Narrated Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): Allah's Messengerﷺsaid, "Allah said, 'All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.' Fasting is a shield or protection from Hellfire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, 'I am fasting.' By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting person: one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting."
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Commentary :
Islam assigns great virtues to fasting and the honor conferred by Allah upon those who observe fasting is unmatched. They refrain from all intake of food, water, beverages, and from sexual activity, and in return Allah, Exalted is He, confers upon them His abundant rewards, and distinguishes them with a special divine bestowal.
In this hadeeth, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us that Allah, Exalted is He, said: “All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them,” meaning that the doer aspires to some worldly gains when performing them,“except for fasting; it is exclusively devoted to Me, and none knows its reward except Me. I shall give the doer its allocated reward and only I knows the amount of such reward and its multiplication.” As for other worshipful acts, their designated rewards and their multiplication are known by people; their rewards may be multiplied until seven hundred times, except for fasting. Allah, Exalted is He, multiplies the reward of fasting as He sees fit, with no maximum limit.
Another version of this hadeeth reads: “Every (good) deed of the son of Adam would be multiplied, a good deed receiving a tenfold to seven hundredfold reward. Allah, Exalted is He, has said: ‘With the exception of fasting, for it is done for Me and I will give a reward for it.’” [Muslim].
Since the reward of fasting is only known to Allah, Exalted is He, He did not entrust it to His angels, but rather grants it Himself, and this indicates its greatness and significance.
Then, the Prophet ﷺ stated that fasting is a protection and shield against sins and misdeeds in the worldly life and against Hellfire in the Hereafter.
He ﷺalso forbade the fasting person from engaging in obscene speech and using foul language, and also forbade him from shouting and quarreling.
Should anyone should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, 'I am fasting,’ to urge his opponent to stop or to evoke this meaning within his heart to restrain his anger. The prohibition in this hadeeth is meant as an emphasis on the prohibition in this regard during fasting; the one who is not fasting is also enjoined to do the same.
Then, the Prophet ﷺ swore by saying: “By Him in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad,” because to Allah, Exalted is He,belongs our souls. The Prophet ﷺ often swore by Allah, Exalted is He, with this wording. In this hadeeth, he ﷺ swore to the fact that the unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person, which is generally due to an empty stomach, is better and nicer in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection than the smell of musk, which is the best fragrance. The superiority of fasting compared to other worshipful acts is indicated because it is attributed directly to Allah, Exalted is He, (“With the exception of fasting, for it is done for Me and I will give a reward for it.”),qualifying it to have one of the most refined statuses.
The smell of the mouth is declared better than musk in the sight of Allah because fasting is a secret between a servant and his Lord, and only He knows if it is accepted or rejected. Therefore, Allah, Exalted is He, rendered the smell of the fasting person’s mouth a manifest indication on the Day of Resurrection, to highlight his honor and refined praiseworthy status.
Afterwards, the Prophet ﷺ informed us that the fasting person who fulfills the due rights of fasting, by carrying out its obligations and recommended acts, will taste two great joys: one in this worldly life, and the other in the Hereafter. As for the first, he rejoices when he breaks the fast, because he quenches his thirst and satisfies his hunger whenever it is deemed allowable, and this joy is normal in this context. It could also mean that he would rejoice at the completion of his fasting and the conclusion of his worshipful act. People’s joy varies according to their different statuses in this regard. As for the second joy, he tastes it upon meeting his Lord (on the Day of Judgment); he would rejoice at his fasting, meaning that he would rejoice at receiving its reward, or meeting his Lord, or having his fasting accepted and earning its abundant reward.
Perfecting fasting entails guarding one’s tongue against committing sins such as: lying and obscene and false speech, guarding one’s stomach by abstaining from eating and drinking, and guarding his private parts by refraining from sexual activity. This means that a fasting person should not utter what may undermine his fasting and should only confine himself to good and useful speech, and the same goes for his actions. This is the prescribed fasting, which is not limited to the refrainment from eating and drinking. It has been narrated on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever does not give up false speech and evil actions and does not abandon foolishness, Allah is not in need of his leaving food and drink (i.e., Allah will not accept his fasting).” [Al-Bukhaaree]. He ﷺ also said: “There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger.” [Sunan Ibn Maajah].
Correct fasting requires guarding oneself against sins along with the refrainment from eating and drinking. The consumption of food or beverages invalidates the fasting, and similarly committing sins undermines the rewards and outcomes of fasting, as if the person has not observed fasting to begin with.
The hadeeth urges the fasting person to give up evil deeds and prohibitions.
Also deduced from it the affirmation of the Hand ofAllah, Exalted is He, as befits His majesty.
It is also serves as evidence on the affirmation of the Speech of Allah, Exalted is He, and that He speaks wherever He wills to whomever He wills with whatever He wills, and that His words are not limited to the Holy Quran.
It is also inferred from the hadeeth that acts of worship differ in terms of reward.
It may also be deduced from the hadeeth that it is permissible to swear an oath to confirm one’s statement, even if the listener does not deny it.
Finally, it underlines that whoever worships Allah, Exalted is He, and seeks His pleasure in this worldly life, yet his actions result in unpleasant outcomes in this worldly life, they are loved by Allah, Exalted is He, and regarded as ‘good’ in His sight, being the outcome of obedience to Him and seeking after His pleasure.
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Hadiths
