Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … The wording of the narration in Sunan al-Nasa’i is as follows: When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had eaten that food, Lady Aisha radi Allahu anha was greatly surprised and said, “O Messenger of Allah! You came to me in a state of fasting, but you ate hais?” The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam replied: ((Na‘am, ya A’ishah! Innama manzilatu man saama fi ghayri Ramadan aw ghayri qada’i Ramadan aw fi al-tatawwu‘ bimanazilati rajulin akhraja sadaqata malihi fajada minha bima shaa fa-amdahu wa bakhila minha bima baqiya fa-amsakahu.)) “Yes, Aisha! Whoever is observing a voluntary fast (other than Ramadan or making up a missed Ramadan fast) is like a man who sets aside some of his wealth for charity, but then gives away as much of it as he wishes and withholds as much as he wishes.”

In another narration of al-Nasa’i, it is stated: Fa-akala minhu thumma qala: ((Innama mithlu sawm al-mutatawwi‘ mithlu al-rajuli yukhriju min malihi al-sadaqah fa-in shaa amdhaha wa in shaa habasaha.)) So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ate that food and said: “The example of one who observes a voluntary fast is like that of a man who sets aside some of his wealth for charity; if he wishes, he may give it away, and if he wishes, he may withhold it.”

The meaning of this hadith is that a person, with the intention of charity, sets aside some of his wealth, but he still has the choice to give all of that specified wealth in charity, or to withhold all of it, or to give some and withhold some. In exactly the same way, the one observing a voluntary fast (nafl) has the choice to break the fast or to complete it.

From this hadith, it is understood that the intention for a voluntary fast can be made even after the break of dawn (fajr), but this is on the condition that the person has not eaten or drunk anything from the time of suhur (pre-dawn meal) until that moment. The second issue established here is that a voluntary fast can be broken without excuse, although it is better (afdal) to complete it.

The following ahadith mention an extremely important issue, and that is: If a person becomes obligated to fast after the time of suhur has passed—for example, if after the time of suhur has ended, an insane person regains sanity, a child reaches puberty, a disbeliever embraces Islam, or news of the sighting of the Ramadan crescent is received—what should such people do in these situations? The answers to these questions are found in the following ahadith.