Lesson 2: Fasting Defined: The Fiqh of a Valid Fast
Taught By: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Saum = Refraining from tangible and intangible matters.
Fasting was a prescribed for people before you. All of the sacred laws came with the same messages as well as same rituals (the details of which may differ)
Each of the acts of worship has a different impact on the soul. It refines disciplines and guides the soul.
Formal definition of fasting is to refrain from things which nullify the fast during the day with intention.
Key components:
Refraining – Keeping anything from entering the body cavity (mouth, nose, ears, private parts) of that which validates the fast. Not everything that goes ‘in’ breaks the fast. It has to go in, in a way that is considered ‘invalidating’. i.e – Injections don’t break the fast. (Not a regular way of entering the body cavity)
· Something which is considered to have a ‘body’. Solid, liquid or gas that has some body. i.e. deliberate inhalation of smoke which is avoidable does break the fast; smoking cigarettes; walking by someone who’s smoking (fast not broken) but if you smelled it and wondered what brand it was and went up to the person and inhaled deliberately. (fast breaks)
· Other solid or liquid getting into the body breaks the fast whether deliberate or accidental. i.e. Sister Zubaida’s husband pours down a jug of water down her mouth as she’s sleeping on the couch.
Nullifiers (accidental or deliberate)
- Water accidentally goes down your throat as your gargling breaks the fast despite it being an accident.
- Forgetfulness – The Prophet (SAW) made an exception to those who forgetfully ate, drank or even had sexual relations and it would not break the fast.
- Considered a “guest of Allah”.
- This is a special exception and it relates ONLY to FORGETFULNESS and NOT accidents.
3 Principle things which nullify the fast
- Eating, drinking and sexual intercourse.
- It does not have to be something we consider to be food. It can be anything solid which goes down the throat. It will break the fast. i.e. you swallowed ball bearings.
- Drinking even if it wasn’t a normal liquid to be drunk or in a normal way. i.e. If you are walking in the rain, if water gets into your mouth, you try to avoid water getting into your mouth but if it does, once in a while you spit it out and you will be fine but if you stand there and deliberately try to get the rain water in your mouth and some goes down your throat, your fast will be broken.
- Intercourse – penetration and ejaculation break the fast but wet dreams do not.
Fasting timings
- Fasting is from the beginning of fajr time to Maghrib time. It seems straightforward, however, some caution is needed.
- Beginning time: One of the Sunnahs of fasting is to delay the suhoor (pre-dawn meal) It is also from the Sunnah (recitation of about 50 verses or about 10 minutes) from when fajr time enters and to stop there of one’s suhoor. So give a few minutes before fajr time to engage in some worship of Allah (SWT). It’s recommended not obligatory. If you get five minutes till fajr when you get up, you can eat right up until fajr.
- Some people tell you hadith in which the Prophet (SAW) said: If one of you is eating and the adhan is given, then you should complete your food (paraphrasing hadith)
- There is scholarly consensus (ijmaa) and not disagreement of the Sahaba, salaf and Imams of Islam that if you eat or drink anything after the moment fajr enters, then your fast is broken. What the Prophet (SAW) meant by, ‘complete your food’ is he was not referring to the adhan of fajr but the pre fajr adhan because it has come in authentic hadith that in the time of the Prophet (SAW), two adhans used to be given. One adhan to indicate the beginning of the time but another adhan would be given about 10 to 15 minutes before fajr time entered, and this was the adhan to indicate that this was the proper time to stop eating (not the obligatory time but the insaq time – to refrain from eating so you could be safe and also so you can engage in some worship, dua because we know that one of the qualities of the righteous is that, “in the pre dawn hours, they seek forgiveness.” This is an amazing time for worship.
- If Fajr time comes in and you have something in your mouth than spit it out.
- Another mistake: I don’t need to get up for suhoor. The Prophet (SAW) said: Have suhoor because suhoor is blessed (barakah).
- Physical benefit to eating suhoor as well as a spiritual benefit. Makes you thoughtful and it affects you differently. If you get up and observe the sunnah, you may also engage in worship in that time.
- End time of Fasting: When has to be sure that the time is IN. No excuse with all the means we have which tell us the time to break the fast.
- The ummah will remain on good as long as they hasten to break their fast (Hadith)
- Scholars have asked what does this mean and how are the two related.
- Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani (r.a) – When of the ways in which previous people went astray because they went to extremes. If they were asked to do x, they did x, y, and z. And it would become too much that they would just stop doing anything. So if you are told to fast till Maghrib, you say fasting till maghrib is for wimps, I am going to fast till Esha or till midnight. And the next thing is that one is not fasting at all.
- Hastening to break the fast is the sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) so as long as the ummah is upon the Sunnah, they will remain on the good.
- This time of Maghrib is a blessed time and there is a strong relationship between the physical and the spiritual so observing these sunnahs is very important.
- If you are commuting, you should have something with you. (sip of water etc) Don’t wait till you get home when you know the time has already come in.
Delaying Maghrib
- To make a habit to delay Maghrib is not acceptable. (You want to eat the biryani, nehari, kebab etc)
Intention
- If you are getting up for suhoor, it is an implicit intention of fasting. In Ramadan, its conceivable that the average Muslim would not have the intention of fasting.
- The issue arises when someone is sick. Then they are feeling a little better (middle) that’s when making the intention comes or when the person is travelling. Let’s say you are travelling but but one day you decide to fast, you can make the intention after fajr time as well until the Islamic mid-day (mid way between when fajr enters and when duhr enters) as long as you didn’t do anything which broke the fast.
- The issue of intention in terms of validity comes up when you are sick, travelling or have some other excuse and you decide to fast.
- There is another aspect. Actions are by their intentions. (Hadith) For your fasting to be transformative, you have to ask not only if you are fasting or not but why you are fasting. Each person have shall whatever they intended. And this is the great opportunity that fasting presents in terms of reward. Whoever fasts out of faith and sincere seeking shall have all their past sins forgiven.
- The fast is not just about refraining but to consider why someone is fasting.
- A sincere seeking towards Allah (SWT)
- Not just the fast but all their actions as well.
- Whoever prays in Ramadan out of faith and sincere seeking, they shall have all their past sins forgiven. And the Ulema said, what prayer this refers to? “Establish the prayer”. Performing the prayer with the Sunnahs in the best way both outwardly and inwardly and in sincere seeking, they will have their past sins forgiven.
- One of the best opportunities is to establish the prayer. Especially the Taraweeh prayer.
- Do it for the sake of Allah (SWT).