Fasting

Fasting means to refrain from the two shahwas (desires) the belly (food) and private parts (sexual pleasure) with the intention of drawing nearer to Allah, there’s a hadith Qudsi that says “Narrated Abu Huraira: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “(Allah said), ‘Every good deed of Adam’s son is for him except fasting; it is for Me. and I shall reward (the fasting person) for it.’ Verily, the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better to Allah than the smell of musk.”Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: The words “Fasting is for Me” are sufficient to indicate the superiority of fasting over all other acts of worship. There are instances where fasting is prohibited such as the menstruating woman, post natal bleeding woman and the Islamic holidays.

Fasting has 4 principles (3 mentioned in the book)

1. Restrain from the 2 desires belly and private parts the definition of sexual intercourse is when the 2 parts meet even if it does not result in discharge of bodily fluids. If you ejcatulate and the 2 parts did not meet your fast is spoiled and you must make up the fast for another day. If you have pre seminal fluid then you must make up the fast for another day. Shiekh Sharnubi gives an excuse for newly married couples during that time who are constantly aroused but he did not go into details on what that means as for the food within the mouth as long as it did not reach the digestive track then the fast is valid.
2. You must make the intention for fasting in your heart for example during the month of Ramadan you must fast for the purpose of that day not to fast for the sake of fasting for health or fun
3. Mus be started and completed at the appropriate times stipulated in Islam (from fajr to after sunset)
4. Must be a Muslim, The kafir who fast just becomes Hungry and has no reward this is a extra requirement I added

Who is excused from fasting?

The person who is sick and fasting would harm him or worsen his illness or cause death than for him the fasting is waved, if the sickness leaves the man then he should fast and if he was fasting and fell ill and broke the fast then upon him he must repeat what was lost. If a man is traveling then for the duration of the travel he is excused in the fasting until the journey is over but this is less relevant in modern times due to airplanes and cars. In the old world traveling was a difficult journey that could take months. It should be noted that if the sick or traveling man did fasting despite being allowed to not the fast would be valid for them. (the dhairis disagree with this fatwa but Maliks allow it)

Mustahabat ul siyam

• 1st You break your fast as soon as its sun down and you break the fast as long as you can before sun rise.  The prophet said in a hadith you do not delay goodness they break their fast promptly…etc”. 
• 2^nd thing is to protect your tongue from idle talk and rude speech or lewd speech.
• 3rd Do not use wet miswak use a dry miswak if you insist upon it.
• 4th do not excessively wash mouth and nose but do it normally fasting on the day of arafah and the 10th day of muharram the significance of this is musa and his people being freed and nuh and for the shia the death of Hussain in karbala. There are things are called ayam ul bid the white days the 13^th 14^th and 15^th of the Islamic month but they do not have to be because the night is white and bright when you do your extra fast. There’s no problem fasting on jummah, It is disliked to taste salt, if you put a piece of cheese upon the tongue and take it off if you had not swallowed it the fast would be valid.

As for makruhat you should not fondle your wife or flirt with her during fast or things like kissing but there is an exception for kissing for widah farwells and goodbyes. Many cultures kiss the check when meeting someone and leaving someone or kissing for the purpose of rahmah is excused (Kissing your grandmother is ok because there’s no sexual feelings behind it). Someone who is fasting the voluntary fast must know it is still very serious you must finish it and you cannot stop midway through the day to stop fasting without going through with what you made intention for, You made a oath to God and you cant recant your oaths to the Lord or to his creation even due to your having Azima (circumstances to break the fast).

If someone pronounces divorce or if someone frees a slave or a major change of status becomes invalid if that person is fasting with the exception if the person is a parent or your sheikh.  If someone missed their fast you must make up that day some say if you ate accidentally truly then you do not have to remake the fast but if they did it intentionally then it must be made up you do kefferah compensation for the missed fast (this is from the same root as kufr kafir to push or reject, to push away the punishment or push away the obligation of fasting).

If you want to do keffarrah is to

1. Feed 60 miskeen 1 mudd
2. Fasting for 2 months
3. Emancipate a slave

We have finished that bab you noticed that taharah and salat is much longer because you do it daily and constantly where as fasting and eid only come around once a year (twice for eid).