Baqarah 183-185

183- YOU WHO BELIEVE, FASTING HAS BEEN PRESCRIBED FOR YOU, AS IT HAS BEEN PRESCRIBED FOR THOSE BEFORE YOU, SO THAT YOU MAY BE PIOUS.

184- NUMBERED DAYS; AS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE SICK OR TRAVELLING, THEN THEY MAKE THE NUMBERS UP AT OTHER DAYS. AS FOR THOSE WHO CAN MANAGE IT, THERE IS A RANSOM OF FEEDING A POOR PERSON, BUT IF YOU GIVE MORE OF YOUR OWN ACCORD, THIS IS BETTER FOR YOU, AND TO FAST IS BETTER FOR YOU IF YOU DO NOT KNOW.

185- THE MONTH OF RAMADAN DURING WHICH THE KORAN WAS SENT DOWN, GUIDANCE TO MANKIND AND CARRYING CLEAR SIGNS OF GUIDANCE AND JUDGING RIGHT FROM WRONG. ANY ONE OF YOU WHO SEE THIS MONTH, HE SHOULD FAST IT, AND WHOEVER IS ILL OR TRAVELLING, THEY SHOULD MAKE THE NUMBER UP AT OTHER DAYS. ALLAH DESIRES EASE NOT HARDSHIP FOR YOU. YOU SHOULD COMPLETE THE NUMBER OF DAYS, AND GLORIFY ALLAH FOR WHAT HE GUIDED YOU TO, SO THAT YOU MAY GIVE THANKS.

This is the command to fast the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a special month, for during which Allah the Highest sent the Quran down as stated in the Ayah. It is also reported that other holy books were sent down during this month. Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “The Scripture of Ibrahim was sent down at the beginning of Ramadan, the Torah was sent down on the sixth day of Ramadan, the Engeel was sent down on the thirteenth of Ramadan, and the Quran was sent down on the twenty fourth of Ramadan”. (Ahmed)

Fasting the month of Ramadan is a duty upon every adult, sane, and physically able Muslim.

Fasting has a purpose stated in the Ayah, which is to attain piety. The abstention from food, drink, sex and all that displeases Allah the Highest from dawn to sunset, only for Allah’s sake, helps us towards achieving piety. Every one has opportunity to do all this in secret, without being seen by anyone but the Almighty, yet maintaining the fast means that we know that Allah the Highest watches and sees us.

Allah the Highest commanded us to fast for the days of the month of Ramadan. We start fasting when we see the crescent of Ramadan, and know the end of the month when we see the crescent of Shawal. A lunar month is often 29 days. Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Fast when you see the crescent, and break you fast when you see it, but if it was cloudy, complete the month to thirty days”. (B: Sayam; 5 & M: Sayam; 6-9 & T: Sowm; 2)

Ramadan is a month of Mercy and forgiveness. Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan and worships in it by night, due to his belief and hoping for reward from Allah, Allah will forgive him his past sins, and whoever worships at the night of Qadr due to his belief and hoping for Allah’s reward, Allah will forgive him his past sins” (B: Eman; 28 & M: Sayam; 203 & D: Ramadan; 1 & A: 2; 232)

Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him also said: “A man’s nose is rubbed in the dirt if Ramadan comes and goes without his sins being forgiven” (M: Ber; 8 & A: 2; 346)

During the month of Ramadan, the heavens open up with mercy for the worshippers. Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “When Ramadan comes, the gates to Paradise open, the gates to Hell-Fire shut, and the devils get locked away”. (B: Sowm; 5 & M: Sayam; 1-4 & Mal: Sayam; 59)

Allah the Highest gave some people licenses not to fast due to special circumstances. There are two types of licenses:

1- Temporary License: Which is a license not to fast, but the Muslim man or woman have to make up the days i.e. fast the number of days they did not fast, after the month of Ramadan. These situations are:

a- Travelling, Pregnant women, and Breast Feeding women: While travelling, a Muslim man went to Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him who was eating and invited the man to eat. The man said: “I am fasting”. Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Allah the Exalted and the Majestic reduced the Salah for the traveler to half, which him to put off fasting to later days, the same for the pregnant and the breast feeding woman”. (N:Sayam;50 & Ma:Sayam;12 & Da:Sawm;16 & A:5;29)

The distance at which one is allowed not to fast or to half the number of Rakaa of the Salah is thought to be no less than 50km.

This license is optional, as long as it does not seriously affect a person’s health, or the health of the mother or baby. If it does, it is not an option.

If a woman has a second child by the time she finishes breast feeding the first, and so on she will have great difficulty making up these days later. Scholars see that she has a license to ransom her non fasting days by feeding a poor person for each day of Ramadan she did not fast.

b- During the Monthly Menstruation. Women should not fast during this time. It is not an optional license, but a compulsory one.

c- During or just before battle: For fasting weakens the army. This also applies to personnel who are serving the army like doctors and nurses looking after the wounded etc.

Abu Saed Al-Khodari Allah’s messenger’s companion reported: “While we were travelling with Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him to Makah the time when Makah was taken by the Muslims, we were fasting (in Ramadan). When we stopped on the way, Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “You are getting nearer to your enemy and eating makes you stronger”. This was a license, so some of us fasted and some ate. When we stopped at another place, he said: “You are meeting your enemy tomorrow, eating makes you stronger, so eat”. This was a command, so we ate”. (M: Sayam; 102)

2- Permanent Licenses:

In these cases the Muslim man or woman does not have to fast at all or make up the days after Ramadan. They will have to ransom the days by feeding a poor person of the average they eat, for every day of Ramadan.

This License applies to:

a- Permanent Illness or Disability: This is a permanent illness which prevents the Muslim from fasting or endangers his or her health if they fast and not necessarily their life.

b- Frailty due to Old Age: An old person who is too weak to fast has a permanent license, as those with permanent illness.

Abolished License: When the fasting of Ramadan was first prescribed, Allah the Highest gave the Muslims a license not to fast and ransom the days they did not fast without having any of the above mentioned reasons, when He said: “AS FOR THOSE WHO CAN MANAGE IT, THERE IS A RANSOM OF FEEDING A POOR PERSON”.

This license was later abolished when Allah the Highest said: “THEY SHOULD MAKE THE NUMBER UP AT OTHER DAYS”.

Then every Muslim who could fast should fast the whole number of the month’s days unless they have a lawful excuse.

These licenses as Allah the Highest stated are to make fulfilling the duties or worship easier and to allow Muslims to complete the fast of the month without undue hardship.

Concerning the Licenses we should note:

1- Licenses are charity from Allah to his slaves, Allah likes us to accept and use. Allah the Highest said: “Allah likes for His licenses to be used as He hates to be disobeyed”. (A:2;108)

And he also said: “Whoever does not accept Allah’s license, he shall carry as much sin as the mountain of Arafat”. (A: 3; 71 4; 158)

2- If a license is optional like fasting while travelling, one should not refrain from using the license, yet making others around him carry extra burden for it. Jabir Ibn Abd Allah, Allah’s messenger’s companion reported: “While we were travelling with Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him, he saw a man people gathered around to shade him. He said: “What is the matter with him?” They said: “He is fasting”. He said: “It is not righteous to fast while travelling”. (B:Sowm;36 & M:Sayam;92,102)

3- When those not fasting served those fasting while travelling, Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Those not fasting have taken the reward (of fasting)”. (M:Sayam;100-101 & N:Sayam;52)

4- This does not mean that it is forbidden to fast while travelling; it is not, provided one can manage it without being a burden on others. It was reported by Allah’s messenger companions: “We used to travel with Allah’s messenger in Ramadan. Those fasting did not criticize those who were not and those not fasting not criticizing those who were”. (N:Sayam;59)

5- A Muslim should never not fast a day in Ramadan without a license, for nothing equals that day. Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “He who does not fast one day in Ramadan without a license, even fasting for life shall not compensate for it”. (B:Sowm;29 & M:Sowm;28 & T:Sowm;29)

6- Yet, Allah the Highest is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful, if the person repents, he may ransom it. A man went to Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him and said: “I am doomed”, Allah’s messenger said: “Why are you doomed?” The man said: “I had intercourse with my wife during the day in Ramadan”. Allah’s messenger said: “Can you afford to free a slave?” the man said: “No”. Allah’s messenger said: “Can you fast two consecutive months?” the man said: “No”. Allah’s messenger said: “Can you feed sixty poor?” the man said: “No”. The man sate down and after a while another man came to Allah’s messenger with a sac of dates as a charity. Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said to the first man: “Take these dates and give it for charity”. The man said: “To who is poorer than us, I do not know in Medina any family poorer than us”. Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him laughed until his teeth were seen and said to the man: “Take it and feed it to your family”. (B:Sowm;31 & M:Sayam;81 & D:Sowm;37 & T:Sowm;28 & A:2;241)