The Book of Fasting

Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas (Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) struck his hand against the other and (then with the gesture of his two hands) said: The month is thus, thus (two times). He then withdrew (one of) his fingers at the third turn.

This hadith has been narrated by Ibn Abu Khalid with the same chain of transmitters.

Kuraib reported that Umm Fadl, daughter of Harith, sent him (Fadl, i. e. her son) to Mu'awiya in Syria. I (Fadl) arrived in Syria, and did the needful for her. It was there in Syria that the month of Ramadan commenced. I saw the new moon (of Ramadan) on Friday. I then came back to Medina at the end of the month. Abdullah b. 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) asked me (about the new moon of Ramadan) and said: When did you see it? I said.: We saw it on the night of Friday. He said: (Did) you see it yourself? -I said: Yes, and the people also saw it and they observed fast and Mu'awiya also observed fast, whereupon he said: But we saw it on Saturday night. So we would continue to observe fast till we complete thirty (lasts) or we see it (the new moon of Shawwal). I said: Is the sightidg of the moon by Mu'awiya not valid for you? He said: No; this is how the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) has commanded us. Yahya b. Yahya was in doubt (whether the word used in the narration by Kuraib) was Naktafi or Taktafi.

Abu'l-Bakhtari reported: We went out to perform Umra and when we encamped in the valley of Nakhla, we tried to see the new moon. Some of the people said: It was three nights old, and others (said) that it was two nights old. We then met Ibn 'Abbas and told him we had seen the new moon, but that some of the people said it was three nights old and others that it was two nights old. He asked on which night we had seen it; and when we told him we had seen it on such and such night, he said the Prophet of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said: Verily Allah deferred it till the time it is seen, so it is to be reckoned from the night you saw it.

Abu'l-Bakhtari reported: We saw the new moon of Ramadan as we were at Dhit-i-'Irq. We sent a man to Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with both of them) to ask him (whether the sighting of a small moon had something of the nature of defect in it). Upon this Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with both of them) said that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said: Verily Allah deferred its sight, but if (the new moon) is hidden from you, then, complete its number (thirty).

The son of Abu Bakra reported it on the authority of his father that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said: The two months of 'Id, Ramadan and Dhu'l-Hijja (are not incomplete).

'Abd ar-Rahman b. Abu Bakra reported on the authority of Abu Bakra that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said: The months of 'Id are not incomplete. And in the hadith narrated by Khalid (the words are):" The months, of 'Id are Ramadan and Dhu'l-Hijja."

'Adi b. Hatim (Allah be pleased with him) reported that when (this verse) was revealed: " Until the white streak of the dawn becomes distinct from the dark streak" (ii. 187) Adi b. Hatim said: Messenger of Allah, verily I keep underneath my pillow two strings, one white and the other black, by which I distinguish night from dawn. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Your pillow seems to be very large. For the word khait implies the blackness of the night and the whiteness of the dawn.

Sahl b. Sa'd said that when this verse was revealed: " Eat and drink till the white streak is distinct from the dark streak," a person would take hold of a white thread and a black thread and keep on eating till he could find them distinct (in the light of the dawn). It was then that Allah, the Majestic and Great, reveiled (the words) min al-fajr (from the dawn), and then it became clear (that the word khait refers to the streak of light in the dawn).

Sahl b. Sa'd (Allah be pleased with him) said: When this verse was reveal- ed." Eat and drink till the white streak becomes distinct from the dark streak for you," the person who decided to observe fast tied on one of his feet a black thread and on the other a white thread. And he went on eating and drinking till he could distinguish (between their colour) on seeing them. It was after this that Allah reveal- ed (the words): min al-fajr. And they (the Muslims) came to know that (the word khait) refers to the night and day.

'Abdullah b. Mas'ud (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said: Bilal would pronounce Adhan (at the fag end of the night in order to inform the people about the time of the Sahri). So you eat and drink till you hear the Adhan of Ibn Umm Maktum (which was pro- nounced at the conclusion of the Sahri and the commencement of the fast).

Abdullah b. 'Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: Bilal announces Adhan during the night, so you eat and drink, till you hear the Adhan of Ibn Umm Maktum.

Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had two Mu'adhdhins, Bilal and son of Umm Maktum, the blind. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Bilal announces Adhan at (the fag end of the) night (i. e. Sahri), so eat and drink till the son of Umm Maktum announces Adhan. And he (the narrator) said: And the (difference of time) between their (Adhans) was not more than this that one climbed down (from the minaret) and the other climbed up (to announce Adhan).

A hadith like this has been transmitted on the authority of 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her).

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of 'Ubaidullah on the two chains of transmitters.

Ibn Mas'ud (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying The Adhan of Bilal should not restrain anyone among you from eating Sahur (last meal before daybreak during the month of Ramadan) for he announces Adhan (or he calls) at (the fag end of) the night to make him turn who stands for prayer among you, and to awaken those who are sleeping among you. And he said: The dawn is not like it, as one says (and he lifted his hand) till he (dispersed his fingers) and said: It is like this.

This hadith has been narrated by Sulaiman al-Taimi with the same chain of transmitters (but with a slight variation of words) that he (the Holy Prophet) said: The dawn is not like it as it is said; he then gathered his fingers and lowered them. But he said, it is like this (and he placed the index finger upon the other one and spread his hand).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sulaiman Taimi with the same chain of transmitters and, at the end, it was said that the first Adhan was meant to awaken those who were in slumber amongst them and in order to make them turn who stand in (prayer) among them (towards food at the commencement of the fast). Jarir (one of the narrators) said that the Messenger (may peace be upon him) did not say like this but he said like it (true dawn) that the streaks of (true dawn ) are horizontal and not vertical.

Samura b. Jandub reported Muhammad (may peace be upon him) as saying. The call of Bilal may not mislead any one of you (and he may, under the wrong impression gathered from it, refrain) from taking meal before the commencement of the fast (for the streaks) of this whiteness (which are vertical indicate the false dawn and the true dawn with which the fast commences is that when the streaks of light are) spread.

Samura b. Jundub reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The Adhan of Bilal should not mislead you nor the whiteness (of the pillar) of dawn, for it is not the whiteness of the true dawn, but that of the false dawn which is vertical like a pillar and you can eat food till the streaks of whiteness spread like it.

Samura b. Jundub (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The Adhan of Bilal may not mislead you with regard to your food at the commencement of the fast, nor the vertical (streaks) of whiteness in the horizon (for it is an indication of false dawn). You should stop eating (food) till (the whiteness) spreads like it. Hammad narrated it and with the gesture of his band he explained, the horizontal position (of the streaks of light).

Samura b. Jundub addressed and narrated from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) having said (these words): Neither the call of Bilal should mislead you nor this whiteness (of false dawn) till (the true) dawn appears (or he said) till the dawn breaks.

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of Samura b. Jundub.

Anas (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Take meal a little before dawn, for there is a blessing in taking meal at that time.

'Amr b. al-'As reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The difference between our fasting and that of the people of the Book is eating shortly before dawn.

Musa b. 'Ali has narrated this hadith through the same chain of transmitters.

Zaid b. Thabit (Allah be pleased with him) said: We took meal shortly before dawn along with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). We then stood up for prayer. I said: How much span of time was there between the two (acts, i. e. taking of Sahri and observing of prayer)? He said (a span of reciting) fifty verses.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Qatada too.

Sahl b. Sa'd (Allah be pleased with him) repotted Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The people will continue to prosper as long as they hasten the breaking of the fast.

A hadith like this has been transmitted by Sahl b. Sa'd.