عربي
Home


Articles

Articles

The Fasting Person and the Love of Allah
Author : Dr. Mufti Sa`eid Farhan
Date Added : 31-01-2024

The Fasting Person and the Love of Allah

 

Ramadan, the month of fasting, is considered the master of months, and its nights are among the best nights of the year. Allah, in His wisdom, has distinguished Ramadan with divine virtues and blessings that are evident to everyone. In Ramadan, there is the Night of Qadr (Laylat al-Qadr), known as the Night of Power, which is the night the Quran was revealed. Additionally, Ramadan is the month of fasting, one of the pillars of Islam. It is a month of piety, blessing, and mercy, among other virtues highlighted by the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "The master of the months is Ramadan." (Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi).

 

Just as Allah, the Most High, has distinguished Ramadan with divine blessings, the fasting person also receives additional heavenly gifts. The fasting individual is granted the honor of entering through the gate of Ar-Rayyan on the Day of Judgment, a privilege exclusive to them. Furthermore, their breath is described as more pleasant to Allah than the fragrance of musk. The fasting person is rewarded by Allah, the Almighty, for their fasting with abundant grace and blessings as He wills.

 

The greatest divine gift to the fasting person remains the love of Allah Almighty. The fasting person engages in an act of worship that is not observed by others as he refrains from consuming food and drink. This abstention makes him a vigilant guardian over himself, holding himself accountable. He worships Allah as if He sees him, embodying the concept of excellence (ihsan). The Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, defined ihsan in a well-known hadith: "To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you." (Reported by Al-Bukhari). As a result, the fasting person enters into a state of goodness, in line with the Quranic statement: "Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good" (Al-Baqarah: 195).

 

The fasting person is patient in enduring the hardship of fasting, leaving food and drink for the sake of Allah and exercising patience in doing so. It was narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Sahih that Sa'id bin al-Musayyib reported from Salman that the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) addressed the people on the last day of Sha'ban and said: "O people, a great month has approached you, a blessed month. In it, there is a night that is better than a thousand months. Allah has made fasting in it obligatory, and standing (in prayer) at night voluntary. Whoever draws near to Allah with a good deed in it will be like one who performs an obligatory act in any other time. Whoever performs an obligatory act in it will be like one who performs seventy obligatory acts in any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward for patience is Paradise" (Reported by Ibn Khuzaymah).

Abu Hatim said, "The gratitude of the one who provides for the fasting person is to feed the Muslim and then not to disobey his Creator, strengthen him, and complete his gratitude by performing acts of obedience with his limbs. This is because the fasting person associates patience with his act of avoiding prohibitions. Similarly, the one providing for him should show gratitude that approximates or matches this patience. It is the act of refraining from prohibitions" [Sahih Ibn Hibban (Vol. 2/P. 18)].

 

The fasting person thus embodies the saying of Allah, the Most High: "And Allah loves the patient" [Al-Emran, 146].

 

The ultimate goal of fasting is to attain Taqwa (piety), as mentioned by Allah in the Quran: "O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous (achieve Taqwa)" [Al-Baqarah, 183].

 

As the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated: "(Fasting is a shield)" [Reported by An-Nasai and others]. The meaning of fasting being a shield is that it protects the worshiper from indecency, sins, and wrongdoing. All of these aspects are encompassed in the concept of Taqwa (piety), which requires the worshiper to establish a shield between themselves and the disobedience of Allah. The result is the entry of the fasting person into the category of those whom Allah loves, as mentioned in the verse: "Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves" [At-Tawbah, 222].

 

Indeed, fasting serves not only to purify the body for worship but also purifies the heart from grudges, envy, and all forms of sins. Through fasting, a person elevates themselves above responding to insults and wrongs with anything other than, "I am a person who is fasting." This spiritual purification of the soul undoubtedly leads to the fulfillment of Allah's love, as mentioned in the verse: "And Allah loves those who purify themselves" [At-Tawbah, 108].

 

The ultimate outcome for the fasting person is to attain the love of Allah, the Most Mighty and Majestic. This is the pinnacle of success, as there is no greater achievement for a Muslim. By fasting during these designated days, one fulfills their utmost hopes and aspirations. When Allah, in His sublime love, is on your side, is there anything that can harm you thereafter?

 

In conclusion, this is just a brief overview of the virtues of the month of the Quran, Ramadan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article Number [ Previous | Next ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on congregational prayer performed outside the mosque, and is it a condition that it be performed in a mosque in order to attain the full reward?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is not a condition for attaining the reward of congregational prayer that it be performed in a mosque; however, a Muslim should still be keen to perform his prayers in the mosque, so as not to miss out on immense reward. This is due to the virtue of the mosque and of spending time there (i‘tikāf), the typically larger number of worshippers present, and the additional reward gained through walking to and from the mosque. On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (raḍiyallāhu ‘anh), the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever purifies himself in his house, then walks to one of the houses of Allah to fulfill one of the obligations Allah has prescribed, one of his steps will erase a sin, and the other will raise him a degree [in status]." (Related by Muslim)
Whoever misses congregational prayer at the mosque should still strive to pray in congregation at his workplace, or together with the members of his household. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

"I told my family at night: 'I will fast tomorrow as qaḍā' (a make-up fast),' but I forgot to make the intention before sleeping. Is my fast valid?"

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
 
The intention is obligatory in acts of worship. For obligatory fasting, the required intention is to resolve to fast during the night [before dawn]. Its proper locus is the heart, while verbalizing the intention out loud in acts of worship is a sunnah — so that the tongue may align with the heart. If the intent behind the statement in question was the intention to fast, then it is valid; but if the intent was merely to inform someone, or reflected hesitation or doubt, then it is not valid.
 
It is stated in *Bushrā al-Karīm* (Vol.1/P.216): "It is a sunnah to verbalize the intention — that is, whatever has already been intended in the heart, whether an obligatory or a voluntary act — such as specifying the number of rak‘ahs, just before the opening takbīr — so that the tongue may assist the heart, and because this is further removed from whispered doubts (waswasah), and in order to accommodate the view of those who held it obligatory in every act of worship that requires an intention (even though this is a minority position), by analogy with Ḥajj."
 
Accordingly: if the intention to fast arose in your heart before the second adhān [i.e., before Fajr], then your fast is valid.
 
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

How to perform the witr prayer in terms of connection (wasl) and separation (fasl)?

 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The Witr prayer has several forms that vary in terms of virtue:
 
The First Form: Separating every two units (rak‘ah) with a Tashahhud and a Taslim (salutation). This is superior to connecting the units, even if it is only a single rak‘ah. This is based on the Hadith of ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray eleven units between the end of the ‘Isha prayer and dawn, performing the Taslim after every two units and performing Witr with a single unit.' (Related by al-Bukhari & Muslim).
 
The Second Form: Connecting the units with only one final Tashahhud at the very end.
 
The Third Form: Connecting with two Tashahhuds—meaning reciting the Tashahhud before the final unit without performing the Taslim, then standing to complete the final unit. This form is considered the lowest in rank so that the Witr prayer remains distinct from the obligatory Maghrib prayer, as stated in the Hadith: 'Do not make the Witr resemble the Maghrib prayer.' (Narrated by Al-Daraqutni, who stated its narrators are trustworthy).
 
It is stated in Bushra al-Karim Sharh al-Muqaddimah al-Hadramiyyah: 'It is permissible to connect [the Witr] with one Tashahhud in the final unit—which is better—or with two Tashahhuds in the last two units, as both methods are established in Sahih Muslim from the actions of the Prophet ﷺ. In the connected method, more than two Tashahhuds are prohibited. Furthermore, separating (al-Fasl) is better than connecting (al-Wasl) if the number of units is the same, because the Hadiths supporting it are more numerous and it involves more devotional actions.' And Allah the Exalted knows best."

If a traveler settles or a sick person recovers while fasting, is it permissible for them to break their fast?

● If a sick person starts the day fasting and then recovers during the day, they must complete their fast.
● If a traveler starts the day fasting and then settles (returns or stops traveling) during the day, they must also complete their fast.
● It is forbidden for both of them to break their fast because the concession (rukhsah) is no longer valid once its reason disappears.

See More