The Book of Fasting

Abdullah b. Buraida (Allah be pleased with him) reported on the authority of his father:

When we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), a woman came to him and said: I had gifted to my mother a maid-servant, and now she (the mother) has died. Thereupon he (the Prophet) said: There is a definite reward for you and she (the maid-servant) has been returned to you as an inheritance. She (that woman) again said: Fasts of a month (of Ramadan) are due upon her; should I observe them on her behalf? He (the Prophet) said: Observe fasts on her behalf. She (again) said: She did not perform Hajj, should I perform it on her behalf? He (the Prophet) said: Perform Hajj on her behalf.

'Abdullah b. Buraida (Allah be pleased with him) reported on the authority of his father:

I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ; the rest of the hadith is the same but with this variation that the (the narrator) said:" Fasts of two months."

Ibn Buraida (Allah be pleased with him) reported on the authority of his father:

A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and the rest of the hadith is the same, but he said:" Fasting of one month."

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sufyan with the same chain of transmitters in which it is said:

" Fasting of two months."

Buraida (Allah be pleased with him) reported a similar hadith on the authority of his father that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said:

" Fasting for one month."

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

If any one of you is invited to a meal when he is fasting, he should say:" I am fasting."

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported:

When any one of you gets up in the morning in the state of fasting, he should neither use obscene language nor do any act of ignorance. And if anyone slanders him or quarrels with him, he should say:" I am fasting, I am fasting."

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

Allah, the Majestic and the Exalted, said: Every act of the son of Adam is for him except fasting. It is done for My sake, and I will give a reward for it. By Allah in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, the breath of the observer of fast is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

Fasting is a shield.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

Allah the Exalted and Majestic said: Every act of the son of Adam is for him, except fasting. It is (exclusively) meant for Me and I (alone) will reward it. Fasting is a shield. When any one of you is fasting on a day, he should neither indulge in obscene language, nor raise the voice; or if anyone reviles him or tries to quarrel with him he should say: I am a person fasting. By Him, in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, the breath of the observer of fast is sweeter to Allah on the Day of judgment than the fragrance of musk. The one who fasts has two (occasions) of joy, one when he breaks the fast he is glad with the breaking of (the fast) and one when he meets his Lord he is glad with his fast.

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

Every (good) deed of the son of Adam would be multiplied, a good deed receiving a tenfold to seven hundredfold reward. Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has said: With the exception of fasting, for it is done for Me and I will give a reward for it, for one abandons his passion and food for My sake. There are two occasions of joy for one who fasts, joy when he breaks it, and joy when he meets his Lord, and the breath (of an observer of fast) is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk.

Abu Huraira and Abu Sa'id (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (as saying):

Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, said: Fast (is exclusively) meant for Me and I would give its reward. There are two (occasions) of joy for the observer of fast. He feels joy when he breaks the fast and he is happy when he meets Allah. By Allah in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, the breath of the observer of fast is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk.

A hadith like this is narrated on the authority of Abu Sinan with the same chain of transmitters (and the words are):

" As he meets Allah, He rewards him, and he is happy."

Sahl b. Sa'd (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

In Paradise there is a gate which is called Rayyan through which only the people who fast would enter on the Day on Resurrection. None else would enter along with them. It would be proclaimed: Where are the people who fast that they should be admitted into it? And when the last of them would enter, it would be closed and no one would enter it.

Abu Sa'id al Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

Every servant of Allah who observes fast for a day in the way of Allah, Allah would remove, because of this day, his face farther from the Fire (of Hell) to the extent of seventy years' distance.

This hadith has been narrated by Suhail with the same chain of transmitters.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

He who observes fast for a day in the way of Allah He would remove his face from the Hell to the extent of seventy years' distance.

'A'isha, the Mother of the Believers (Allah be pleased with her), reported that one day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ) said to me:

'A'isha, have you anything (to eat)? I said: 'Messenger of Allah, there is nothing with us. Thereupon he said: I am observing fast. She said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out, and there was a present, for us and (at the same time) some visitors dropped in. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came back, I said to him: Messenger of Allah, a present was given to us, (and in the meanwhile) there came to us visitors (a major Portion of it has been spent on them), but I have saved something for you. He said: What is it? I said: It is hais (a compound of dates and clarified butter). He said: Bring that. So I brought it to him and he ate it and then said: I woke up in the morning observing fast. Talha said: I narrated this hadith to Mujahid and he said: This (observing of voluntary fast) is like a person who sets apart Sadaqa out of his wealth. He may spend it if he likes, or he may retain it if he so likes.

'A'isha, the Mother of the Believers (Allah be pleased with her), reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to me one day and said: Is there anything with you (to eat)? I said: No. Thereupon he said: I shall then be fasting. Then he came to us another day and we said: Messenger of Allah, hais has been offered to us as a gift. Thereupon he said: Show that to me; I had been fasting since morning. He then ate it.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

If anyone forgets that he is fasting and eats or drinks he should complete his fast, for it is only Allah Who has fed him and given him drink.