Hadiths Regarding the Virtues of Fasting in General
Fasting is one of the most significant acts of worship encouraged by the Prophet Muhammad in various hadiths, including the following:
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Fasting and the Quran will intercede for the servant. Fasting will say: ‘O Lord, I prevented him from food and desires during the day, so grant me intercession for him.’ The Quran will say: ‘I prevented him from sleep at night,’ and they will both intercede.”
- He also stated: “Every action of the son of Adam is multiplied, except for fasting, as it is for Me, and I reward it. The breath of the fasting person is more pleasing to Allah than the scent of musk.”
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) declared: “Fasting is a shield.”
- He further explained: “Every action of the son of Adam receives multiple rewards: a good deed is rewarded tenfold up to seven hundred times. Allah the Almighty said: ‘Except for fasting, for it is for Me, and I reward it. The fasting person has two moments of joy: one when he breaks his fast and another when he meets his Lord. Moreover, the breath of the fasting person is more pleasing to Allah than the scent of musk.’
- Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) noted that he never saw the Prophet specifically seek to fast on any day more than the Day of Ashura; thus, fasting on this day is a follow of the Sunnah of Muhammad (peace be upon him). Additionally, since the Day of Ashura occurs in the month of Muharram, this month holds special merits for fasting compared to others.
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned that “In Paradise, there are eight gates, and one of them is called Ar-Rayan, through which only those who fast will enter.”
- He stated: “Whoever fasts three days each month has fasted for a lifetime.”
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Three supplications are not rejected: the supplication of a fasting person when he breaks his fast, the supplication of a just ruler, and the supplication of the oppressed, which Allah raises above the clouds, and the heavens’ gates are opened for it. Allah, in His Glory, says: ‘I will surely support you, even if it takes time.’
- He also added: “Whoever fasts one day for the sake of Allah, Allah will distance his face from the Fire by seventy years.”
- The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) advised: “It has reached me that you fast during the day and stand in prayer at night; do not do that. Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you, and your spouse has a right over you. Fast and break your fast; fast three days each month, as that is the fasting of a lifetime.” When I inquired about the duration I could fast, he suggested: “Fast as Prophet David (peace be upon him) did: fast one day and break the fast the next.” He remarked: “I wish I had taken the concession.”
Hadiths About the Virtues of Ramadan Fasting
Fasting during the month of Ramadan is marked by special characteristics that distinguish it from fasting on other days. Some hadiths regarding this include:
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) declared: “Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and hoping for reward, his past sins will be forgiven.”
- He said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as though he has fasted a lifetime.”
- Additionally, he stated: “Islam is built upon five pillars: the testimony that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger, establishing prayer, giving zakat, performing Hajj to the House, and fasting during Ramadan.”
Hadiths Regarding the Virtues of Ramadan
The month of Ramadan is among the most virtuous months of the year, endowed by Allah with numerous blessings, as highlighted in the following hadiths:
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reported: “The scrolls of Ibrahim were revealed on the first night of Ramadan, the Torah was revealed on the sixth night of Ramadan, the Gospel on the thirteenth night of Ramadan, the Psalms on the eighteenth night of Ramadan, and the Quran on the twenty-fourth night of Ramadan.”
- He stated: “When Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.”
- Furthermore, he mentioned: “Indeed, Allah has emancipated souls from the Fire every day and night during Ramadan. And for every Muslim, there is a supplication that is answered each day and night.”
- He remarked: “The obligatory prayer to the prayer that follows it is an expiation for what is between them; Friday to Friday and month to month, meaning Ramadan to Ramadan, is an expiation for what is between them.”
- Moreover, he reiterated: “When Ramadan arrives, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.”
- He further shared: “When the first night of Ramadan arrives, the devils among the jinn are chained, the gates of Hell are closed, and none of them is opened, while the gates of Paradise are opened with none of them closed. A caller calls out: ‘O seeker of good, come forward! O seeker of evil, refrain! Allah emancipates those from the Fire.'”