بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ (١٨٣) أَيَّامً۬ا مَّعۡدُودَٲتٍ۬ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ۬ فَعِدَّةٌ۬ مِّنۡ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَۚ وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ ۥ فِدۡيَةٌ۬ طَعَامُ مِسۡكِينٍ۬ۖ فَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيۡرً۬ا فَهُوَ خَيۡرٌ۬ لَّهُ ۥۚ وَأَن تَصُومُواْ خَيۡرٌ۬ لَّڪُمۡۖ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ (١٨٤) شَہۡرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدً۬ى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِۚ فَمَن شَہِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّہۡرَ فَلۡيَصُمۡهُۖ وَمَن ڪَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ۬ فَعِدَّةٌ۬ مِّنۡ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِڪُمُ ٱلۡيُسۡرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِڪُمُ ٱلۡعُسۡرَ وَلِتُڪۡمِلُواْ ٱلۡعِدَّةَ وَلِتُڪَبِّرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَٮٰكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ أُحِلَّ لَڪُمۡ لَيۡلَةَ ٱلصِّيَامِ ٱلرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَآٮِٕكُمۡۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ۬ لَّكُمۡ وَأَنتُمۡ لِبَاسٌ۬ لَّهُنَّۗ عَلِمَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّڪُمۡ كُنتُمۡ تَخۡتَانُونَ أَنفُسَڪُمۡ فَتَابَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَعَفَا عَنكُمۡۖ فَٱلۡـَٔـٰنَ بَـٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَٱبۡتَغُواْ مَا ڪَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡۚ وَكُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡخَيۡطُ ٱلۡأَبۡيَضُ مِنَ ٱلۡخَيۡطِ ٱلۡأَسۡوَدِ مِنَ ٱلۡفَجۡرِۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّواْ ٱلصِّيَامَ إِلَى ٱلَّيۡلِۚ وَلَا تُبَـٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمۡ عَـٰكِفُونَ فِى ٱلۡمَسَـٰجِدِۗ تِلۡكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَقۡرَبُوهَاۗ كَذَٲلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَّقُونَ
“O you who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as they were enjoined upon those before you, so that you may be God-fearing, (183) For days few in number. However, should any one of you be sick or on a journey, then (he should fast) a number of other days (equal to the missed ones); and those who have the strength, (still, they do not opt for fasting,) on them there is a fidyah (compensation), that is, the feeding of a poor person. Then whoever does good voluntarily, that is better for him. However, that you fast is better for you, if you only knew. (184) The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur’an was revealed as guidance for mankind, and as clear signs that show the right way and distinguish between right and wrong. So those of you who witness the month must fast in it. But the one who is sick, or is on a journey (should fast) as much from other days (as he missed). Allah intends (to provide) ease for you and does not intend (to create) hardship for you. All this is so that you may complete the number (of fasts as prescribed) and proclaim the Takbir of Allah for having guided you, and (so) that you may be grateful. (185) It is made lawful for you, in the nights of fasts, to have sexual intercourse with your women. They are apparel for you, and you are apparel for them. Allah knows that you have been betraying yourselves, so He relented towards you and pardoned you. So now you can have sexual intimacy with them and seek what Allah has destined for you and eat and drink until the white thread of the dawn becomes distinct from the black thread; then complete the fast up to the night. But do not have sexual intimacy with them while you are staying in mosques for I‘tikaf. These are the limits set by Allah, so do not go near them. Thus Allah manifests His signs to the people, so that they may be God-fearing.” (187)
Ruling: In verse 183, Allah commands the Muslims of this ummah to fast, which is one of the pillars of Islam. Since fasting is difficult on the nafs, Allah informs us that the previous nations were also commanded to fast, so in this, our nation should find comfort. Informing us of the previous nations obligation, is also an emphatic method in obligating it on us. (Ruh Al Maani V3 pg 121, Tafsir Uthmani V1 pg 190)
Ruling: In verse 184, Allah mentions that this fasting is for a short period of time which is Ramadan. Notwithstanding this short period of time, those sick individuals and those considered travellers in the sharia, were given concessions of having the choice to fast. If he so chooses not to fast, these days should be repeated after the month, whether they are made up consecutively or they are separated. In the case of the traveller, hardship is not a condition for him to have the choice to fast. Whether he is experiencing hardship or not, he has the leeway to fast or not to fast. However, as already mentioned, he should be travelling not a short distance from home to a nearby town for example, but it should be the distance that sharia recognizes as the distance of travel. This is clarified by the ahadith in being around three days of travel or 48 miles. He must also not reside in any given place for 15 days or more away from home, if he does, then he would no longer be considered a shari traveller. However, if he were to stay 15 days in multiple places, he is still counted as a Shari traveller. The condition for the sick person to not take part in the fast is that he cannot observe the fast except by experiencing extreme pain and hardship, or has the strong belief that if he were to fast, his illness would get aggravated. (Maarif Al Quran V1 pg 455)
Ruling: “then (he should fast) a number of other days (equal to the missed ones)” As already touched on, the sick person and the traveller are obliged to fast the number of days they missed in Ramadan outside of the month. A sick person will only have to make qada of the fasts once he becomes healthy and lives on for the exact number of days he is obliged to make up for the fasts he missed, same with the traveller when he returns home. So, if the person sick or travelling were to die before arriving at such days that he could of made up the fasts, they no longer remain compulsory on him nor will he need to pay compensation for them. (Maarif Al Quran V1 pg 456)
Ruling: These fasts could be made up in order or at multiple intervals. So, one can make up the fifth missed fast first before the others for example. (Maarif Al Quran V1 pg 456)
Ruling: “and those who have the strength, (still, they do not opt for fasting,) on them there is a fidyah (compensation), that is, the feeding of a poor person. Then whoever does good voluntarily, that is better for him. However, that you fast is better for you, if you only knew.” There are two interpretations for the initial part of the verse, “and those who have the strength, (still, they do not opt for fasting,) on them there is a fidyah (compensation)”. One is that it is addressed to those that are healthy and residents. The choice was given to these able individuals in the beginning of Islam, that they can either fast, or pay compensation since fasting for many days was difficult upon them due to not being accustomed to it. However, even though this option was given, Allah said at the end of the verse that fasting is better for you then paying the ransom if only you knew. Then this choice was abrogated in favor of the next verse, “So those of you who witness the month must fast in it.” However, the ruling of compensation remained valid for the feebly old and chronically/terminally ill. (Maarif Al Quran V1 pg 456, Hashia Jalalayn V1 pg 107)
The second opinion of this verse is that there is a hidden negative particle which is common in the use of the eloquent/fusahaa, so the meaning is for those who cannot withstand the fasting. So, this verse would not be considered abrogated here and it would be in regard to the feebly old man or chronically/terminally ill. (Hashia Jalalayn V1 pg 107) So if the second opinion is chosen, the last part of the verse saying that it is better for you to fast, is referring to the sick and traveller mentioned earlier. (Ruh Al Maani V3 pg 128)
Ruling: The compensation being referred to here is half a saa of wheat or its value which is 1.632 kg. This is for the ransom of one fast. It should also not be distributed between two recipients. (Maarif Al Quran V1 pg 458)
Ruling: As for the part of verse 185, “So those of you who witness the month must fast in it.”, it means that it is necessary for one present in the month to fast it. The concession given in the previous verse of not fasting for those who could handle it, was abrogated by this verse and there remained no alternative but to fast the days of Ramadan. So, witnessing the month of Ramadan refers to the individual being in the month itself with ability to fast in it. So, this applies to all sane, pubert, non- travelling, Muslims, free of menstruation and post-natal bleeding. Those who lack the ability from the get go to fast such as the minor, insane or non- believer, are not under the necessity to fast. As for those who witnessed the month with ability to fast it, such as the sick, women in menstruation, traveller etc., they’ve witnessed the month unlike the above class of people, but due to legally permitting reasons were excused, but repeating the fasts is still necessary. These people found the month in a state of ability, therefore the injunction of fasting in the verse applies to them, but because of temporary conditions, they have been granted exemption until a later date. Anyone who finds or witnesses the entirety of the month is obliged to fast such. Anyone who witnesses part of it such a non-Muslim who accepts Islam half way through the month, will fast the remaining days and not need to repeat anything of the previous days, as not having been considered to witness such. (Maarif Al Quran V1 pg 460)
Ruling: “But the one who is sick, or is on a journey (should fast) as much from other days (as he missed).” This was repeated in verse 185 because the thought may have come to mind that since paying ransom for not fasting even though one is able to has been abrogated by “So those of you who witness the month must fast in it”, then maybe this ruling of the sick and traveller stands abrogated as well. So, it was repeated to remove this doubt and to establish that this ruling stands good, and to also remove the doubt that the generality of “those who witness the month” could have abrogated the past ruling of the sick and traveller, (which it didn’t). (Maarif Al Quran V1 pg 462)
Ruling: “It is made lawful for you, in the nights of fasts, to have sexual intercourse with your women. They are apparel for you, and you are apparel for them. Allah knows that you have been betraying yourselves, so He relented towards you and pardoned you. So now you can have sexual intimacy with them and seek what Allah has destined for you” This verse is giving permission to have sexual intercourse with your wives in the nights of the fasts of Ramadan. This was revealed to abrogate the rule that was in place in the beginning of Islam, where once one slept, he could not eat, drink or have intercourse till the next setting of the sun, so if one slept after maghrib and woke up for isha prayers, his fast would have started and he could not eat, drink, or have sexual intercourse till the next day. (Maarif Al Quran V1 pg 464)
Ruling: “and eat and drink until the white thread of the dawn becomes distinct from the black thread; then complete the fast up to the night.” Just as Allah granted permission to have sexual intercourse in the nights of Ramadan, he also gave permission to eat and drink in the nights of Ramadan till dawn. Allah commanded that fasts should be from true dawn which appears horizontally on the horizon, till the setting of the sun. Allah compared true dawn to a white thread and the night to a black thread, and in saying such, ordered that the suhur meal should be eaten until true dawn, then all consumption and intercourse should cease until the setting of the sun. This certainty of the break of dawn is the true demarcation between eating and the fast. So, one should not be over skeptical in believing consumption to be prohibited much before the break of true dawn, nor should one be so laxed that he continues to consume right through the appearance of dawn. Until one achieves certainty in dawn, it is not correct to take eating and drinking as unlawful. The opposite is true that after certainty, it is unlawful to continue to consume. The above is regarding those who are able to see the brake of dawn on the horizon and therefore attain certainty, and they must do such. As for those you cannot see the horizon and break of dawn clearly, because it is not clear or open to them, they then would need to determine all this by other signs or methods. For these individuals, there will be a certain given time where the break of dawn would not be certain and would be doubtful. For these people, it is preferred that they do not eat or drink at that time. However, if they do so choose to do such in a state of doubt without being certain of the break of dawn, they will not considered sinners, but if later on it is proven that dawn had set in while they were eating, they will need to make qada of this fast. (Maarif Al Quran V1 pg 467) Allah says to keep your fasts from dawn to dusk. We learn from this the undesirability of keeping fasts consecutively without even eating at the night. (Tafsir Uthmani V1 pg 198)
Ruling: “But do not have sexual intimacy with them while you are staying in mosques for I‘tikaf”. While in I’tikaf in the houses of Allah, it is permissible to eat and drink in the nights of Ramadan like everyone else, however, they are not allowed to have sexual intercourse in this state, either by day or night. (Tafsir Uthmani V1 pg 198)
