"I asked - or; the Prophet was asked - about fasting daily. So he said: 'Your family has a right over you.' Then he said: 'Fast Ramadan and that which is after it, and every Wednesday and Thursday. If you do that, then you will have fasted daily, as well as broken (the fast).'"

"I asked Aishah about the Prophet's fasting.' She said: 'He would fast until we said: "He has fasted" and he would abstain from fasting until we said: "He has abstained from fasting." (She said:) 'The Messenger of Allah did not fast an entire month except Ramadan.'"

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "(The structure of) Islam is built on five (pillars): Testification of 'La ilaha illallah' (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), that Muhammad (PBUH) is his slave and Messenger, the establishment of Salat, the payment of Zakat, the pilgrimage to the House of Allah (Ka'bah), and Saum during the month of Ramadan."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Islam is based on five (pillars): testifying that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad (PBUH) is His slave and Messenger; performing of Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat); the payment of Zakat; performing Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House [of Allah (Ka'bah)]; and Saum (fasting) during the month of Ramadan."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

'Umar ordered Ubayy b. Ka'b and Tamim ad-Dari to lead the people in eleven rak'as during the night in Ramadan. The reader was reciting [a sura with over] a hundred verses in each rak'a so that we leaned on our sticks because of standing so long, and we did not depart till the dawn was beginning to break. Malik transmitted it.

“The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to join Sha’ban to Ramadan.”

“ ‘Umrah during Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj.”

“ ‘Umrah during Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj.”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Thawr ibn Zayd ad-Dili from Abdullah ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, once mentioned Ramadan and said, "Do not start the fast or break it until you see the new moon. If the new moon is obscured from you, then complete a full thirty days."

“May the man before whom I am mentioned - and he does not send Salat upon me - be humiliated. And may a man upon whom Ramadan enters and then passes, before he is forgiven, be humiliated. And may a man whose parents reached old age in his presence, and they were not a cause for his entrance to Paradise, be humiliated.”

“Umrah during Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj.”

the Messenger of Allah said: "On the first night of the month of Ramadan, the Shayatin are shackled, the jinns are restrained, the gates of the Fires are shut such that no gate among them would be opened. The gates of Paradise are opened such that no gate among them would be closed, and a caller calls: 'O seeker of the good; come near!' and 'O seeker of evil; stop! For there are those whom Allah frees from the Fire.' And that is every night."

Some of the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) saw Lailat-ul-Qadr (Night of Decree) in their dreams in the last seven nights of Ramadan, whereupon the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "I see that your dreams all agree upon the last seven nights. Whosoever seeks it, let him seek it in the last seven nights."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

“The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to say from the pulpit, before the month of Ramadan: ‘Fasting will begin on such and such a day, but we are going to start fasting earlier, so whoever wants to start fasting earlier (i.e., in Sha’ban), let him do so, and whoever wants to wait until Ramadan begins, let him do so.’”

That people from the- tribe of 'Abdul-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Messenger of Allah, we belong to the tribe of Rabi'a and there live between you and us the unbelievers of the Mudar tribe and we find it impossible to come to you except in the sacred months; direct us to a deed which we must communicate to those who have been left behind us and by doing which we may enter heaven. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: I enjoin upon you four (things) and forbid you to do four (things): worship Allah and associate none with Him, establish prayer, pay Zakat, and observe the fast of Ramadan, and pay the fifth part out of the booty. And I prohibit you from four (things): dry gourds, green-coloured jars, hollowed stumps of palm-trees, and receptacles. They (the members of the delegation) said: Do you know what al-naqir is? He replied: Yes, it is a stump which you hollow out and in which you throw small dates. Sa'id said: He (the Holy Prophet) used the word tamar (dates). (The Holy Prophet then added): Then you sprinkle water over it and when its ebullition subsides, you drink it (and you are so intoxicated) that one amongst you, or one amongst them (the other members of your tribe, who were not present there) strikes his cousin with the sword. He (the narrator) said: There was a man amongst us who had sustained injury on this very account due to (intoxication), and he told that he tried to conceal it out of shame from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). I, however, inquired from the Messenger of Allah (it we discard those utensils which you have forbidden us to use), then what type of vessels should be used for drink? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: In the waterskin the mouths of which are tied (with a string). They (again) said: Prophet of Allah, our land abounds in rats and water-skins cannot remain preserved. The holy Prophet of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: (Drink in water-skins) even if these arenibbled by rats. And then (addressing) al-Ashajj of 'Abdul-Qais he said: Verily, you possess two such qualities which Allah loves: insight and deliberateness.

A man came to the Prophet (saws) and said: How do you fast, Messenger of Allah? The Messenger of Allah (saws) became angry at what he said.

When Umar observed this (his anger), he said: We are satisfied with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as Prophet. We seek refuge in Allah from the anger of Allah, and from the anger of His Apostle. Umar continued to repeat these words till his anger cooled down. He then asked: Messenger of Allah, what is the position of one who observes a perpetual fast?

He replied: May he not fast or break his fast. Musaddad said in his version: He has neither fasted nor broken his fast. The narrator, Ghaylan, doubted the actual wordings.

He asked: What is the position of one who fasts two days and does not fast one day?

He said: Is anyone able to do that? He asked: What is the position of one who fasts every second day (i.e. fasts one day and does not fasts the next day)?

He (the Prophet) said: This is the fast that David observed.

He asked: Messenger of Allah, what is the position of one who fasts one day and breaks it for two days? He replied: I wish I were given the power to observe that. Then the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: The observance of three days' fast every month and of one Ramadan to the other (i.e. the fast of Ramadan every year) is (equivalent to) a perpetual fast. I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Arafah may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming year, and I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Ashura' may atone for the sins of the preceding year.

“Whoever is in Makkah when the month of Ramadan comes, and he fasts it and prays at night as much as he can, Allah will record for him (reward equivalent to that for) one hundred thousand months of Ramadan observed elsewhere. For each day Allah will record for him (reward equivalent to that for) freeing a slave, and for each day (reward equivalent to that for) providing a horse in the cause of Allah, and for every day merits and for every night merits.”

‘When it is the middle of Sha’ban, do not fast until Ramadan comes.”

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “Ramadan, a blessed month, has come to you during which God has made it obligatory for you to fast. In it the gates of heaven are opened, the gates of al-Jahim are locked, and the rebellious devils are chained. In it God has a night which is better than a thousand months. He who is deprived of its good has indeed suffered deprivation." Ahmad and Nasa’i transmitted it.

“ ‘Umrah during Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj (i.e. in reward).”

‘ ‘Umrah during Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj (i.e., in reward).’”

“The Prophet (saw) used to spend the night in a state of sexual impurity, then Bilal would come to him and inform him that it is time for prayer. So he would get up and have a bath, and I would see the water dripping from his head, then he would go out and I would hear his voice during Fajr prayer.”

(One of the narrators) Mutarrif said: "I said to Amir: 'Was that during Ramadan?' He said: 'In Ramadan and at other times.'"

I heard Messenger of Allah (PBUH) during the sermon of the Farewell Pilgrimage saying, "Be mindful of your duty to Allah; perform your five daily Salat, observe Saum during the month (of Ramadan) , pay the Zakat on your properties and obey your leaders; (if you do so) you will enter the Jannah of your Rubb".

[At-Tirmidhi, who categorized it as Hadith Hasan Sahih].

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone breaks his fast one day in Ramadan without a concession* or without being ill, a perpetual fast will not atone for it even if he observes it.” *e.g. while travelling. Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Darimi and Bukhari in a chapter heading transmitted it. Tirmidhi said that he heard Muhammad, i.e. Bukhari, say this was the only tradition he knew by Abul Mutawwis the transmitter.

Abu Huraira reported God's Messenger as saying, "There are no days on which God likes better to be worshipped than the ten days of Dhul Hijja. Fasting observed on each of these days is equivalent to a year’s fasting, and prayer during each of these nights is equivalent to prayer during Lailat al-qadr.’* * A night towards the end of Ramadan. See Book 7, Chap. 9. Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, but Tirmidhi said its isnad is weak.

“Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he fasted for a lifetime.”

"We fasted Ramadan with the Messenger of Allah (SAW), and the Prophet (SAW) did not lead us in Qiyam until there were seven days left of the month, then he led us in Qiyam until one-third of the night had passed. Then, when there were six days left, he did not lead us in Qiyam. When there were five days left, he led us in praying Qiyam until half the night had passed. We said: 'O Messenger of Allah (SA), why don't you lead us in praying Qiyam for the rest of the night?' He said: 'If a man prays with the Imam until he leaves, that will be continued for him as if he spent the whole night in prayer.' Then, when there were four days left, he did not lead us in praying Qiyam. When there were three days left he sent for his daughters and women, and gathered the people, and he led us in praying Qiyam until we feared that we would miss Al-Falah. Then he did not lead us in praying Qiyam for the rest of the month." Dawud (one of the narrators) said: "I said: ' What is falah?' He said: 'Sahur.'

"We fasted with the Messenger of Allah (SAW) in Ramadan and he did not lead us in praying Qiyam until there were seven days left in the month, when he led us in praying Qiyam until one-third of the night had passed. Then he did not lead us in praying Qiyam when there were six days left. Then he led us praying Qiyam when there were five days left until one-half of the night had passed. I said: "O Messenger of Allah! What if we spend the rest of this night praying Nafl?" He said: "Whoever prays Qiyam with the Imam until he finishes, Allah (SWT) will record for him the Qiyam of a (whole) night." Then he did not lead us in prayer or pray Qiyam until there were three days of the month left. Then he led us in praying Qiyam when there were three days left. He gathered his family and wives (and led us in prayer) until we feared that we would miss Al-Falah. I (one of the narrators) said: "What is Al-Falah?" He said: "The suhur".

“The Prophet (saw) used to strive hard (in worship) in the last ten nights of Ramadan as he never did at any other time.”

‘Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and the hope of reward will be forgiven his previous sins.”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd Rabbih ibn Said from Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham from A'isha and Umm Salama, the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to get up in the morning junub from intercourse, not a dream, in Ramadan, and then he would fast."

Yahya related to me from Ziyad from Malik that he saw some of the people of knowledge who, when they did itikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan, would not go back to their families until they had attended the Id al-Fitr with everybody.

Ziyad said that Malik said, "I heard this from the people of excellence who have passed away, and it is what I like most out of what I have heard about the matter."

"I said to Ubayy bin Ka'b: 'O Abu Al-Mundhir! How do you know that it is the night of the twenty-seventh?' He said: 'Rather, the Messenger of Allah informed us that it is a night (after which) the sun rises without rays, so we counted and we remembered it. By Allah! Ibn Mas'ud learned that it is in Ramadan and that it is the nigh of the twenty-seventh, but he did not want to inform you lest you would depend on it."

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "(The superstructure of) Islam is based on five (pillars), testifying the fact that La ilaha illallah wa anna Muhammad-ar-Rasul-ullah [there is no true god except Allah, and Muhammad ((PBUH)) is the Messenger of Allah], establishing As- Salat (the prayers), paying Zakat (poor due), the pilgrimage to the House [of Allah (Ka'bah)], and the Saum (fasting) during the month of Ramadan."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Jabir said that God’s messenger went off to Mecca in Ramadan in the year of the Conquest, and he and the people fasted till he came to Kura' al-Ghamim.* He then called for a cup of water which he raised till the people looked at it, and then he drank. He was told afterwards that some of the people had continued to fast, and said, “Those are the disobedient ones; those are the disobedient ones.” *A wadi two stages from Mecca on the way to Medina. Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar said God’s messenger prescribed as the zakat payable by slave and freeman, male and female, young and old among the Muslims on breaking the fast of Ramadan a sa'* of dried dates or a sa' of barley, and gave command that this should be paid before the people went out to prayer. (Bukhari and Muslim.) * The Hijazi sa' is described as a measure equivalent to four mudds, the mudd being the amount a man with average size hands can hold with both hands extended.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Humayd ibn Oays al-Makki told him, "I was with Mujahid while he was performing tawaf around the Kaba, and a man came to him and asked whether the days (of fasting) for kaffara had to be fasted consecutively, or could they be split up. I said to him, 'Yes, they can be split up, if the person so wishes.' Mujahid said, 'He should not split them up, because in Ubayy ibn Kab's recitation they are referred to as three consecutive days.' "

Malik said, "What I like most is what Allah has specified in the Qur'an, that is, that they are fasted consecutively."

Malik was asked about a woman who began the day fasting in Ramadan and though it was outside of the time of her period, fresh blood (i.e. not menstrual blood) flowed from her. She then waited until evening to see the same, but did not see anything.Then, on the next day in the morning she had anotherflow, though less than the first. Then, some days before her period, the flow stopped completely. Malik was asked what she should do about her fasting and prayer, and he said, "This blood is like menstrual blood. When she sees it she should break her fast, and then make up the days she has missed. Then, when the blood has completely stopped, she should do ghusl and fast."

Malik was asked whether someone who became muslim on the last day of Ramadan had to make up all of Ramadan or whether he just had to make up the day when he became muslim, and he said, "He does not have to make up any of the days that have passed. He begins fasting from that day onwards. What I like most is that he makes up the day on which he became muslim."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Sumayy, the mawla of Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman, heard Abu Bakribn Abd ar-Rahman say, "A woman came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'I had arranged to do hajj, but I was prevented,' and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Do umra in Ramadan, for doing umra in it is like doing hajj.' "

Ibn ‘Abbas told a desert Arab coming to the Prophet and saying he had seen the new moon, i.e. the new moon of Ramadan. He asked him whether he testified that there is no god but God and he replied that he did. He then asked if he testified that Muhammad is God’s messenger, and when he replied that he did he said, “Bilal, announce to the people that they must fast tomorrow." Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it.

He reported God’s Messenger as saying, “May he be abased who does not invoke a blessing on me when I am mentioned in his presence. May he be abased who passes through the whole of Ramadan before his sins are forgiven him. May he be abased one or both of whose parents have reached old age without causing him to enter paradise.* *This means that he has shown them no kindness. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

The messenger of Marwan whom he sent to Umm Ma'qil reported to me.

She said: AbuMa'qil accompanied the Messenger of Allah (saws) during hajj. When he came (to her) she said: You know that hajj is incumbent on me. They walked until they visited him (i.e. the Prophet) and she asked (him): Messenger of Allah, hajj is due from me, and AbuMa'qil has a camel.

AbuMa'qil said: She spoke the truth, I have dedicated it to the cause of Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Give it to her, that is in the cause of Allah. So he gave the camel to her.

She then said: Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who has become aged and ill. Is there any action which would be sufficient for me as my hajj?

He replied: umrah performed during Ramadan is sufficient as hajj.

(A man broke his fast intentionally) during Ramadan. The Messenger of Allah (saws) commanded him to emancipate a slave, or fast for two months, or feed sixty poor men. He said: I cannot provide. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Sit down. Thereafter a huge basket of dates ('araq) was brought to the Messenger of Allah (saws). He said: Take this and give it as sadaqah (alms). He said: Messenger of Allah, there is no poorer than I. The Messenger of Allah (saws) thereupon laughed so that his canine teeth became visible and said: Eat it yourself.

Abu Dawud said: Ibn Juraij narrated it from al-Zuhri in the wordings of the narrator Malik that a man broke his fast. This version says: You should either free a slave, or fast for two months, or provide food for sixty poor men.

“A man came to the Prophet (saw) and said: ‘Which fasting is better after the month of Ramadan?’ He said: ‘The month of Allah which is called Muharram.’”

“Whoever does not fast one day in Ramadan without having a concession allowing that, fasting for a lifetime will not make up for that.”

“He used to fast all of Sha’ban, until he joined it to Ramadan.”

“When her husband is present, no woman should fast any day apart from the month of Ramadan without his permission.”

“I heard ‘Aishah say: ‘I used to owe fasts from the month of Ramadan, and I would not make them up for until Sha’ban came.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: ‘Whoever fasts Ramadan and spends its nights in prayer, out of faith and in hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.’”

“When the last ten days of Ramadan began, the Prophet (saw) used to stay up at night, tighten his waist- wrap, and wake up his family (to pray).”

Ziyad related to me from Malik from Abu'n Nadr, the mawla of Umar ibn Ubaydullah, that Abdullah ibn Unays al-Juhani said to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Messenger of Allah, I am a man whose house is a long way away. Tell me one night so that I can stop my journey for it." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Stop on the twenty-third night of Ramadan."