The Month of Ramadan: Its Virtues and Obligations

Shaykh Abdul Aziz, it seems appropriate that you would graciously speak about the fourth pillar of the pillars of Islam: fasting in Ramadan. Please tell us about this pillar and its fasting, and then there are some questions the program will ask, if you would be so kind.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
It is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: , and fasting in Ramadan is a great pillar of the five pillars of Islam. Allah made it obligatory upon His servants in the second year of the Hijrah. And He, Glorified and Exalted is He, made its obligation a choice: whoever wished could fast, and that is better, and whoever wished could feed a poor person for each day and break his fast, as He said: : A certain number of days. But if any of you is sick or on a journey, a number of other days. And for those who are able to do it with difficulty, a ransom of feeding a poor person. And whoever does more as a volunteer, it is better for him. And fasting is better for you if you only knew. [al-Baqarah: 183-184].
So based on this verse, the Muslims, whoever wished, would feed a poor person or more and break their fast, and whoever wished would fast, and fasting is better; for this reason He said: [al-Baqarah: 184]. Then He, Glorified and Exalted is He, made fasting obligatory upon them in His saying: [al-Baqarah: 185]. So His saying, Glorified is He: [al-Baqarah: 185] means: whoever is present, healthy, and a resident, fasting is obligatory upon him, and the choice was abrogated. And whoever is sick and cannot fast, or fasting is difficult for him, or he is on a journey, he has the option to break his fast; for this reason He said: And this is from His, Glorified is He, grace, kindness, and facilitation for His servants; for this reason He said after that: [al-Baqarah: 185], meaning: by making up the days, [al-Baqarah: 185]. So if he fasts after that, he completes the number of days after his recovery from his illness and after his return from his journey.
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and the meaning is: whoever fasts it with faith in the legislation of Allah for him and affirmation of that, and seeking the reward from Him, Glorified and Exalted is He, not merely imitating people or showing off, no, but he fasts it seeking reward, hoping for what is with Allah , and he believes that it is obligatory upon him as Allah legislated it for him, then his fasting contains great good and is among the causes of forgiveness. Likewise, standing in prayer in Ramadan with faith and seeking reward is among the causes of forgiveness. As for whoever fasts it for showing off, or imitating people, or being polite, or the like of that, he does not have this virtue.
Then it is obligatory upon the believer to protect it, and upon the believing woman likewise to protect this fasting from sins, for sins wound it and weaken its reward. So it is obligatory upon the believer and the believing woman to protect this fasting from all sins; from backbiting and talebearing, and eating what is forbidden and all other sins. Each one should account for himself and fear Allah in everything so that he stays away from what wounds his fast and diminishes its reward. And it is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: , narrated by al-Bukhari in his Sahih. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Some of the Salaf said: (If you fast, let your hearing, your sight, and your tongue fast from lying and forbidden things, and leave off harming the neighbor, and let dignity and tranquility be upon you, and do not make your day of fasting and your day of breaking the fast the same). So the one who fasts has performed a great worship and has clothed himself in a great worship, and it is a secret between him and his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, so it is obligatory upon him to protect it and preserve it from everything that wounds it and diminishes its reward until he completes it.
And likewise he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . And the Night of Decree is a great night in the last ten days of Ramadan, and its status is great. The Lord, Exalted is He, said about it: : And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by the permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the appearance of dawn. [al-Qadr: 1-5]. So this night is a great night, and working in it and striving in it with types of good is better than working in a thousand months other than it, and this is a great virtue. And He, Glorified is He, said about it: And the clear Book. Indeed, We sent it down in a blessed night. Indeed, We were warning. Therein is made distinct every wise matter. A command from Us. Indeed, We were senders.[ad-Dukhan: 1-5]. So it is a great night in which the events of the year are decreed. It is necessary for the believer to seize it also if Allah brings him to the last ten days, and that he strives in these ten days with types of worship, from prayer and dhikr and recitation and charity and other than that, until he succeeds in this night. And there is no doubt that whoever stands in prayer in the last ten days seeking reward, he will attain it necessarily; for it is one of them.
So it is upon us all, O Muslims, men and women, to know the status of this month, and to protect our fasting and our standing in prayer from what wounds it from all sins, and to increase in it with types of good. This is the time of racing, this is the field of racing in good. It is necessary for the believer to race and compete in this noble month with types of dhikr and increasing in the recitation of the Noble Qur'an with reflection and understanding, night and day, and increasing in charity, and maintaining family ties, and dutifulness to parents, and much seeking of forgiveness and supplication, and visiting the sick... to other than this of faces of good. May Allah grant us and you uprightness and bring us and you to its fasting and its standing in prayer.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.