The virtue of fasting

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I was supporting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), letting him lean against my chest, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever fasts one day seeking the pleasure and good will of Allah Almighty, and his life is sealed with that good deed, will enter Paradise."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever fasts one day in the path of Allah for the sake of His pleasure will be kept away from the Fire of Hell by the distance of a hundred years' journey."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever fasts one day in the path of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, Allah Almighty will place between him and the Fire of Hell a trench whose width is like the distance between the earth and the sky."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'id bin Zayd bin Amr bin Nufayl (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turn towards Usamah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both) and say: "O Usamah, hold fast to the path of Paradise, and beware of being snatched away from the path before reaching it." He said: O Messenger of Allah, what is the deed by which this path is covered most swiftly? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Enduring thirst in the scorching midday heat, and restraining the self from the pleasure (desire) of women. O Usamah, make fasting binding upon yourself, for it brings one near to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. Indeed, nothing is more beloved to Allah Almighty than the smell of the mouth of the one who gave up food and drink purely for the sake of Allah. So if you are able to have death come to you while your stomach is hungry and your liver is thirsty, then do so, for by this deed you will attain a lofty rank in the Hereafter, and you will dwell in the company of the Prophets (peace be upon them); they will rejoice at the arrival of your soul, and the Almighty Compeller (al-Jabbar) will send down His mercy upon you." Then the narrator mentioned the complete hadith, in which are also these words: "O Usamah, know that the nearest of people to Allah Almighty on the Day of Resurrection will be those whose grief, thirst and hunger in this world lasted long."
In sha' Allah (if Allah wills), this report will come with all its details later in the Book of Zuhd (Asceticism).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If a man were to keep a single voluntary fast for the pleasure of Allah, and then he were given in recompense the whole earth's fill of gold, he would still not receive its reward in full before the reward of the Day of Reckoning."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Qaysar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever fasts one day seeking the pleasure and good will of Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty will remove him from Hell by as great a distance as a crow covers which begins flying in its infancy (as a fledgling) and keeps flying continuously until it dies in extreme old age."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Anas al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever fasts one day voluntarily, other than in Ramadan, for the sake of Allah Almighty's pleasure, will be removed from the Fire of Hell by the distance of a hundred years' journey; this distance will equal the continuous running of a trained, exceedingly swift horse."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Everything has a door, and the door of worship is fasting."