Chapter 01-Fasting

671. Abu Hurairah    narrated that the Messenger of Allah    said, "None of you should fast a day or two before the (beginning of the) month of Ramadan, unless it is a day on which one is in the habit of fasting (i.e. voluntary fasting that  coincides with that day)." Agreed upon.








672. 'Ammar bin YAsir    narrated, 'Whoever fasts the day of doubt (201) he has then disobeyed Abu al·Qasim (the Prophet    Related by the five Imams, and Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibban graded it as Sahih.


201.  It is the day that precedes Ramadan and people are not sure if it is the last day of Sha'ban or the beginning of Ramadan.







673. Ibn 'Urnar   narrated, I heard the Messenger of Allah    say, "Start fasting after you have seen it (i.e. the new crescent) and end the fast (at the end of the month) when you see it. If it is overcast and cannot be seen, then estimate its sighting (i.e. presume that Sha'ban lasted for thirty days)." Agreed upon.

Muslim narrated, "If it is too overcast to be seen then presume that it (Sha'ban) lasted for thirty days."

In another narration by Al-Bukhari "wait until thirty days of it (Sha 'ban) have passed."





674. Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah   , "Complete the days of Sha'ban as thirty days."







675. Ibn Umar    narrated, 'The people were trying to sight the new moon (of Ramadan) and when I reported to the Messenger of Allah    that I had seen it, he fasted and commanded people to fast.' Related by Abu Dawud, and Al-Hakim and Ibn Hibban graded it as Sahih

676. Ibn Abbas  narrated, A Bedouin came to the Prophet    and said, 'I have sighted the crescent (of Ramadan). He then said to him, "Do you testify that there is none worthy of worship but Allah?" The Bedouin said, 'Yes.' He asked him again, "Do you testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?" The man replied, 'Yes.'The Messenger of Allah    thereupon said, "0 Bilal! Announce to the people to (start) fasting tomorrow." Related by the five Imams. Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibban graded it as Sahih. An-Nasa'i said that it is most probably Mursal. (a Hadith in which the link between the Successor (Tabi'i) and the Prophet    is missing.)







677. The mother of the believers, Hafsah  narrated that the Messenger of Allah    said, "Whoever does not form his intention to fast before Fajr, his fasting will not be accepted." Related by the five Imams, but At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i consider it to be related by Hafsah   and not connected to the Prophet .

Imam Ad-Daraqutni transmitted, "No fasting is accepted for one who does not form the intention (to fast) the night before." (202)

202. Some scholars are of the opinion that one can form his intention once at the beginning of the month to fast for the whole month, instead of making this intenuon every night.







678. 'Aishah    narrated, 'One day the Messenger of Allah    entered my house and said, "Is there anything here (to eat)?" I said, 'No.' He   said, "I shall then be fasting (today)." Then he came to us another day and we said to him, 'Someone has offered us some hais (203) as a gift.' He then said, "Show it to me. I had been fasting since this morning," and he ate from it (as it was a voluntary fast and not during the obligatory fasting of Ramadan). Related by Muslim.

203. A kind of' food made of dates, fal and dried cheese    







679. Sahl bin Sa'd    narrated that the Messenger of Allah    said, "People will always be fine (on the right path, or following the Sunnah) as long as they hasten to break their fast (in Ramadan)." (204) Agreed upon.

204. Abu Dawud added the following in a similar narration, '.... because the Jews and the Christians delay doing so. (i.e. breaking their fast).'







680. Abu Hurairah   narrated, 'The Messenger of Allah    said, "Allah, the Most Exalted said: "Those among My servants, who hasten to break their fast, are the most beloved (or dearest) to Me." Related by at-Tirmidhi.






681. Anas    narrated that the Messenger of Allah   said, "Eat the Suhur (pre-dawn meal), for there are blessings in this meal." Agreed upon.

682. Sulaiman bin 'Amir Ad-Dabbi   narrated that the Messenger of Allah    said, "When one of you is breaking his fast, he should eat some date. If dates are not available, then break it with some water, for water is purifying." Related by the five Imams. Ibn Khuzaimah, Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim graded it as Sahih.









683. Abu Hurairah   narrated, 'The Messenger of Allah    forbade us from practicing wisal in fasting (i.e. fasting continuously without breaking one's fast in the evening or eating before the following dawn). So a man said to him, 'But you practice wisal O Messenger of Allah!' The Prophet Allah    replied, "Which one of you is like me? I am given food and drink during my sleep by Allah." So when people refused to stop wisal, the Prophet   fasted day and night continuously along with them for a day and then another day and then they saw the crescent (of the new month of Shawwal), The Prophet    said to them. "If the crescent had not appeared, I would have made you fast for a longer period.' That was a punishment for them because they refused to stop (practicing wisal).Agreed upon.









684. Abu Hurairah    narrated that the Messenger of Allah    said. "Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions and does not abandon foolishness, Allah is not in need of his leaving food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting)." Related by Al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud, and the wording is from the latter .









685. Aishah    narrated that the Messenger of Allah   would kiss and embrace (his wives) while fasting, for he had the most control of all of you over his desires.' Agreed upon and the wording is from Muslim, who added in a narration, 'In Ramadan.'








686. Ibn 'Abbas  narrated that the Messenger of Allah   had himself cupped while he was in a state of Ihram  and had himself cupped while he was fasting." Related by Al-Bukhari.








687.Shaddah bin Aus  narrated that the Messenger of Allah    came across a man in Al-Baqi' (in Madinah) who was having himself cupped in Ramadan, and said to him, "The one who cups and the one who is being cupped have both broken their fast!' Related by the five Imams except for At-Tirmidhi. Ahmad, Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibban regarded it as authentic.(205)



205. The majority of scholars are of the opinion that cupping is allowed while fasting, as proved by the Hadith of Ibn 'Abbas. that is narrated at a period of time later than that of Shaddad, as Ibn 'Abbas accompanied the Prophet    on his farewell pilgrimage. So it was probably prohibited the beginning during fasting. but later it was allowed. and it is only disliked if the person becomes weak due to cupping while fasting.

688. Anas  narrated, 'The first time cupping was disliked for the one who is fasting was when Ja'far bin Abi Talib    had himself cupped while fasting and the Messenger of Allah    came across him and said, "Those two have broken their fast (meaning Ja'far and the man who was cupping him)." But later on the Prophet    allowed cupping for the one who is fasting. Anas used to have himself cupped while he was fasting. Related by Ad-Darautni, who regarded it as a strong Hadlth.







689. 'A'ishah    narrated, 'The Messenger of Allah    applied kohl to his eyes while he was fasting.' Related by Ibn Majah with a weak chain of narrators. According to At-Tirmidhi, nothing authentic has been related from the Prophet    concerning this issue, i.e. applying kohl, eye drops etc ..to the eye while fasting .





690. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah    said, 'Whoever forgets that he is fasting. and eats or drinks is to complete his fast, as it was Allah who fed him and gave him something to drink." Agreed upon.





691. Al-Hakim transmitted on the authority of Abu Hurairah , "Whoever breaks his fast during Ramadan due to forgetfulness is not to make up for the day later or perform any expiation." It is a sound hadith.







692. Abu Hurairah   narrated that the Messenger of Allah    said, "Whoever is overcome and vomits is not to make up for the day, but whoever vomits intentionally must make up the day." Related by the five Imams.










693. Jabir   )narrated, 'The Messenger of Allah    left for Makkah during the year of the conquest (of Makkah in Ramadan and he and the people with him fasted until he reached the valley of Kura-Al-Ghamim. He then called for a cup of water, which he elevated so that the people could see it, and then he drank. Afterwards, he was told that some people had continued to fast, and he then said, "Those are the disobedient ones! Those are the disobedient ones!"





694. In another narration. "He was told that people are finding it difficult to fast (during the journey) and they are waiting to see what the Prophet    will do. So he called for a cup of water after the 'Asr (afternoon) prayer and drank it.' Related by Muslim.

695. Hamzah bin 'Amro Al-Aslami   narrated, 'I said to the Messenger of Allah   , '0 Messenger of Allah! I find within me the strength to fast while traveling. Would there be any blame upon me if I were to do so?' The Messenger of Allah    said to him, "It is a concession from Allah, Whoever takes it has done well. Whoever likes to fast, there is no blame upon him." Related by Muslim.







696. Ibn 'Abbas   narrated, 'An elderly man is permitted to break his fast, but he must feed a poor person daily, and he does not have to make up for it.' Related by Ad-Daraqutni and Al-Hakim, who rendered it to be Sahih.






697. Abu Hurairah   narrated that a man came to the Messenger of Allah   and said, "I am ruined 0 Messenger of Allah!" The Messenger of Allah   asked him, ''What has ruined you?" The man replied,'I had intercourse with my wife during the day in Ramadan (while fasting)." The Prophet    said to him, "Are you able to free a slave?" The man said, 'No.' The Prophet   said, "Can you fast for two consecutive months?" He said, 'No.' The Prophet  then asked him, "Can you provide food for sixty poor people?" He said, 'No.' Then the man sat down. A basket of dates was brought to the Prophet    and he said to the man, "Give this as Sadaqah (voluntary charity)." The man said, 'To someone who is poorer than us? There is no one in this city (Al- Madinah) who is in need of these dates more than us!' The Prophet   laughed until his molar teeth could be seen and said to the man, "Go and feed your family with these dates." Related by the seven Imams and the wording is from Muslim.









698. Aishah and Umm Salamah (Radhi Allahu Anhuma)  narrated, 'The Messenger of Allah    would rise in the morning (when it is already Fajr time) while he was Junub (in a state of major ritual impurity due to intercourse) on a day in Ramadan. He would then perform Ghusl and fast.' Agreed upon. In the narration of Muslim on the authority of Umm Salamah, 'And he would not make up for it (that day).'






699. Aishah   narrated that the Messenger of Allah    said, "Whoever dies while he still has some fasts to make up (of the days of Ramadan), then his heir (any of them) should fast on his behalf." Agreed upon.