قَالَ مَالِك : وَلَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَدْخُلَ الرَّجُلُ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ الصَّالِحَةِ ، الصَّلَاةِ وَالصِّيَامِ وَالْحَجِّ وَمَا أَشْبَهَ هَذَا مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ الصَّالِحَةِ الَّتِي يَتَطَوَّعُ بِهَا النَّاسُ ، فَيَقْطَعَهُ حَتَّى يُتِمَّهُ عَلَى سُنَّتِهِ ، إِذَا كَبَّرَ لَمْ يَنْصَرِفْ حَتَّى يُصَلِّيَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ، وَإِذَا صَامَ لَمْ يُفْطِرْ حَتَّى يُتِمَّ صَوْمَ يَوْمِهِ ، وَإِذَا أَهَلَّ لَمْ يَرْجِعْ حَتَّى يُتِمَّ حَجَّهُ ، وَإِذَا دَخَلَ فِي الطَّوَافِ لَمْ يَقْطَعْهُ حَتَّى يُتِمَّ سُبُوعَهُ ، وَلَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَتْرُكَ شَيْئًا مِنْ هَذَا إِذَا دَخَلَ فِيهِ حَتَّى يَقْضِيَهُ ، إِلَّا مِنْ أَمْرٍ يَعْرِضُ لَهُ مِمَّا يَعْرِضُ لِلنَّاسِ مِنَ الْأَسْقَامِ الَّتِي يُعْذَرُونَ بِهَا ، وَالْأُمُورِ الَّتِي يُعْذَرُونَ بِهَا وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى يَقُولُ فِي كِتَابِهِ : وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ سورة البقرة آية 187 فَعَلَيْهِ إِتْمَامُ الصِّيَامِ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ وَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ سورة البقرة آية 196 ، فَلَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلًا أَهَلَّ بِالْحَجِّ تَطَوُّعًا ، وَقَدْ قَضَى الْفَرِيضَةَ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ أَنْ يَتْرُكَ الْحَجَّ بَعْدَ أَنْ دَخَلَ فِيهِ ، وَيَرْجِعَ حَلَالًا مِنَ الطَّرِيقِ وَكُلُّ أَحَدٍ دَخَلَ فِي نَافِلَةٍ فَعَلَيْهِ إِتْمَامُهَا إِذَا دَخَلَ فِيهَا ، كَمَا يُتِمُّ الْفَرِيضَةَ وَهَذَا أَحْسَنُ مَا سَمِعْتُ
Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Whoever begins a good deed, such as prayer or fasting or Hajj or any other similar act which people perform as a voluntary act, then breaks it, he should complete it. So when he says the opening takbir, he should pray two rak‘ahs; and when he begins a fast, he should complete it; and when he says “Labbayk” for Hajj, he should complete the Hajj; and when he begins tawaf, he should complete seven circuits. In the same way, whatever act he begins, he should not leave it until he completes it, unless some excuse arises which compels people, because Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He, says in His Book: “Eat and drink until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread, i.e., until dawn, then complete the fast till night.” Thus, completing the fast is obligatory. As Allah Almighty has said: “Complete the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allah.” So if someone has entered into ihram for a voluntary Hajj and has already performed the obligatory Hajj, he should not abandon it once he has begun, and he should not remove the ihram and return along the way. Similarly, whoever begins a voluntary act of worship, it is obligatory for him to complete it just as it is to complete an obligatory act. And this explanation is very pleasing to me among the things I have heard.