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 9th and 10th
of the month of Muhar-ram. These are
also known as ‘Ashurah fasts, because ‘Ashurah is the name given
to the 10th of Muhar-ram;
ii. A fast on ‘Arfah (the 9th of Zul-Hij-jah) and
iii. Fasts on Ay-yam-ul-Abyad (brighter days i.e., the 13th, 14th
and 15th 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 15th 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 10th 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 11th, 12th and 13th of Zul-Hij-jah.
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