The virtue of fasting

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In Paradise there is a gate called al-Rayyan; on the Day of Resurrection none will enter through it except those who fast."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Umar bin Habib al-Adawi; there is much criticism of him, and he has been declared trustworthy.

Sayyidah Aishah Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No servant begins his morning fasting except that the gates of heaven are opened for him, his limbs glorify Allah for him, and the inhabitants of the lowest heaven seek forgiveness for him until it is hidden behind the veil. If he then prays one or two rak'ahs of voluntary prayer, the heavens shine with light for him, and his wives from among the Hur al-Ayn say: 'O Allah! Bring him to us, for we long to see him.' If he says 'La ilaha illallah' (there is no god but Allah), or says 'Subhanallah' (glory be to Allah), or says 'Allahu akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), angels meet him and record these words until it is hidden behind the veil."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir. Its chain contains Jarir bin Ayyub, who is extremely da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The smell of the fasting person's mouth is purer with Allah Almighty than the fragrance of musk." "Allah Almighty says: He fasted for My sake and gave up the desire for food for My sake, so fasting is for Me, and I shall reward it."
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains Atiyyah bin Sa'd; there is much criticism of him, and he has been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fasting is a shield and a strong fortress for protection from Hell."
Ahmad recorded it. I say: It is also recorded in the Sahih, but it does not contain the words: "a strong fortress for protection from Hell." Its chain is hasan (good).

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty says: Fasting is a shield by which the servant protects himself from Hell. It is for Me, and I shall reward it."
Ahmad recorded it, and its chain is hasan (good).

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fasting is a shield, and it is a strong fortress of the believer. Every deed is for the one who does it. (Allah Almighty says:) Fasting is for Me, and I shall reward it."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Ayyub bin Mudrik, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Wathilah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fasting is a shield, and it is a strong fortress of the believer. Every deed is for the one who does it, except fasting, which is different. Allah Almighty says: Fasting is for Me, and I shall reward it."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Bishr bin Awn, who is da'if (weak).

Qatadah reported, from Jurayy bin Kulayb, this statement of Bashir bin al-Khasasiyah: Our companions narrated this from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by way of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him). Allah Almighty said: "Fasting is a shield by which My servant protects himself from Hell. Fasting is for Me, and I shall reward it. He gives up his food and his desire for My sake. (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) By the One in whose hand is my soul, the smell of the fasting person's mouth will be purer with Allah Almighty on the Day of Resurrection than the fragrance of musk." (Allamah Haythami says:) I say: The hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) is also recorded in the Sahih in similar words, and I have included the hadith narrated by Sayyiduna Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) because the chain of both is the same.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Qatadah declared the narrator Jurayy bin Kulayb thiqah (trustworthy), while others declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fasting and the Qur'an will intercede for the servant on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say: 'O my Lord! I kept him from food and from fulfilling his desire, so accept my intercession for him!' The Qur'an will say: 'I kept him from sleeping at night, so accept my intercession for him!' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: So both of them will intercede for him."
Ahmad and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir recorded it. The narrators of al-Tabarani are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I shall tell you about some of the gates of goodness: fasting is a shield; charity extinguishes sins just as water extinguishes fire; and the servant's standing in prayer in the middle of the night." Then he recited this verse: "Their sides forsake their beds" (to the end of) the verse.
Ahmad recorded it, and Shahr bin Hawshab did not hear from Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! What is fasting?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "An obligation that suffices (and is rewarded)."
Ahmad mentioned it within a long hadith, which will come later in full, if Allah wills. Its chain contains a narrator who has not been named.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Permit me to castrate myself." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The castration of my Ummah is fasting and standing in night prayer" (that is, by doing this desire will be subdued).
Ahmad recorded it, and its chain is hasan (good).

Sayyiduna Salamah bin Qaysar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever fasts one day seeking the pleasure of Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty removes him from Hell as far as a crow would fly if it began flying as a chick until it died of old age (that is, as much distance as it covers, Allah Almighty removes that servant that far from Hell)."
Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat recorded it, except that they gave the name as Salaamah bin Qaysar. Its chain contains Ibn Lahi'ah, and there is criticism of him.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever fasts one day seeking the pleasure of Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty distances him from Hell by the distance that a crow covers which, while still a chick, begins to fly and keeps on until it dies of old age."
Ahmad and al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator whose name is not given.

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was about to send out a military expedition. I came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah, pray for martyrdom for me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, keep them safe and grant them spoils." The narrator says: We remained safe and we also obtained spoils. After that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prepared another military expedition. I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, pray for martyrdom for me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, keep them safe and grant them spoils." The narrator says: We remained safe and we also obtained spoils. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prepared for a third battle. I came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah, before this time I have come to you twice and requested that you pray to Allah Almighty for martyrdom for me, and you said: 'O Allah, keep them safe and grant them spoils,' so we remained safe and we also obtained spoils. O Messenger of Allah, command me to do some deed." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hold fast to fasting, for there is nothing like it." The narrator says: After that, Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him), his wife and his servant were always seen fasting. The narrator says: Whenever smoke was seen coming from their house in the daytime, it would be said that some guest must have come to them. The narrator says: After that some time passed, then I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, you commanded me to fast, and I hope that Allah Almighty will place blessing in it for us. O Messenger of Allah, command me to do some other deed as well." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Know that whenever you prostrate in the court of Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty will raise your rank because of it and will remove a sin from you because of it." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) recorded only a short part of this report, which is about fasting.
Ahmad and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir recorded it. The narrators of Ahmad are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Everything has a zakah, and the zakah of the body is fasting."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains a narrator, Hammad bin al-Walid, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I do not regret anything that I missed as much as I regret fasting and prayer, and that I left the rebel group (I should have fought them), and (I regret) that I withdrew my pledge of allegiance to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, but with these words: "I do not regret anything of this world that I missed as much as I regret the fasts of the hot season, and that I did not spread my feet apart in prayer," meaning that he did not offer long prayers. Its chain contains a narrator, Sinan bin Harun, whom Abu Hatim and Ibn Adi declared thiqah (trustworthy), while Yahya bin Ma'in called him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Deeds are of seven kinds: two kinds of deeds bring salvation; two kinds of deeds are requited equally; one deed is such that its reward is tenfold; one deed is such that its reward is seven hundredfold; and one deed is such that no one but Allah Almighty knows the reward of the one who does it. As for the deeds that bring salvation: whoever comes before Allah Almighty in such a state that he worships Him sincerely, not associating anyone with Him, Paradise becomes obligatory for him; and whoever comes before Allah Almighty in such a state that he associates someone with Allah, Hell becomes obligatory for him. Whoever does an evil deed is requited with its equal (that is, once); whoever intends to do a good deed and does not act on it receives the reward of one good deed; whoever does a good deed will receive a tenfold reward; whoever spends his wealth in the way of Allah will receive seven hundredfold the reward for spending one dirham; and no one but Allah Almighty knows the reward of the one who fasts."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Yahya bin al-Mutawakkil, whom the majority of the Imams declared da'if (weak); Yahya bin Ma'in called him thiqah (trustworthy) according to one report, and called him da'if according to another.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Fasting makes the flesh lean and keeps away the heat of Hell. Allah Almighty has a dining spread on which there are things that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and the thought of which has never even crossed the heart of any human being. Only those who fast will sit at that spread."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Abd al-Majid bin Kathir al-Harrani; I have not found anyone who gives his biography.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If a person keeps one voluntary fast, and then after that he were given gold equal to the whole earth, he would still not receive the full reward of that one fast before the Day of Resurrection."
Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Layth bin Abi Sulaym, who is thiqah (trustworthy) but a mudallis (one who conceals defects in the chain), and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty says: 'Fasting is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.'
(The narrator says:) By the oath of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The smell of the fasting person's mouth is purer in the sight of Allah Almighty than the fragrance of musk. Whoever of you begins the morning fasting should neither speak obscenely nor behave ignorantly. If someone quarrels with him, he should say: 'I am fasting.' For on the Day of Resurrection there will be a Pond for them, and no one but those who fast will come to that Pond."
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
This report is mentioned in the Sahih, but in abridged form, in which only the Pond is mentioned.
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever has his end sealed with fasting will enter Paradise."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Ahmad recorded it as a longer report, which has already passed in the chapter on prompting the dying person, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) on a military expedition at sea. While they were at sea, on a dark night, when they had raised the sail, a caller called out from above them: "O people of the ship, stop! I will tell you of a decree that Allah Almighty has decreed upon Himself." Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Tell us, if you are going to tell." He said: "Indeed, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has decreed upon Himself that whoever keeps himself thirsty for the sake of Allah Almighty on a hot day (that is, fasts), Allah Almighty will quench his thirst on the Day of Thirst."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Qays bin Yazid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever keeps one voluntary fast, a tree is planted for him in Paradise whose fruit is smaller than a pomegranate and larger than an apple. Its sweetness is like the sweetness of honeycomb, and its taste is like the taste of honey. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah Almighty will feed the fasting person from it."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains a narrator, Yahya bin Yazid al-Ahwazi. Al-Dhahabi says: he is not known.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, how are you this morning?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Well, better than a man who did not begin the morning fasting, did not visit a sick person and did not attend a funeral."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Umar bin Abi Salamah, whom Ibn Hibban and a group declared thiqah (trustworthy), while others called him da'if (weak). Before this, the hadith reported from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) has passed in the chapter on visiting the sick.