The Book of Fasting

Abu 'Atiyya reported: I and Masruq went to 'A'isha and said to her: Mother of the Believers, there are two persons among the Companions of Muhammad (may peace be upon him) one among whom hastens in breaking the fast and in observing prayer, and the other delays breaking the fast and delays observing prayer. She said: Who among the two hastens in breaking fast and observing prayers? We said, It is 'Abdullah. i. e. son of Mas'ud. whereupon she said: This is how the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did. Abu Kuraib added: The second one was Abu Musa.

Abu 'Atiyya reported: I and Misruq went to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) and Masruq said to her: There are two persons among the Companions of Muhammad (may peace be upon him) none of whom abandons the good, but one of them hastens to observe sunset prayer and break the fast, and the other delays in observing the sunset prayer and in breaking the fast, whereupon she said: Who hastens to observe sunset prayer and break the fast? He said: It is 'Abdullah. Upon this she said: This is how the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to do.

'Umar (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: When the night approaches and the day retreates and the sun sinks down, then the observer of the fast should break it. Ibn Numair made no mention of the word" then".

'Abdullah b. Abi Aufa reported: We were with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on a journey during the month of Ramadan. When the sun had sunk he said: So and so, get down (from your ride) and prepare the meal of parched barley for us. He said: Messenger of Allah, still (there is light of) day. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Get down and prepare meal of parched barley for us. So he got down and prepared the meal of parched barley and offered him, and the apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) drank that (liquid meal). He then told with the gesture of his hand that when the sun sank from that side and the night appeared from that side, then the observer of the fast should break it.

Ibn Abi Aufa (Allah be pleased with him) reported: We were with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on a journey. When the sun sank he said to a person: Get down and prepare barley meal for us. Upon this he said: Messenger of Allah, let there be dusk. (He the Holy Prophet) said: Get down and prepare barley meal for us. He (the person) said: There is still (the light of) day upon us. (But) he got down (in obedience to the command of the Holy Prophet) and prepared a barley meal for him and he (the Holy Prophet) drank that (liquid meal) and then said: When you see the night approaching from that side (west) (and he pointed towards the east with his hand), then the observer of the fast should break it.

Abdullah b. Abi Aufa (Allah be pleased with him) reported: We travelled with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as he had been observing fast. When the sun sank he said: So and so, get down and prepare barley meal for us. The rest of the hadith is the same.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Abi Aufa (Allah be pleased with him) through another chain of transmitters (but with a sight alteration of words): In this hadith transmitted by one of the narrators (neither these words are found): During the month of Ramadan." nor his statement:" And the night prevails from that side (the eastern side)." (These words are found in the narration of) Hushaim only.

Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them) said that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) forbade uninterrupted fasting. They (some of the Companions) said: You yourself fast uninterruptedly, whereupon he said: I am not like you. I am fed and supplied drink (by Allah).

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) abserved fasts uninterruptedly in Ramadan and the people (in his wake) did this. But he forbade them to do so. It was said to him (to the Holy Prophet): You yourself observe the fasts uninterruptedly (but you forbid us to do so) Upon this he said: I am not like you; I am fed and supplied drink (by Allah).

A hadith like this has been transmitted by Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them), but he did not make mention of (the words): " During the month of Ramadan."

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) forbade (his Companions) from observing fast unintermptedly. One of the Muslims said: Messenger of Allah, you yourself observe Saum Wisal. whereupon the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Who among you is like me? I spend night (in a state) that my Allah feeds me and provides me drink. When they (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) did not agree in abandoning the uninterrupted fast, then the Holy Prophet (may peace. be upon him) also observed this fast with them for a day, and then for a day. They then saw the new moon and he (the Holy Prophet) said: If the appearance of the new moon were delayed. I would have observed more (fasts) with you (and he did it) by way of warning to them as they had not agreed to refrain (from observing Saum Wisal)

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Abstain from Saum-Wisal. They (his Companions) said: Messenger of Allah, but you observe Saum Wisal. Upon this he said: You are not like me in this matter, for I spend my night (in a state) that my Lord feeds me and provides me drink Devote yourselves to the deeds (the burden of which) you can bear.

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying (the words as said in the previous hadith) but with this alteration (of words): " Take upon yourselves (the burden of the deeds) for which you have the strength to bear."

Abu Huraira reported that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) forbade (his Companions) to observe Saum Wisal.

Anas (Allah be pleased with him) reported The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was observing prayer during Ramadan. I came and stood by his side. Then another man came and he stood likewise till we became a group. When the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) perceived that we were behind him, he lightened the prayer. He then went to his abode and observed such (a long) prayer (the like of which) he never observed with us. When it was morning we said to him: Did you perceive us during the night? Upon this he said: Yes, it was this (realisation) that induced me to do that which I did. He (the narrator) said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) began to observe Saum Wisal at the end of the month (of Ramadan), and some persons among his Companions began to observe this uninter- rupted fast, whereupon the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: What about such persons who observe uninterrupted fasts? You are not like me. By Allah. if the month were lengthened for me, I would have observed Saum Wisal, so that those who act with an exaggeration would (have been obliged) to abandon their exaggeration.

Anas (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed Saum Wisal during the early part of the month of Ramadan. The people among Muslims also observed uninterrupted fast. This (news) reached him (the Holy Prophet) and he said: Had the month been lengthened for me I would have continued observing Saum Wisal, so that those who act with forced hardness would (have been obliged) to abandon it. You are not like me (or he said): I am not like you. I continue to do so (in a state) that my Lord feeds me and provides me drink.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) said: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) forbade them (his Companions) to observe Saum Wisal out of mercy for them. They said: You (Holy Prophet) yourself observe it. Upon this he said: I am not like you. My Lord feeds me and provides me drink.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) kissed one of his wives while he was fasting, and then she ('A'isha) smiled (as she narrated).

Sufyan reported: I said to 'Abd al-Rahman b. Qasim: Have you heard from your father narrating from 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) that he kissed her while observing fast? He ('Abd al-Rahman b. Qasim) kept silence for a short while and then said:" Yes."

'A'isha reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) used to kiss me while observing fast; and who among you can control his desire as the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) could control his desire.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) used to kiss (his wives) while fasting and embraced (them) while fasting; but he had the greatest mastery over his desire among you.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to kiss (his wives) while fasting; and he had the greatest control over his desire (as compared with you).

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to embrace (his wives) while fasting.

Aswad reported: I and Masruq went to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) and asked. her if the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) embraced (his wives) while fasting. She said: Yes; but he had the greatest control over his desire among you: or he was one of those who had control over his desire.

It is further narrated on the authority of Aswad and Masruq that they went to the Mother of the Believers and they asked her (and the rest of the hadith is the same)

'Urwa b. Zubair narrated that 'A'isha the Mother of the Believers (Allah be pleased with her) informed him that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) kissed her while fasting.

A hadith like this has been narrated by Yahya b. Abu Kathir with the same chain of transmitters.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to kiss her during the month of fasting.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) kissed (his wives) during Ramadan while observing fast.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) kissed (his wives) while fasting.