Chapter on Obligation of Fasting

And Muhammad ibn Yaqub narrated from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from Hammad ibn Isa, from Hariz, from Zurarah, from Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Imam عليه السلام said: “Islam was built upon five things: upon prayer, zakat, fasting, Hajj, and wilayah.” And the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, said, ‘Fasting is a shield from the Fire.’”

And from him, from Muhammad ibn Yahya, from Muhammad ibn Isa, from Ibn Faddal, from Thalabah, from Ali ibn Abd al-Aziz, who said: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, said to me: “Shall I not inform you of the root of Islam, its branch, its peak, and its summit?” I (narrator) said: “Yes.” Imam عليه السلام said: “The root of Islam is prayer, its branch is zakat, and its peak and its summit is jihad in the path of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Shall I not inform you of the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield from the Fire.”

Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Faddal, from Fadl ibn Muhammad al-Umawi, from Ribi ibn Abdullah ibn al-Jarud, from al-Fudayl ibn Yasar, from Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Imam عليه السلام said: “The Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, said, ‘Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Majestic, has said, ‘Fasting is for Me سبحانه وتعالى, and I سبحانه وتعالى reward for it.’”

And from him, from Muhammad ibn Ubayd, from Abdullah ibn Musa, who said: Nasr ibn Ali narrated to us, from al-Nadr ibn Sinan, from Abu Salamah, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, said: “The month of Ramadan is a month in which Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic, has made fasting obligatory upon you. So whoever fasts it with faith and seeking reward, he exits from his sins like the day his mother gave birth to him.”

And from him, from Muhammad ibn Ubayd ibn Utbah, from al-Fadl ibn Dukayn Abu Nuaym, who said: Abd al-Salam ibn Harb narrated to us, from Ayyub al-Sijistani, from Abu Qilabah, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, said: “The month of Ramadan has come to you, a blessed month, a month in which the almighty Allah سبحانه وتعالى has made fasting obligatory upon you. In it the gates of the Gardens are opened, and in it the devils are shackled. In it is ‘the Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.’ (Surah Al-Qadr 97:3) Whoever is deprived of it (Night of Decree) has indeed been deprived.”

And from him, from Amr ibn Uthman, from al-Hasan ibn Mahbub, from Abu Ayyub, from Abu al-Ward, from Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Imam عليه السلام said: “The Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, delivered a sermon on the last Friday of the month of Shaban. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم praised Allah سبحانه وتعالى and extolled Him سبحانه وتعالى, then said: ‘O people, indeed a month has now cast its shade over you, in which there is a night ‘better than a thousand months’, it is the month of Ramadan. (Surah Al-Qadr 97:3) Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the majestic, has made its fasting obligatory, and Allah سبحانه وتعالى has made the standing of one night in it voluntarily like the voluntary prayer of seventy nights in other months besides it. And Allah سبحانه وتعالى has made for whoever performs in it voluntarily one trait from the traits of good and righteousness the like of the reward of one who has performed an obligation from the obligations of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic. And whoever performs in it an obligation from the obligations of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic, is like one who has performed seventy obligations from the obligations of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic, in other months besides it. And it is the month of patience, and indeed the reward of patience is Paradise. And it is the month of mutual support. And it is a month in which Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic, increases the provision of the believer. And whoever gives a believer food with which to break his fast in it, there will be for him, by that, with Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic, the freeing of a neck, and forgiveness for his sins that have passed.’” It was said to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم: “O Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, not all of us are able to give a fasting person food with which to break his fast in it.” So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: “Indeed Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic, is Generous. Allah سبحانه وتعالى gives this reward to one who is not able except to give a fasting person a small amount of milk (madhqah), or a drink of fresh water, or some dates, and is not able to give more than that. And whoever lightens the burden of his owned servant in it, Allah سبحانه وتعالى will lighten his reckoning for him. And it is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is response and freedom from the Fire. And you have no independence in it from four traits: two traits by which you please Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic, and two traits from which you have no independence. As for the two by which you please Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic, they are the testimony that there is no god except Allah سبحانه وتعالى and that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم is the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. And as for the two from which you have no independence, you ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى in it for your needs and Paradise, and you ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى for well-being, and you seek refuge in Allah سبحانه وتعالى from the Fire.”

And from him, from Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Asamm, from Thalabah ibn Maymun, from Mammar ibn Yahya, that he heard Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, saying: Imam عليه السلام said: “Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Mighty and Majestic, does not ask a servant about a prayer after the obligatory prayer, nor about charity after zakat, nor about fasting after the month of Ramadan.”

And from him, from Ahmad ibn Sabih, from al-Husayn ibn Ulwan, from Abdullah ibn al-Hasan, who said: The Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, said: “The month of Ramadan abrogated every fast, and sacrifice (al-nahr) abrogated every slaughtered offering, and zakat abrogated every charity, and the ritual bath of janabah abrogated every ritual bath.”

And from him, from Muhammad ibn al-Rabi al-Aqra, from Hisham ibn Salim, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: I heard Imam عليه السلام saying: “Allah سبحانه وتعالى has not burdened the servants beyond what they are able to bear.” Then Imam عليه السلام mentioned the obligations and said: “Allah سبحانه وتعالى only burdened them with fasting one month of the year, while they are able to bear more than that.”

And from him, from Ahmad ibn al-Hasan, from his father, from Safwan, from al-Qasim ibn al-Fudayl, from al-Fudayl ibn Yasar, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, said: “Whoever performs the five prayers, fasts the month of Ramadan, performs Hajj to the Sacred House, observes our rites (nusukana), and is guided to us, Allah سبحانه وتعالى accepts from him just as He سبحانه وتعالى accepts from the angels.”

And from him, from Muhammad ibn Abi Umayr, from Hammad ibn Uthman, from Mammar ibn Yahya, who said: I heard Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, saying: “Allah سبحانه وتعالى does not ask a servant about a prayer after the five (daily prayers), nor about a fast after (month of) Ramadan.”