Toggle above to switch between keyword search and direct hadith lookup
سنن ابن ماجه
Ibn Majah
كتاب الصيامThe Book of Fasting
بَابُ : مَنْ مَاتَ وَعَلَيْهِ صِيَامٌ مِنْ نَذْرٍChapter: One who dies owing a fast that he vowed to observe
Hadith 1759
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَطَاءٍ ، عَنِ ابْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ ، قَالَ : جَاءَتِ امْرَأَةٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فَقَالَتْ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، إِنَّ أُمِّي مَاتَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا صَوْمٌ ، أَفَأَصُومُ عَنْهَا ؟ ، قَالَ : " نَعَمْ " .
´It was narrated from Ibn Buraidah that his father said:` “A woman came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, my mother has died and she owed a fast. Should I fast on her behalf?’ He said: ‘Yes.’”
Related hadith on this topic
Brief Explanation
1؎: Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim states that it is permissible to fast on behalf of the deceased for a vowed fast (nazr), but not for the original obligatory fast, i.e., Ramadan. This is also the view of Abdullah ibn Abbas and his companions, as well as Imam Ahmad, and this is correct because the obligatory fast is like prayer (salah), and no one can perform prayer on behalf of another. A vow (nazr), however, is like a debt, so the heir fulfilling it on behalf of the deceased will suffice, just as paying off a debt on his behalf suffices. It is mentioned in al-Rawdah al-Nadiyyah that the fasting of the heir on behalf of the deceased will only suffice if the deceased did not fast the Ramadan fasts due to a valid excuse. However, if someone did not fast the Ramadan fasts without a valid excuse, then the fasting of the heir on his behalf will not suffice, just as repentance, embracing Islam, or performing prayer on behalf of the deceased does not suffice. And the apparent meaning of the hadith is that it is obligatory upon the heir to fast or feed (the poor) on behalf of the deceased, whether or not the deceased made a bequest for it.
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊ If a deceased person had obligatory fasts pending, his heirs may observe the fasts on his behalf.
➋ Whether the fasts are of Ramadan, vow (nadhar), or expiation (kaffarah), the ruling is the same for all, because all of these are considered a debt owed to Allah. The Prophetic instruction is: “Whoever dies and has fasts due upon him, his guardian/heir should fast on his behalf.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Fasting, Chapter: Whoever died and had fasts due upon him, Hadith: 1953)
If the guardian, i.e., the heir, does not fast on his behalf, then the instruction mentioned in the previous hadith 1757 should be acted upon: for each missed day of fasting, a poor person should be fed. Although that narration is weak as a marfu‘ (attributed directly to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), it is authentic as a mawquf (attributed to a Companion). Another narration from Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu is also reported in Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, that for each day, half a sa‘ (a measure) of wheat should be given. (Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, Hadith: 2057)
➌ Other acts of worship, such as prayer (salah), cannot be analogized to fasting in this matter, because for acts of worship, it is essential to have a textual proof. In matters of worship where deputization (niyabah) is established by hadith, only those will be acted upon; for the rest, one should withhold from acting.
➊ If a deceased person had obligatory fasts pending, his heirs may observe the fasts on his behalf.
➋ Whether the fasts are of Ramadan, vow (nadhar), or expiation (kaffarah), the ruling is the same for all, because all of these are considered a debt owed to Allah. The Prophetic instruction is: “Whoever dies and has fasts due upon him, his guardian/heir should fast on his behalf.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Fasting, Chapter: Whoever died and had fasts due upon him, Hadith: 1953)
If the guardian, i.e., the heir, does not fast on his behalf, then the instruction mentioned in the previous hadith 1757 should be acted upon: for each missed day of fasting, a poor person should be fed. Although that narration is weak as a marfu‘ (attributed directly to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), it is authentic as a mawquf (attributed to a Companion). Another narration from Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu is also reported in Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, that for each day, half a sa‘ (a measure) of wheat should be given. (Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, Hadith: 2057)
➌ Other acts of worship, such as prayer (salah), cannot be analogized to fasting in this matter, because for acts of worship, it is essential to have a textual proof. In matters of worship where deputization (niyabah) is established by hadith, only those will be acted upon; for the rest, one should withhold from acting.
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 1759
