42. CHAPTER WHAT IS DISLIKED
Chapter what is disliked, that which is recommended and the rules pertaining to making up the fast
Amassing saliva and swallowing it is disliked. It is forbidden to swallow phlegm and the fast is nullified only if he swallows phlegm after it reaches his mouth. Tasting food unnecessarily is disliked as is chewing upon strong plant resin or Arabic gum. The fast is nullified if he tastes it in his throat. That which melts is forbidden when swallowed along with saliva.
The author explained thus far that nullifiers of fast are of two categories: that which requires expiation and that which does not. In this chapter, he elaborates upon the matters that are disliked while fasting but do not nullify the fast.
“Amassing saliva and swallowing it is disliked”: A person who is fasting should not collect his saliva and then swallow it. It is akin to drinking. However, it does not nullify the fast. It is disliked as it is an infringement to the fast.
“It is forbidden to swallow phlegm and the fast is nullified only if he swallows phlegm after it reaches his mouth”: The phlegm in the throat when expelled to the mouth should be spat out. If he swallows it deliberately, his fast is nullified as the phlegm has reached his mouth which is equivalent to him having consumed something. If the phlegm is swallowed without a deliberate action upon his part, then his fast is valid.
“Tasting food unnecessarily is disliked”: Though it is permissible when the need arises. It is allowed as long as no swallowing of food takes place when one tastes it. Tasting of food without valid reason is disliked but will not render the fast invalid.
“As is chewing upon strong plant resin or Arabic gum. The fast is nullified if he tastes it in his throat”: A person who is fasting should not chew on strong plant resin which is also known as Arabic gum as some of it can dissolve into the saliva and enter the throat. Furthermore, chewing it results in the amassing of saliva. As mentioned earlier, swallowing amassed saliva is disliked.
“That which melts is forbidden when swallowed along with saliva”: Arabic gum that is soluble or that which melts easily is most disliked. This is because it easily dissolves and enters the throat. If one chews it and tastes it in his throat, then his fasting is nullified.
Kissing is disliked if it arouses him sexually.
“Kissing is disliked if it arouses him sexually”: If kissing his wife stimulates him sexually and arouses him, then it is disliked. This is because it may lead to an ejaculation due to the arousal. It is disliked by young adults. The elderly who are not sexually aroused by kissing his wife may do so. The Prophet(pbuh) used to kiss his wives while he was fasting. This is because he(pbuh) could control his desires as mentioned by ‘Aishah, “He used to have control over temptations.” (Reported by al-Bukhari (3/38-39) and Muslim (3/135) from the narration of ‘Aishah.)
It is wajib to avoid telling lies, backbiting and using vulgarities.
“It is wajib to avoid telling lies, backbiting and using vulgarities”: These are things forbidden for the one fasting but they do not render the fast invalid.
They are nullifiers in essence only. An example would be backbiting (ghibah). When one speaks ill of his Muslim brother in a manner which the latter may dislike, he has engaged in backbiting. Slandering (namimah) is the act of spreading defamatory remarks amongst people. Using vulgarities, cursing and other similar articulations must be avoided. All of the above-mentioned deeds are forbidden for Muslims whether one is fasting or not. They are definitely graver sins when one is fasting as they deplete the reward so much so that nothing remains. What remains is lethargy, thirst and hunger only. The Prophet(pbuh) said, “He who does not avoid ill speech, the actions related to it and ignorance, Allah does not require that he refrain from his food and drink.” (Reported by al-Bukhari (3/33), (8/21) from the narration of Abu Hurairah.)
These actions and speech are always prohibited, not just in the month of Ramadan or when one is fasting. However, the heinousness of these deeds is heightened when one is fasting. It may not just lessen the rewards of fasting. It may deplete it completely. The Prophet(pbuh) had described fasting as a shield, (Reported by al-Bukhari (3/31) and Muslim (3/157) from the narration of Abu Hurairah, which is a marfu report.) meaning a protection. Hence any shield which is riddled with holes is of no use to the owner as it does not protect him from the arrows shot by the enemy.
If the shield is strong and well-crafted, then he is protected from the enemies’ weapons. Similarly, a fast that is free of backbiting, slander and all other forms of ill speech and vulgarities will protect him from Allah’s punishment. If the fast is tarnished by backbiting, slandering, vulgarities and curses, then his fast will not spare him from sin or the punishment of Allah.
Even when he is cursed or scolded, the person who is fasting should not reciprocate though responding in kind is permissible. Allah says: {And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation – his reward is [due] from Allah.} (Al-Shura: 40) And He says: {And whoever avenges himself after having been wronged – those have not upon them any cause [for blame.]} (Al-Shura: 41)
Qisas (revenge) is permitted if one verbally abuses you. You may retort with similar speech. However, the person who is fasting should not do so even if he is cursed or sworn at. Instead, he should say, “Verily I am fasting, verily I am fasting.” (Reported by al-Bukhari (3/31) and Muslim (3/157) from the narration of Abu Hurairah.)
It is Sunnah for him who is sworn to say, “Verily I am fasting.”
The author states here that this is a Sunnah or mustahabb for the one who is sworn at, verbally abused or cursed. Surely these vile words hurt the feelings of the person who is targeted. There is no doubt that Allah has permitted a retort in kind (qisas) saying: {And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation – his reward is [due] from Allah.} (Al-Shura: 40)
This ordainment includes retribution of all forms, be it a killing, injury or verbal abuse. It is permissible for the person who is fasting to respond with a similar verbal abuse for it is qisas and it is only fair. However, if the individual is patient and does not retort to the verbal abuse, it is better. Allah says: {But whoever pardons and makes reconciliation – his reward is [due] from Allah.} This is intended as a universal address. Hence, the advice is more apt for those who are fasting. It is mustahabb for him to say instead, “Verily I am fasting.” To impress upon the other party that his refrain from a retort is due only to his fast so that its sanctity’ is preserved.
His saying, “Verily I am fasting,” does not allude to boasting about the fact that he is fasting. In fact, saying so is to his advantage as a bad deed is averted. He says so not in conceit, but to eschew evil and sin by reminding himself of his present status as one who is fasting. If a retort to verbal abuse is not permitted, imagine the prohibition of initiating the swearing and cursing whilst one is fasting. Verily, “The believer is not one who defames, nor is he obscene nor foul” (Reported by Ahmad (1/404, 416) and al-Tirmidhi (1977) from the narration of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud.) in all aspects. Whilst he is fasting, he is more cautious in avoiding any ill speech as it will erode the reward of the fast and render it of no value. It is not permissible for a Muslim to start swearing and cursing at people and verbally abuse them while he is fasting. It not only depletes the reward of his fast but it also adds to his sins due to the use of forbidden language.
One should delay the suhur and hasten to break the fast with rutub. If nothing else is available, then with dates and if dates are not available then with water. He then says what has been transmitted.
“Hasten to break the fast ”: It is mustahabb for the person who is fasting to hasten to break his fast as soon as the sun has set. The Prophet M said, “When the night descends from there and day retreats to there and the sun sets, the fasting person should break his fast.” (Reported by al-Bukhari (3/46) and Muslim (3/132) from the narration of ‘Umar ibn Khattab.) This is in accordance with the command of Allah that Muslims break their fast at the stroke of night fall. He says: {And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until sunset.} (Al-Baqarah: 187)
Night begins with the setting of the sun and so one should hasten to break his fast in accordance with Allah’s command. He should not try to exceed that which is prescribed for a particular form of worship. The evidence above serves as a refutation for those who delay breaking their fast claiming that it is a sign of their love of goodness and which signifies their piety. It is in fact the action of the innovators who break their fast only after the stars become apparent in the sky. It is a sign of their waywardness and is contrary to the Sunnah. The most beloved worshippers of Allah hasten to break their fast. (Reported by Ahmad (2/237, 329) and al-Tirmidhi (700) from the narration of Abu Hurairah.)
“With rutub”: Rutub are dates in the early stage of ripening. If they are not available, then he may break his fast with tamr (dried dates). If this is not available, then he may break his fast with water. The Prophet(pbuh) used to break his fast with rutub. If rutub were not available, he would eat dried dates. If even dry dates were not available, he would sip a small quantity of water. (Reported by Ahmad (3/164), Abu Dawud (2356) and al-Tirmidhi (696) from the narration of Anas ibn Malik.)
Dates, whether fresh or dry, are very beneficial if eaten on a stomach empty of food and drink. Hence, one should eat them first when breaking the fast. It has medical properties of great value aside from being the best dessert. Its sweetness is compared to the sweetness of faith by Ibn al-Qayyim in his book Zad al-Ma’ad. (See Zad al-Ma’ad (2/50-51).) There are benefits to eating fresh and dried dates when breaking the fast from an Islamic perspective. If dates are not available, he may break his fast by drinking plain water first. Water is pure and there are medical benefits in drinking it on an empty stomach too. This has been proven by doctors. Hence, these are mustahabb only. It is perfectly fine for one to break his fast with other than dates and water. He may consume any foodstuff or fruit when breaking the fast as this is permissible. However, it is better to start the iftar with dates and water as they have medical benefits and benefits from the Islamic perspective.
One should not have a lavish spread of foodstuff for iftar and then go on to eat to his stomach. Doing so is not only medically harmful, it also makes one lethargic and he may shun prayers as a result. What is worse is that some people sit at the table that has a vast variety of food laid on it and they become too engrossed over the food, delaying joining the congregational prayer. At times they miss the congregational prayer altogether. Missing the congregational prayer is forbidden. Since all means to a prohibited end are themselves prohibited, eating excessively is forbidden. He should have a light iftar so that it does not take up much time. Therefore, he would not have to miss the congregational prayer.
“Delay the suhur ”: It is mustahabb to delay the suhur (pre-dawn meal) such that one has this meal at the end of the night when dawn is imminent. Allah, the Most High and Dignified, says: {And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until sunset.} (Al-Baqarah: 187) The Prophet(pbuh) used to delay the suhur until dawn. Those who consume their suhur early contradict the Sunnah. They have this meal and then go to sleep, thereby missing the congregational fajr prayer. Most often, they do not wake up for fajr prayer and perform it after its prescribed time. These people behave contrary to the Sunnah by delaying their suhur. A more heinous crime is to miss congregational prayer and to perform it outside its prescribed time while they are fasting. And Allah’s protection is sought.
There is no doubt that sins and doing forbidden acts are more harmful when one is fasting. It is wajib that these people refrain themselves from doing these terrible deeds. Perhaps they may not earn a single reward from their fasts for they deplete their rewards by committing evil deeds and sinful acts. They become the greatest losers in the end.
The Prophet(pbuh) said, “That which distinguishes our fasts from the fasts of the people of the book is the eating of suhur.” (Reported by Muslim (3/130, 131) and Ahmad (4/197, 202) from the narration of ‘Amr ibn ‘As.) Will only eating foodstuff be considered as suhur or can one just have a drink for suhur?
Consuming good, healthy food before dawn is permissible. However, one should have a meal that will assist him in fasting throughout the day to supplement the calories that he needs. Restricting oneself to just a drink or something similar will not be of much benefit during the day when he is fasting, although the Sunnah of suhur is achieved by this minimal consumption.
It is mustahabb to fast consecutively when making up for the fasts that were missed. It is not permissible to leave them off until the next Ramadan unless there is a valid excuse.
After having elaborated upon the etiquettes and the recommended acts of fasting, the author proceeds to explain the rules pertaining to the making up of missed fasts.
Fasts that were missed in the month of Ramadan due to a valid excuse such as illness, travel, menses and post-natal bleeding must be made up on other days. Those possessing good reasons to break their fast during the day in the month of Ramadan which are legislated as valid excuses in Islam, are obliged to make up the fast in the days outside of Ramadan. Allah says: {But whoever among you is sick or on a journey, then [he shall fast] a [like] number of other days.} (Al-Baqarah: 184)
“It is mustahabb to fast consecutively when making up for the fasts that were missed. It is not permissible to leave them off until the next Ramadan unless there is a valid excuse”: If one missed fast during Ramadan, it is mustahabb to make up for the missed fasts immediately after Ramadan. It is also mustahabb that he fasts them consecutively. It is permissible though to delay them to a time closer to the following Ramadan. If he delays making up the missed fasts to just before the following Ramadan, then it becomes wajib upon him to fast the rest of the days to make up for the missed fasts of the previous Ramadan. This is to prevent him from beginning the fasts for the proceeding Ramadan whilst he still has not made up for the missed fasts of the previous Ramadan.
However, if time is not of the essence, he has a free choice to expedite or delay making up for the missed fasts although expediting them is better. This is because expediting displays an enthusiasm to perform acts of worship and zeal towards obeying Allah’s commands. It also shows that he is keen to fulfil his responsibilities. Indeed, man does not know what awaits him. Therefore, if there is a window of opportunity, one should resort to accomplishing his obligations towards Allah. In this light, it becomes wajib upon him to hasten to fulfil the missed acts of worship.
It is also permissible to stagger the days in which one wishes to make up the missed fasts. However, doing so on consecutive days is better as it is a means of hastening towards the obedience of Allah. Furthermore, doing so allows him ample time to achieve his target.
If he does so, then he is obliged to make up the missed fasts and feed the poor for each day of the missed fasts.
“If he does so, then he is obliged to make up the missed fasts and feed the poor for each day of the missed fasts”: If he delays making up for the missed fasts until the start of the following Ramadan, he should fast that month and then hasten to make up for the fasts missed in the previous Ramadan. He is not excused for the fasts that he has not made up. Self-retrospection is called for at this juncture to identify the reason for the delay in making up for the missed fasts. If there was no valid excuse for his action, then he is sinful for this delay. There are two ways to remedy this:
Firstly: He should make up for the missed fasts from the previous Ramadan. His obligation will not be fulfilled without it, even though many years have passed.
Secondly: He must offer an expiation. He should feed a poor person for each day a fast was missed as expiation for delaying to make up for the missed fasts without a valid excuse.
If a person had a valid excuse for example a journey or he had an illness due to which he was permitted to refrain from fasting, and both the journey and illness were prolonged such that it caused him to delay making up the missed fasts until the arrival of the following Ramadan. In this case, it is perfectly fine for him to delay it as there is a valid excuse. Once the present Ramadan is over, he only has to make up for the missed fasts. Expiation is not wajib upon him.
Even if he dies after the following Ramadan and if he dies before fulfilling a fast, Hajj, i’tikaf or prayers of vow, it is mustahabb that his guardian do so on his behalf.
“Even if he dies after the following Ramadan”: This underscores the fact that missed fasts remain an obligation upon a person even after the arrival of another Ramadan after the one in which he missed fasts. If there was no valid reason for the delay in making up for the missed fasts, he is obliged to offer expiation by feeding a poor person for each day of missed fasts. He must also make up for the fasts that he missed. If he were to die before making up for the missed fasts, the poor people must be fed with the money he left behind. According to the tenets of the Shariah, his guardian need not fast on his behalf for the days he missed fasting.
“And if he dies before fulfilling a fast, Hajj, i’tikaf or prayers of vow”: If he died before fulfilling a fast, a pilgrimage or an i’tikaf he had vowed to perform, then it shall remain an obligation upon him even after death. It is a debt he owes to Allah(swt).
“It is mustahabb that his guardian does so on his behalf”: His guardian or more specifically his next of kin should perform these wajib acts on behalf of the deceased. The Prophet(pbuh) said, “He who died without fulfilling a fast he had vowed to do, it shall be fulfilled by his guardian.” (Reported by al-Bukhari (3/45) and Muslim (3/155) from the narration of ‘Aishah.)
By Shaykh Salih ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan
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