Hadith About Fasting

Whoever ‌feeds ​a ​fasting ​person, the angels send blessings upon him during Ramadan, and Jibreel sends blessings upon him on the night of Qadr.

A ​man ​from ​Najd ‌with unkempt hair came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and we heard his loud voice but could not understand what he was saying, till he came near and then we came to know that he was asking about Islam. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "You have to offer prayers perfectly five times in a day and night (24 hours)." The man asked, "Is there any more (praying)?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, "No, but if you want to offer the Nawafil prayers (you can)." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) further said to him: "You have to observe fasts during the month of Ramadan." The man asked, "Is there any more fasting?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, "No, but if you want to observe the Nawafil fasts (you can.)" Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) further said to him, "You have to pay the Zakat (obligatory charity)." The man asked, "Is there any thing other than the Zakat for me to pay?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, "No, unless you want to give alms of your own." And then that man retreated saying, "By Allah! I will neither do less nor more than this." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "If what he said is true, then he will be successful (i.e. he will be granted Paradise)."

On ​the ​1st ‌of ​Dhul-Hijja we set out with the intention of performing Hajj. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Any one who likes to assume the Ihram for `Umra he can do so. Had I not brought the Hadi with me, I would have assumed the Ihram for `Umra. "Some of us assumed the Ihram for `Umra while the others assumed the Ihram for Hajj. I was one of those who assumed the Ihram for `Umra. I got menses and kept on menstruating until the day of `Arafat and complained of that to the Prophet. He told me to postpone my `Umra, undo and comb my hair, and to assume the Ihram of Hajj and I did so. On the night of Hasba, he sent my brother `Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Bakr with me to at-Tan`im, where I assumed the Ihram for `Umra in lieu of the previous one. Hisham said, "For that (`Umra) no Hadi, fasting or alms were required.

Um-Salama ‌said, ‌"I ​got ‌my menses while I was lying with the Prophet (ﷺ) under a woolen sheet. So I slipped away, took the clothes for menses and put them on. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'Have you got your menses?' I replied, 'Yes.' Then he called me and took me with him under the woolen sheet." Um Salama further said, "The Prophet (ﷺ) used to kiss me while he was fasting. The Prophet (ﷺ) and I used to take the bath of Janaba from a single pot."

that ​he ​had ‌heard ​Hudhaifa saying, "Once I was sitting with `Umar and he said, 'Who amongst you remembers the statement of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about the afflictions?' I said, 'I know it as the Prophet (ﷺ) had said it.' `Umar said, 'No doubt you are bold.' I said, 'The afflictions caused for a man by his wife, money, children and neighbor are expiated by his prayers, fasting, charity and by enjoining (what is good) and forbidding (what is evil).' `Umar said, 'I did not mean that but I asked about that affliction which will spread like the waves of the sea.' I (Hudhaifa) said, 'O leader of the faithful believers! You need not be afraid of it as there is a closed door between you and it.' `Umar asked, Will the door be broken or opened?' I replied, 'It will be broken.' `Umar said, 'Then it will never be closed again.' I was asked whether `Umar knew that door. I replied that he knew it as one knows that there will be night before the tomorrow morning. I narrated a Hadith that was free from any misstatement" The subnarrator added that they deputized Masruq to ask Hudhaifa (about the door). Hudhaifa said, "The door was `Umar himself."

Zaid ​bin ​Thabit ​said, ​"We took the "Suhur" (the meal taken before dawn while fasting is observed) with the Prophet (ﷺ) and then stood up for the (morning) prayer." I asked him how long the interval between the two (Suhur and prayer) was. He replied, 'The interval between the two was just sufficient to recite fifty to Sixth 'Ayat."

On ‌the ‌day ‌of ​Al-Khandaq (the trench), `Umar bin Al-Khattab went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! By Allah, I could not pray (the `Asr) till the sun had set." `Umar told this to the Prophet at the time when a fasting person had done Iftar (taken his meals). The Prophet (ﷺ) then went to Buthan and I was with him. He performed ablution and offered the `Asr prayer after the sun had set and then the Maghrib prayer.

Sometimes ‌Allah's ​Messenger ‌(ﷺ) ​would not fast (for so many days) that we thought that he would not fast that month and he sometimes used to fast (for so many days) that we thought he would not leave fasting throughout that month and (as regards his prayer and sleep at night), if you wanted to see him praying at night, you could see him praying and if you wanted to see him sleeping, you could see him sleeping.

(freed ​slave ​of) ‌Ziyad: ​I heard Abu Sa`id Al-khudri narrating four things from the Prophet (ﷺ) and I appreciated them very much. He said, conveying the words of the Prophet. (1) "A woman should not go on a two day journey except with her husband or a Dhi-Mahram. (2) No fasting is permissible on two days: `Id-ul-Fitr and `Id-ul-Adha. (3) No prayer after two prayers, i.e. after the Fajr prayer till the sunrises and after the `Asr prayer till the sun sets. (4) Do not prepare yourself for a journey except to three Mosques, i.e. Al-Masjid-AI-Haram, the Mosque of Aqsa (Jerusalem) and my Mosque."

Once ​a ‌meal ​was ​brought to `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf and he was fasting. He said, "Mustab bin `Umar was martyred and he was better than I and was shrouded in his Burd and when his head was covered with it, his legs became bare, and when his legs were covered his head got uncovered. Hamza was martyred and was better than I. Now the worldly wealth have been bestowed upon us (or said a similar thing). No doubt, I fear that the rewards of my deeds might have been given earlier in this world." Then he started weeping and left his food.

Ibn ‌'Abbas ​said ‌that ‌he has been asked regarding Hajj-at-Tamattu' on which he said:"The Muhajirin and the Ansar and the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) and we did the same. When we reached Makkah, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Give up your intention of doing the Hajj (at this moment) and perform 'Umra, except the one who had garlanded the Hady." So, we performed Tawaf round the Ka'bah and [Sa'y] between As-safa and Al-MArwa, slept with our wives and wore ordinary (stitched) clothes. The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Whoever has garlanded his Hady is not allowed to finish the Ihram till the Hady has reached its destination (has been sacrificed)". Then on the night of Tarwiya (8th Dhul Hijjah, in the afternoon) he ordered us to assume Ihram for Hajj and when we had performed all the ceremonies of Hajj, we came and performed Tawaf round the Ka'bah and (Sa'y) between As-Safa and Al-Marwa, and then our Hajj was complete, and we had to sacrifice a Hady according to the statement of Allah: "... He must slaughter a Hady such as he can afford, but if he cannot afford it, he should observe Saum (fasts) three days during the Hajj and seven days after his return (to his home)…." (V. 2:196). And the sacrifice of the sheep is sufficient. So, the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions joined the two religious deeds, (i.e. Hajj and 'Umra) in one year, for Allah revealed (the permissibility) of such practice in His book and in the Sunna (legal ways) of His Prophet (ﷺ) and rendered it permissible for all the people except those living in Makkah. Allah says: "This is for him whose family is not present at the Al-Masjid-Al-Haram, (i.e. non resident of Makkah)." The months of Hajj which Allah mentioned in His book are: Shawwal, Dhul-Qa'da and Dhul-Hijjah. Whoever performed Hajj-at-Tamattu' in those months, then slaughtering or fasting is compulsory for him. The words: 1. Ar-Rafatha means sexual intercourse. 2. Al-Fasuq means all kinds of sin, and 3. Al-Jidal means to dispute

The ​people ‌used ‌to ‌fast on 'Ashura (the tenth day of the month of Muharram) before the fasting of Ramadan was made obligatory. And on that day the Ka`ba used to be covered with a cover. When Allah made the fasting of the month of Ramadan compulsory, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever wishes to fast (on the day of 'Ashura') may do so; and whoever wishes to leave it can do so."

On ​the ​day ‌of ​`Arafat, some people who were with me, differed about the fasting of the Prophet (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) some said that he was fasting while others said that he was not fasting. So I sent a bowl full of milk to him while he was riding his camel, and he drank that milk.

We ​set ‌out ​with ‌Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) shortly before the appearance of the new moon of Dhi-l-Hijja and he said, "Whoever wants to assume Ihram for `Umra may do so, and whoever wants to assume Ihram for Hajj may do so. Had not I brought the Hadi with me, I would have assumed Ihram for `Umra." Some of the people assumed Ihram for `Umra while others for Hajj. I was amongst those who had assumed Ihram for `Umra. I got my menses before entering Mecca, and was menstruating till the day of `Arafat. I complained to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about it, he said, "Abandon your `Umra, undo and comb your hair, and assume Ihram for Hajj." So, I did that accordingly. When it was the night of Hasba (day of departure from Mina), the Prophet (ﷺ) sent `Abdur Rahman with me to at-Tan`im. The sub-narrator adds: He (`Abdur-Rahman) let her ride behind him. And she assumed Ihram for `Umra in lieu of the abandoned one. Aisha completed her Hajj and `Umra, and no Hadi, Sadaqa (charity), or fasting was obligatory for her.

Abu ​Sa`id ‌who ‌participated ‌in twelve Ghazawat with the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I heard four things from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (or I narrate them from the Prophet (ﷺ) ) which won my admiration and appreciation. They are: -1. "No lady should travel without her husband or without a Dhu-Mahram for a two-days' journey. -2. No fasting is permissible on two days of `Id-ul-Fitr, and `Id-al-Adha. -3. No prayer (may be offered) after two prayers: after the `Asr prayer till the sun set and after the morning prayer till the sun rises. -4. Not to travel (for visiting) except for three mosques: Masjid-al-Haram (in Mecca), my Mosque (in Medina), and Masjid-al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem).

A ‌bedouin ‌with ​unkempt ​hair came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Inform me what Allah has made compulsory for me as regards the prayers." He replied: "You have to offer perfectly the five compulsory prayers in a day and night (24 hours), unless you want to pray Nawafil." The bedouin further asked, "Inform me what Allah has made compulsory for me as regards fasting." He replied, "You have to fast during the whole month of Ramadan, unless you want to fast more as Nawafil." The bedouin further asked, "Tell me how much Zakat Allah has enjoined on me." Thus, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) informed him about all the rules (i.e. fundamentals) of Islam. The bedouin then said, "By Him Who has honored you, I will neither perform any Nawafil nor will I decrease what Allah has enjoined on me. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "If he is saying the truth, he will succeed (or he will be granted Paradise).

The ‌Prophet ​(ﷺ) ‌observed ‌the fast on the 10th of Muharram ('Ashura), and ordered (Muslims) to fast on that day, but when the fasting of the month of Ramadan was prescribed, the fasting of the 'Ashura' was abandoned. `Abdullah did not use to fast on that day unless it coincided with his routine fasting by chance.

(The ‌tribe ​of) ‌Quraish ​used to fast on the day of Ashura' in the Pre-Islamic period, and then Allah's Apostle ordered (Muslims) to fast on it till the fasting in the month of Ramadan was prescribed; whereupon the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who wants to fast (on 'Ashura') may fast, and he who does not want to fast may not fast."

Allah's ‌Messenger ​(ﷺ) ​said, ‌"Fasting is a shield (or a screen or a shelter). So, the person observing fasting should avoid sexual relation with his wife and should not behave foolishly and impudently, and if somebody fights with him or abuses him, he should tell him twice, 'I am fasting." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. (Allah says about the fasting person), 'He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times."

`Umar ‌asked ​the ​people, ​"Who remembers the narration of the Prophet (ﷺ) about the affliction?" Hudhaifa said, "I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, 'The affliction of a person in his property, family and neighbors is expiated by his prayers, fasting, and giving in charity." `Umar said, "I do not ask about that, but I ask about those afflictions which will spread like the waves of the sea." Hudhaifa replied, "There is a closed gate in front of those afflictions." `Umar asked, "Will that gate be opened or broken?" He replied, "It will be broken." `Umar said, "Then the gate will not be closed again till the Day of Resurrection." We said to Masruq, "Would you ask Hudhaifa whether `Umar knew what that gate symbolized?" He asked him and he replied "He (`Umar) knew it as one knows that there will be night before tomorrow, morning.