Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 183

(Ayah184,183) ➊ {يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا كُتِبَ …:} Fasting is included among those five obligations upon which Islam is founded. [ بخاری، الإیمان، باب دعاؤکم إیمانکم : ۸]
➋ {الصِّيَامُ:} This is a verbal noun; it is not the plural of { ”صَوْمٌ“ }, rather { ”صَوْمٌ“ } is also a verbal noun. Originally, it means to abstain from any action, whether it is eating, drinking, speaking, or walking. That is why, when a horse is restrained from walking or eating fodder, it is called { ”فَرَسٌ صَائِمٌ“ }, and still air is also called { ”صَوْمٌ“ }. (Raghib) In Shariah, fasting is to abstain, with the intention of fasting, from eating, drinking, and sexual relations from true dawn until sunset.
➌ {لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُوْنَ :} This states the wisdom of fasting: that the purpose of Islamic fasting is not to torture the self, but to develop taqwa, i.e., the habit of abstaining, in the heart. When a person, acting upon Allah’s command, abstains from lawful things from morning till evening, then he will all the more abstain from those things which are always forbidden, especially while fasting. In this way, fasting becomes a means of avoiding sins and developing the habit of abstaining. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلصِّیَامُ جُنَّۃٌ] “Fasting is a shield (from sins and the Fire).” [ بخاری، الصیام، باب فضل الصوم : ۱۸۹۴] And he said: “Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, Allah has no need for him to give up his food and drink.” [ بخاری، الصیام، باب من لم یدع قول الزور : ۱۹۰۳، عن أبی ہریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ] Those who fast but do not pray, who lie, deceive, spend the whole day indulging their ears and eyes in the zina of TV, in short, those who commit any act of disobedience, should reflect on what they have gained from fasting.
➍ The “previous people” refers to the Jews, Christians, and earlier communities. The obligation of fasting was revealed in 2 AH, and fasting gradually took its present form. Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Quraysh used to fast on ‘Ashura, the 10th of Muharram, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also used to fast on that day. When he came to Madinah, he fasted on that day and ordered others to do so. Then, when the command for Ramadan fasting was revealed, Ramadan fasting became obligatory and ‘Ashura was abandoned; then whoever wished would fast on it and whoever wished would not. [ بخاری، التفسیر، باب «یأیہا الذین آمنوا کتب …» : ۴۵۰۴]
➎ {وَ عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ يُطِيْقُوْنَهٗ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِيْنٍ:} There are two explanations for this with authentic chains. Salamah bin Akwa‘ (may Allah be pleased with him) said that when this verse was revealed: «وَ عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ يُطِيْقُوْنَهٗ », whoever wished could refrain from fasting and give fidyah, until the verse that comes after it was revealed, which abrogated this. [ بخاری، کتاب التفسیر، باب : « فمن شہد منکم الشہر » : ۴۵۰۷] Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) also said the same. [ بخاری، الصوم، باب : «و علی الذین یطیقونہ … » : ۱۹۴۹] That is, since people were not used to fasting at first, they were given this concession: whoever wished could fast, and whoever wished could refrain and give fidyah. Later, this concession was abrogated by the next verse. Most scholars have given this explanation.
The second explanation, in Sahih Bukhari, is from Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). He read { ”يُطِيْقُوْنَهٗ“ } in place of { ”يُطَوَّقُوْنَهُ“ }, which means: { ”يَتَجَشَّمُوْنَهٗ“ } i.e., those who suffer hardship from it. (Ibn ‘Ashur, may Allah have mercy on him, said in {”التحرير والتنوير“} that it seems Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) read { ”يُطَوَّقُوْنَهٗ“ } not as a recitation but as an explanation of { ”يُطِيْقُوْنَهٗ“ }.) Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, this is not abrogated; rather, it refers to the elderly man and woman who cannot fast—they should feed a poor person for each day (i.e., for each fast). [ بخاری، التفسیر، باب : « أیامًا معدودات …» : ۴۵۰۵] It is also mentioned in Bukhari that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), after becoming old, for one or two years, fed a poor person bread with meat for each day and did not fast. [ بخاری التفسیر، باب : {أیاما معدودات …} ، قبل ح : ۴۵۰۵]
➏ {يُطِيْقُوْنَهٗ:} Its meaning can be “those who are able to fast,” and the meaning given by Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), “those who are not able to fast,” is also possible. In this case, the form “af‘ala” would be for removal of the root meaning, as in: { ”شَكَا اِلَيَّ فَأَشْكَيْتُهُ“ } He complained to me, so I removed his complaint. The summary of both is that this verse is abrogated for those who are able to fast, but not for elderly men and women who are unable, and the same ruling applies to a sick person with no hope of recovery.
➐ {فَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا :} That is, he may feed more than one poor person. [ طبری عن ابن عباس رضی اللہ عنھما بسند صحیح] Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that for each day, half a sa‘ of fidyah should be given. [ ابن ابی حاتم بسند حسن، التفسیر الصحیح] For each fast, give one kilo of grain as fidyah or invite a poor person and feed him.