FASTING – AS A COMMANDED ACT

FASTING – AS A COMMANDED ACT

Q.   What is fasting?

  Fasting means willing abstention from eating, drinking and satisfaction of certain demands of the flesh from predawn to sunset. Arabic equivalents for fasting are Saum and Siyam. The breaking of the fast is known as Iftar.

Q.   Fasting is of how many types?

  It could be of the following eight types:

             i.     Fard Mu’ay-yan (command with stipulation of time);

           ii.     Fard Ghair Mu’ay-yan (command without stipulation of time);

         iii.     Wajib Mu’ay-yan (ordained with stipulation of time);

          iv.     Wajib Ghair Mu’ay-yan (ordained without stipulation of time);

            v.     Masnun (the Prophet’s precept);

          vi.     Nafl (supererogatory);

        vii.     Makruh (undesirable);

      viii.     Haram (forbidden).

Q.   Which fasts fall under the category of commanded with stipulation of time?

  One month’s fasting in a year during Ramadhan is command with stipulation of time.

Q.   Which fasts are commanded without the stipulation of time?

  If a person has missed fasrs in Ramadhan for some valid excuse or otherwise, keeping these fasts at some later date is a command without the stipulation of time.

Q.   Which fasts are ordained with the stipulation of time?

  Taking a vow to fast on some appointed day or date makes fasting on that particular day or date ordained with the stipulation of time. One such case could be of a person who has taken a vow to fast to please Al-lah, say on the first of Rajab should he get through the examination for which he is to appear.

Q.   Which fasts are ordained without the stipulation of time?

  Fasts for expiation and those to keep a vow without the stipulation of any day or date are fasts without the stipulation of time. An example of it could be of a person who has taken a vow to be on fast for three days should he stand first in the examination.

Q.   Which fasts are the Prophet‘s (peace be on him) precept?

  There are no emphasized precepts of the Prophet (peace be on him) for fasts. But the fasts that have been kept by the Prophet (peace be on him) or we have been exhorted to by him to keep them are known as Masnun fasts. These are:

             i.     Fasts on the 9^th and 10^th of the month of Muhar-ram. These are also known as ‘Ashurah fasts, because ‘Ashurah is the name given to the 10^th  of     Muhar-ram;

           ii.     A fast on ‘Arfah (the 9^th of Zul-Hij-jah) and

         iii.     Fasts on Ay-yam-ul-Abyad (brighter days i.e., the 13^th, 14^th and 15^th of every month from the lunar Hijrah calendar).

Q.   Which fasts are supererogatory (Nafl)?

  All fasts other than those falling under the category of commanded or ordained and the fasts that are the Prophet’s (peace be on him) precept are classed as supererogatory. Some of these hold the promise of bountiful reward. They are:

             i.     Fasts on six days of Shaw-wal;

           ii.     Fast on 15^th of Shaban;

         iii.     Fasts on Fridays;

          iv.     Fasts on Mondays;

            v.     Fasts on Thursdays.

Q.   Which fasts are undesirable?

  The following fasts are undesirable:

             i.     Fasts on Saturday only;

           ii.     Fasts on ‘Ashurahs (the 10^th of Muhar-ram) only;

         iii.     Fasts on the Nauroz (a festival of Persians);

          iv.     Nafl fasts by a housewife without the permission of her husband.

Q.   Which fasts are forbidden?

  Fasting is forbidden on the following five days of the year:

             i.     The two ‘Id days, namely ‘Id-ul-Fitr and ‘Id –ul-Adha;

           ii.     The three days of Tashriq, namely the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th of Zul-Hij-jah.