Part of Al-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah (the series is completed)
· Lesson 28 of 40
Al-Shamail Al-Muhammadiya | Episode (28) | Chapter on what was mentioned regarding the fasting of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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With pens of longing and the ink of love,
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We inscribe lines more precious than gold,
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Describing the Master of Creation, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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The Prophetic Characteristics (Shama'il).
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Chapter: What has been narrated regarding the fasting of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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From ‘Abdullah ibn Shaqiq, who said:
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I asked ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, about the fasting of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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She said:
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"He would fast until we would say, 'He has fasted [continuously].'"
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"And he would break his fast until we would say, 'He has ceased fasting.'"
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She added:
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"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, never fasted a full month since he arrived in Medina,"
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"Except for Ramadan."
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In this hadith:
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The Mother of the Believers, ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was asked about the fasting of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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Meaning: Did he fast continuously or not?
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The intent here is voluntary fasting.
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She replied:
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"He would fast until we would say, 'He has fasted [continuously].'"
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Meaning: He would continue fasting for several days,
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Until some of us would say to others,
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Or we would contemplate to ourselves and say, "He has passed [the point of breaking his fast],"
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"And he continues to fast."
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And he would remain in that state.
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And her saying, "And he would break his fast until we would say, 'He has ceased fasting,'"
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Meaning: He would continue for days without fasting,
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Until we would say, "He will likely spend the remainder of the month without fasting."
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And her saying:
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"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, never fasted a full month since he arrived in Medina except for Ramadan,"
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Contains an indication that the sequence of his fasting
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Was less than fasting an entire month,
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Except in Ramadan;
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For he fasted it completely because it is an obligatory duty.
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And her saying, "Since he arrived in Medina,"
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She specified this time by mention,
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Because it was the time when fasting was made obligatory,
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And the rulings [of Islam] became numerous.
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From Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him,
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That he was asked about the fasting of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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And he said:
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"He would fast from the month,"
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"Until we thought he did not wish to break his fast from it."
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"And he would break his fast until we thought he did not wish to fast any part of it."
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"And you would not wish to see him praying at night,"
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"But you would see him praying,"
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"Nor sleeping,"
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"But you would see him sleeping."
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In this hadith is [evidence of] moderation and balance.
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There is no continuous fasting,
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Nor is there continuous abstention from fasting.
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Rather, it is both fasting and breaking the fast.
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He would begin the month fasting,
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And continue in it,
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Until one would think he would complete the entire month fasting.
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And he would break his fast, peace be upon him, and continue in that state,
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Until one would think he would continue without fasting until the end of the month.
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And his saying:
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"And you would not wish to see him praying at night,"
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"But you would see him praying,"
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"Nor sleeping,"
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"But you would see him sleeping,"
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Meaning: The Prophet, peace be upon him, was
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Balanced in his nights;
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He gave sleep its due,
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And prayer its due.
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There was neither excess nor negligence.
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And Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
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Was asked about the fasting of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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Only.
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Yet he answered the questioner regarding his inquiry,
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And added goodness to it,
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Because he knew he was in need of it.
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This is from the generosity of imparting knowledge.
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From Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him,
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Who said:
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"The Prophet, peace be upon him,"
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"Would fast until we would say,"
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"'He does not wish to break his fast from it.'"
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"And he would break his fast until we would say,"
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"'He does not wish to fast from it.'"
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"And he never fasted a full month since he arrived in Medina,"
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"Except for Ramadan."
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And from Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
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"I never saw the Prophet, peace be upon him,"
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"Fasting two consecutive months,"
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"Except for Sha‘ban and Ramadan."
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And from ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
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"I never saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,"
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"Fasting in a month,"
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"More than his fasting for Allah in Sha‘ban."
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"He would fast Sha‘ban, except for a little,"
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"Rather, he would fast all of it."
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In the hadith of Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her,
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That she never saw the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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Fasting two consecutive months,
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Except for Sha‘ban and Ramadan.
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As for his fasting, peace be upon him,
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Of Ramadan completely,
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That is a clear matter.
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As for Sha‘ban,
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What is established from him, peace be upon him,
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Is the fasting of most of it, not all of it.
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And we have recently passed the hadith of ‘A’ishah and Ibn ‘Abbas,
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That he, peace be upon him,
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Never fasted a full month since he arrived in Medina,
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Except for Ramadan.
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Thus, the statement of Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her,
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"Fasting two consecutive months,"
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Means the majority of Sha‘ban and the entirety of Ramadan.
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This is clarified by the second hadith of ‘A’ishah,
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Where she said:
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"I never saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,"
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"Fasting in a month more than his fasting for Allah in Sha‘ban."
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"He would fast Sha‘ban, except for a little,"
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"Rather, he would fast all of it."
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It is narrated from Ibn al-Mubarak that he said regarding this hadith:
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"It is permissible in the speech of the Arabs, if one fasts most of the month, to say,"
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"'He fasted the whole month.'"
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And it is said:
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"So-and-so stood [in prayer] his entire night,"
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While he only stood for most of it,
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Perhaps he had dinner and was occupied with some of his affairs.
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So this hadith explains the first hadith.
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The wisdom behind increasing the fasting in Sha‘ban
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Is what was narrated from Usamah ibn Zayd, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said:
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"I said, 'O Messenger of Allah,'"
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"'I have not seen you fasting in any month as you fast in Sha‘ban.'"
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He said:
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"'That is a month people are heedless of,'"
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"'Between Rajab and Ramadan.'"
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"'And it is a month in which deeds are raised to the Lord of the Worlds,'"
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"'So I love that my deeds be raised while I am fasting.'"
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And from ‘Abdullah, who said:
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"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,"
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"Would fast three days from the beginning of every month."
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"And he rarely would not fast on Friday."
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In this hadith:
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That ‘Abdullah—meaning Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him—
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Said:
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"The Prophet, peace be upon him,"
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"Would fast three days from the beginning of every month."
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The intent by "the beginning of the month" is its start,
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Or he means the "bright days" (al-ayyam al-ghurr),
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Meaning the white days (the 13th, 14th, and 15th).
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And he, peace be upon him, would fast three days of every month,
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From its beginning, or from its middle,
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Or from its end,
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Together or separately.
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And his saying:
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"And he rarely would not fast on Friday,"
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Meaning that he, peace be upon him,
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Would frequently fast on Friday.
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This does not mean
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That he would single it out for fasting,
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Rather, he would fast it joined to what was before it or after it,
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As there is a prohibition narrated from him against singling out Friday for fasting.
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Or perhaps that was one of his specific characteristics, peace be upon him,
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Like the continuous fasting (wisal).
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And from Mu‘adhah, who said:
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"I said to ‘A’ishah,"
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"'Did the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, fast three days of every month?'"
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She said, "Yes."
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"I said, 'From which part would he fast?'"
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She said:
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"'He did not care from which part he fasted.'"
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In this hadith:
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It is left to the servant regarding the three days recommended to be fasted each month,
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That he may fast them at the beginning, the middle, or the end.
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For this reason, ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
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"He did not care from which part he fasted."
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And from ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
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"The Prophet, peace be upon him, would seek to fast on Mondays and Thursdays."
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And from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
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That the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
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"Deeds are presented on Monday and Thursday,"
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"So I love that my deeds be presented while I am fasting."
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In the first hadith of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
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That the Prophet, peace be upon him, would seek and anticipate fasting on Mondays and Thursdays.
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The wisdom in that,
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As it came in the second hadith of Abu Hurayrah,
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Is that deeds are presented on them to Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.
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So he, peace be upon him, loved that his deeds be presented while he was fasting.
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It was also narrated that he, peace be upon him, was asked about fasting on Monday,
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And he said, "That is the day I was born."
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This is another wisdom for fasting on Monday.
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And from ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
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"The Prophet, peace be upon him, would fast from the month,"
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"Saturday, Sunday, and Monday,"
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"And from the other month,"
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"Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday."
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In this hadith is a clarification that he, peace be upon him,
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Would fast three days of every month.
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And if these days were, for example, the white days,
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Then they differ from one month to another.
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In one month, they correspond to Saturday, Sunday, and Monday,
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And in another month, they correspond to Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday,
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And so on.
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'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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would not fast more in any month than he did in Sha'ban.
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'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, also reported:
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'Ashura' was a day that the Quraysh used to fast during the pre-Islamic period.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to fast it as well.
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When he arrived in Medina, he continued to fast it and commanded others to do so.
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Then, when Ramadan was made obligatory,
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Ramadan became the mandatory fast,
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and 'Ashura' was left aside;
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so whoever wished fasted it, and whoever wished did not.
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This hadith indicates
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that the Quraysh used to fast the day of 'Ashura' in the pre-Islamic period,
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meaning before his mission, peace be upon him.
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'Ashura' is the tenth day of the month of Muharram.
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Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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There is no doubt that the Quraysh used to venerate this day,
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and they used to cover the Ka'bah on it.
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Fasting it was part of their complete veneration of it.
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When the Prophet, peace be upon him, arrived in Medina,
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he found the Jews venerating that day and fasting it.
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He asked them about it,
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and they said: "It is the day on which Allah saved Moses and his people from Pharaoh."
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He, peace be upon him, said:
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"We have more right to Moses than you do."
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So he fasted it and commanded that it be fasted, confirming its veneration and emphasizing it.
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His statement, "Then, when Ramadan was made obligatory,"
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meaning Ramadan became the mandatory fast,
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and 'Ashura' was left aside,
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so whoever wished fasted it, and whoever wished did not,
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provides evidence that the fasting of 'Ashura' in the beginning
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was a matter of obligation.
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Then, when Ramadan was made obligatory,
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the fasting of 'Ashura' became recommended, not mandatory.
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The Sunnah regarding the fasting of 'Ashura'
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is to fast the ninth day along with it, to differ from the Jews,
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based on what came in the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both,
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that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
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"If I remain until next year, I will surely fast the ninth."
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It is authentically established regarding the virtue of fasting 'Ashura'
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that it expiates the sins of the past year.
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'Alqamah reported:
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I asked 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
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"Did the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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single out any specific days?"
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She replied, "His practice was consistent.
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And who among you can endure what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, could endure?"
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This hadith is general regarding all acts of worship,
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and is not restricted to the chapter of fasting.
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Perhaps the author, may Allah have mercy on him,
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included it in this chapter to derive benefit from it
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regarding the Prophet's, peace be upon him, consistency
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in the voluntary fasts he used to observe,
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since the practice of the Prophet, peace be upon him, was consistent—
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meaning he would persist in it.
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Regarding 'Alqamah's question:
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"Did the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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single out any specific days?"
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meaning with a specific act of worship
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that he would not perform on other days.
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'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, replied:
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"His practice was consistent,"
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meaning constant.
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"And who among you can endure what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, could endure?"
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meaning, who among you can endure in worship
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what he, peace be upon him, could endure,
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whether in quantity or quality,
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in terms of humility and submissiveness,
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and devotion and sincerity?
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For Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
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had favored His Prophet
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with patience, steadfastness, and striving
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in a way that no one else could endure.
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Thus, he was the most perfect of the servants of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
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in servitude to Allah,
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in consistency in action,
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and in excellence therein.
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'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
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reported:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, entered upon me
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while a woman was with me.
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He asked, "Who is this?"
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I said, "So-and-so;
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she does not sleep at night [due to prayer]."
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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
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"Take upon yourselves only those deeds that you can endure.
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For by Allah, Allah does not grow weary
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until you grow weary."
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And the most beloved of deeds
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to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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were those which the person would perform consistently.
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This hadith indicates
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that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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entered upon 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
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and there was a woman from her people with her
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named al-Hawla' bint Tuwayt,
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may Allah be pleased with her.
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He asked about her,
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and she was informed,
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and she said,
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"She does not sleep at night,"
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meaning she stays awake in the worship of Allah the Exalted,
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through prayer, dhikr, recitation, and the like.
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He, peace be upon him, said:
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"Take upon yourselves only those deeds that you can endure,"
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meaning: commit only to those deeds that you can perform in quantity and quality,
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without harm or hardship.
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"For by Allah, Allah does not grow weary until you grow weary,"
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meaning: whatever deed you perform,
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Allah will reward you for it.
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So do as much as you are able,
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for Allah does not grow weary of rewarding you
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until you grow weary of the deed.
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And her statement:
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"And the most beloved of deeds to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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were those which the person would perform consistently,"
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meaning even if they are few,
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for a small, consistent deed
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is better than a large, interrupted one.
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And because with the consistency of the small,
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obedience continues and bears fruit.
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Abu Salih reported:
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I asked 'A'ishah and Umm Salamah,
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"Which deed was most beloved to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him?"
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They replied:
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"That which is performed consistently, even if it is small."
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The hadith has more to follow, if Allah wills.
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And Allah knows best.
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May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
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and upon all his family and companions.