Stages of Making Fasting Obligatory

It was narrated on the authority of Al-Baraa’, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said,

It was the custom among the Companions of Muhammad  that if any of them was fasting and food was presented (for breaking his fast), but he slept before eating, he would not eat that night and the following day till sunset.

 

Qays ibn Sirmah Al-Ansaari, may Allah be pleased with him, was fasting and came to his wife at the time of Iftaar (breaking one's fast) and asked her whether she had anything to eat. She replied, ‘No, but I will go and bring some (food) for you.’ He used to do hard work during the day, so he slept.

 

When his wife came and saw him, and said, ‘Disappointment for you (i.e. you missed the food you were seeking).’ When it was midday on the following day, he fainted and that was mentioned to the Prophet .

 

The following verse was then revealed (which means): {It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations].} [Quran 2:187] The Companions were very pleased with this verse. Another verse was also revealed: {And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night].} [Quran 2:187]. [Al-Bukhari]

 

It was narrated on the authority of Mu‘aath ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said,

Prayer passed through three stages and fasting also passed through three stages. (The narrator mentioned the stages of prayers and then said about fasting that the Messenger of Allah  used to fast three days every month, and fast the tenth of Muharram.)

 

Then Allah The Exalted revealed the verse (which means): {O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you} up to {of feeding a poor person} [Quran 2:183-184] Thus, those who wished to fast would fast and those who wished to abandon the fast would feed a poor person every day and this would free them from liability. However, this was changed as Allah The Exalted revealed (what means): {The month of Ramadan [is that]in which was revealed the Quran} up to {[Fasting for] a limited number of days.} [Quran 2:184-185]  Hence, fasting became obligatory for the one who witnesses the month (of Ramadan) and the traveler was required to make up for the days of fasting that he misses; and feeding (a poor person) became obligatory for the old man and woman who are unable to fast.” [Abu Daawood]

 

Another version reads:

As regards the stages of fasting, the Messenger of Allah  came to Al-Madeenah and fasted three days each month. Yazeed ibn Haaroon, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘Over nineteen months starting from Rabee‘ Al-Awwal to Ramadan, he fasted three days every month and fasted on the tenth day of Muharram.

 

Then Allah The Almighty revealed the obligation of fasting in the verse (which means): {O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you} up to {And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] -- a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]} [Quran 2:183-184] Thus, people would either fast or feed the poor and they would be free from liability in both cases.

 

Then Allah revealed the other verse (which means): {The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran} up to {So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it} [Quran 2:185] Thus, Allah enjoined the fast on the healthy person who is not traveling and permitted the sick and traveling person to break the fast.

Feeding was established for the old person who could not fast. This continued for two years. People would thus eat, drink and have sexual intercourse as long as they did not sleep. If they slept, they would abstain. A man from the Ansaar called Sirmah, may Allah be pleased with him, kept working while fasting until sunset and came to his wife, prayed ‘Ishaa’ and slept before eating or drinking until the morning and continued his fast.

The Messenger of Allah  saw him extremely exhausted and therefore asked him about the reason for that. He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I worked yesterday and I returned, then I slept and woke up fasting in the morning.’

 

The narrator also mentioned that ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, had sexual intercourse with a bondmaid or a free woman that belonged to him after he had slept. He went to the Prophet  and told him about that, so Allah The Almighty revealed (what means): {It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations].}up to {Then complete the fast until the sunset.} [Quran 2:187]”

 

Benefits and rulings:                       

 

• First: Allah is Merciful and because of that He alleviates the burdens of His believing slaves. Among the stages of fasting was that if someone slept after sunset or prayed ‘Ishaa’ (night prayer), then he had to abstain from everything that would break his fast until the sunset of the following day. This was extremely hard for the Companions as indicated by the story of the Companion Sirmah Al-Ansaari, may Allah be pleased with him. Then, Allah The Almighty removed that hardship by permitting them to eat, drink and have sexual intercourse during the nights of Ramadan; whether the fasting person slept after sunset or not. This was a concession from Allah The Almighty, for which we praise and thank Him.
• Second: Women should serve their husbands to maintain a good marital relationship with them.
• Third: The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were prudent and compliant with the commands of Allah The Almighty. They feared  opposing the injunctions of Allah The Almighty and were conscious of the fact that Allah is watching them in secret and in public. A version of the Hadeeth (narration) mentions, “His wife came late so he slept and she awoke him, but he disliked to disobey Allah and His Messenger and refused to eat and continued his fast until morning.”Another version says:“He put his head down and took a nap. His wife brought him food and asked him to eat but he told her that he had slept and she told him that he did not actually sleep. Hence, he appeared very hungry and exhausted the next morning”.
• Fourth: It is permissible to rejoice over a concession that Allah The Almighty grants us. This does not mean neglecting the original rulings, because they are all issued by Allah The Almighty, Who likes His slaves to adopt His concessions as He likes them to follow His rulings.
• Fifth: Allah The Almighty is Merciful to His slaves because He legislated for them the acts of worship that purify their hearts and souls.
• Sixth: Allah The Almighty enjoins an obligation on His slaves gradually. In this sense, He enjoined the prayers in three stages and fasting in three stages. He also forbade drinking alcohol that people were accustomed to through stages, out of mercy to His slaves and to make things easy for them, praise be to Him.
• Seventh: Fasting became an obligation gradually because people were not accustomed to fasting early in Islam as indicated by the second narration where Mu‘aath, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “As people were not accustomed to fast, fasting was hard for them.”
• Eighth: Fasting was enjoined over three stages:

1.     Fasting three days every month and fasting on the tenth day of Muharram.

2.     Giving people the option of either fasting or feeding the poor if they did not want to fast.

3.     Enjoining fasts on those who were able to do it, absolving old people from fasting by feeding the poor; and people with incurable diseases are treated like old people.