Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … From other hadiths in this chapter, it will become clear that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would begin the fast in a state of major ritual impurity (janabah) and then perform the ritual bath (ghusl) afterwards. So, what then is the meaning of this hadith? Imam Khattabi says: The narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu should be considered abrogated. In reality, this ruling was at the beginning of Islam, at a time when, after sleeping at night, sexual intercourse became prohibited just like eating and drinking. Then, when Allah the Exalted permitted intercourse until the appearance of dawn, it also became permissible to begin the fast in a state of janabah. Therefore, the interpretation of this part of the hadith—“Whoever enters the morning in a state of janabah, let him not fast”—will be that if a person, after sleeping, has intercourse while in the state of fasting, then that day’s fast will not suffice for him. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu initially gave a fatwa according to the narration he had heard from Sayyiduna Fadl ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhu; in reality, at that time he was not aware of the abrogation. Then, when he learned of the narrations of Sayyidah Aisha radi Allahu anha and Sayyidah Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha, he retracted his earlier statement, as is evident from Sahih Muslim (1109). Similarly, in Ibn Abi Shaybah (3/81), it is mentioned that Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib said: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu retracted his fatwa that whoever enters the morning in a state of janabah should not fast.