The Book of Fasting from Umdah Al Ahkaam
4) Question: What is Fasting?
Answer: According to the language fasting means abstinence. And according to Islamic law it is abstinence from food and drink from the break of dawn until sunset.
Hadeeth #1: On the Authority of Abi Huraira ((رضي الله عنه he said : the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم)) said: “Do not fast before Ramadan by one or two days, except a man who was fasting then he should fast”.
5) Question: What is the ruling on fasting one or two days before Ramadan?
Answer: It is Haraam to do so unless with these specific conditions: 1) If the person is accustomed to fasting on certain days of the week and those days fall one or two days before the first day of Ramadan in that case he should fast. 2) If the person has fasts to make up for the last Ramadan. 3) If the person made an oath to fast on certain days and that day falls one or two days before the beginning of Ramadan.
Hadeeth #2: On the Authority of Abdillah Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما): he said: I heard the Meseenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم)) say: “If you see it (the new moon) fast, and if you see it break your fast, and if you cannot see it then continue fasting (to the 30th day).
6) Question: How does Ramadan begin?
Answer: It begins by the seeing of the new moon.
7) Question: What does seeing of the moon for Ramadan mean?
Answer: It means that a Muslim who is trustworthy must actually see the moon.
Question: Is it Halaal to use calculations to site the moon?
Answer: This is a reprehensible innovation which was innovated by the Rafidah Shia’h and has no place in Islam. And in a Hadeeth narrated by Imam Bukhari : “Verily we are an Ummah who are illiterate, we do not write or count….”.
9) Question: How many witnesses are needed to see the moon for Shawwal?
Answer: Two witnesses are needed.
Hadeeth #3: On the Authority of Anas Ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه) he said: The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم)) said: “Make the Sahuur for verily the Sahuur contains blessings”. 10) Question: What is the Sahuur?
Answer: The Sahuur is the meal eaten before the beginning of the fast.
11) Question: What is the ruling on eating it?
Answer: It is the Sunnah of the Messenger (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) and it is not proper to leave it off because as reported in an authentic Hadeeth : “Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me”.
Hadeeth #4: On the Authority of Anas Ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه) on the Authority of Zaid Ibn Thabit (رضي الله عنهما) they said: We made Sahuur (we ate the morning meal) with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم)) and then we made the Salaat. Anas then said: I asked Zaid: How much time was there between the Athan (Refering to the Iqamah) and Sahuur? He said: About 50 verses.
12) Question: What is the time for Sahuur?
Answer: Sahuur can be eaten anytime before the break of dawn.
13) Question: Is it lawful to say that one must stop eating Sahuur 5 minutes before dawn?
Answer: This is unlawful to say. And in fact it conflicts with the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam). And in fact it is an innovation to make it compulsory or sunnah to stop eating 5 minutes before dawn.
Hadeeth #5: On the authority of Aisha and Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنهما), the Prophet
صلى الله عليه و سلم)) )used to wake up for Fajr and he was Junub from his wives, then he used to bathe and fast”.
15) Question : What is the ruling on one who wakes up Junub (in a state of sexual impurity) and fasts
Answer: Him waking up Junub does not affect the fast in any way. Therefore one who wakes up in such a state does not have to make up for the fast.
Hadeeth #6: On the authority of Abi Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم) ) said: “Whoever forgets, and he is fasting, and eats or drinks, let him complete his fast, for verily Allah feeds him and quenches his thirst”.
16)Question : What is the ruling on the ones who eats or drinks by mistake?
Answer: If one eats or drinks by mistake he continues his fast and he doesn’t have to expiate for it.
17) Question : What is another benefit of this Hadeeth?
Answer: Another benefit of this Hadeeth is establishing belief in predestination. Because it is Allah who provides him with the food and drink that he mistakingly nourished himself with.
Hadeeth #7On the authority of Abi Huraira (Radiallaho anhu) he said: we were sitting down with the Prophet (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) when a man came to us and said: O Messenger of Allah, I destroyed myself. And he said : “What has destroyed you?” or what is wrong with you?
He said: I had sexual intercourse with my wife, and I was fasting (and in another narration I had intercourse in my wife in Ramadan)
The Messenger of Allah (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) asked: “Do you have a slave girl to free?” He said: No
He then asked: “Can you fast for two months straight?” He said no
He then asked: “Do you feed sixty poor people?” He said no
Then the Prophet (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) became quiet.
Then the Prophet (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) came with some dates (about 15 Saa’ which is about 60 handfulls).
He asked: “Where is the questioner?” He said: I am. He then said: “Take this and give this as Sadaqah”. He then said: Is there anyone poorer than me around O Messenger of Allah? By Allah there is no one poorer than the people of my household”. The Prophet (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) then lauged until his molars showed. Then he said: “Feed it to you family”.18) Question: What is the penalty for breaking one’s fast during Ramadan by having sexual intercourse?
Answer: The penalty is that one must either free a female slave. If one cannot do so then he must fast for two months straight and if one cannot do so then he must feed 60 people. And this penalty goes in order.
19) Question: How about one who does this forgetfully?
Answer: In this case he continues his fast due to the Hadeeth narrated from Abi Huraria (Radiallaho anhu) narrated by Haakim: “Whoever breaks his fast forgetfully during Ramadan then there is neither Qadaa (expiation for that specific day) or Kaffara (the penalty described in the Hadeeth above i.e freeing a slave etc.)20) Question: How about the one who is not able to do the kaffara?
Answer: In that case he does not have to do it once he does not have the ability. But once he has the ability to do so he must do so. And Allah knows best.