The Major Sins Series - Not Fasting Ramadan- Abu Usama 1117

The Major Sins Series - Not Fasting Ramadan

Khutbah by Abu Usama

Opening

(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim)

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Introduction to the Chapter

Imam Al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:

(الْكَبِيرَةُ الْعَاشِرَةُ: إِفْطَارُ رَمَضَانَ بِلَا عُذْرٍ وَلَا رُخْصَةٍ - al-kabīratu al-ʿāshiratu: ʾifṭāru ramaḍāna bilā ʿudhrin wa lā rukhsatin)

"The tenth major sin is: Breaking the fast of Ramadan without a valid excuse or concession."

The next major sin (kabira), major sin number 10, is a person who breaks his fast in Ramadan without a valid religious excuse or concession (rukhsah).

Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have made concessions for people where they don't have to fast in the religion.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 22291)

"I have been sent with the easy, upright religion."

Valid Excuses Not to Fast

So:

• The woman who is pregnant doesn't have to fast
• The person who is of old age doesn't have to fast
• The one who is traveling or sick doesn't have to fast
• The one who has a job that is extremely difficult doesn't have to fast

That is the ease (samhah) of the religion of Islam.

But then there are those individuals from this ummah who, for one reason or another, saw fit to break their fast during the month of Ramadan:

• Some people were trying to fast and broke their fast because they were newlyweds
• Some people were trying to fast and broke their fast because Shaytan overcame them

It is a major sin (kabira) from the major sins (kaba'ir) - major sin number 10.

First Hadith (Not Authentic)

Imam Al-Dhahabi brings a number of proofs. The first one he said:

Hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever breaks the fast of one day in Ramadan without any excuse or religious concession, he will never make it up (qada), he will never be able to make up that one day that he missed, even if he fasted for the rest of his life."

He said that this hadith is not authentic. This hadith has been collected by Imam Bukhari in Sahih Bukhari, but Imam Bukhari put it in his book as ta'liq (suspended narration). He didn't connect it to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The chain of narration is not authentic. And he narrated it with the sighat al-tamrid - that's when Imam Bukhari puts a hadith in his book and says "it is said," "it is narrated," "it has been narrated."

That is an indication for the reader that Al-Bukhari doesn't see that hadith as being authentic. So there are weak hadiths in Sahih Bukhari, but the majority of weak hadiths that are in Sahih Bukhari are there for a particular reason. Al-Bukhari is trying to do something with that hadith. He may be trying to display and show that in the chain of narration of this particular weak hadith, there has been a connection between two particular narrators, for example.

So Imam Al-Bukhari said it was not authentic in his book Al-Tarikh Al-Kabir. This hadith is not authentic and it's from the rulings (ahkam). Whether it's from creed (aqidah) or rulings (ahkam), or whether it's from warning (tarheeb) and encouragement (targheeb), or whether it's from virtuous deeds (fada'il al-a'mal) - what is enough for us is what Allah revealed in His Quran and what the Prophet (peace be upon him) brought.

Allah says:

"This day I have perfected for you your religion."

We don't need what is not authentic.

Second Evidence - Five Pillars

And then Imam Al-Dhahabi said:

Hadith:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 233)

"The five prayers and the Jumu'ah to the Jumu'ah prayer and Ramadan to the next Ramadan - they are expiations for the person, wiping away sins if the major sins are avoided."

Hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 8; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 16)

"Islam is built upon five: The testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, giving the Zakat, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and making Hajj to the House."

Third Evidence - Statement of Ibn Abbas

Authentic narration from Abdullah ibn Abbas:

Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the institutions, the main institutions of Islam, the pillar (urah) of Islam, are three:

1. The testimony of La ilaha illa Allah (there is no god but Allah)
2. Establishing the prayer (salat)
3. Fasting in the month of Ramadan

Whoever leaves any of those three is a disbeliever.

Reference: Narrated with authentic chain

You will find that individual having a lot of money but he doesn't make Hajj. You'll find him having ample money but he doesn't give Zakat. And it is not permissible to shed his blood.

Explanation by Imam Al-Dhahabi

Concerning these three issues that Imam Al-Dhahabi brought, it's clear why he brought them:

• Islam has been built upon five pillars
• One of those pillars is the fasting (siyam) of Ramadan
• Abdullah ibn Abbas said that from the institutions of Islam is the fasting of Ramadan

So Imam Al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) is saying: If a person is not fasting all of Ramadan or he is negligent in a day or days from the month of Ramadan, then there is going to be something wrong with his religion. Because the pillar (rukn) is what the house is built upon, the structure is built upon the pillars (arkan). So whatever is built upon it, its strength is going to be dependent upon how strong the foundation is.

So if he is not praying and he is not fasting and he doesn't consider going to Hajj, then there is a problem with his iman and there is a problem with his Islam.

Those Who Miss Days Intentionally

So as we mentioned, there are those people who missed some days as it relates to fasting in the month of Ramadan intentionally. We are going to come to what you have to do to rectify that issue.

In the prayer (salat), there is no making up (qada) - there is no making up the prayer that you intentionally missed. You intentionally did not get up for any of the Fajr prayers or whatever prayer - there is no qada for what you intentionally missed. In the prayer, there is no evidence (dalil) to allow you to make it up.

As it relates to the fast of Ramadan, if you have missed days in the month of Ramadan and they are easily calculated, you have to make it up, and we will come to that inshallah.

Hadith on Proper Fasting

He brought the next statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) - the authentic hadith that shows the virtues of fasting the correct way.

Hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1903)

"Whoever does not leave alone lying and false testimony and acting ignorantly, whoever does not give it up while he is fasting - Allah is not in need of him giving up his food and his drink."

Understanding This Hadith - Qiyas Al-Awla

Brothers, we need you to pay attention right now, because as we mentioned before, Kitab al-Kaba'ir is not just a book of warning (wa'id), it is a book of jurisprudence (fiqh), a book of principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh), a book of creed (aqidah), and a book of hadith sciences (ilm al-hadith).

So now Imam Al-Dhahabi is bringing to us a very important aspect of jurisprudence in this hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him):

The person who is fasting in the month of Ramadan - while he is fasting and he is abstaining from his food and his drink and having relations with those who are lawful for him - but he is watching Bollywood movies, he is listening to music, he is giving false testimony, he is using bad language - if he does not avoid those things which is the reality of fasting (leaving alone what is haram), if he does not give that up, Allah is not in need of him giving up his food and his drink.

Qiyas Al-Awla (Analogical Reasoning of Greater Priority)

So what is Imam Al-Dhahabi doing here? He is doing a form of qiyas (analogical reasoning) that is from the religion, and it is called Qiyas Al-Awla.

Qiyas Al-Awla means: As it is given to us in this particular hadith, if a person is actually fasting but he is not fasting the correct way - by partaking and engaging in those affairs that are against fasting - then Allah is not in need of his fast because he is not fasting according to the spirit of Islam.

If Allah does not need that and Allah rejects that, then what about the person who does not fast at all? From the bab al-awla (greater priority), then even more so his situation is worse. So they call that Qiyas Al-Awla.

Example of Qiyas Al-Awla

Allah told us about our parents - and we took this a few weeks ago:

"Do not say to your parents 'uff' (a word of disrespect)."

So from Qiyas Al-Awla: If you can't say to them a word of disrespect, then clearly you can't strike them. Then clearly you can't say a word that is worse than that by swearing at them or saying "I wish you would die."

That is Qiyas Al-Awla, and that is what Imam Al-Dhahabi has done with this particular hadith, to share it from this hadith.

Last Hadith in This Chapter

He brought the last hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in this chapter:

Hadith:

(Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3545)

"May the nose of the person be put in the dirt - the month of Ramadan comes and he is not forgiven. May his nose be dragged in the dirt, may it be made dirty, because he lost out on a golden opportunity."

Statement of Imam Al-Dhahabi

So when Imam Al-Dhahabi brought those evidences (adillah), he ended this particular chapter by saying:

(وَالْمُسْلِمُونَ يَشُكُّونَ فِي إِسْلَامِ مَن يَتْرُكُ صَوْمَ رَمَضَانَ وَيَظُنُّونَ بِهِ الزَّنْدَقَةَ - wa-l-muslimūna yashukkūna fī ʾislāmi man yatruku ṣawma ramaḍāna wa yaẓunnūna bihi az-zandaqata)

"And what is understood and believed by the Muslims in general is that whoever leaves fasting in the month of Ramadan and he is not sick and he doesn't have an excuse that is religious - to leave the fast of Ramadan is more severe than the person who makes adultery (zina). And it is more severe than the oppressive tax collector (makkas) who is taking the people's money oppressively."

The oppressive leader has sent him to tax the people and he is taking the people's money oppressively. It's worse than that, and it's also worse than the one who is (مُدْمِنُ الْخَمْرِ - mudminu al-khamri) - an alcoholic, addicted to crack or cocaine or some other kind of narcotic.

Why Is Not Fasting Worse?

The Muslims of the past believed that the one who left the month of Ramadan - all of the month or some of the days of the month of Ramadan - that is greater than the one who committed adultery (zina).

Why? Because Ramadan is a pillar (rukn) from the pillars (arkan) of Islam, and the prayer (salat) is a pillar from the pillars of Islam.

So there we have it again where the scales (mizan, mawazin) have been lost with the Muslims. We will marry the individual who doesn't pray the prayer, but we won't marry the individual who drinks alcohol or drugs. And both of them are evil. Neither one of them deserves to be married to our women at all.

If we heard that the man is drinking alcohol or he is doing something where he leaves off one of the pillars of Islam, the door should be closed. "No thank you. You have the nerve to even ask for my daughter or my sister? No thank you."

As for the one who was not from our tribe but he is holding on to the pillars of Islam and we don't know anything but good about that individual, we know no evil about him - this is an individual that we are obligated to marry to our women, our daughters. And if we don't, it's going to be tribulation (fitnah) and corruption (fasad) in the earth.