A talk on fasting: its obligation, conditions, and etiquettes.

The Shaykh : Since the blessed month of Ramadan is approaching, we ask Allah to grant us and you the ability to fast and stand in prayer during it with faith and the hope of reward. Since there is no meeting next Thursday, we will dedicate this meeting to matters related to fasting.
We say: Fasting is obligatory upon the Muslims by the consensus of the Muslims. Its rank in the religion is that it is one of the five pillars of Islam; it is the fourth pillar after the two testimonies, prayer, and zakah. That is, it follows the three, and the fifth is the Hajj to the House of Allah. It was made obligatory in the second year of the Hijrah by consensus. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) fasted nine Ramadans, also by consensus. Fasting was the first thing made obligatory where the Muslim was given a choice between fasting or paying expiation by feeding a poor person for each day, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: Then the verse was revealed afterwards, and Allah the Exalted made fasting an individual obligation without a choice, and He said:
And fasting is not obligatory to be performed in its proper time except with conditions: The first is intellect, the second is reaching puberty, the third is Islam, the fourth is ability, the fifth is residence, and the sixth is being free from menstruation and post-natal bleeding for women. Let us repeat them a second time: the first.
The student: Sanity.

The Shaykh : Then.
The student: Reaching puberty.

The Shaykh : Then
The student: Islam.

The Shaykh : Then
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Then, residence, then being free from menstruation and post-natal bleeding, and this is with regard to the woman. As for the first, which is intellect, its opposite is the loss of intellect, whether by insanity, senility, meaning old age, or an accident that removed his intellect and consciousness. Such a person owes nothing due to the loss of intellect. Accordingly, the old man who has reached the stage of babbling owes neither fasting nor feeding, because he has no intellect. Likewise, one who is unconscious due to an accident or otherwise owes neither fasting nor feeding, because he is not of sound mind.
The second: Reaching puberty, and its opposite is being a minor. One who has not reached puberty owes no fasting, but he is ordered to fast if he can do so without harm. He is ordered to do so by his guardian so that he becomes accustomed to it, making it easier for him after reaching puberty. Good.
The third: Islam. The non-Muslim is not obligated to fast, and even if he fasts, it is not valid from him due to the lack of the condition of acceptance, which is Islam. This does not mean that we drop the punishment for leaving it; rather, he will be punished for leaving it on the Day of Resurrection. But in this world, we do not demand it from him, nor do we order him to make up what he missed after his Islam. The evidence is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted: And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not order anyone who embraced Islam to make up what he had broken. And because if we ordered the Muslim to make up what was before his Islam, that would be a deterrent from Islam. So the implication of the evidence and correct reasoning is that the disbeliever is not ordered to make up what he left when he becomes a Muslim. But if he dies upon his disbelief, he will be punished for leaving it, meaning: leaving what is obligatory upon the Muslim.
The fourth: Ability to fast. The one who is unable to fast is not obligated to fast. But if his inability is continuous and its end is not expected, he feeds a poor person for each day. And if his inability is expected to end, such as a person with a chronic illness, he waits until his inability ends, then he makes it up. The evidence for this is His saying, the Exalted: After that.
The student: Residence.

The Shaykh : It is the fifth condition: Residence, and its opposite is travel. The traveler is not obligated to fast, but he makes it up when he returns from travel. The evidence for this is His saying, the Exalted: If he travels during the day, meaning he was resident and fasting, then he travels during the day, he may break his fast due to the presence of the cause that permits breaking the fast, which is travel. Just as if he hears the adhan for prayer while resident, then travels after the adhan, he prays two rak'ahs and does not pray four, due to the presence of the cause that permits shortening. And if he arrives in his home while having broken his fast, he is not obligated to abstain, but he remains in a state of having broken his fast and makes up that day, just as he makes up the other days he broke.
The sixth condition: Being free from menstruation and post-natal bleeding for the woman. If the woman is menstruating, she does not fast by consensus, and even if she fasts, it is not accepted by consensus. If she becomes pure during the day, she is not obligated to abstain, but she remains in a state of having broken her fast, because she will make up this day. And if she starts menstruating during the day, she breaks her fast, and it is not permissible for her to continue fasting due to the presence of the invalidator, which is menstruation. These are the conditions for the obligation of fasting.
Know, O student, that the establishment of conditions, pillars, and obligations by the scholars is a means of bringing knowledge closer and facilitating its acquisition, because they, may Allah have mercy on them, collected these conditions from the texts of the Book and the Sunnah and organized them, and in that was a facilitation of knowledge. As for the saying of some of the newly emerged people: "This is from religious innovations," the answer to this is that we say to them: And from religious innovations is building schools, and from religious innovations is printing books. Do you deny building schools and printing books? They will say: No. This is like that; it is a means to facilitate knowledge and bring it closer. And there is in the Sunnah what indicates this, sometimes the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: "Three such and such, five such and such, seven such and such," as he said: and mentioned them, and he said: Sometimes the Sunnah comes with a limit.
So what is the fasting that requires these conditions for its obligation? Fasting is worshipping Allah, Mighty and Majestic, by leaving the things that break the fast from the rising of the dawn to the setting of the sun, meaning: from the time the rising of the dawn becomes clear until the sun sets, worshipping Allah, Mighty and Majestic, not... from eating and drinking, nor a habit that runs through a person. There must be a condition, what is it? Worshipping Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And the things that break the fast are: eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse. These were mentioned in the Qur'an in one place. Allah, the Exalted, said: These three were mentioned in one place in the Noble Qur'an.
The fourth: Cupping. Put your hand over your mouth when you yawn. First, strive to suppress the yawn; if it overcomes you, put your hand over your mouth so that Satan does not enter your stomach and so that he does not laugh at you. Yes. The fourth: Cupping. When the blood appears, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: The fifth: Vomiting, if one does it intentionally, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): These are five things mentioned in the texts: three in the Qur'an and two in the Sunnah. Is there anything that breaks the fast besides these? The answer: As for the text, we do not know of anything that breaks the fast by text besides these. As for by analogy, yes. For example, eating and drinking are the basis for analogy for injections given to a patient in place of eating and drinking, which are what is referred to as nutritional injections. These break the fast because they are the equivalent of eating and drinking. The general rule in Islamic sacred law is: "Do not separate between two similar things, and do not combine between two different things" As for injections that are not for nutrition, such as treatment injections and stimulant injections - what do you have? -
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : The microphone.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Good, open it. These injections for treatment do not break the fast, whether they are taken in the muscles, in the vein, or in any place, because we say: They are not eating or drinking, nor the equivalent of eating and drinking. And if they are not eating or drinking, nor the equivalent of eating and drinking, then it is not possible for us to invalidate a worship created by Allah without a scriptural proof, because we are responsible for what we make lawful and what we make forbidden. Meaning, if we say: This is lawful, we will be asked about it on the Day of Resurrection. What is the proof? If we say this is forbidden, we will be asked about it on the Day of Resurrection. And if we doubt whether a thing breaks the fast or not, what is obligatory?
The student: It does not break the fast.

The Shaykh : That it does not break the fast, because the worship was established by a scriptural proof, so a scriptural proof is required that indicates it breaks the fast. Also, from what breaks the fast is the emission of semen by desire through the action of the servant, meaning through the action of the human, such as if he masturbates with his hand or touches his wife until he emits, or the like of that. But if he emits merely by thinking, it does not invalidate his fast if he did not touch his private part, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): An objector might object and say: What is the evidence that the emission of semen by desire invalidates the fast? Our answer to this is that we say: It came in the Qudsi Hadith that Allah said regarding the fasting person: And emission is a desire, and for this reason the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: And accordingly, how many are the things that break the fast?
The student: Seven.

The Shaykh : Seven: eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, cupping, vomiting, what is in the meaning of eating and drinking, and emission by the action of the servant.
These things that break the fast do not invalidate the fast unless the person fasting is aware, remembering, and intentional. Being aware means knowing that this is something that breaks the fast. Remembering means he did not forget. Intentional means he did not do it without intent, but did it on purpose. There are three conditions: that he be aware, and the opposite of knowledge is ignorance. So if he is ignorant and does not know that this breaks the fast, or is ignorant and does not know that the dawn has broken, his fast is not invalidated; his fast remains valid. This is based on the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: Allah said: And based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: And this person did not do it intentionally.
The second condition: that he be remembering, and its opposite is
The student: the one who forgets.

The Shaykh : The one who forgets. So if he eats or drinks while forgetting that he is fasting, he owes nothing. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: And the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): However, it is obligatory for the ignorant person, once he knows, to abstain, and for the one who forgets, once he remembers, to abstain. Even if the mouthful is in his mouth or the sip is in his mouth, he must spit it out because the ignorance or forgetfulness has been lifted.
The third condition: that he be intentional. The opposite is one who did not intend, such as a person who performs ablution and gargles, and water goes down into his stomach without his intention. His fast is not invalidated. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: This man did not do it intentionally; it was forced upon him. Likewise, the coerced person: if a man coerces his wife and has intercourse with her while she is fasting, her fast is not invalidated because she is coerced and cannot free herself. These three conditions are conditions for what? They are conditions for invalidating the fast with things that break it. It is recommended for the fasting person that his fast be a physical fast and a spiritual fast. The physical fast is from things that break the fast, and the spiritual fast is from what is wrong. He should abstain from what is wrong during his fast and perform the obligatory duties, because this is the wisdom behind the obligation of fasting, as He, Mighty and Majestic, said: He said: And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Many people today, and before today, fast the physical fast but do not fast the spiritual fast. You find him fasting, but he does not abstain from the wrongs he used to do while not fasting. He backbites people, curses them, and encroaches on them by consuming wealth and violating rights, and the like of that. This person has not fasted a spiritual fast. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Meaning, do not respond to him so that he can say: "I am a fasting man." If one raises his voice at you and curses you, do not respond to him, because if you respond to him, what happens? He increases, and if he increases, you increase, and then you remain in a dispute. But if you say: "I am fasting," you shame him and make it clear to him that if it were not for the fasting, you would have responded to him, and that you did not leave responding to him due to your inability, but because you are fasting. Some people fast the physical fast but do not fast the spiritual fast. You find that when he eats the pre-dawn meal, he sleeps until sunset. Is this a fasting person? He is fasting the fast of a beast from eating and drinking and the rest of the things that break the fast, but he has not fasted the fast of the people of mindfulness of Allah, who fast from what Allah has forbidden. In fact, I am in doubt about the acceptance of this man's fasting because he intentionally left the prayer at its time. Some scholars have said: Whoever intentionally leaves one prayer until its time has passed has committed disbelief and apostasy. We ask Allah for safety. It is recommended for the fasting person to increase in acts of worship, such as reading the Qur'an, glorifying Allah, saying Allahu Akbar, praising Allah, giving charity, and other things that bring one closer to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. So that when Ramadan ends, he exits in a state better than he was before Ramadan. He exits committed and mindful of his Lord, because he practiced this for how many days? A full month. And on this occasion, I call upon our brothers who have been afflicted with smoking to seize the opportunity in Ramadan to abstain from smoking. Because they will not smoke during the day, and at night they are distracted from smoking. So if a full month passes for them, that will affect the harms of smoking that have mixed with their blood, and it will be easier for them to leave it. So it is an opportunity that should not be missed in reality.
I ask Allah the Exalted for success for everyone in what is good and righteous. He is Able to do all things. And now to the questions in the remaining time. The questions are for the guests only, as for the students, their right is after the guests. Be quiet, be quiet, speak.