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Among the Distinguishing Characteristics of Fasting
Author : Dr. Mufti Sa`eid Farhan
Date Added : 04-06-2025

 

Allah The Almighty created humankind and made them His vicegerents on Earth. He was Pleased with the status of servitude for them, and what an honored status it is! To perfect this status, He, Glorified be He, Ordained acts of worship upon them. Moreover, His Infinite Wisdom, Almighty and Majestic, necessitated that these acts of worship be diverse: some are spiritual (of the heart), some are physical, and some are financial.

Among what Allah The Almighty has Made obligatory is fasting. This great act of worship is distinguished from other acts of worship by many unique characteristics. I will summarize some of these features in the following aspects:

Firstly: Elevated Status Directly Attributed to Allah

Allah, The Exalted and Glorified, elevated the status of fasting by attributing it directly to Himself. Al-Bukhari and others narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) Said (What means): Relating from his Lord, the Exalted and Glorified: "Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except fasting. It is for Me, and I shall Reward for it." This unique distinction was granted only to fasting, even while all other acts of worship are also revered. Due to this, a fasting person possesses a noble soul, high aspirations, and strong resolve in their fast. They know that this fast is for Allah the Almighty, and thus endure every hardship and difficulty to complete their fast in the manner that Allah, the Exalted and Glorified, approves.

Secondly: Regarding the Reward

Allah, The Exalted and Glorified, has also Designated a distinct reward and Reckoning for fasting, different from other acts of worship. Just as Allah, The Exalted and Glorified, Singled out fasting and attributed it to Himself, He likewise Designated an immense reward for it, stating in the Hadith Qudsi (What means): "And I shall Reward for it." The reward is commensurate with The Giver of the reward, Who is Allah, The Exalted and Glorified.

Fasting is also half of patience, as reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the hadith narrated by Ibn Majah and others. Since, Allah, The Exalted and Glorified, Said (What means): "Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account." [Az-Zumar/10]. Thus,  fasting person will receive their reward without account. As Al-Imam Al-Ghazali mentioned in "Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din" about fasting: "Its reward has surpassed the law of estimation and calculation." Furthermore, Allah, The Most Glorified, has Designated a special gate in Paradise for those who fast, known as the gate of Ar-Rayyan.

Thirdly: A Worship Hidden from Others

Fasting is a form of worship that only Allah The Almighty is Aware of, making it the furthest removed from Riya' (showing off) and hypocrisy. Just as Allah's Wisdom necessitated that fasting be for Him, The Exalted and Glorified, it also necessitated that the fasting person's own self be with Allah, The Exalted and Glorified, connected to Him in an act of worship that no one else can observe. Allah has Honored fasting by keeping it far from anything that might compromise it, such as Riya', hypocrisy, or seeking reputation. He did this by Making it a hidden act of worship, unseen by people, and its immediate effects unnoticeable to them.

Fourthly: Regarding Sharia Rulings

Fasting differs from other acts of worship in certain Sharia rulings. For instance, the intention (Niyyah) for fasting must precede the act itself, meaning the intention must be made a period of time—even if brief—before the fast begins. In contrast, for most other acts of worship, the intention must be concurrent with the act, and it is not valid if the intention precedes the action.

Fifthly: A Worship of Abstinence and Concurrence with Other Acts

Despite its high rank and immense reward, fasting is primarily an act of abstinence (Tark) rather than an active deed (Fi'l). This grants fasting an additional advantage: the ability to combine it with other acts of worship. A fasting person can pray, recite the Quran, and engage in other good deeds simultaneously. By doing so, they perform multiple acts of worship at once, all of which contribute to their benefit, elevating their reward and status.

We ask Allah, The Magnificent, Lord of the Noble Throne, to Bless us in Ramadan and to Help us increase in reward and recompense therein. Indeed, He is The Guardian of that and The One Capable of it. And all Perfect praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on praying seated due to severe obesity, given that I experience hardship in performing the prayer — especially when rising from the ground after sujūd to perform the next rak‘ah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Standing, when one is able to do so, is a pillar of the prayer. However, whoever would experience severe, intolerable hardship, or fears harm to himself or to a limb due to obesity, or finds that standing causes him to lose his khushū‘ (humble focus and concentration) in prayer, then there is no objection to his praying seated on a chair or on the ground, performing rukū‘ (bowing) and sujūd (prostration) through gesture — provided that the gesture for sujūd is made lower than that for rukū‘. Whoever is able, at any point, to properly perform any one of these pillars, is obligated to perform it in full; for omitting it is a concession that applies only in cases of genuine inability. The Prophet ﷺ said: "When I command you to do something, do of it whatever you are able." (Related by al-Bukhārī). As the scholars of fiqh have established: what remains possible is not waived on account of what is difficult.
The criterion for determining genuine inability, as chosen by Imam al-Ḥaramayn al-Juwaynī (raḥimahullāh), is that the worshipper experiences hardship that causes him to lose his khushū‘.
As for voluntary (nafl) prayer, there is no objection to performing it while seated, even if one is able to stand. However, rukū‘ and sujūd must still be performed [in their proper physical form] by anyone who is able to do so. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on a woman who learns of her divorce or her husband's death after her *ʿiddah* has ended? And does the *ʿiddah* of a woman who abandoned mourning (*iḥdād*) for the whole period of the *ʿiddah*, or part of it, still end, even though she knew that abandoning it is forbidden?**

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The waiting period of a widow who is not pregnant is four months and ten days, based on the saying of Allah Almighty (which means): “And those of you who die and leave wives behind, they shall wait concerning themselves for four months and ten days” [al-Baqarah/234]. If she is pregnant, her ʿiddah ends with the delivery of her child. The ʿiddah is calculated by lunar months and begins from the date of death.
If her ʿiddah ends before she learns of her husband’s death, or of his divorcing her, she does not observe the ʿiddah upon learning of it, because her ʿiddah has already ended.
It is stated in al-Bayān fī Madhhab al-Imām al-Shāfiʿī (Vol.11/p.41), one of the books of the Shāfiʿī school: “If a man divorces his wife, or dies while he is absent from her, her ʿiddah is from the time of the divorce or from the time of death. If she does not know of the divorce or the death until her ʿiddah period has ended, then her ʿiddah has ended. If she learns of it before the end of the ʿiddah period, she completes her ʿiddah counting from the time of the divorce or death.”
As for a woman who abandoned mourning throughout the ʿiddah while knowing that it is forbidden, she is sinful, although her ʿiddah has nonetheless ended. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is incumbent upon the one offering the sacrifice if, after slaughtering the animal, they discover that one of its internal organs is damaged or diseased?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The presence of disease or defect in the internal organs of a sheep does not affect the validity of the sacrificial animal, unless the disease leads to the animal becoming emaciated and its meat becoming corrupted.
 
It is stated in al-Iqnā' (2/590) by Imam al-Shirbīnī: "The third disqualifying condition: an animal with a manifest illness — meaning one whose illness visibly results in emaciation and corruption of its meat. However, if the illness is minor and does not produce such effects, it doesn`t affect the validity of the sacrificed animal." And Allah Almighty knows best.

 
What is the ruling on someone who eats or drinks while uncertain about the arrival of dawn, then later finds out that dawn had not yet broken?

If a person does this, their fast remains valid, as it is confirmed that they ate during the night. Similarly, if someone eats while uncertain and remains unsure whether they ate before or after dawn, their fast is still valid. This is based on the maxim of Sharia Law, which states: "Certainty is not removed by doubt." Certainty, here, is the presence of night, and the doubt concerns the arrival of dawn. Therefore, one relies on certainty and disregards doubt.

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