Hajj, - Hukm al-Hajj wa’l-‘Umrah (rulings on Hajjand ‘Umrah), Dought & clear, - * How often should one visit the Sacred House (the Ka’bah) in one's lifetime?

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M NajimudeeN - INDIA
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I was recently told by two sources that in the Sunnah there is a reference to fulfilling an Islamic precept that one should visit Mecca 7 times in ones life and Jerusalem once.
Could you please help me verify this as I have been unable to.
Thank you very much for your help.
Praise be to Allaah.
1. There are ahaadeeth which state the virtues of praying in the Sacred House of Allaah in Makkah, in the Prophet’s Mosque [in Madeenah] and in al-Masjid al-Aqsaa [in Jerusalem].
It was reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “One prayer in this mosque of mine is better than one thousand prayers anywhere else, apart from al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah].”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1133; Muslim, 1394).
It was reported that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: One prayer in this mosque of mine is better than one thousand prayers anywhere else, apart from al-Masjid al-Haraam, and one prayer in al-Masjid al-Haraam is better than one hundred thousand prayers anywhere else.”
(Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1406; Ahmad, 14847. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Boosayri inal-Zawaa’id.Haamish Sunan Ibn Maajah).
With regard to praying in al-Masjid al-Aqsaa (in Jerusalem), the correct view is that its virtue is equal to one-quarter of that of a prayer in the mosque of Madeenah.
It was reported that Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: when we were with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we were discussing which was better, the mosque of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the mosque in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “One prayer in this mosque of mine is better than four prayers there, and how good a place of worship it is…”
(Narrated and classed as saheeh by al-Haakim, 4/509; al-Dhahabi and al-Albaani agreed with him, as stated inal-Silsilah al-Saheehah, at the end of the discussion of hadeeth #2902).
With regard to the famous hadeeth which says that a prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqsaa is like five hundred prayers, this hadeeth is weak (da’eef).
(See:Tamaam al-Minnahby Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 292).
2. Concerning the timing of one’s visits to the Sacred House of Allaah, it has been reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Allaah says: if my slave in sound in body and has an ample provision, and five years pass [without him visiting My House], he is truly deprived [of mercy].”
(Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan, 960; Abu Ya’laa, 1/289; al-Bayhaqi, 5/262. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani inal-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1662).
The more often one visits the House of Allaah, the better, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Keep on following Hajj with ‘Umrah, and ‘Umrah with Hajj, for they wipe out poverty and sins…”
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 810)
With regard to the idea referred to in your question, that one should visit the Ka’bah seven times in one's lifetime and al-Masjid al-Aqsaa once, ask the person who told you this what his source and evidence is, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say , ‘Produce your proof…’” [al-Baqarah 2:111]
-- for it is not permissible to say that something is obligatory or to claim that there is virtue in something without sound evidence. May Allaah help us and you to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
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Hajj, - Hukm al-Hajj wa’l-‘Umrah (rulings on Hajjand ‘Umrah), Dought & clear, - * Delaying Hajj for no reason

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What is the ruling on one who delays Hajj for no reason when he has the means and is able to do it?
Praise be to Allaah and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah. Whoever is able to do Hajj and does not do the obligatory Hajj, delaying it for no reason, has committed a great evil and a major sin. What he has to do is to repent to Allaah from that and hasten to do Hajj, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka‘bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allaah, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves [i.e. denies Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allaah], then Allaah stands not in need of any of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:97] And the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam is built on five (pillars): the testimony that there is no god except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah; establishing regular prayer; paying zakaah; fasting Ramadaan, and performing Pilgrimage to the House (the Ka’bah).” (Saheeh – agreed upon. Al-Bukhaari, 8; Muslim, 16). And the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, when Jibreel (peace be upon him) asked him about Islam: “It means to testify that there is no god except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, to establish regular prayer, to pay zakaah, to fast Ramadaan, and to perform Pilgrimage to the House if you have the means to do so.” (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh, 8, from the hadeeth of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him)). And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), 16/359

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Hajj, - Hukm al-Hajj wa’l-‘Umrah (rulings on Hajjand ‘Umrah), Dought & clear, - * The reason why it is prescribed for Muslims to perform Hajj once in a lifetime

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Why should Muslims atleast visit mecca once in their life time?
Praise be to Allaah.
We Muslims feel honoured and proud to be the slaves of Allaah, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, Who begets not nor was He begotten, and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him; He is our Lord and we have no Lord besides Him. Hence we respond to the commands of our Lord with the utmost humility and submit to His commands, for we know that He is the All-Wise and no wisdom is greater than His. We know that He is the Most-Merciful and there is none more merciful than Him, may He be glorified and praised. Hence we love Him in a way that demands that we obey His commands even if that is somewhat difficult for us. We feel proud, happy and content when we do that which He commands us to do.
For if a human loves another person, he loves to serve him and that may make him happy. So what do you think about the Almighty Lord Who created us and grants us provision, and everything that we have is a blessing from Him? And His is the highest description. We owe everything to our Lord, so we must hasten to do all that He commands us to do, so that we might give back some small thanks for His great blessings. We can never thank Him enough, but by His grace Allaah the Most Generous accepts our small efforts and rewards us for them greatly.
For example, Hajj or pilgrimage. If a Muslim does Hajj in the manner required by his Lord, then Allaah has promised to forgive him his sins and admit him to Paradise, on condition that he does not spoil this action by committing any major action that would invalidate it and earn the anger of Allaah.
One of the great mercies that Allaah has bestowed upon this ummah (nation, i.e., the Muslims), is that Allaah has made obedience to His commands and the commands of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) subject to the condition that one be able to do them. So long as a person is able to do them, then it is obligatory for him to do what is required of him, otherwise he is not obliged to do so and he is excused. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope”
[al-Baqarah 2:286]– i.e., He does not ask him to do more than he can bear.
Concerning Hajj in particular, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka‘bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allaah, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence)”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:97]
By His mercy He has enjoined this upon His slaves once in a lifetime, so that it will not be too difficult for them, but He urges those who are able to do Hajj and ‘Umrah more than once to do so. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Keep on doing Hajj and ‘Umrah, for they take away poverty and sins as the bellows takes away the impurity from iron.” (Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 2/4; this is a saheeh hadeeth as was stated by al-Albaani inal-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1200).
This great act of worship was prescribed by Allaah so that we might praise Him and glorify Him, and thank Him for His great blessings and bounty. The purpose of Tawaaf around the Ka’bah is not simply to go around these stones! No, rather the reason is that Allaah has commanded us to go around it seven times and we obey Allaah by going around it seven times, no more and no less; rather we do what He has commanded us and we feel that we are His slaves, humbling ourselves before Him and praising Him and thanking Him for choosing us to be His slaves out of all of mankind who worship various gods, and may even worship themselves or their own desires.
The same applies to all the rituals of Hajj, and indeed to all the acts of worship that Allaah has prescribed for us. Praise be to Allaah, Who has honoured us with this great religion.
Moreover, your interest in asking about the Hajj at your young age indicates that you are keen to learn and find out. We advise you to learn more about Islam and to read about it, and to find out for yourself that it is the religion that suits the natural inclinations of man. This will set you on the path towards pleasing your Almighty Lord, Who created you and Who provides for you, and Who deserves that you should worship Him alone and none other.
Perhaps you know that our prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that his fellow-Prophet ‘Eesa (Jesus – peace be upon him) will come down at the end of time and will perform pilgrimage to this House, and he will declare his belief in Allah alone (Tawheed). We believe that this will happen as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us, just as we believe that the sun rises in the morning. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, the son of Maryam (the son of Mary, i.e. Jesus) will certainly pronounce the Talbiyah for Hajj or for ‘Umrah, or for both in the valley of Rawha.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1252). The valley of Rawha’ is a place between Makkah and Madeenah.
[Translator’s note: The Talbiyah is a prayer recited by pilgrims going to Makkah. It may be translated as follows: “Here I am at your service, O Allaah, here I am. Here I am at Your Service, You have no partner, here I am. All praise and blessings are Yours, and all dominion. You have no partner.”]
We ask Allaah to open your heart to true guidance… Ameen.

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Commentary on Hadeeth, - Dought & clear, - * Meaning of thehadeeth “No haamah and no Safar and no naw’ and no ghoul”

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I read a strange hadeeth which says that there is no haamah, no Safar, no naw’ and no ghoul. What do these words mean?
Praise be to Allaah.
Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali said:
Inal-Musnad,al-Saheehaynand elsewhere it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No haamah and no Safar.” Muslim and others add the words, “No naw’ and no ghoul.”
Haamah (pl. Haam) [owl]: the people of the jaahiliyyah used to think that when someone died and was buried, an owl [haamah] would come out of his grave. The Arabs used to think that the bones of the deceased turned into owls which flew, and they said that if someone was murdered, an owl would come out of his head, and it would keep saying, “Give me to drink, give me to drink,” until the slain person was avenged and his killer was killed.
Safar: it was said that they used to have superstitions concerning the month of Safar, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No Safar”. And it was said that the Arabs used to believe that there was a snake in the stomach which would harm a person when he had intercourse, and that this was contagious, so the Lawgiver denied that. Maalik said: the people of the Jaahiliyyah would regard Safar as not being sacred one year and as sacred the next year.
Naw’: (pl. al-Anwaa’) (a star which sets at the rising of another): this refers to twenty eight lunar mansions or phases, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“And the moon, We have measured for it mansions…”
[Yaa-Seen 36:39].
Every thirteen nights, one of these stars sets in the west at dawn, and another rises in the east, so that at the end of the year they will all have come and gone. The Arabs used to believe that when one set and the next one rose, there would be rain, which they attributed to them (these stars), so they would say, “We have rain because of such and such naw’ (star which sets at the rising of another).”
It is called naw’ because when the star which is setting sets in the west, the one which is rising appears (naa’a) in the east, i.e., it rises and emerges. And it was said that naw’ means setting, which is the opposite.
But in the case of those who believe that rain came by the will of Allaah and say, “We have rain at the time of such and such naw’” meaning that Allaah usually causes rain to come at this time – there is some dispute as to whether saying this is haraam or makrooh.
Ghoul (pl. gheelaan) means a kind of jinn or devil. The Arabs used to think that the ghoul lived in the wilderness and would appear to people, and that it could take on different shapes and colours, and that it would make them lose their way, seeking to kill them. The Lawgiver rejected and denied this idea altogether.
And it was said that this was not denying that ghouls exist, rather it was a denial of the Arabs’ belief that they could change shape and colour and make people lose their way, hence the meaning of “no ghoul” is that they cannot make people lose their way. This is borne out by another hadeeth, “There is no ghoul but there is sa’aali” This is in Muslim and elsewhere. Sa’aali is a magician among the jinn, but among them there are magicians who base their magic on confusion and illusions… al-Khallaal narrated from Taawoos that a man accompanied him, then a crow cawed and the man said, “Good, good.” Taawoos said to him, “What good is there in this, and what evil? Do not come with me!”
(al-Aadaab al-Shar’iyyah, 3/369, 370)
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
Some scholars said that the words “no healthy person should be exposed to a sick person” were abrogated by the words “There is no ‘adwa(contagion).” This is not correct. This is an example where what is negated is different than what is affirmed. What the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) denied when he said “There is no contagion and no Safar” was the belief of themushrikeenwhich was based on their beliefs ofshirk. With regard to the Prophet’s prohibition of exposing healthy people to sick people, there are two interpretations:
(1) The fear that people may attribute what Allaah has decreed to ‘adwa(contagion), which may confuse those who hear of this and make them believe in ‘adwa. There is no contradiction between the two reports.
(2) That this refers to exposing the sick person to the healthy person, which may be the means by which Allaah creates disease, so the exposure is the cause, but Allaah may divert its effects by means of other causes which oppose it or prevent the effect of the sickness. This is pure Tawheed, unlike that which the people ofshirkbelieve in.
This is similar to the denial of intercession on the Day of Resurrection mentioned in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession”
[al-Baqarah 2:254]
This does not contradict the unambiguous mutawaatir ahaadeeth which say that there will be intercession on the Day of Resurrection, because what Allaah is denying here is the kind of intercession that was known among themushrikeen, where an intercessor would come forward and intercede without being given permission. The intercession which is affirmed by Allaah and His Messenger is that which comes after His permission is given, as in the aayahs (interpretation of the meaning):
“…Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission?…”
[al-Baraqah 2:255]
“and they cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased”
[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:28]
“Intercession with Him profits not except for him whom He permits”
[Saba’ 34:23]
Haashiyat Tahdheeb Sunan Abi Dawood, 10/289-291)
And Allaah is the One Who grants strength to do what is right.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
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Commentary on Hadeeth, - Dought & clear, - * The meaning of blessings and salaams upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be uponhim)

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What is the meaning of blessings and salaams upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
“Blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)” – according to the majority of scholars, what is meant is mercy from Allaah, prayers for forgiveness offered by the angels, and du’aa’ offered by humans. Others – including Abu’l-Aaliyah among the earlier scholars and Ibn al-Qayyim among the later scholars, and Ibn ‘Uthaymeen among the contemporary scholars – are of the view that the meaning of blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is praise for him among the “higher group” (al-mala’ al-‘a’la, i.e., the angels, cf. al-Saffaat 37:8), and the prayers of the angels and the Muslims for blessings upon him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are for him to be praised by Allaah among the “higher group” (the angels). Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) wrote a book on this topic entitledJala’ al-Afhaam fi Fadl al-Salaati wa’l-Salaam ‘ala Khayr il-Anaam, in which he discussed at length the meaning of blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the rulings thereon, and its benefits.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The phrase “Bless Muhammad (salli ‘ala Muhammad)” – it was said that blessing from Allaah means mercy, blessings from the angels means prayer for forgiveness, and blessing from humans means du’aa’.
If it is said: “The angels sent blessings upon him,” it means that they prayed for forgiveness for him.
If it is said, “The khateeb sent blessings upon him,” it means that he prayed for blessing for him.
If it is said, “Allaah sent blessings upon him,” it means that He bestowed mercy upon him.
This is well known among the scholars, but the correct view is something different, because blessing (salaah) is more specific than mercy. Hence the Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is permissible to pray for mercy for every believer, but they differed as to whether we may pray for blessings (using this specific word ofsalaahorsalli ‘ala…) for anyone other than the Prophets. If the wordsalaahhere is taken to mean mercy, then there is no difference between them, and just as we pray for mercy for a person we may send blessings upon them.
Moreover, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones”
[al-Baqarah 2:157].
The wordrahmah(mercy) is mentioned in conjunction with the wordsalawaat(blessings), which indicates that they are two different things, so the meaning of the verse is clear. The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) used the wordsalaah(blessings) in some places and the wordrahmah(mercy) in others, sosalaahis the not the same as mercy. The best that cane be said concerning this is what Abu’l-‘Aaliyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The salaah (blessing) of Allaah upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is His praising him among the “higher group” (the angels).
So what is meant byAllaahumma salli ‘alayhi(O Allaah send blessings upon him) is: O Allaah, praise him among the higher group, i.e., among the angels who are close to Allaah.
If someone were to say that this is unlikely from a linguistic point of view, becausesalaahin Arabic means supplication, not praise, the answer to that is that the wordsalaahis also connected to the wordsilah(gift), and there can be no doubt that praise for the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) among the higher group (angels) is one of the greatest gifts, for praise may sometimes be more important to a person than all else. So a good mention is a great gift.
Based on this, the correct view is that sending blessings (salaah) upon him means praise for him along the higher group (the angels). End quote.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/163, 164
With regard to the meaning of sending salaams upon him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), this means praying for the soundness (salaamah) of his body during his lifetime, and the soundness of his religious commitment (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the soundness of his body in the grave, and his safety and well being on the Day of Resurrection.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The phraseal-salaamu ‘alayka. It was said that the meaning of al-Salaam is one of the names of Allaah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah is al-Salaam (the One Free from all defects)” and Allaah says in His Book (interpretation of the meaning):“the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects” [al-Hashr 59:23]. So according to this view, the meaning is: May Allaah protect, keep safe and take care of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is as if we are saying: Allaah is watching over you, protecting you, helping you, etc.
And it was said that salaam is a noun that comes from the root sallama (to greet), and means a greeting, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“O you who believe! send your Salaah on (ask Allaah to bless) him (Muhammad), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation, i.e. As‑Salaamu ‘Alaykum)” [al-Ahzaab 33:56]. The meaning of greeting the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is to pray for him and ask that he be kept safe from all harm.
It may be said: This du’aa’ is something obvious during his lifetime, (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but after his death, how can we pray that he be kept safe and sound when he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has died?
The answer is that prayer for safety and well-being are not limited to the time when someone is alive. There are the terrors of the Day of Resurrection yet to come. Hence the prayer of the Messengers when the people cross al-siraat (a bridge over Hell) will be: “Allaahumma, sallim, sallim(O Allaah, grant safety, grant safety).” A man does not cease to face danger and harm just because he has died.
So we pray for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that he will be kept safe from the terrors of the standing (on the Day of Resurrection).
We also say that there may be a more general meaning, i.e., that safety and protection for him also includes protection for his sharee’ah and Sunnah, that they may be kept safe from the hands of those who would tamper with them, as the scholars said concerning the verse (interpretation of the meaning):“refer it to Allaah and His Messenger” [al-Nisa’ 4:59]– they said: Refer to him during his lifetime, and to his Sunnah after his death.
Is the phrase “al-salaamu ‘alayka” a statement or a du’aa’? i.e., are you saying that the Messenger is protected, or are you praying that Allaah will protect him?
The answer is that it is a du’aa’, asking that Allaah will protect him. So it is a statement that serves as a du’aa’.
Is addressing the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) like one person addressing another?
The answer is no. If that were the case, then the prayer would be invalidated thereby, because no ordinary human speech is acceptable during this prayer. If that were the case, the Sahaabah would have said it out loud so that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would hear them, and he would have returned the greeting, as happened when they met him. But, as Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said in his bookIqtida’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem: Because you think so much about the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when you send salaams upon him, it is as if he is in front of you and you are addressing him.
Hence the Sahaabah used to say “Al-salaamu ‘alayka” although he could not hear them, and they would say “Al-salaamu ‘alayka” when they were in one land and he was in another, and we say “al-salaamu ‘alayka” although we are in lands other than his, and in a time other than his. End quote.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/149, 150
And Allaah knows best.

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Commentary on Hadeeth, - Dought & clear, - * Why was fasting singled out when Allaah said, “Fasting isfor Me and I shall reward for it?”

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What is special about fasting so that Allaah singled it out when He said, “Fasting is for Me and I shall reward for it?”.
Praise be to Allaah.
Al-Bukhaari (1761) and Muslim (1946) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah said: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting; it is for Me and I shall reward for it…’”
Because all deeds are for the sake of Allaah and He is the One Who rewards for them, the scholars differed concerning this phrase, “Fasting is for Me and I shall reward for it” – why is fasting singled out in this manner?
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) quoted the views of ten scholars who sought to explain the meaning of this hadeeth and why fasting was singled out in this manner. The most important of these views are as follows:
1 – That there is no showing off in fasting as may happen in other acts of worship. Al-Qurtubi said: Because showing off may enter into all good deeds, but no one can see when a person is fasting except Allaah, so Allaah connected it to Himself. Hence He said in the hadeeth, “He gives up his desire for My sake.” Ibn al-Jawzi said: All acts of worship can be seen when done, and they may be contaminated with some element of showing off, unlike fasting.
2 – That what is meant by the words, “I shall reward for it” is: I am the only One Who knows the extent of his reward and how much his hasanaat (good deeds) will be multiplied. Al-Qurtubi said: What this means is that the amount of reward for good deeds may become known to people, and they will be rewarded between ten and seven hundred fold, and as much as Allaah wants, except fasting, for Allaah will reward it without measure. This is supported by a report narrated by Muslim (115) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every deed of the son of Adam will be rewarded between ten and seven hundred fold. Allaah said: ‘Except fasting, for it is for Me and I shall reward for it’” – i.e., I shall reward it greatly, without specifying how much. This is like the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning”
[al-Zumar 39:10]
3 – That what is meant by “fasting is for Me” is that it is the dearest of acts of worship to Me. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: The words “Fasting is for Me” are sufficient to indicate the superiority of fasting over all other acts of worship. Al-Nasaa’i (2220) narrated that Abu Umaamah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You should fast, for there is nothing like it.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Nasaa’i.
4 – That fasting is mentioned in conjunction with Allaah by way of honouring, as we say, “the House of Allaah,” although all houses belong to Allaah. Al-Zayn ibn al-Muneer said: giving a specific meaning to something general in a context such as this can only be understood as being by way of honouring.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This hadeeth points to the virtue of fasting in numerous ways:
1 – Allaah singled out fasting for Himself from all other good deeds, because of its honoured status before Him, because He loves it and because it is a demonstration of sincerity towards Him, as it is a secret between a person and his Lord, which no one can see except Allaah. The fasting person may be in a place with no other people around, and he could eat or drink that which Allaah has forbidden to the fasting person, but he does not do that, because he knows that he has a Lord Who can see him even though he is alone and Who has forbidden that to him. So he forsakes it for the sake of Allaah and fearing His punishment, seeking His reward. Because of that, Allaah appreciates his sincerity and singled out fasting for Himself from among all other good deeds. Hence He said: “He gives up his desires and his food for My sake.”
The benefit of this singling out will be seen on the Day of Resurrection, as Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah said: When the Day of Resurrection comes, Allaah will bring His slave to account and will settle any scores outstanding from the rest of his deeds, until when there is nothing left but fasting, Allaah will settle the matter and will admit him to Paradise by virtue of his fasting.
2 – Allaah said concerning fasting: “I shall reward him for it.” So he connected the reward for fasting to Himself, because the reward for righteous deeds is mentioned by number, and a good deed will be rewarded between ten and seven hundred fold, many times. But with regard to fasting, Allaah connected the reward to Himself without specifying any number. Allaah is the most generous of those who are generous, and the gift reflects the generosity of the giver. So the reward of the one who fasts will be very great, without reckoning. Fasting is patience in obeying Allaah, patience in keeping away from the things forbidden by Allaah, and patience in bearing the decree of Allaah, hunger, thirst, physical and mental weakness. So it combines all three types of patience, thus the fasting person deserves to be counted as one of the patient, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning”
[al-Zumar 39:10]
Majaalis Shahr Ramadaan, p. 13
And Allaah knows best.

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