Third pillar of Islam : Fasting
Ramadan is on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. They abstain from food, water, anger, gossip, backbiting, and all other negative behaviors,
fasting is meant to instill this virtuous quality within us.
The purpose of fasting is to develop the quality of righteousness (taqwa) by abstaining from sinful deeds and training ourselves to control our desires.
Allah SWT said in the Quran :
O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you: As it was prescribed to those before you that you may (learn) self-control. (Quran 2:183)
Therefore, a Muslim must be especially careful to guard himself from all kinds of sin while he is fasting. He should abandon unbeneficial speech and especially argumentation. If anyone tries to argue with him, he should simply respond by saying he is fasting.
Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported:
When any one of you gets up in the morning in the state of fasting, he should neither use obscene language nor do any act of ignorance. And if anyone slanders him or quarrels with him, he should say:" I am fasting, I am fasting."
[Sahih Muslim 1151a]
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Fasting is a shield (or a screen or a shelter). So, the person observing fasting should avoid sexual relation with his wife and should not behave foolishly and impudently, and if somebody fights with him or abuses him, he should tell him twice, 'I am fasting." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. (Allah says about the fasting person), 'He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times."
[Sahih al-Bukhari 1894]
If a Muslims fails to protect himself from sins and unbeneficial speech while fasting, then his fasting has not achieved its purpose. Allah certainly does not need any one of us to fast, so a Muslim who sins while fasting has nullified the virtue of his fasting.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)"
[Sahih al-Bukhari 1903]
Khata Peeta Rozedar
Ramzan ka mahina thah, ek naujawan ne dekha ke ek budha chupke se kuch khaa raha hai. To is naujawan ne nazdeek jakar is budhe se pocha, chacha jan kya aap ne roza nahi rakha?
Budhe ne jawab diya kyun nahi maine roza rakha huwa hai, sirf khana khata hoon aur pani peeta hoon. Naujawan hans pada aur bola, kya aisa bhi hosakta hai?
Budhe ne jawab diya, HAAN. Main jhoot nahi bolta kisi ko gali nahi deta kisi ki ghayebat nahi karta kisi per ilzam nahi dalta kisi se hasad nahi karta kisi ka dil nahi dukhata, haram maal nahi khata, Allah SWT ke har faraiz aada karta hoon. Kyunke main beemar hoon isliye apne pet ko bhoka nahi rakh sakta.
Phir is budhe ne is naujawan se pocha, beta kya aap roza ho?
Is naujawan ne sar jhukate huwe ajiszgi se bola NAHI, hum sirf khana nahi khate aur pani nahi peete.
Fasting is not just about abstaining from food and drink, but also from futile desire and obscene behavior.
Fasting is only 10% of not eating and drinking. The rest of 90% is bringing your heart and soul closer to Allah SWT.
Roza utna mushkil nahi but controlling your nafs is the real challenge.
Fasting is a shield against the Fire
Mutarrif, from the tribe of Banu ‘Amir bin Sa’sa’ah narrated that ‘Uthman bin Abul-‘As Ath-Thaqafi invited him to drink some milk that he poured for him. Mutarrif said:
“I am fasting.” ‘Uthman said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Fasting is a shield against the Fire just like the shield of anyone of you against fighting.’”
[Sunan Ibn Majah 1639]
Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ascended the pulpit and he said, “Amin, amin, amin.” It was said, “O Messenger of Allah, you ascended the pulpit and said amin, amin, amin.” The Prophet said, “Verily, Gabriel came to me and he said: Whoever reaches the month of Ramadan and he is not forgiven, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin. Whoever sees his parents in their old age, one or both of them, and he does not honor them and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin. Whoever has your name mentioned in his presence and he does not send blessings upon you and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 915]
[Kindly check the referenc]
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“May the man before whom I am mentioned - and he does not send Salat upon me - be humiliated. And may a man upon whom Ramadan enters and then passes, before he is forgiven, be humiliated. And may a man whose parents reached old age in his presence, and they were not a cause for his entrance to Paradise, be humiliated.”
[Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3545]
Special gate in Paradise for those who fast.
Narrated Sahl:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There is a gate in Paradise called Ar-Raiyan, and those who observe fasts will enter through it on the Day of Resurrection and none except them will enter through it. It will be said, 'Where are those who used to observe fasts?' They will get up, and none except them will enter through it. After their entry the gate will be closed and nobody will enter through it."
[Sahih al-Bukhari 1896]
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Every good deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied manifold. A good deed will be multiplied ten times up to as many as seven hundred times, or as much as Allah wills. Allah says: ‘Except for fasting, which is for Me and I shall reward for it. He gives up his desire and his food for My sake.’ The fasting person has two joys, one when he breaks his fast and another when he meets his Lord. The smell that comes from the mouth of a fasting person is better before Allah than the fragrance of musk.”
[Sunan Ibn Majah 1638]
Night of Al-Qadr
Narrated `Aisha:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan."
[Sahih al-Bukhari 2017]
We revealed the Quran on the Night of Destiny
Would that you knew what the Night of Destiny is
(Worship) on the Night of Destiny is better than (worship) for a thousand months
On this Night, the angels and the spirit descend by the permission of their Lord with His decree (to determine everyone's destiny)
This Night is all peace until the break of dawn.
[Quran 97 : 1 - 5]
Allah SWT himself mentions that the night is better than a 1000 months
Narrated Aisha:
With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet (ﷺ) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work hard) and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers.
[Sahih al-Bukhari 2024]
If any of you are ill or traveling.
Narrated `Aisha:
(the wife of the Prophet) Hamza bin `Amr Al-Aslami asked the Prophet, "Should I fast while traveling?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "You may fast if you wish, and you may not fast if you wish."
[Sahih al-Bukhari 1943]
Fast for a specified number of days, but if any one among you is ill or on a journey, let him fast the same number of days later. For those who can fast only with extreme difficulty, there is a way to compensatethe feeding of a needy person. But he who does good of his own accord shall be well rewarded; but to fast is better for you, if you only knew. (Quran 2:184)
Narrated 'Ata:
That he heard Ibn `Abbas reciting the Divine Verse:-- "And for those who can fast they had a choice either fast, or feed a poor for every day.." (2.184) Ibn `Abbas said, "This Verse is not abrogated, but it is meant for old men and old women who have no strength to fast, so they should feed one poor person for each day of fasting (instead of fasting).
[Sahih al-Bukhari 4505]
If someone forgets that he is fasting and eats something.
If a person accidentally eats or drinks while fasting then his or her fast is still valid?
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
If anyone forgets that he is fasting and eats or drinks he should complete his fast, for it is only Allah Who has fed him and given him drink.
[Sahih Muslim 1155]
When a person unintentionally eats or drinks, it doesn’t break their fast. Their fast still holds, Quran says:
...There is no sin on you if you make a mistake in it, except what your hearts deliberately intend. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. [Quran 33:5]
Do not fast or give up fasting till you see the crescent
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) mentioned Ramadan and said, "Do not fast unless you see the crescent (of Ramadan), and do not give up fasting till you see the crescent (of Shawwal), but if the sky is overcast (if you cannot see it), then act on estimation (i.e. count Sha'ban as 30 days).
[Sahih al-Bukhari 1906]
Whoever gives food for a fasting person
It was narrated from Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Whoever gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will have a reward like theirs, without that detracting from their reward in the slightest.”
[Sunan Ibn Majah 1746]
Zakatul-Fitr
It was narrated that:
Ibn Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) enjoined Zakatul-Fitr as a purification for the fasting person from idle talk and obscenities, and to feed the poor. Whoever pays it before the (Eid) prayer, it is an accepted Zakah, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is (ordinary) charity.”
[Sunan Ibn Majah 1827]
