In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Rewards of Fasting

Every act of goodness is rewarded. Rewards are given based on the sincerity of the intention. Fasting is the only worship about which Allah has said that He Himself is the reward for it. This means that one develops such a close relationship with Allah that Allah Himself becomes the helper. 

Achieving Taqwa: is one of the most important wisdom of fasting. Fasting brings on Taqwa as it lessens the desire of the stomach and mutes the sexual appetite. Whoever fasts frequently would overcome these two desires more easily. This deter against committing abominations and sins and assist in controlling life leading to Taqwa. "Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. " [Qur'an 49:13]

Strengthening willpower and acquiring patience: Ramadhan the month of patience as it increases one's will power to control his desire and the selfishness of his soul. This training allows him to be strong in following Allah's commands. The most important being to carry the Message and propel it forward. The person trains himself to be patient in obeying Allah by stopping at the limits set by Allah both by way of action and abstention. Allah said:

"Permitted to you on the night of the fasts is the approach to your wives. They are your garments. And ye are their garments. Allah knoweth what ye used to do secretly among yourselves; but He turned to you and forgave you; so now associate with them and seek what Allah hath ordained for you and eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread; then complete your fast till the night appears; but do not associate with your wives while ye are in retreat in the mosques. Those are limits (set by) Allah; approach not nigh thereto. Thus doth Allah make clear His signs to men that they may learn self-restraint." [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:187]

Fasting is pure worship: The fact that he is abstaining from food and drink both in public and in secret shows his honest faith and strong love of Allah, and his knowledge and feeling that Allah is all-knowing of everything. For this reason Allah has made the reward for fasting greater than for any other type of worship.

Relieving Muslims from life's distractions: Eating, drinking, and socializing all distract a person and weaken ties with Allah. It is by the Mercy of Allah that Muslims are ordered to fast so as not to be bothered by the intrusion of these activities. Nor by the thought about them, nor the anticipation for them when devoting themselves to the all types of worship, either reading the Qur'an, offering additional prayer or making I'tikaf.

Narrated Mu'adh ibn Jabal (ra)
The Prophet said: "The fasting is a shield against evil, the charity extinguishes (the fire of sin) just as water extinguishes fire," [Transmitted by Tirmidhi Hadith no. 2, Ahmad, Ibn Majah]

Discovering Allah's Blessings: A person experiences the hardship of the poor. He should then be thankful to Allah Who has blessed him with His bounty while others are deprived. This should make him more sympathetic and willing to share this bounty. The poor rediscovers that fasting helps a person be more devoted to worship. More able to concentrate and meditate. He should then be able of this devotion all year long, a blessing he should thank Allah for.

Acquiring strength and endurance: It has been discovered that depriving the body of food for a period of time helps its defence and endurance mechanism. This in turn this protects the body from certain diseases. Click here to watch the video - What happens to your body when fasting?

Offering Iftar (meal) to those who fasted. Narrated Zayd ibn Khalid Jubayni (ra), the Prophet said:

"He who provides for the breaking of the fast of another earns the same merit as the one who was observing the fast, without diminishing in any way the reward of the latter." [Tirmidhi Hadith no. 378]

Reading and completing the Qur'an: The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam used to recite the whole Qur'an to Angel Jibreel (as) in Ramadhan.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr (ra), Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Fasting and the Qur'an intercede for a man. Fasting says, 'O my Lord, I have kept him away from his food and his passions by day, so accept my intercession for him.' The Qur'an says, 'I have kept him away from sleep by night, so accept my intercession for him.' Then their intercession is accepted." [Tirmidhi Hadith no. 612]

Supplication: In the verses dealing with fasting, Allah said: "When my servants ask thee concerning Me I am indeed close (to them); I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me; let them also with a will listen to My call and believe in Me; that they may walk in the right way." [Al-Baqarah 2:186]. This is an encouragement for the fasting person to increase his invocation. From the authentic hadiths the three invocations will be answered: The invocation of the fasting person, the invocation of the oppressed, and the invocation of the traveller.

Narrated Abu Huraira (ra), Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) said, "Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: 'Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?' " [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2 (Tahajjud Prayer), Hadith no. 246]

Repentance: Ramadhan is the time of repentance and return to Allah, for it is a time when the devils are chained, and when many people are saved from hell fire every night by the grace of Allah.

Narrated Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), Allah's Apostle said, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained." [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3 (Fasting), Hadith no. 123]

Narrated Sahl, the Prophet (saw) said, "There is a gate in Paradise called Ar-Raiyan, and those who observe fasts will enter through it on the Day of Resurrection and none except them will enter through it. It will be said, 'Where are those who used to observe fasts?' They will get up, and none except them will enter through it. After their entry the gate will be closed and nobody will enter through it." [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3 (Fasting), Hadith no. 120]

Narrated Abu Huraira (ra), the Prophet (saw) said, "Allah said: The Fast is for Me and I will give the reward for it, as he (the one who observes the fast) leaves his sexual desire, food and drink for My Sake. Fasting is a screen (from Hell) and there are two pleasures for a fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord. And the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better in Allah's Sight than the smell of musk." [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9 (Monotheism), Hadith no. 584]

Narrated Abu Sa'id Khudri (ra), I heard the Prophet saying: "Indeed, anyone who fasts for one day for Allah's pleasure, Allah will keep his face away from the (Hell) fire for (a distance covered by a journey of) seventy years." [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4 (Jihad), Hadith no. 93] 

Abu Huraira (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet said: "Whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven."[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1 (Faith), Hadith no. 37]  

Fasting is a shield against one's base desires, as narrated by Abdullah (ra) the Prophet told the youth: "O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e. his private parts from committing illegal sexual intercourse etc.), and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power." [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7 (Wedlock, Nikah), Hadith no. 4]  

The expiation for breaking an oath is to feed or clothe ten poor persons or set free a slave. Whoever cannot do any of those things should fast for three days, because Allah (swt) says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Allah will not call you to account for what is futile in your oaths but He will call you to account for your deliberate oaths: for expiation (a deliberate oath) feed ten Masaakeen (poor persons) on a scale of the average for the food of your families; or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom. If that is beyond your means fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths ye have sworn. But keep to your oaths. Thus doth Allah make clear to you His Signs that ye may be grateful." [Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:89]

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah's Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

We pray to Allah to make for us this Ramadhan a shield from Hell Fire. Aameen

• The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an, 11th edition 1429 AH / 2008 C.E with Revised English Translation, Commentary and Index by ‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali.

• Sahih Al-Bukhari translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, Islamic University Al-Medina Al-Munawwara, Published: 1980, Publisher: Dar Al Arabia, Beirut, Lebanon.

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