet ﷺ used to encourage standing in prayer during Ramadan without making it obligatory. He said: When Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained in it. Ibn al-Mubarak transmitted it as a mursal report.

Muhammad ibn Hatim narrated to us: Hibban ibn Musa, the Khorasani, informed us: Abdullah informed us, from Mamar, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: When Ramadan begins, the gates of mercy are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.

Bishr ibn Hilal narrated to us: Abd al-Warith narrated to us, from Ayyub, from Abu Qilabah, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Ramadan, a blessed month, has come to you. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has made its fasting obligatory for you. During it, the gates of heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained. In it is a night better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its goodness has indeed been deprived.

Muhammad ibn Mansur narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ata ibn al-Saib, from Arfajah, who said: We visited Utbah ibn Farqad and discussed the month of Ramadan. He asked, What are you discussing? We said, The month of Ramadan. He said, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: During it, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of the Fire are closed, and the devils are chained. A caller announces every night, Seeker of good, come forward! Seeker of evil, desist! Abu Abd al-Rahman said: This report is an error.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Muhammad narrated to us: Shu bah narrated to us, from Ata ibn al-Saib, from Arfajah, who said: I was in a house with Utbah ibn Farqad and wanted to narrate a hadith. A man from among the Companions of the Prophet was there, and it seemed to me that he had a greater right to narrate it than I did. The man narrated from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: During Ramadan, the gates of heaven are opened, the gates of the Fire are closed, and every rebellious devil is chained. A caller announces every night, Seeker of good, come forward! Seeker of evil, desist!