Islamic Fiqh- Ritual Acts of Worship- Fasting- Lesson 10: Rulings of Siyaam (Fasting) 3- Proof of Siyaam Obligation- Requirements for Observing Siyaam- Justified Excuses to Break Siyaam.
- Islamic Fiqh / Rituals
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- Fasting (Siyam)
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Siyaam is an act of worship which proves man's sincerity:
Dear brothers, last lecture was about the month of Siyaam (i.e. Ramadan). It is an act of worship with a special taste, and it reflects man's sincerity. In general, Allah the Almighty forbade the matters which may harm us and permitted the matters which are useful to us, but with regard to Siyaam, Allah the Almighty forbade us from permissible matters like food and water. Accordingly, upon observing this act of worship because of faith and seeking the reward from Allah, man shows his sincerity, and so he cannot accuse himself of hypocrisy.
Scholars said, "Siyaam is the act of worship that reflects man's sincerity." This act of worship has so many useful outcomes. As I mentioned last lecture, Allah's Order bears more than one purpose, and the purposes of Siyaam are countless. The higher rank man reaches the more of these purposes he discovers. We will discuss the useful outcomes of Siyaam later on insha' Allah (if Allah wills).
The rulings of Siyaam:
Let us talk about some of Siyaam's rulings of which we are in dire need. First of all, Siyaam is one of the five pillars of Islam, and as you all know, Islam is built on five pillars: Testification of 'La ilaha illallah' (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), that Muhammad (PBUH) is his slave and Messenger, the establishment of Salat, the payment of Zakat, Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House of Allah (Ka'bah), and Saum during the month of Ramadan. This makes Siyaam one fifth of Islam.
A Prophetic Hadith goes as follows:
(( A man from Banu Sulaim narrated: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) counted them out in my hand" - or – "in his hand: 'At-Tasbīḥ is half of the Scale, and "All praise is due to Allah (Al-Ḥamdulillāh)" fills it, and At-Takbīr (Allāhu Akbar) fills what is between the sky and the earth, and fasting is half of patience, and purification is half of faith." ))
This makes Siyaam one fourth of faith, and one fifth of Islam. In addition, Siyaam is Fard Ayn (it is an obligation that every Muslim is required to perform). As you all know, there are two kinds of Fard: Fard Kifayah (a duty which is imposed on the whole community of believers, and if enough people undertake it, the rest will be relieved of blame) and Fard Ayn, so Siyaam is Fard Ayn Ada'an (observing Siyaam during Ramadan) and Qada'an (Making up a missed Ramadan fast). Accordingly, if someone (who meets the requirements to observe Siyaam) has to break his fast during Ramadan due to illness or to traveling, he should make up that missed day or days (Qada'an), and this will be also Fard Ayn. Siyaam is an obligation, and this fact is proved in the Noble Quran. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious - see V.2:2). ﴿
This is the key Ayah of imposing Siyaam, and I will interpret this Ayah next Friday before receiving Ramadan insha' Allah.
In the Prophetic Sunnah, it was reported:
(( Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "(The structure of) Islam is built on five (pillars): Testification of 'La ilaha illallah' (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), that Muhammad (PBUH) is his slave and Messenger, the establishment of Salat, the payment of Zakat, the pilgrimage to the House of Allah (Ka'bah), and Saum during the month of Ramadan." ))
(( In another Hadith reported by Bukhari and Muslim: Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Observe Sam (fast) on sighting the crescent and terminate it on sighting it (the new moon), but if the sky is cloudy before you, then complete the number (thirty days) of the month." ))
This order is addressed to the whole community of the believers. If a Muslim sees the new moon, or he is informed that others saw it, he should observe Siyaam. "Observe Saum on sighting the crescent." Scholars deduced from this Hadith that if one trustworthy Muslim sees the new moon, his testimony is enough to make all Muslims in all Islamic States start observing Siyaam (if the news spread in these states by modern media and means of communications).
Denying the obligation of Siyaam is Kufr:
Denying the obligation of Siyaam is Kufr, but why is that? Because the one who denies Siyaam is like the one who denies Salah, Zakat or Hajj. Unfortunately, some people observe Siyaam and abandon Salah, but this is not acceptable because Siyaam and Salah are two pillars of the five pillars of Islam. As I mentioned last lecture, all the pillars of Islam are manifested in Salah, and so Siyaam, Hajj and Zakat are included in Salah during which man may establish a connection with Allah the Almighty. Based on this fact, whoever observes Siyaam, but he does not pray, abandons the most important pillar in Islam.
Furthermore, if abandoning Salah is based on denying its obligation, he is Murtad (The one who is born as a Muslim and then apostates), and his Siyaam or any other act of worship will not be useful to him. The Muslim who abandons Salah due to laziness is considered Fasiq (The one who violates Shari'ah [Islamic law]) according to Sunnah. Scholars, they agreed upon the fact that Siyaam is an obligation and a pillar of Islam.
Requirements for performing Siyaam:
Who in fact is obliged to observe Siyaam? There are requirements for the obligation, observation and validity of Siyaam. Every Muslim should observe Siyaam, because being a Muslim is the first reason for man to be addressed and demanded to do all the obligations of Islam.
﴾ O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you. ﴿
Allah the Almighty invited all mankind to get to know Him and to worship Him. If you believe in Allah the Almighty thereupon, you are addressed by all the branches of Islam; given Siyaam is one of the major branches. Hence, Siyaam is an obligation on every sane adult Muslim (because when Allah takes away man's sanity, he will be pardoned from all religious duties).
Sexual maturity as you all know is reached by boys at the age of puberty and by girls by having their first menstruation. Nevertheless, parents should encourage their children to observe fasting before the age of puberty, so that they may get used to Siyaam as an act of worship, which will be familiar to them upon reaching the age of puberty. One more thing, Siyaam should be observed by those who convert to Islam in Dar Al-Harb (a term classically referring to those countries which do not have a treaty of nonaggression or peace with Muslims) if they are informed of Shari'ah rulings during Ramadan, but if Ramadan arrives, and they have no idea about Siyaam, or they are not informed about the obligation of observing Siyaam, they are excused.
Dar Al-Islam refers to the Islamic states, and those who live in these states have no excuse of not observing Siyaam if they claim that they are not informed. Being ignorant of the Shari'ah rulings on Siyaam is almost impossible, because people are taught these rulings either in elementary, primary or high school, in Khutab in the Masjid or by their parents. Hence, they have no excuse whatsoever. The requirements to observe Fard As-Siyaam are: Islam, sanity, puberty and knowledge (to those who live in Dar Al-Harb).
The requirements for the validity of Siyaam:
Man should be healthy in order to observe Siyaam. Regarding this point, you should always remember that every Divine Order comes from the Creator of this universe, Who is the Creator of man as well. Thus, He knows what man can bear and what beyond his scope is. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. ﴿
All the Divine Orders are definitely within the ability of man to offer. Hence, if you call someone to Allah and try to convince him with Islam, do not accept his pretext when he says, "I cannot", simply because all the Divine Orders are within man's scope, and Allah the Almighty knows best since He is the Creator and the All-Knowing. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And none can inform you (O Muhammad PBUH) like Him Who is the All-Knower (of each and everything). ﴿
The order is within man's ability. Nonetheless, Allah the Almighty knows that sometimes there are compelling excuses, so He pardons the people who break their Siyaam for those excuses. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ [Observing Saum (fasts)] for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. ﴿
It is allowed to break your fast if you are ill or on travel. Some might wonder, "Is it only the travel accompanied with hardship?" The answer is, "No, it is not. This excuse is given to any kind of travel, because travelling is the justification of breaking Siyaam as a Rukhsah (An exception to a general law, granted to preserve life or remove hardship), but the burden of traveling is the wisdom behind giving this Rukhsah.
The hardship of traveling cannot be measured accurately, for some people might travel on horse and do not get tired, while other might travel by plane and get tired. Hence, since the element of hardship in travel cannot be measured, traveling is enough excuse for this Rukhsah. As for the hardship of traveling, it manifests the wisdom behind allowing breaking Siyaam upon travelling. However, man is the best judge for himself; if he travels to a nearby country, and there is no hardship during his journey, he may observe Siyaam. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And that you fast, it is better for you if only you know. ﴿
The second requirement for the validity of Siyaam is purity from menstruation and postpartum period for women. Regarding illness, who is the entitled person to break his Siyaam due to illness? Man cannot be his own judge for such a decision, but a professional, sincere and pious Muslim doctor should decide that.
Intention is also required for the validity of Siyaam, and it should be done every day of Ramadan, or it can be offered at the beginning of Ramadan by intending to observe Siyaam the whole month because of faith and seeking the reward from Allah.
The intention makes the difference between habits and acts of worship:
Some may ask, "Why is the intention important?" Consider the following example: If someone wakes up late on a winter day, and he does not feel like eating, and he goes to his work and gets busy the whole day till sunset, and then he eats, can we consider this Siyaam? No, of course we cannot. This is more like a habit, so what is the difference between a habit and an act or worship? The intention makes the difference. However, man should pay heed not to turn an act of worship into a meaningless habit. Intention confirms that a certain behavior is meant to worship Allah the Almighty; therefore, intention is crucial for the validity of Siyaam rather than the fulfillment of it.
The reason behind Siyaam:
What is the reason behind Siyaam? We must differentiate between As-Sabab (the reason) and Ash-Shart (the condition). If someone is on travel before Fajr, and there is still half an hour till Fajr Azan, can he offer Salat Al-Fajr before hand? No, he cannot, because entering the time of Fajr is a condition (Shart) to offer Fajr Salat. Much in the same line, observing Siyaam occurs when witnesses see the new moon of Ramadan, so if you witness Ramadan, you are obliged to observe Siyaam. How can someone witness Ramadan? He witnesses Ramadan either by seeing the new moon himself or by being informed of the new moon of Ramadan.
Unfortunately, Muslims nowadays make fuss out of witnessing the new moon of Ramadan, and they make a problem out of it. If you are informed that tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan, you should start fasting without any further complications. The Prophet PBUH said:
(( Abu Hurairah narrated: The Prophet (PBUH) said: The end of Ramadan is on the day when you end it, and the 'Id (festival) of sacrifice is on the day when you sacrifice. The whole of Arafah is the place of staying, and the whole of Mina is the place of sacrifice, and all the roads of Mecca are the place of sacrifice, and the whole of Muzdalifah is the place of staying. ))
Man lives in communities, so if he happens to see the new moon of Ramadan himself, he must start fasting, and if he is informed that the next day is Ramadan, he should start fasting too. Muslim individuals are not Islamic judges, and proving Ramadan is not up to them as individuals, lest conflicts occur.
You live in an Islamic country where there is an Islamic judge appointed for such a decision, so if he says that tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan, then it is over. You are an individual Muslim and you are not an Islamic judge or an expert in astronomy, because this is beyond your abilities. Hence, seeing the new moon, or being informed of it is enough to start fasting.
Actually, every day of Ramadan is a reason to observe fasting, and whoever embraces Islam or reaches the age of puberty in Ramadan should fast the rest of it. This is the rule.
Observing Siyaam is fulfilled by refraining from all the desires of the belly and of the private parts. In more nice words we say: Siyaam is to leave all the Muftirat (all the things that invalidate fasting) and whatever is considered as Muftir (like medications) from real dawn (which is earlier than dawn) to sunset.
Hukm (ruling purpose of) As-Siyaam:
Hukm As-Siyaam is to fulfill Al-Wajib (Obligation). Al-Hukm has always two definitions, one is apparent and the other is hidden (i.e. the wisdom behind it). The apparent Hukm for Siyaam is to fulfill Al-Wajib, whereas its reward is an honor from Allah the Almighty to His servants on the Day of Resurrection, provided this Siyaam is permissible.
The Prophet PBUH forbade us from fasting on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr and the first day of Eid Al-Adha for those who do not offer Hajj, and for those who offer Hajj, they should not observe Siyaam on Ayam At-Tashreeq (the 11th, 12th and 13th of Dhu'l-Hijjah) and should not observe Siyaam on the Day of Arafah (9th day of Dhul-Hijjah), so that they may maintain their power to perform the rituals of Hajj. Hence, Muslims long for the reward of the allowed Siyaam from Allah the Almighty. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious). ﴿
Observing Siyaam proves man's Taqwa (piety), and piety has so many definitions which we will talk about in another lecture insha ' Allah.
The excuses which allow breaking Siyaam:
1- Ailment:
What are the excuses which allow breaking Siyaam? The first one is ailment. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ [Observing Saum (fasts)] for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. ﴿
What is the illness meant in the previous Ayah? It is the illness which affects man's health by fasting, the illness which gets worse by fasting, the illness whose recovery is delayed and the illness which causes unbearable hardship to man upon fasting. Man should break his Siyaam if he has any kind of these illnesses.
Man should be almost sure that this will happen (which is close to sureness), but if he assumes (he is 30% sure) or if he doubts (he is 50% certain), then he should observe Siyaam. Man cannot break his Siyaam unless he is almost sure (he is 95% sure) that his illness will get worse. Being sure is the only case that is 100%.
Being almost sure occurs due to bad experience, like having an ulcer. Refraining from eating for more than two or three hours, makes man suffers from unbearable pain due to his chronic peptic ulcer. The second case is when man is informed by a Muslim, professional, pious and sincere physician that he cannot observe Siyaam. In this case, he should break his Siyaam and then make up for the missed days later.
Pay attention to the following: if someone assumes due to his weak will and determination that his body cannot bear Siyaam, and that he will be severely ill by observing Siyaam, his assumptions are not considered at all, and he should observe Siyaam. However, if what he fears happens during his Siyaam, and he collapses, he can break his fast and make up for it later. In other cases, man might be almost sure that he will collapse upon fasting due to a previous bad experience, so let him fast, and if he collapses, he can break his Siyaam.
2- Chronic diseases:
Chronic diseases or intractable illnesses are enough reasons to break man's Siyaam, and in this case, man should pay Fidyah which is 2000 grams of wheat or its price in cash, and he should consider the higher price in this case. This Fidyah can be paid to one poor man or many poor people.
If man is poor and cannot pay Fidyah, he is exempted from it. If he recovered from his illness, he should make up for the missed days, even if he pays Fidyah.
Let me explain his case: Such a person pays Fidyah based on having a chronic disease, but if Allah the Almighty cures him from his disease, what he pays is considered Sadaqah for breaking his Siyaam.
3- Compulsion if someone is threatened to be killed, to be severely beaten or to have one of his limbs cut off:
Being threatened to be killed is enough excuse for man to break his Siyaam. Pay attention to this Islamic rule: "Islam comes to preserve man's religion, self, reason, honor and money." Well, all laws are meant to preserve these five essential matters.
Consider the Prophetic Du'a (supplication), which goes as follows:
(( O Allah, reclaim our religion which is the infallibility of our affair. ))
By acting upon religion, you gain happiness in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. In other words, you will gain happiness when you follow the Divine System, values and instructions, simply because you are carrying out the instructions of the All-Aware, and you are applying the laws sent by the Ever-Wise and the All-Knowing.
Religion basically exists to reform our worldly life and our Hereafter, for it aims at preserving our lives which is very valuable. Accordingly, if you are praying, and you see a child who is about to fall in a very deep hole, but you keep praying, you will commit a major sin. You should cut your Salah short and save this child, because life in general is precious. However, if we consider the importance of life and religion, saving life comes after saving religion. When man sacrifices his life for the sake of religion, he is performing Jihad.
Generally, the less important thing is sacrificed to preserve the most important one. Thus, we pay our lives to preserve religion, but we pay our money to preserve our lives.
These matters should always be put in order according to their importance. If someone threatens to kill you saying, "You will be dead if you do not give me all the money you have", you are not a sinner if you give him the money and save your life, because the latter is more precious than the former. The same goes for your reason, honor, wealth and so forth.
By the way, regarding religion, life, reason, honor and money, you should know that each one of these essential matters but comes with necessities, needs and completing aids. Furthermore, they come in order, so you may sacrifice the completing aid for the sake of the needed part, and you sacrifice the needed part for the sake of the necessary part. Hence, you have five fields, and each one is supported by three derivations, so the lump sum is 15.
Let me enlighten you more by giving you an example. As you all know showing any part of the body is Haram, but if a woman gets sick, and she goes to a male physician, we can break this rule, so that her life is saved. Hence, you have to know that this rule is very delicate (i.e. sacrificing the less important thing for the sake of the more important one).
Being forced to break one's Siyaam after being threatened of killing or cutting off his limb or beating him, is enough reason to be excused if he breaks his Siyaam. On the other hand, we say to the one who does not want to fast, fearing that others may have the wrong idea about him or that others will be embarrassed by his fasting, "These are but Fasiq's (siner's) words".
4- Senility:
Senility occurs when an old person is invalid, so they cannot observe Siyaam, or because Siyaam is very hard due to the so many medications old people have to take during the day before and after meals. Not to mention, old people need to get good nutrition, because they turn skinny. Thus, in this case they are allowed to break their Siyaam. Hence, senility is enough reason to break Siyaam, provided Fidyah is paid for every day they break Siyaam on as I have mentioned earlier, and it is 2000 grams of wheat or its price in cash.
5- Pregnancy and nursing:
Pregnancy and nursing are valid reasons for a woman to break her Siyaam. However, some women keep the strength of their bodies even though they are pregnant or they are nursing, whereas other women turn weak in such conditions. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years give thanks to Me and to your parents, unto Me is the final destination. ﴿
Nursing is very important. I was informed that most of formula companies admit that no formula is better than the mother's milk, but do you know why? It is because the mother's milk is naturally sterilized, it is cool in summer and warm in winter and it is daily adjusted (in its amount and composition) to meet the infant's needs. The formula, on the other hand, does not have all these properties, for the mother should change the amount of milk every four weeks as her infant grows.
In addition, mother's milk contains a substance which prevents bacteria from sticking to the walls of the infant's intestine, and it has a natural antiseptic for the intestine. Thus, children who are nursed by their mothers are immune against diseases, because all the vaccines the mother has received will be passed to her baby. Therefore, no formula is even close to the mother's milk.
