A Manual of Hadith: Chapter XVII: Fasting

The directions relating to fasts are all contained in vv. 2:183-187. Fasts are to be kept during the 29 or 30 days of Ramadzān (v. 2). The Fast consists in abstaining daily, from dawn till sunset, from food and drink and sexual intercourse (v. 3). Fasting is recognised in hadīth as one of the pillars of Islām (H. ii:5, 6), but too much voluntary fasting is prohibited (H. ii:3.). While tasting, one must cultivate the habit of abstaining from evil, from foul talk and falsehood (hh. 1. 2), and of charity to fellow-men (h. 3). Fasting starts with the first day of Ramadzān and ends with the last day of it. Ramadzān being a lunar month, its beginning and end depend on the appearance of the new moon (H. xii. 1, 2). Fast must not be kept on a doubtful day (h. 4). The fast begins when dawn appears (h. 5), and ends when the sun sets (h. 6). When fasting, it is recommended that one should have a meal in the morning (h. 7). a little before dawn (h. 8).

Breaking the fast when one is journeying is permitted. but fasting is allowed in such a case unless it entails hardship (hh. 9. 10). One who is ill, the pregnant woman, the woman who gives suck, and a very old person may feed a needy person instead of fasting (h. 11). A woman should not fast when she is menstruating, but she should fast for the same number of days afterwards (h. 12).

"Fasting is an armour with which one protects oneself; so let not him (who fasts) utter immodest (or foul) speech, nor let him act in an ignorant manner; and if a man quarrels with him or abuses him, he should say twice, I am fasting. And by Him in Whose hand is my soul, the odour of the mouth of one fasting is sweeter in the estimation of Allāh than the odour of muskh--gives up his food and his drink and his (sexual) desire for MY sake; fasting is for Me and I will grant

2 Abū Hurairah said,

The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:

"He who does not give up uttering falsehood and acting according to it, Allāh has no need of his giving up his food and his drink."

(B. 30:8.)

3 Ibn 'Abbās said,

The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, was the most generous of all people, and he was most generous in Ramadzān, when Gabriel met him, and he met him in every night of Ramadzān and read with him the Qur'ān; so the Messenger of Allāh. peace and blessings was of Allāh be on him,

4 Silah said, reporting on the authority of 'Ammār,

Whoever keeps fast on a doubtful day, disobeys

Abu-l-Qāsim1, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him.

(B. 30:11.)

5 'Adiyy ibn Hātim said,

'When it was revealed, "Until the khait al-abyadz becomes distinct to you from the khait al-aswad", I betook myself to a black cord and a white cord2 and put them under my pillow, and I looked at them (now and then) during the night

1. Abu-l-Qāsim is the kunyah of the Holy Prophet.

2. Khait literally means a cord.

(B. 30:16)

6 Umar said, 'The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:

"When the night comes on from there and the day departs on this side and the sun goes down, the one who is fasting should break the fast."

(B. 30:43.)

7 Anas said,

The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:

"Have the meal before dawn, for there is blessing in the meal before dawn."

(B. 30:20.)

8 Abū Hāzim said that he heard Sahl ibn Sa'd saying,

(B. 9:27)

9 Anas said,

We used to be on journey with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and he who kept the fast did not find fault with him who broke it, nor did he who broke the fast find fault with him who kept it.

(B. 30:37.)

10 Jābir said,

The Messenger of Allāh. peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, was on a journey, and he saw a crowd and a man who was placed under a shade. He said, "What is this?" They said, He is one fasting. He said

11 'Atā' said,

One should break the fast on account of illness, whatever it may be, as Allāh has said. And Hasan and Ibrāhīm said, concerning the woman who gives suck and the one with child, when they fear about themselves or their child, they should break the fast, then fast on other days. And as to the very old man when he cannot bear fasting--Anas, after he became old, fed one who was needy, for a year or two daily with bread and meat, and broke the fast.

(B. 65:ii, 25.)

13 Abū Salamah said,

I heard 'Ā'ishah say, I used to be under obligation to fast on account of (the fasts omitted in) Ramadzān, and I was not able to perform this obligation except in Sha'bān."

(B. 30:40)

14 Abū 'Ubaid said,

I was present at 'Īd with Umar and he said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, forbade fasting on these two days, the ('Īd) day of your breaking the fast and the other ('Īd) day on which you eat of your sacrifices.

(B. 30:66.)

3. Sha'bān is the month preceding Ramadzān.

"When one forgets and eats and drinks, he should complete his fast, for Allāh made him eat and drink."

(B. 30:26.)

16 Ibn 'Umar moistened a cloth and cast it over him while he was fasting; and Sha'bī entered a bath while he was fasting. Ibn 'Abbās said, There is no harm that one should taste of the food in the cooking-pot and anything else. And Hasan said, There is no harm in rinsing the mouth with water, and getting cooled, by one who fasts.

(B. 30:25.)

17 Abū Hurairah said,

When a person vomits, he should not break the fast.

(B. 30:32.)

(B. 32:1)

19 'Ā'ishah said,

The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, would cause his head to get to me while he was in the mosque, and I would comb his hair; and he did not enter the house when performing i'tikāf except for a need.

(B. 33:1)

4. Lailat al-Qadr means the grand night or the night of majesty. It is the night on which the revelation of the Holy Qur'ān began (97:1). As stated in other hadīth, it must be particularly sought on the 25th, 27th and 29th of Ramadzān (B. 2 35). Confining oneself to the mosque during the lost ten days of Ramadzān is known as i'tikāf. See next hadīth.