
1. Hadrat
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported that the
Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has said,
إذا دخل رمضان فتحت أبواب
السماء (وفي رواية) فتحت أبواب الجنة وغلقت أبواب النار وسلسلت
الشياطين (وفي رواية) فتحت أبواب الرحمة
“When
Ramadan begins, the doors of heaven are opened.” A version
has, “the doors of Paradise are opened and the doors of Hell
are closed, and the Satans are tied with chains.” Another
version has, “the doors of Mercy are opened.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 1,
Page 255 and Sahih al-Muslim, Vol. 1, Page 346]
Hadrat Shaykh ‘Abd al-Haq
Muhaddith-e-Dehlwi Alaihir raHmah
comments:
The meaning of the “Doors of heaven” being opened is the
continuous descending of mercy, and the ascension of good deeds
to the Court of the Almighty without any obstacle (preventing it
from ascending). It also means the acceptance of (permissible)
supplications. The meaning of the “doors of Paradise” being
opened is being encouraged and granted the ability to perform
good deeds, and the acceptance of these good deeds. The meaning
of the “doors of Hell” being closed is the protection of the
souls of those who fast, from things which have been forbidden
by the Islamic Law, and rescue from the things which provoke a
person on doing bad deeds. It also means to break the desire
which the heart has of things of lust. The meaning of Satan
being tied with chains is the sealing off of all the ways by
which evil whispers enter the mind.
[Ashi’ah al-Lam’at]
2. Hadrat Abu Hurairah Radi
Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported that the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam)
has said,
من صام رمضان إيمانا واحتسابا
غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه ومن قام رمضان إيمانا واحتسابا غفر له
ما تقدم من ذنبه ومن قام ليلة القدر إيمانا واحتسابا غفر له ما
تقدم من ذنبه
“Whoever
fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward (from
Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala) all his past sins will be
forgiven. Whoever prays during the night in Ramadan with
faith seeking his reward (from Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala)
all his past sins will be forgiven. And whoever passes
Lailat-ul-Qadr in prayer with faith and seeking his reward
(from Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala) all his past sins will be
forgiven.” [Sahih al-Bukhari
Vol. 1, Page 255 and Sahih al-Muslim, Vol. 1, Page 259]
3. Hadrat Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported that the
Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has
said,
إذا كان أول ليلة من شهر رمضان
صفدت الشياطين ومردة الجن وغلقت أبواب النار فلم يفتح منها باب
وفتحت أبواب الجنة فلم يغلق منها باب وينادى مناد يا باغى
الخير أقبل ويا باغى الشر أقصر ولله عتقاء من النار وذلك كل
ليلة
“When the
first night of Ramadan comes, the satans and the rebellious
Jinn are chained, the doors of hell are closed and not one
of them is opened (during the entire the month of Ramadan);
the doors of Paradise are opened and none of them are closed
(for the entire month of Ramadan); and a crier calls, ‘Those
who desire what is good, come forward, and those who desire
evil refrain from it’, and many people are freed from Hell
by Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala, and that happens every night.”
[Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Page
153 and Ibn Maajah, Vol. 1, Page 118]
4. Hadrat Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported that the
Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has
said,
أتاكم رمضان شهر مبارك فرض
الله عز وجل عليكم صيامه تفتح فيه أبواب السماء وتغلق فيه
أبواب الجحيم وتغل فيه مردة الشياطين لله فيه ليلة خير من ألف
شهر من حرم خيرها فقد حرم
“Ramadan,
a blessed month, has come to you during which Allah
SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala has made it obligatory for you to fast.
In it the doors of Heaven are opened, the doors of Hell are
closed, and the rebellious satans are chained. In it there
is a night (worshiping in it) which is better than
(worshiping for) a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of
its good (and blessing) has indeed been deprived of all
good.” [Nasa’i, Vol. 1,
Page 299 and Mishkat, Vol. 1, Page 173]
5. Hadrat Salman al-Farisi Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported
that on the last day of Sha’ban the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) delivered a sermon. He (SallAllahu Alaihi
wa Sallam) said,
يا أيها الناس قد أظلكم شهر عظيم ، شهر مبارك ، شهر فيه
ليلة خير من ألف شهر ، جعل الله صيامه فريضة ، وقيام ليله
تطوعا ، من تقرب فيه بخصلة من الخير كان كمن أدى فريضة
فيما سواه ، ومن أدى فريضة فيه كان كمن أدى سبعين فريضة
فيما سواه ، وهو شهر الصبر ، والصبر ثوابه الجنة ، وشهر
المواساة ، وشهر يزاد في رزق المؤمن ، من فطر فيه صائما
كان له مغفرة لذنوبه ، وعتق رقبته من النار ، وكان له مثل
أجره من غير أن ينقص من أجره شيء
“O
people, a great month, a blessed month, a month wherein
there is a night which is better than a thousand months
has come to you. Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala has made the
observance of fasting during it as obligatory, and the
standing (in prayer) in its nights as voluntary. Whoever
draws near to Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala during it with
some good (voluntary, optional) act he is like the one
who fulfils an obligatory duty in another month, and
whoever fulfils an obligatory duty in it is like the one
who fulfils seventy obligatory duties in another month.
It is the month of endurance and the reward of endurance
is Paradise. It is the month of sharing with others, and
a month in which the believer’s provision is increased.
Whoever gives one who has been fasting something with
which to break his fast it shall result in the
forgiveness of his sins and it shall save him from Hell,
and he will have a reward equal to his without his
reward being diminished in any respect.”
We
said,
يا
رسول الله ، ليس كلنا يجد ما يفطر الصائم
“O
Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu Alaihi wa Sallam), none
from among us has the means to give one who is fasting
something with which to break his fast.
He
said,
يعطي
الله هذا الثواب من فطر صائما على مذقة لبن أو تمرة أو
شربة من ماء ، ومن أشبع صائما سقاه الله من حوضي شربة لا
يظمأ حتى يدخل الجنة ، وهو شهر أوله رحمة ، وأوسطه مغفرة ،
وآخره عتق من النار من خفف عن مملوكه فيه غفر الله له
وأعتقه من النار
“Allah
SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala gives this reward to him who gives
one who is fasting some milk, or a date, or a drink of
water with which to break his fast; and whoever gives a
full meal to one who is fasting Allah SubHanuhu wa
Ta'ala will give him the drink from my Pond (fountain –
Kauthar) and he will not feel the thirst till he enters
Paradise. It is a month whose beginning is Mercy, whose
middle is Forgiveness, and whose end is Freedom from
Hell. Whoever makes things easy for his slave during it,
Allah will forgive him and free him from Hell.”
[Shau'ab al-Imam lil
Bayhaqi, Vol. 8, Page 120 and Mishkat, Page 173]

6. Hadrat Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported
that the Holy Prophet (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has
said,
أنه يغفر لأمته في آخر ليلة من
رمضان ، قيل : يا رسول الله أهي ليلة القدر ؟ قال : لا ، ولكن
العامل إنما يوفى أجره إذا قضى عمله
“My Ummah
is granted forgiveness in the last night of Ramadan. It was
asked, “O Messenger of Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala, is it
Lailatul Qadr?” He said, “No, but a workman (slave of Allah
SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala) is paid wages in full when he finishes
work.” [Musnad Imam Ahmad,
Vol. 2, Page 567]
7. Hadrat Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported that the
Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has
said,
من ذرعه القىء فليس عليه قضاء
ومن استقاء عمدا فليقض
“It is not
necessary to fast again (do qaza) for a person who naturally
vomited. Those who vomit on purpose, then it is necessary on
them to fast again.” [Tirmidhi,
Vol. 1, Page 153 and Sunan Abi Dawud, Vol. 1, Page 324]
8. Hadrat Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported that the
Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has
said,
من لم يدع قول الزور والعمل به
فليس لله حاجة فى أن يدع طعامه وشرابه
“If one
(who is fasting) does not give up falsehood and action
according to it, Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala has no need that
he should give up his food and his drink.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 1,
Page 255]
Shaykh ‘Abd Al-Haq
Muhaddith-e-Dehlwi Alaihir raHmah comments:
This means that his fast shall not be accepted, as the main
purpose of fast being made obligatory on a Muslim is not that
one stays hungry and thirsty; but in fact the main purpose is to
break the desire for lust, and to cool the fire of selfishness,
so that the soul instead of being inclined towards the desires
of lust, it becomes obedient towards the commands of The
Almighty. [Ashi’ah al-Lam’at,
Vol. 2, Page 85]
9. Hadrat Salmah ibn Muhabbaq Radi Allahu Ta'ala
Anha reported that the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has
said,
من كانت له حمولة تأوى إلى شبع
فليصم رمضان حيث أدركه
“Whoever
has a riding animal (conveyance) which carries him to where
he can get sufficient food, he should observe the fast of
Ramadan wherever he is, when it comes.”
[Sunan Abi Dawud, Vol. 1,
Page 327]
10. Hadrat Anas ibn Malik al-Ka’bi Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu
reported that the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has
said,
إن الله تعالى وضع عن المسافر
شطر الصلاة والصوم عن المسافر وعن المرضع أو الحبلى
“Allah
SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala has remitted half the prayer to the
traveller ; and fasting to the traveller, the woman who is
suckling an infant and the woman who is pregnant.”
[Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Page 152 and Sunan Abi Dawud, Vol. 1,
Page 327]
Hadrat Shaykh ‘Abd al-Haq
Muhaddith-e-Dehlwi Alaihir raHmah comments:
The Islamic Law allowing the omission of fast for the
breast-feeding and the pregnant woman is only in the situation
when fasting shall harm or damage herself or the child
(otherwise there is no permission not to fast).
[Ashi’ah al-Lam’ah, Vol. 2
Page 94]
11. Hadrat Abu Ayyub al-Ansari Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anhu reported
that the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has
said,
من صام رمضان ثم أتبعه ستا من
شوال كان كصيام الدهر
“Whoever
fasts during Ramadan then follows it with six days in
Shawwal, it will be like a perpetual fast .”
[Sahih al-Muslim, Vol. 1,
Page 369]
12. Hadrat Abu Qatada Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported
that the Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has
said,
صيام يوم عرفة أحتسب على الله
أن يكفر السنة التى قبله والسنة التى بعده
“I seek
from Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala that fasting on the day of
‘Arafah may atone for the sins of the preceding and the
coming year.”
[Sahih al-Muslim, Vol. 1,
Page 367]
It is disliked for a Haji, who is in the plain of ‘Arafah on
the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, to fast on that day [so that he can
perform worship and engage himself in the remembrance of Allah
to his maximum).
13. Hadrat Hafsah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha reported,
أربع لم يكن يدعهن النبى -صلى
الله عليه وسلم- صيام عاشوراء والعشر وثلاثة أيام من كل شهر
وركعتين قبل الفجر
“There
were four things which the Holy Prophet (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) never
omitted: fasting on ‘Ashurah (10th of Muharram), the first
nine days of Dhul-Hijjah and three days (13th, 14th and
15th) every (Islamic) month and praying two rak’ats before
the Fard prayers of Fajr.”
[Nasa’i, Vol. 1, Page 328]
14. Hadrat Abu Dhar Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported that the
Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu
Alaihi wa Sallam) has
said,
يا أبا ذر إذا صمت من الشهر
ثلاثة أيام فصم ثلاث عشرة وأربع عشرة وخمس عشرة
“O Abu
Dhar (Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu)! When you intend to fast
three days in a month, fast on the thirteenth, fourteenth
and the fifteenth.” [Nasa’i,
Vol. 1, Page 328 and Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Page 159]
Important Notes:
1. It is Makruh-e-Tehrimi (strongly disliked) and not
permissible to fast on the 1st of Shawwal and the 10th, 11th,
12th or the 13th of Dhul Hijjah.
[al-Tahtawi Page 387, Radd al-Muhtar
Vol. 2 Page 86]
2. A person who woke up in the state that Ghusl was wajib upon
him due to ihtilam (nocturnal emission) or after having
intercourse, and stay in that state for the whole duration of
the day, then he/she is very sinful due to missing the prayers,
but the fast kept shall have to be kept (as fast does not break
due being in a defiled state).
[al-Bahr al-Ra’iq Vol. 2 Page 273, and Fatawa-e-‘Alamgiri – Vol.
1, Page 187]
3. If an ill person has a strong chance that his/her illness
shall increase or shall heal after a long period of time or a
healthy person has the chances of becoming ill, then these
persons are allowed to break their fast.
4. There are 3 conditions needed in order to establish a strong
estimation of something happening:
a) There are visible signs
present.
b) The person has their own experience.
c) A Sunni Muslim doctor who is an expert in the field and who
is Mastur-ul-Hal (not a fasiq) has informed the patient of this.

5. If there are no visible signs, nor is there any experience
nor has he/she been informed by a Sunni Muslim expert doctor;
but rather on the informing of a Non-Muslim, a fasiq, a
misguided doctor or a physicist, the person broke his fast, then
they are obliged to give a kaffara (atonement) for it.
[Radd al-Muhtar Vol. 2 Page
120 and Bahar-e-Shari’at]
6. A person who purposely eats in front of people, then the
Islamic Sultan (ruler) should kill him.
7. It is not permissible for people other than the Mu’takif to
break their fast (do Iftari), eat or drink in the Masjid. Hence,
all those besides the mu’takif, who want to eat, drink or break
their fast in the Masjid should make the intention of I’itikaf,
then enter the Masjid. Now, after performing some dhikr and
having recited Durud, one is permitted to eat and drink.
However, even in this situation, it is necessary to take into
consideration the cleanliness of the mosque. We see many people
who disrespect the mosque; making it unclean by eating and
drinking in it. This is strictly forbidden and Haram. People who
have responsibilities and have authority should pay attention to
this and prevent such disrespect to the mosque.
— — —
Extracted From
Anwaar al-Hadith, Chapter 6, Pages 235 to 242
by
Hadrat Allama Mufti Jalal al-Din Qadiri al-Amjadi
English Translation: Mawlana Kalim al-Qadiri [Bolton – U.K.]