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11. FASTING IN RAMADAN (4) E. The time of the prescription of fasting in Islam. There are several views: (1) Fasting in ‘Āshūrā’ which is the view of Ḥanafī school (2) three days at every month, as the Prophet ( )ﷺwhen he came to Madinah he fasts three days for every month (3) fasting in Ramadan abrogating previous fasting. It was the first prescribed fasting according the Shāfi‘ī school. It was prescribed in Sha‘bān in the 2 AH, and the Prophet ( )ﷺfasted nine months of Ramadan until he passed away. F. Things recommended in fasting and its rules of conduct. It is recommended for the person who fasts to do among the following things: 1. Pre-dawn meals (saḥūr), even a mouthful of water, and do it at the end of the night. It is highly recommended to delay the pre-dawn meal unless one is doubtful of the occurrence of dawn (fajr), as the Prophet ( )ﷺsaid: )ُور َب َر َكة (وراه البخاري و مسلم ِ َت َسحَّ رُوا َفإِنَّ فِي ال َّسح Take sahur, as there is a blessing in it (Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim) ار َو ِب ْال َق ْيلُولَ ِة َعلَى ِق َي ِام اللَّي ِْل ِ اسْ َتعِي ُنوا ِب َط َع ِام الس ََّح ِر َعلَى صِ َي ِام ال َّن َه )(رواه ابن ماجة و الحاكم Help yourself with having saḥūr for fasting in the day time, and with midday-nap for having night prayer (Reported by Ibn Mājah and al-Ḥākim) ب ِ إنَّ َفصْ َل َما َب ْي َن صِ َيا ِم َنا َوصِ َي ِام أَهْ ِل ْال ِك ِتا )َّحر (رواه مسلم َ أَكلة الس Verily, the distinction between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book is having pre-dawn meal (Reported by Muslim) When does the time of saḥūr (pre-dawn meal) start? There are two views: (a) it starts at midnight, and whoever takes his pre-dawn meal after midnight, he will get the reward of it; (b) it starts at the last sixth part of the night.
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Although the vast majority of scholars hold this view there is no clear evidence of it, except that delaying the suhur at this last sixth part of the night is the sufficient time for having suhur, which had been practiced by the Prophet ()ﷺ. There has to be an interval between the end of sahur and the ādhān for fajr prayer where eating and drinking have to be stopped. Zayd ibn Thābit asked the Prophet ()ﷺ, “What was the interval between the saḥūr and the adhan?” He answered, “The interval was sufficient to recite fifty verses of the Qur’ān” (Reported by al-Bukhārī ). We can calculate the time spent in reading slowly surat Ibrahim (Q. 14) which consists of 52 verses, or surat Fatir (Q. 35) which consists of 45 verses. It took me ten minutes to read surat Ibrahim consisting of 52 verses. When does fasting actually start? According to the majority of scholars, including those among the ṣaḥābah and tābi‘in, Imam al-Nawawī as well as the four Imams, fasting starts at the second dawn. Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet ( )ﷺsaid, إنَّ ِب َللا ُي َؤذنُ ِبلَ ْيل َف ُكل ُ ْوا َوا ْش َر ُب ْوا َح َّتى ُي َؤذ َن ا ْبنُ أ ُم َم ْك ُت ْوم )(رواه البخاري و مسلم Verily, Bilal called the ādhān at night, so eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktūm called the ādhān (Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim) Ibn Umm Maktūm did not start calling the ādhān until it was said to him, “it has become dawn.” The other evidence is the following Qur’ānic verse: ُ َو ُكلُو ْا َوا ْش َربُو ْا َح َّتى َي َت َبي ََّن لَ ُك ُم ْال َخي ُْط األَ ْب َيض )181: (البقرة...م َِن ْال َخيْطِ األَسْ َو ِد م َِن ْال َفجْ ر ,… and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night)… (Q. 2:187)
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‘Adī ibn Ḥātim narrated: when the above verses were revealed, “Until the white threat appears to you, distinct from the black thread,” I took two (hair) strings one black and the other white, and kept them under my pillow and went on looking at them throughout the night but could not make anything out of it. So, the next morning I went to Allah’s Messenger ( )ﷺand told him the whole story. He explained to me, “That Verse means the darkness of night and the whiteness of dawn.” (Reported by alBukhārī) 2. To hurry up for having ifṭār when sunset has been ascertained, and before performing maghrib prayer. It is recommended to start with something moist and wet, then dates, then sweets, then water, and to be taken in odd number, three, five, seven, etc. The Prophet ( )ﷺsaid: لَ َي َزا ُل ال َّناسُ ِب َخيْر َما َعجَّ لُوا ْالف ِْط َر (رواه البخاري و )مسلم و أحمد و الترمذى و ابن ماجة The people will remain on the right path as long as they hasten the ifṭār (breaking the fast) (Reported by al-Bukhārī , Muslim, Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah) Allah said: )181 …“ ُث َّم أَ ِتمُّوا الص َيا َم إِلَى اللَّي ِْل (البقرةthen complete your fast till the nightfall (Q. 2:187) means having ifṭār at sunset. Narrated by ‘Umar r.a. that the Prophet ( )ﷺsaid: َف َق ْد،إ َذا أَ ْق َب َل الَّ ْلي ُل ِمنْ َها ُه ِنا َوأَ ْد َب َر ال َّن َها ُر ِمنْ َها ُه َنا )صا ِئم (رواه البخاري و مسلم َّ أَ ْف َط َر ال When the night has approached from here and the day time has slipped away from here, then the time of ifṭār has come to the one who fasts (Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim) :صلَّى للا ُ َعلَ ْي ِه َو َسلَّم ِ َقا َل َر ُس ْو ُل: َقا َل،َعنْ ُع َم َر َ للا َف َق ْد أَ ْف َط َر، ُت ال َّش ْمس ِ إ َذا أَ ْق َب َل الَّ ْلي ُل َوأَ ْد َب َر ال َّن َها ُر َو َغا َب ) (رواه البخاري و مسلم وأبو داؤد.الصَّائِم
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‘Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, When the night has approached and the sun has set, then the time of ifṭār has come to the one who fasts (Reported by al-Bukhārī , Muslim, and Abū Dā’ūd) ب ِب َي ِد ِه َنحْ َو َ ض َر َ َو- إ َذا أَ ْق َب َل الَّ ْلي ُل مِنْ َها ُهنِا ) َف َق ْد أَ ْف َط َر الصَّائِم (رواه الطبراني- ْال َم ْش ِر ِق When the night has approached from here --and he pointed with his hand to the East--, then the time of ifṭār has come to the one who fasts (Reported by al-Ṭabrānī) Therefore the time of ifṭār is the nightfall which is the meaning of layl (night) in the above verse, not to wait until it is dark. In Northern hemisphere such as Canada, Russia and Scandinavia the darkness of the night is extremely slow in summer, and should not be waited in order to break the fast. The Prophet ( )ﷺalso said: َفإِنْ لَ ْم َي ِج ْد َف َعلَى َماء، إِ َذا أَ ْف َط َر أَ َح ُد ُك ْم َف ْل ُي ْفطِ رْ َعلَى َتمْ ر )َفإِنَّ ْال َما َء َطهُور (رواه أحمد و النسائي و الترمذي When one of you breaks the fast, he should do so with dates, because it is blessed. If he couldn’t get dates, then (break your fast with) water, because it purifies (Reported by Ahmad, al-Nasa’I, and Tirmidhī) Following the Prophet’s practice who had ifṭār before praying, it is recommended to do the same. In case it was cloudy that the sunset could not be ascertained, then it would be recommended to delay the ifṭār. However, in modern time, due to the advance of technology and astronomical calculation we can ascertain the time of ifṭār disregarding the condition of the sky. 3. Making du’a (supplication) after the ifṭār, the most completed one is as follows: ُ ك َت َو َّك ْل ُ ْك أَ ْف َطر ُ ص ْم ،ت ُ ك َ َو َعلَ ْي،ت َ َو َعلَى ِر ْز ِق،ت َ َاللا ُه َّم إني ل َّ ب ُ ك آ َم ْن َ َو َث َب،ت ْال ُع ُر ْو ُق ت ْاألَجْ ُر ِ َّ ِو ْا َبتل،ُ الظ َمأ َ َذ َه،ت َ َو ِب ْ َيا َواسِ َع ْال َفضْ ِل،الى ْال َح ْم ُد ِلِل،اغفِرْ لِي َ إنْ َشا َء للا ُ َت َع
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ُ ْ َو َر َز َقنِي َفأ َ ْف َطر،ْت ُ صم ت ُ الذِي أَ َعا َننِي َف O Allah, I kept the fast for You, and with Your sustenance I am breaking (my fast). I have put my trust in You, I have believed in You. The thirst has gone, the veins replenished, and the reward is confirmed if Allah wills. O the very Generous One, forgive me; Praise be to Allah Who has aided me, so I fasted, and has given me sustenance, so (with it) I break my fast. To make it short we can simply say: َّ ب ُ ْك أَ ْف َطر ُ صم ،ُ الظ َمأ ُ ك َ َذ َه، ،ت َ َو َعلَى ِر ْز ِق،ْت َ َاللا ُه َّم إني ل َ َو َث َب،ت ْال ُعر ُْو ُق ِ َِّو ْا َبتل ُت ْاألَجْ ُر إنْ َشا َء للا O Allah, I kept the fast for You, and with Your sustenance I am breaking (my fast). The thirst has gone, the veins replenished and the reward is confirmed if Allah wills. And the shortest one we can just say, ُ ْك أَ ْف َطر ُ صم ت ُ ك َ َو َعلَى ِر ْز ِق،ْت َ َاللا ُه َّم إني ل O Allah, I kept the fast for You, and with Your sustenance I am breaking (my fast). Another version of supplication is as follows: ُ ْك أَ ْف َطر ُ صم ك ُ ك َ سبحا َن،ت َ َو َعلَى ِر ْز ِق،ْت َ َاللا ُه َّم إني ل الله َّم تقب ْل مني إ َّنك أنت السميع العليم،ك َ وبحم ِد O Allah, I kept the fast for You, and with Your sustenance I am breaking (my fast). Glory be to You and Praise. O Allah, accept (the fasting) from me, Verily, You are Most Hearer, and Most Knowing Saying supplication is very important as the Prophet ( )ﷺsaid, )صا ِئ ِم عِ ْن َد ِف ْط ِر ِه َدعْ َوة َل ُت َر ُّد (رواه ابن ماجة َّ “ لِلThere is a du‘a by a fasting person which is not rejected when he is breaking his fast” (Reported by Ibn Majah). 4. Giving ifṭār to people who fast, even with a piece of date, drinking water, but making them full would be better. The Prophet ( )ﷺsaid: ُ َغ ْي َر أَ َّن ُه لَ َي ْنقُص، صا ِئماا َفلَ ُه م ِْث ُل أَجْ ِر ِه َ َمنْ َف َّط َر
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)” مِنْ أَجْ ِر الصَّائِم َشيْ ء (رواه الترمذي و النسائيWhoever feeds a person breaking his fast will earn the same reward as him without anything being lessened from the reward of the fasting person. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasā’ī) Anas ibn Malik reported: Sa’d b. ‘Ubādah presented the Prophet with bread and olive oil. The Prophet ()ﷺ ْ َّصل said: ت َعلَ ْي ُك ُم ْال َم َل ِئ َك ُة َ ُون َوأَ َك َل َط َعا َم ُك ُم ْاألَب َْرا ُر َو َ أَ ْف َط َر عِ ْن َد ُك ُم الصَّا ِئم. “May Allah reward you for breaking the fast of those whofast. The righteous have eaten your food and the angels send blessings upon you” (Reported by Abū Dā’ūd) 5. Helping the needy and becoming more generous in giving charity to the poor. The Prophet ( )ﷺhimself was more generous in the month of Ramadan. 6. Being occupied with seeking knowledge, reading and studying the Qur’ān, citing adhkar, and citing the salawat to the Prophet ( )ﷺnight and day. The angel Gabriel met the Prophet ( )ﷺin the nights of Ramadan and teaching him about the Qur’ān. 7. Doing I’tikāf in the mosque, especially the last ten days of Ramadan 8. Avoiding idle talk and deed which give no benefit. 9. Taking bath before dawn for people who are in the state of janābah (major impurity), after menstruation, and nifās (delivery) for women. (CIVIC, 9 June, 2017) :المراجع المكتبة الشاملة (299/013 .تفسير الطبري (ت ( م1910 - 1911 / هـ111 - 111( تفسير القرطبى (1010 /111 .تفسير ابن كثير (ت 9331\1191 , دمشق.0 ج. الفقة اإلسلمي وأدلته. وهبة.د. أ،الزحيلى Khan, Dr. Muhammad Muhsin. Summarized Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. Bin Jamil Zeno, Shaykh Muhammad. The Pillars of Islam & Iman. Riyadh: Dār al-Salām, 1111/1221 http://abuaminaelias.com/an-nawawi-on-the-virtue-of-givingfood-to-those-who-break-their-fasting/