FASTING (INCLUDING EID)

SAYINGS OF THE MESSENGER OF THE CREATOR (55 TO 61)

(SALLALLAHO-ALAIHE-WA-AALEHI-WASALLAM)

FOURTH PILLAR OF ISLAM

FASTING (INCLUDING EID)

55.  Abu Hurayrah (Radi-ALLAHO-An-ho)

       Allah has said that every deed of the son of Aadam is for himself except fasting which is for Me, and I will give its reward. Fasts are shields (protection from punishment). Thus when any of you is fasting, he must not indulge in obscenity, nor shout; if anyone speaks to him in a vulgar manner or fights with him then he must tell him that he is fasting. By Him in whose Hand is Muhammad’s life, the odour in the mouth of the fasting person is better to Allah than the fragrance of musk. There will be two moments of happiness for the fasting person-one at the time of breaking the fast because of that and the other when he will meet his Lord and he will feel glad because of his fasting. (Bukhari, Targheeb)

56.  Sayyidina Abdullah bin ‘Amr (Radi-ALLAHO-An-ho)

       Fasting and the Qur’an will intercede for the worshipper on the Day of Resurrection. Fasts will say, “Lord! I kept him away from eating and sexual desires so accept my intercession for him. “The Qur’an will say, “I kept him from sleeping in the night so accept my intercession or him.” Therefore, the intercession of both of them will be accepted.    (Ahmad, Targheeb)

57.  Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (Radi-ALLAHO-An-ho)

       There is a Zakaah for every thing and the Zakaah of the body is fasting.    (Ibn Ma’ajah, Targheeb)

58.  Sayyidina Maalik bin Huwayrith (Radi-ALLAHO-An-ho)

       Jibreel came to me and said that if anyone found the opportunity of the month of Ramadan but could not gain forgiveness for himself then may Allah keep him away from His Mercy. I said; Aameen! (Ibn Majah, Targheeb)

59.  Sayyidina Salmaan Farsee (Radi-ALLAHO-An-ho)

       O people! You are about to have the opportunity of a month that is at once glorious and full of blessings. It is a month which has a night that is better than a thousand months (and that is Laylat al-Qadr); Allah has prescribed for you fasting during this month and has made your standing in worship during its nights an optional act. If anyone does an act of piety during this month to gain nearness to Allah then he gets as many rewards as one gets after performing a fard in any other month. If he performs a fard during this month then he gets so many rewards as accrues on doing seventy fara’id (1) in any other month. This is the month of patience. The reward against patience is Jannah (Paradise). This is a month of goodwill and compassion. It is a month in which the provisions of a believer are increased. If anyone offers iftaar (2) to a fasting person in this month, his conduct becomes a means of forgiveness for his sins and deliverance from the fire and he gets as many rewards as the fasting person will get without anything being deducted from the reward of the fasting person.

The Companions (Compliments upon Them) enquired, O Messenger of Allah! (Peace Be upon Him) Every of us do not have so much as to offer iftaar to a fasting person.”

The Holy Prophet (Peace Be upon Him) said: Allah rewards even that person who offers a single date, a sip of water, or milk to which water is added as iftaar to anyone.

It is a month whose first portion is mercy, the middle of it is forgiveness and the final part of it is deliverance from Jahannam (Hell). If anyone remits some of the task of his slave in this month, Allah will forgive him and deliver him from Hell.

Therefore, do four things frequently in this month, two of which will fetch you the pleasure of your Lord and the (other) two are such that you cannot do without. The two which will get you the pleasure of your Lord are:

·       Keep testifying to LAA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH, There is no god but Allah.

·       Istighfaar: To seek the forgiveness of Allah.

The two which you cannot do without are:

·       Keep asking Allah for paradise; and

·       Seek His protection from the fire.

       If anyone feeds a fasting person to satiating point, Allah will give him such a drink from my spring (al-Kawthar) that on drinking it he will not feel thirst until he enters Paradise. (Ibn Khazeema, Bayhaqi, Targheeb)

(1)  Fard is an obligatory duty, an absolute obligation; fara’id is the plural of fard.

(2)  Iftaar is the breaking of fast after sunset.

60.  Sayyidina Jarir (Radi-ALLAHO-An-ho)

       The fasts of the month of Ramadaan remain suspended between heaven and earth and only through Sadaqat al-fitr they are raised to heaven. (That is, they are accepted only after Sadaqat al-fitr is paid). (Abu Hafs, Targheeb)

61.  Sayyidina Sa’d bin al-Aws (Radi-ALLAHO-An-ho)

       When it is the day of Eid-ul-Fitr, the Angels stand at the corners of roads and call out: “O Muslims! Come to the Lord Who inspires you to good and thus favours you and then rewards heavily against that. You were asked to stand in the nights (for Taraaweeh) and you stood accordingly. You were commanded to observe fasts during days and you kept the fasts. You obeyed your lord, so now collect your rewards.”

So when the people have offered prayers, a caller announces: “Listen! Your Lord has forgiven you. Go, now to your homes having received guidance.” In fact, the day of Eid is a day of rewards and in the heavens it is called Yawm ul Ja’zaa (the day of rewards). (Tabarani, Targheeb)

Collected by Muhammad Sharif Fauji from The Book “Sayings of The Prophet” (Peace Be Upon Him) Darul Ishaat, Urdu Bazaar Karachi