The Obligation of Fasting upon the Ummah
Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullāh reported:
“An Arab Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with disheveled hair and said:
‘O Messenger of Allah, tell me what Allah has made obligatory upon me regarding prayer.’
He said: ‘The five prayers, unless you do something voluntarily.’
He said: ‘Tell me what Allah has made obligatory upon me regarding fasting.’
He said: ‘The month of Ramadan, unless you do something voluntarily.’
He said: ‘Tell me what Allah has made obligatory upon me regarding zakāh.’
So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed him of the laws of Islam.
He said: ‘By the One Who honored you, I will not do anything voluntarily, nor will I decrease anything of what Allah has made obligatory upon me.’
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘He has succeeded, if he is truthful,’ or: ‘He will enter Paradise, if he is truthful.’”
The Prescribed Fast of Ramadan
Ibn ‘Umar said:
“The Prophet ﷺ fasted on the day of ‘Āshūrā’ and ordered that it be fasted.
But when Ramadan was prescribed, it was abandoned.
And ‘Abdullāh would not fast it unless it coincided with his regular fasting.”
The Merit of Fasting
Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Fasting is a shield. So the fasting person should not engage in obscene speech nor act ignorantly. If someone fights him or insults him, let him say twice: ‘I am fasting.’
By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, the smell that comes from the mouth of a fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the fragrance of musk.
He leaves his food, drink, and desires for My sake. Fasting is for Me, and I am the One who rewards it. Every good deed is rewarded tenfold.”
Chapter (in the Book of Fasting): Ar-Rayyān for the Fasting
Narrated Sahl ibn Sa‘d: The Prophet ﷺ said,
“Indeed in Paradise there is a gate called Ar-Rayyān. On the Day of Resurrection the fasting ones will enter through it; none but they will enter through it. It will be said: ‘Where are the fasting ones?’ They will rise, and none but they will enter through it. Once they have entered it will be closed, and no one else will enter through it.”
The Exclusivity of the Rayyan Gate for Those Who Fast
Narrated by Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
**“Whoever spends a pair (of things) in the way of Allah will be called from the gates of Paradise: ‘O servant of Allah, this is goodness.’
Whoever is among the people of prayer will be called from the Gate of Prayer;
whoever is among the people of jihad will be called from the Gate of Jihad;
whoever is among the people of fasting will be called from the Gate of Al-Rayyan;
and whoever is among the people of charity will be called from the Gate of Charity.”
Abu Bakr said: ‘May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah. There is no harm for the one who is called from any of these gates — but will anyone be called from all of them?’
He said: ‘Yes, and I hope you will be among them.’”
Fasting Ramadan with Faith and Seeking Reward
Narrated Abū Hurayrah, from the Prophet ﷺ:
“Whoever stands (in prayer) on the Night of Qadr out of faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven; and whoever fasts the month of Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.”
The Generosity of the Prophet ﷺ
“The Prophet ﷺ was the most generous of people in goodness, and he was at his most generous in Ramadan, when Jibrīl would meet him. Jibrīl would meet him every night in Ramadan until it ended, and the Prophet ﷺ would review the Qur’an with him. When Jibrīl met him, he ﷺ was more generous in goodness than the blowing wind.”
False Speech and Its Effect on Fasting
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever does not abandon false speech and acting upon it, Allah has no need for him to abandon his food and drink.”
Refraining from Fasting on the Day of Doubt
Abu Hurairah reported: The Prophet ﷺ said: "None of you should fast a day or two before Ramadan begins, except if a man regularly fasts voluntarily; then he may fast on that day."
The Virtue of Suhoor
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Prophet ﷺ said: "Partake in Suhoor, for indeed there is a blessing in Suhoor."
