hardship we face when fasting. Is this regarded as a sin from which we
must repent? What is your advice to us?
Praise be to Allah.
Fasting is one of the greatest acts of worship and one of the best
means of drawing close to Allah. Al-Bukhaari )1904( and Muslim
narrated that Abu Hurayrah )may Allah be pleased with him( said: The
Messenger of Allah )blessings and peace of Allah be upon him( said:
"Allah says: 'Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except
fasting. It is for Me and I shall rewardfor it. Fasting is a shield,
so when it is a day whenone of you is fasting, let him not utter any
obscene speech that day or raise his voice. If anyone reviles him or
tries to fight with him, let him say: I am a man who is fasting. By
the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the smell of the mouth
of the fasting person willbe better before Allah onthe Day of
Resurrection than the fragrance of musk. The fasting personhas two
moments of joy that he enjoys: when he breaks his fast he rejoices,
and when he meets his Lord he will rejoice because of his fasting.'"
This clearly points to the great status and importance of fasting in
the religion of Allah, andto the virtue of those who fast and the
greatness of their reward.
Shaykh Ibn Sa'di )may Allah have mercy on him( said:
These are two rewards, one in this world and one in the Hereafter.
The reward in this worldis seen when the fasting person breaks his
fast; he rejoices in the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon him by
enabling him to complete the fast, and he rejoices at fulfilling his
desires that he refrained from during the day.
The reward in the hereafter will be his joy when he meets his Lord and
He is pleased with him and honours him. This later joy is a reflection
of the earlier joy in this world, for Allah will grant both to the
fasting person.
It also indicates that when the time of breaking the fast comes near,
and the fasting person experiences this joy, it is in return for what
he has endured during the day of the hardship of forsaking hisdesires.
This comes under the heading of encouraging and motivating the
individual to do good.
End quote from Bahjat Quloob al-Abraar, 96. Seealso: Fath al-Baari by
Ibn Hajar, 4/118
Hence you will find that the Muslim for whom fasting is difficult but
he is able to put up with it rejoices at the time of breaking his
fast, not because the difficulty has ended but because Allah may He be
exalted, has helped him to put upwith it and complete theact of
worship to Him, may he be glorified. His focus was not on the
hardship, waiting for relief, rather his focus was on the act of
worship and his determination to complete it. According tothe saheeh
hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet )blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him( said: "Would you like to strivehard in du'aa'
)supplication(? Say: Allahumma a'inna 'ala shukrika wa dhikrika
wahusni 'ibaadatika )O Allah, help us to give thanks to You, to
remember You and to worship You properly(." Narrated by Ahmad, 7922;
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Saheehah, 844.
You can hardly find anyone who feels distressed during this blessed
month, except those who are more concerned about worldly matters so
that they may indulge in desires and pleasures, and do not like to
keep away from them.
The one who encountershardship and tiredness because of fasting is
oneof two types:
Either he has an excuse, such as sickness, travel and the like, in
which case he may avail himself of the concessions granted by Allah
and break the fast;
or he encounters bearable hardship, so hecompletes his fast and is
patient in putting up with this hardship, seeking the pleasure of
Allah.
As for the one who encounters hardship anddislikes fasting, and wishes
that the month would end and never come again, this is undoubtedly
inappropriate; this is a person who dislikes worship and is not
patient in adhering to the commands of Allah.
And Allah knows best.
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