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Except for Fasting
Author : Dr. Zuhaar Riyallat
Date Added : 24-09-2024

In the Qudsi Hadith, Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "Every deed of the son of Adam is multiplied: a good deed is multiplied tenfold up to seven hundred times, except for fasting; it is for Me, and I will reward it. He leaves his desires and his food for My sake..." [Moslim].

In this hadith, Allah excludes fasting from the deeds that have a fixed reward. All deeds are multiplied: a good deed by ten times, up to seven hundred times, except fasting. Allah multiplies its reward without any specific limit.

It is understood that the fasting referred to here is the fasting that Allah has commanded, not merely refraining from food and drink, as is the case with many people's fasting. However, why did Allah single out fasting from all other deeds with this special distinction when He Said (What means): "Except for fasting; it is for Me, and I will reward it"?

If we reflect on the reality of fasting and the difference between it and other acts of worship, we can deduce some of the wisdoms for which Allah granted the fasting person this great virtue. Among these wisdoms are:

First: Fasting is a secret between the servant and his Lord, known only by Allah. A person may show off in their prayer or other acts of worship because they are visible actions, but they cannot show off in fasting — meaning, they cannot display it to people for recognition and praise. It has been narrated: "Fasting has no show-off" [Al-Bayhaqi in "Shu'ab Al-Iman"]. Fasting consists of two elements: refraining from food, drink, and other desires, and an intention held in the heart, which only Allah Knows. Therefore, it is fitting that the matter of fasting remains between the servant and his Lord, and that Allah singles it out by attributing it to Himself, unlike other deeds.

Second: Fasting is the only act of worship in which a person abandons all their desires for the sake of Allah. For example, when a person enters the state of Ihram (Ritual consecration) for Hajj or Umrah, they only give up some desires, like intimacy and beautification, while other desires, like food and drink, remain permissible. Similarly, when a person gives Zakat (Alms) or charity, they only give up the desire for wealth.

Nevertheless, in fasting, as mentioned in the previous hadith: "He leaves his desires and his food for My sake." This phrase explains the reason behind fasting's unique reward — the fasting person leaves multiple desires, and the reward for abandoning each one is known only to Allah.

It may be argued that prayer also involves leaving all desires, just like fasting. However, the difference lies in the duration — prayer lasts only a few minutes, so the person does not suffer the deprivation of food and drink, whereas fasting lasts the entire day.

Third: It is narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: "Fasting is half of patience" [Reported by Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Al-Tirmidhi, who graded it as sound]. Patience is of three types: patience in performing acts of worship, patience in refraining from what Allah has forbidden, and patience in enduring trials.

All three types of patience come together in fasting: patience in performing an act of worship, patience in abstaining from forbidden desires, and patience in enduring the hunger and thirst that occur during fasting. Thus, fasting encompasses all forms of patience. Allah Says (What means): "Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without measure" [Az-Zumar/10]. One meaning of "without measure" is an immense reward, which is attained through fasting.

Fourth: Fasting is a training ground for preparing a person for the future. When one enters this school of fasting, their intention is to be righteous and committed in the present and the future. The fasting person holds two intentions: one for the present moment and one for future commitment. Therefore, they deserve the reward for both their current fasting and their future resolve. This resolve and intention are known only to Allah, and their sincerity can only be judged by Him. Thus, the reward for them is from Allah alone.

Fifth: Fasting links the lawful and unlawful to time. What was permissible yesterday becomes forbidden during the day, and what was forbidden a few moments ago becomes lawful with the call to Maghrib (Sunset) prayer. This demonstrates the ultimate submission and obedience to Allah.

The fasting person refrains from their desires during the day out of obedience to Allah, and they hasten to them at night, also out of obedience. They abstain and return to their desires only in response to Allah's command. They are obedient in both states. For such a person, it is hoped that they will be among those who are told (What means): "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you put forth in days past" [Al-Haqqah/24].

 

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on giving Zakah (obligatory charity) to one`s relatives?

It is impermissible to pay Zakah to one`s origins (parents and grandparents) because providing for them is an obligation on their branches (sons and daughters) if they were poor, but it is permissible to give some of the Zakah money to relatives whose provision isn`t due on the giver of the Zakah.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on performing ṭawāf on the upper floors of al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, given that these floors are situated above the level of the Ka‘bah, and that the one performing ṭawāf passes by certain barriers, such as pillars and walls, during the ṭawāf?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There are numerous conditions for the validity of ṭawāf (circumambulation around the Ka‘bah), among them: that the one performing ṭawāf be inside the Masjid (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām) — even if the Masjid has been expanded, so long as the expansion does not extend out into al-ḥill (land outside the sanctuary boundaries). It suffices for the ṭawāf to be performed in the airspace of the Masjid or upon its roof, even if that roof is higher than the Ka‘bah (the House) itself.
Al-Khaṭīb ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said: "It [ṭawāf] is valid upon the roof of the Masjid, even if the roof of the Masjid is higher than the House — just as prayer [is valid] upon Mount Abū Qubays despite its elevation above the House. This is the relied-upon (mu‘tamad) position." [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.246]
The validity of the tawaf isn`t affected by the pillars and walls standing between the one performing ṭawāf and the House, since the condition is only that the person performing ṭawāf be within the boundaries of the Masjid and outside the boundaries of the Ka‘bah itself.
Ash-Shirbīnī said: "It [ṭawāf] is valid inside the Masjid, even if it is expanded, and even if a barrier stands between the one circumambulating and the House — such as a water-supply structure (saqāyah) or pillars (sawārī)." [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 2/P.246]
Accordingly, ṭawāf performed on the upper floors is valid, and the presence of barriers such as pillars and walls during the ṭawāf does not affect its validity. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on performing the night prayer (*qiyām al-layl*) between the first and second adhān of Fajr? And which is better: delaying the prayer until shortly before the Fajr adhān, or performing it earlier than that?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The time for night prayer (qiyām al-layl) begins after the Maghrib prayer and lasts until the second adhān of Fajr. The best time for it is the last third of the night, and best of all are the fourth and fifth sixths of the night. If the night is divided into two halves, the latter half is better.
Whoever intends to pray at night is encouraged to delay the Witr until he has prayed the night prayer. If he knows that he will not wake up, it is better for him to pray and perform Witr before sleeping, so that he does not miss both the night prayer and the Witr.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vpl.1/p.462): “I say: The voluntary prayer of the night, that is, the absolute voluntary prayer (al-nafl al-muṭlaq), is better than the absolute voluntary prayer of the day, because of the report in Muslim: ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer.’ In another narration of his: ‘In the night there is an hour that no Muslim man meets while asking Allah for any good of this world and the next except that He gives it to him, and that is every night.’ It is also because the night is a time of heedlessness. I restricted the voluntary prayer to the absolute kind following the commentator, although what the ḥadīth and the underlying meaning require is that the night rawātib be preferred over the day rawātib, since the jurists preferred the two rakʿahs of Fajr over everything except Witr. The middle of the night is better than its two ends if it is divided into thirds, because heedlessness is greatest then and worship is hardest. If he wishes to pray during some third, the best is the fourth and fifth sixths, based on the ḥadīth in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: ‘The most beloved prayer to Allah the Exalted is the prayer of Dāwūd: he would sleep half the night, stand for a third of it, and sleep for a sixth.’ Then the latter part is better than the first if he divides it into two halves, because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: ‘And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness’ [al-Dhāriyāt: 18], and the report of the two Shaykhs: ‘Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends,’ meaning His command descends, ‘to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who calls upon Me, that I may answer him? Who asks of Me, that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’”
It is also stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 60): “It is better to perform it [the Witr] immediately after the sunnah of ʿIshāʾ, unless he has tahajjud, in which case it is better to delay it so that he performs Witr after it. If he performs Witr and then wishes to pray tahajjud, he prays two rakʿahs at a time and does not repeat the Witr, nor does he need to cancel it with a single rakʿah before the tahajjud. It is recommended that he not deliberately pray after it.”
Qiyām al-layl is a term applied to any prayer performed at night. Tahajjud, on the other hand, refers to the night prayer that follows sleep, whether it is prayed after Maghrib or after ʿIshāʾ, or the prayer performed after ʿIshāʾ without sleep. On this basis, the Witr is also called tahajjud, since it is only prayed after ʿIshāʾ.
It is stated in al-Majmūʿ (Vol.4/p.84): “The sound position, as stated in al-Umm and al-Mukhtaṣar, is that the Witr is called tahajjud.”
It is stated in Nihāyat al-Zayn (Vol.1/p.114): “Among the absolute voluntary prayers is qiyām al-layl. If it is performed after sleep, even during the time of Maghrib and after having prayed ʿIshāʾ early (taqdīman), it is called tahajjud.”
And it is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī ʿalā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.1/p.418): “His statement: ‘(the night prayer)’: the genitive construction (iḍāfah) carries the sense of fī, meaning a prayer in the night. His statement: ‘(it would be more fitting)’: the reason it is more fitting is that the night prayer includes both tahajjud and other prayers.” And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on entering the toilet with something containing the remembrance of Allah?

It is disliked to bring into the toilet anything containing a reminder of Allah, such as the Quran or a sacred name (like the name of Allah, Muhammad, etc.). If one does that, etiquette dictates that he conceal it so it is not visible while entering the toilet, either by cupping his hands over it, putting it in his pocket, or inside his shirt if it is a necklace or ring. And Allah  the Almighty knows best.

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