Excerpt from: Urdu Sharḥ ʿUmdat al-Aḥkām — Translated by: Ḥāfiẓ Faizullah Nāṣir
In Islamic terminology, it refers to abstaining from eating, drinking, sexual relations, and indecent speech from true dawn (ṣubḥ ṣādiq) until sunset, with the intention of worshiping Allah.
Narrated Abū Hurayrah (RA):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Do not precede Ramadan by fasting a day or two, except for a man who is in the habit of fasting (on specific days), then he may fast on that day.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1914 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1082]
There are three scenarios for fasting on the last day(s) of Shaʿbān:
① Fasting with the intention of preparing for Ramadan:
This is prohibited.
→ Based on the prohibition in the Hadith.
→ Ibn ʿUmar (RA) distinguished between clear-sky and cloudy conditions on the 30th of Shaʿbān.
→ Imām Aḥmad agreed with this view.
② Fasting to fulfill a vow, expiation, or make up missed fasts:
Permissible according to the majority of scholars,
→ Except those who say a day of separation must exist between Shaʿbān and Ramadan.
③ Fasting as a general nafl (voluntary fast):
✔ Imām Mālik allowed it.
✔ Imāms al-Shāfiʿī, al-Awzāʿī, and Aḥmad allowed it only if the person was habitually fasting.
✔ If the person had not been regularly fasting, it is not recommended
[Source: Laṭāʾif al-Maʿārif, p. 273]
◈ What Does “Ṣawm” Mean?
The word "Ṣawm" means to abstain.In Islamic terminology, it refers to abstaining from eating, drinking, sexual relations, and indecent speech from true dawn (ṣubḥ ṣādiq) until sunset, with the intention of worshiping Allah.
Obligation of Fasting in Ramadan:
- Fasting was made obligatory on 10th Shaʿbān, 2 AH.
- It is the fourth pillar of Islam.
- Every sane, adult Muslim, male or female, must fast in Ramadan.
- Exemptions are only for the sick, travellers, or women in specific conditions, as detailed in Hadith.
- Denying the obligation of fasting is considered disbelief (kufr) by consensus.
The Ḥadīth on Pre-Ramadan Fasting
Narrated Abū Hurayrah (RA):The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Do not precede Ramadan by fasting a day or two, except for a man who is in the habit of fasting (on specific days), then he may fast on that day.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1914 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1082]
Ruling Explained by Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī:
There are three scenarios for fasting on the last day(s) of Shaʿbān:① Fasting with the intention of preparing for Ramadan:
This is prohibited.→ Based on the prohibition in the Hadith.
→ Ibn ʿUmar (RA) distinguished between clear-sky and cloudy conditions on the 30th of Shaʿbān.
→ Imām Aḥmad agreed with this view.
② Fasting to fulfill a vow, expiation, or make up missed fasts:
Permissible according to the majority of scholars,→ Except those who say a day of separation must exist between Shaʿbān and Ramadan.
③ Fasting as a general nafl (voluntary fast):
✔ Imām Mālik allowed it.
✔ Imāms al-Shāfiʿī, al-Awzāʿī, and Aḥmad allowed it only if the person was habitually fasting.
✔ If the person had not been regularly fasting, it is not recommended
[Source: Laṭāʾif al-Maʿārif, p. 273]
