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Worship - Fasting
| Purification | Praying | ||||||||||
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 |
| Zakah | Fasting | Pilgrimage | |||||||||
| 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | ||||||
Lesson 46
Voluntary Fasting
·
Days recommended for fasting
throughout the year are:
a) The day of `Arafah (for
other than the pilgrim)
b) The day of
`Ashura’ and
a day before it (tenth and ninth of Muharram)
c) Six days in Shawwal
d) Any day in the first half
of Sha`ban
e) The first nine days of
Dhul-Hijjah
f) Any days in Muharram
g) The thirteenth,
fourteenth, and fifteenth of every lunar month (White Days)
h) Mondays and Thursdays
i) Fasting a day and breaking
one’s fast the next day (the fast of the Prophet David, (peace be upon him)
j) Increasing fasting for the
unmarried person who can not afford marriage expenses.[9]
·
Days in which fasting is offensive
are the day of `Arafat for the pilgrim, singling out Friday or Saturday for fasting, and
the second half of Sha`ban.
·
Cases in which fasting is highly
offensive are the doubtful day (the thirtieth of Sha`ban), fasting everyday for
life, continuous fasting of days and nights without a break, and a married woman
fasting (in other than Ramadan) without the consent of her husband.[10]
· Fasting is prohibited on the two days of Al-Fitr Bairam and Al-Adha (Sacrifice) Bairam, on the three days of Tashriq (days following the immolation day), for the severely ill patient, and for women having their monthly period, or post-natal bleeding.
Evidence from Qur'an and Sunnah
When the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) was questioned about the fast on the day of `Arafah,
he said:
“It
is expiation for the sins of the preceding year and the coming one.” (Reported by Muslim)
When the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) was asked about the fasting on the tenth day of
Muharram, he replied:
“It
expiates the sins of the previous year.”
(Reported
by Muslim)
The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said:
“If
I remain alive until the next year, I shall keep the fast on the ninth of
Muharram (as well).”
(Reported
by Muslim)
The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said:
“If
one fasts throughout Ramadan and then followed it with fasting on the first
six days of Shawwal (after the
`Id day), it will be counted
as if he has fasted throughout the year.”
(Reported
by Muslim)
`A’ishah (may Allah
be pleased with her) narrated:
“I did not see the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) completing the fast of a month, but
that of Ramadan, and I did not see him fasting more in any other month than
that of Sha`ban.”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said:
“There
are no days during which righteous action is so pleasing to Allah as
righteous action in the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.
He was asked: O Messenger of Allah, not even striving in the Cause of Allah?
He replied: Not even striving in the Cause of Allah except in the case of
one who goes forth with his life and his property and does not return with
either of it.”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari)
The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said:
“The best month for
fasting next to Ramadan is Muharram.”
(Reported by Muslim)
Qatadah Ibn Milhan (may
Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
“The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered us to fast on the three
''white
Days'':
thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth of each lunar month.”
(Reported by Abu Dawud)
The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said:
“Actions
are presented on Mondays and Thursdays, so I like that my actions may be
presented while I am fasting.”
(Reported
by At-Tirmidhi)
Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him) said:
“To Allah, the best fast is that
of David, and the best prayer is that of David
(peace be upon him)
for he would sleep half of the night and stand for prayer for one third of
it and (then)
would sleep on sixth of it, and he would fast one day and break it on the
other. He used not to flee on encountering the enemy.”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari
and Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“He who can afford to marry
should marry, because it will help him refrain from looking at other women,
and save his private parts from committing illegal sexual relation; and he
who can not afford to marry is advised to fast, as fasting is a safeguard
(from lust).”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Cases in which fasting is offensive:
Offensive
fasting:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah
be pleased with him) narrated:
“The
Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) prohibited fasting on the day of `Arafah
at `Arafah.” (Reported by Ahmad)
The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said:
“None
of you should observe optional fasting on Friday unless along with another
day, before or after it.”
(Reported
by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“Do
not fast on Saturday except what has been made obligatory on you; and if one
of you can get nothing but a grape skin or a piece of wood from a tree, he
should chew it.”
(Reported by At-Tirmidhi)
The Prophet of Allah
(peace be upon him) said:
“When the middle of
Sha`ban comes, do not fast.”
(Reported by Abu Dawud)
Highly
offensive fasting:
`A’ishah (may Allah be
pleased with her) narrated:
“The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prohibited continuous fasting.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said:
“Do not fast
continuously day and night (Al-Wisal practice).”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari)
`Ammar Ibn Yasir (may
Allah be pleased with him) said:
“He who fasts the day of Shakk
(in which it is not decided
whether the following day is the beginning of Ramadan or not),
disobeys Abul-Qasim, the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him).”
(Reported by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi)
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“Whoever
fasts daily throughout his life is just as the one who does not fast at
all.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Abu Qatadah (may Allah
be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said:
“It is not lawful for a woman to
fast (optional fasting)
without the permission of her husband if he is at home.”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Prohibited fasting:
`Umar Ibn Al-Khattab
(may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
“Allah's Prophet
has forbidden people to fast on the day on which you break fasting (the fast
of Ramadan) and the day on which you eat the meat of your sacrifices.”
(i.e. the first day of Al-Adha Bairam).
(Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“The days of
Tashriq are the days of eating and drinking.”
(Reported by Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“Is it not true that a woman
does not pray and does not fast on menstruating? And that is the defect
(loss)
in her religion.”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari)