The Shaykh’s talk on fasting and its rulings.
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the righteous, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows:
This is the ninety-fourth session of the Open Door gatherings, which take place every Thursday, and this Thursday is the fourteenth of Sha'ban in the year 1419 AH.
Since the students are in the time of exams, we will make this today’s session our last one in this month, and we will resume the sessions, if Allah wills, after the festival. Based on this, we will speak about what Allah Mighty and Majestic facilitates regarding fasting and its rulings, so we say:
The Islamic religion is built upon five pillars, five supports, which are the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, giving the alms, fasting Ramadan, and performing Hajj to the House of Allah the Sacred.
Fasting is one of these supports, one of these pillars. Allah Mighty and Majestic made it obligatory in the second year of the Hijrah. Among the facilitation of Allah the Exalted for His servants is that initially, whoever wished could fast, and whoever wished could feed [the poor]. Then fasting became specified, so fasting Ramadan became an individual obligation. One does not turn from fasting to feeding except if a person is unable to fast, meaning he is unable to fast with a continuous inability. In that case, he feeds one poor person for every day. Fasting is not obligatory except with conditions: the first condition is Islam, the second is reaching maturity, the third is sanity, the fourth is ability, the fifth is residence, and the sixth is that there is no impediment.
The first condition: Islam, and its opposite is disbelief. So it is not obligatory for a disbeliever to fast, nor is he commanded to do so, nor is it valid from him. And if he embraces Islam, he is not required to make up the fasts, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Anfal 8:38].
Reaching maturity, and its opposite is being a minor. So a minor who has not reached maturity is not required to fast, but he is commanded to do so so that he may become accustomed to it. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to make their young children fast, until one of these children would cry, and they would give him a piece of wool to play with, meaning something to occupy him, until the sun sets.
Sanity, and its opposite is the loss of sanity, whether due to insanity, or due to unconsciousness from an accident, or due to reaching old age until he becomes incoherent in his speech and does not know. All of these people do not have to fast, and they do not have to feed [the poor]. So if a person is struck by an accident before the entry of the month of Ramadan and does not regain consciousness until after its exit, he owes nothing, because he is not among those for whom it is obligatory. Therefore, he does not make up the prayer or anything else that is obligatory during that time.
Likewise, the senile person who has reached great age does not have to fast or feed [the poor] either, because all of these people are in the position of minors.
The fourth: ability, and its opposite is inability. So if a person is unable to fast, he does not have to fast. But if his inability is temporary and its removal is expected, such as a common illness, he waits until Allah heals him, then he makes it up, due to His saying the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:185].
And if his inability is permanent, meaning continuous, such as an old person unable to fast, or a person sick with an illness whose cure is not expected, he feeds one poor person for every day. Either he gives each one a kilo of rice for the single day, or he gathers them for lunch or dinner. And if he gives them uncooked food, he should include with it something to sustain them, such as meat or other.
The fifth, what is it?
The questioner : The Residency.
The Shaykh : Residence, and its opposite is travel. So a traveler does not have to fast, even if it does not burden him; he is given the choice between fasting and breaking the fast. The better option is that he fasts, except with a type of hardship, in which case he should break the fast. We said the better option is to fast for three reasons:
First: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast when he traveled, and he did not break the fast except out of consideration for his Companions, when it was said to him: “The people have found fasting difficult.” Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said:Sahih Muslim 1122a.
Second: If he fasts, it becomes easier for him, because all the people are fasting, so this is easier for him, easier for him than making it up, because making it up is heavy on a person, since he is alone with it, and perhaps he will be negligent and the time will drag on until the second Ramadan arrives.
Third: He attains the virtue of the time, which is the virtue of the month of Ramadan.
Fourth: It is faster in clearing the debt from his conscience. But if a type of hardship occurs, even if slight, the better option is to break the fast.
We have one condition left, the sixth:
That there be no impediment, and this is specific to women. The impediment is menstruation and post-natal bleeding, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 1951, but they must make up the fasts.
So if someone asks: Is a pregnant woman required to fast?
The answer is: If it does not harm her or her child, it is obligatory for her to fast. And if she fears for herself or her child, she may break the fast, and make it up later. These are the conditions for the obligation of fasting.
As for what a person fasts from?
Is it from eating and drinking, intercourse, and the things that break the fast?
The answer is: Yes, this is the physical fast that every person can do. But the true fast is to fast from the prohibitions of Allah, due to His saying Blessed and Exalted is He:[Al-Baqarah 2:183]. This is the wisdom: that a person should fear his Lord, not that he should leave food, drink, and intercourse; that he should fear Allah.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) explained it:Bulugh al-Maram 5:14. So it is confirmed for the fasting person to avoid the prohibitions more than others. So he does not backbite anyone, nor does he lie, nor does he engage in talebearing, nor does he cheat in buying and selling, nor does he deal in usury or interest, nor does he curse his parents. The important thing is to avoid all prohibitions, and not to be negligent with the obligatory duties. And it is amazing that some people fast and do not pray. Either they do not pray at all, or they do not pray in congregation. As for the one who does not pray at all, his fast is rejected, because he is a disbeliever and no worship is accepted from him. And as for the one who does not pray in congregation, he is sinful, disobedient to Allah and His Messenger, and his fast is deficient. So the most important thing in fasting is the mindfulness of Allah Mighty and Majestic.
I ask Allah to help us and you with that.
As for what is fasted from among the physical matters, it is: eating, drinking, intercourse, and the rest of the things that break the fast, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:187]. So it is obligatory for a person, from the time that the dawn becomes clear to him, to abstain until the sun sets. And all the things that break the fast are limited:
Eating, drinking, intercourse, the emission of semen with desire, by masturbation or kissing or otherwise, vomiting intentionally, the extraction of blood by cupping, the exit of blood of menstruation and post-natal bleeding. These are the things that break the fast. And with that, they do not break the fast except with conditions:
The first condition: that the person be knowledgeable: knowledgeable about the time and knowledgeable that this is a thing that breaks the fast. Meaning, knowledge of two things is necessary: the time, meaning he must know that it is daytime, and the second is that he be knowledgeable that this thing breaks the fast.
The second condition: that he be mindful, meaning not forgetful.
And the third condition: that he intend the thing that breaks the fast. So let us look, what is the opposite of being knowledgeable?
The ignorant: the ignorant.
The Shaykh : The ignorant. So if a person does one of the things that break the fast and thinks that it does not break the fast, he owes nothing. For example, if he cups and blood appears from him and he thinks that that does not break the fast, we say his fast is valid. And likewise the one ignorant of the time, if he eats and drinks, and then when he goes out of his house he finds that the people have prayed the dawn prayer, then he owes nothing. Why?
Because he is ignorant of the time, and this happens often. Some people do not wake up until after the dawn has risen, so they think that the dawn has not risen, and they eat and drink. And likewise, if he is in the desert and the sky is cloudy and there is no call to prayer around him, and he thinks that the sun has set, so he breaks the fast, and then the sun appears from behind the clouds, his fast is valid. Because this matter occurred in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They broke their fast on a cloudy day, thinking that the sun had set, and then the sun rose after they had broken their fast, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not command them to make it up. The reason for that is that they were ignorant of the time, thinking that the night had entered. What is the opposite of being mindful?
The questioner : Forgetting.
The Shaykh : Forgetting. So if a person eats or drinks while forgetting that he is fasting, his fast is complete, due to the saying of Allah Blessed and Exalted is He:[Al-Baqarah 2:286], and the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 1155.
The third condition is that the person must be acting voluntarily and intending the act. If he is not acting voluntarily, his fast is valid. For example, if a person gargles and water enters his stomach without his intention during the process, his fast is valid because he did not intend it. Likewise, if he has a wet dream while sleeping, his fast is valid because it was without his choice. All of this is from the mercy of Allah toward His servants and His making things easy for them. For this reason, He, Mighty and Majestic, said in the verses regarding fasting:[Al-Baqarah 2:185].
It is also incumbent upon the fasting person to intend with his pre-dawn meal to obey the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), based on his saying:Sunan Ibn Majah 1692Sahih (Darussalam).
Second: He should intend to follow the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), for he used to eat the pre-dawn meal.
Third: He should intend by it to differ from the People of the Book, for they did not eat the pre-dawn meal. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:: *Sahur* with an open *ha* means the food, and *suhur* means the act.
The fasting person should also hasten to break his fast when he is certain that the sun has set, whether the Maghrib call to prayer has been made or not, or when he is convinced that the sun has set, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):Jami` at-Tirmidhi 699Sahih (Darussalam). He should break his fast with fresh dates first; if that is not possible, then with dry dates; if that is not possible, then with water.
He should strive to increase supplication during the state of fasting, especially at the time of breaking the fast, for that is likely to be answered.
May Allah grant success, and may Allah send prayers upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
Questions?
As for what follows:
This is the ninety-fourth session of the Open Door gatherings, which take place every Thursday, and this Thursday is the fourteenth of Sha'ban in the year 1419 AH.
Since the students are in the time of exams, we will make this today’s session our last one in this month, and we will resume the sessions, if Allah wills, after the festival. Based on this, we will speak about what Allah Mighty and Majestic facilitates regarding fasting and its rulings, so we say:
The Islamic religion is built upon five pillars, five supports, which are the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, giving the alms, fasting Ramadan, and performing Hajj to the House of Allah the Sacred.
Fasting is one of these supports, one of these pillars. Allah Mighty and Majestic made it obligatory in the second year of the Hijrah. Among the facilitation of Allah the Exalted for His servants is that initially, whoever wished could fast, and whoever wished could feed [the poor]. Then fasting became specified, so fasting Ramadan became an individual obligation. One does not turn from fasting to feeding except if a person is unable to fast, meaning he is unable to fast with a continuous inability. In that case, he feeds one poor person for every day. Fasting is not obligatory except with conditions: the first condition is Islam, the second is reaching maturity, the third is sanity, the fourth is ability, the fifth is residence, and the sixth is that there is no impediment.
The first condition: Islam, and its opposite is disbelief. So it is not obligatory for a disbeliever to fast, nor is he commanded to do so, nor is it valid from him. And if he embraces Islam, he is not required to make up the fasts, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them
قل للذين كفروا إن ينتهوا يغفر لهم ما قد سلفReaching maturity, and its opposite is being a minor. So a minor who has not reached maturity is not required to fast, but he is commanded to do so so that he may become accustomed to it. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to make their young children fast, until one of these children would cry, and they would give him a piece of wool to play with, meaning something to occupy him, until the sun sets.
Sanity, and its opposite is the loss of sanity, whether due to insanity, or due to unconsciousness from an accident, or due to reaching old age until he becomes incoherent in his speech and does not know. All of these people do not have to fast, and they do not have to feed [the poor]. So if a person is struck by an accident before the entry of the month of Ramadan and does not regain consciousness until after its exit, he owes nothing, because he is not among those for whom it is obligatory. Therefore, he does not make up the prayer or anything else that is obligatory during that time.
Likewise, the senile person who has reached great age does not have to fast or feed [the poor] either, because all of these people are in the position of minors.
The fourth: ability, and its opposite is inability. So if a person is unable to fast, he does not have to fast. But if his inability is temporary and its removal is expected, such as a common illness, he waits until Allah heals him, then he makes it up, due to His saying the Exalted:
and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days
ومن كان مريضاً أو على سفر فعدّة من أيّام أُخَرAnd if his inability is permanent, meaning continuous, such as an old person unable to fast, or a person sick with an illness whose cure is not expected, he feeds one poor person for every day. Either he gives each one a kilo of rice for the single day, or he gathers them for lunch or dinner. And if he gives them uncooked food, he should include with it something to sustain them, such as meat or other.
The fifth, what is it?
The questioner : The Residency.
The Shaykh : Residence, and its opposite is travel. So a traveler does not have to fast, even if it does not burden him; he is given the choice between fasting and breaking the fast. The better option is that he fasts, except with a type of hardship, in which case he should break the fast. We said the better option is to fast for three reasons:
First: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast when he traveled, and he did not break the fast except out of consideration for his Companions, when it was said to him: “The people have found fasting difficult.” Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
We set out during the month of Ramadan with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in such an intense heat that one of us would place his hand over his head (in order to protect himself) against the excessive heat, and none among us was observing the fast, except the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and 'Abdullah b. Rawaha.
كنّا مع النّبيّ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم في رمضان في حرّ شديد، حتى إنّ أحدنا ليضع يده على رأسه من شدّة الحرّ، وأكثرنا ظلاّ صاحب الكساء، وما فينا صائم إلاّ رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلّم وعبد الله بن رواحةSecond: If he fasts, it becomes easier for him, because all the people are fasting, so this is easier for him, easier for him than making it up, because making it up is heavy on a person, since he is alone with it, and perhaps he will be negligent and the time will drag on until the second Ramadan arrives.
Third: He attains the virtue of the time, which is the virtue of the month of Ramadan.
Fourth: It is faster in clearing the debt from his conscience. But if a type of hardship occurs, even if slight, the better option is to break the fast.
We have one condition left, the sixth:
That there be no impediment, and this is specific to women. The impediment is menstruation and post-natal bleeding, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Isn't it true that a woman does not pray and does not fast on menstruating?
أليس إذا حاضت لم تصلّ ولم تصمSo if someone asks: Is a pregnant woman required to fast?
The answer is: If it does not harm her or her child, it is obligatory for her to fast. And if she fears for herself or her child, she may break the fast, and make it up later. These are the conditions for the obligation of fasting.
As for what a person fasts from?
Is it from eating and drinking, intercourse, and the things that break the fast?
The answer is: Yes, this is the physical fast that every person can do. But the true fast is to fast from the prohibitions of Allah, due to His saying Blessed and Exalted is He:
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -
يا أيّها الذين آمنوا كتب عليكم الصّيام كما كتب على الذين من قبلكم لعلّكم تتّقونAnd the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) explained it:
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
من لم يدع قول الزّور والعمل به والجهل، فليس لله حاجة في أن يدع طعامه وشرابهI ask Allah to help us and you with that.
As for what is fasted from among the physical matters, it is: eating, drinking, intercourse, and the rest of the things that break the fast, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset.
فالآن باشروهنّ وابتغوا ما كتب الله لكم وكلوا واشربوا حتّى يتبيّن لكم الخيط الأبيض من الخيط الأسود من الفجر ثمّ أتمّوا الصّيام إلى اللّيلEating, drinking, intercourse, the emission of semen with desire, by masturbation or kissing or otherwise, vomiting intentionally, the extraction of blood by cupping, the exit of blood of menstruation and post-natal bleeding. These are the things that break the fast. And with that, they do not break the fast except with conditions:
The first condition: that the person be knowledgeable: knowledgeable about the time and knowledgeable that this is a thing that breaks the fast. Meaning, knowledge of two things is necessary: the time, meaning he must know that it is daytime, and the second is that he be knowledgeable that this thing breaks the fast.
The second condition: that he be mindful, meaning not forgetful.
And the third condition: that he intend the thing that breaks the fast. So let us look, what is the opposite of being knowledgeable?
The ignorant: the ignorant.
The Shaykh : The ignorant. So if a person does one of the things that break the fast and thinks that it does not break the fast, he owes nothing. For example, if he cups and blood appears from him and he thinks that that does not break the fast, we say his fast is valid. And likewise the one ignorant of the time, if he eats and drinks, and then when he goes out of his house he finds that the people have prayed the dawn prayer, then he owes nothing. Why?
Because he is ignorant of the time, and this happens often. Some people do not wake up until after the dawn has risen, so they think that the dawn has not risen, and they eat and drink. And likewise, if he is in the desert and the sky is cloudy and there is no call to prayer around him, and he thinks that the sun has set, so he breaks the fast, and then the sun appears from behind the clouds, his fast is valid. Because this matter occurred in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They broke their fast on a cloudy day, thinking that the sun had set, and then the sun rose after they had broken their fast, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not command them to make it up. The reason for that is that they were ignorant of the time, thinking that the night had entered. What is the opposite of being mindful?
The questioner : Forgetting.
The Shaykh : Forgetting. So if a person eats or drinks while forgetting that he is fasting, his fast is complete, due to the saying of Allah Blessed and Exalted is He:
Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred.
ربّنا لا تؤاخذنا إن نسينا أو أخطأناIf 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.
من نسي وهو صائم فأكل أو شرب فليتمّ صومه فإنّما أطعمه الله وسقاهThe third condition is that the person must be acting voluntarily and intending the act. If he is not acting voluntarily, his fast is valid. For example, if a person gargles and water enters his stomach without his intention during the process, his fast is valid because he did not intend it. Likewise, if he has a wet dream while sleeping, his fast is valid because it was without his choice. All of this is from the mercy of Allah toward His servants and His making things easy for them. For this reason, He, Mighty and Majestic, said in the verses regarding fasting:
Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.
يريد الله بكم اليسر ولا يريد بكم العسر ولتكملوا العدّة ولتكبّروا الله على ما هداكم ولعلّكم تشكرونIt is also incumbent upon the fasting person to intend with his pre-dawn meal to obey the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), based on his saying:
Eat Suhur, for in Suhur there is a blessing.
تسحّروا فإنّ في السّحور بركةSecond: He should intend to follow the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), for he used to eat the pre-dawn meal.
Third: He should intend by it to differ from the People of the Book, for they did not eat the pre-dawn meal. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
What distinguishes us from the People of the Book—meaning in fasting—is the meal of the pre-dawn meal.
فصل ما بيننا وبين أهل الكتاب -يعني في الصّيام- أكلة السَّحورThe fasting person should also hasten to break his fast when he is certain that the sun has set, whether the Maghrib call to prayer has been made or not, or when he is convinced that the sun has set, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
The people will remain upon goodness as long as they hasten to break the fast.
لا يزال النّاس بخير ما عجّلوا الفطرHe should strive to increase supplication during the state of fasting, especially at the time of breaking the fast, for that is likely to be answered.
May Allah grant success, and may Allah send prayers upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
Questions?