Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, who said: “Nothing to this effect is authentically established from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.” (1)

Thus, with regard to the fasting person, kissing may be divided into three categories: permissible, disliked, and prohibited. The correct view, however, is that there are only two categories: permissible and prohibited. It is prohibited when one cannot be sure that his fast will remain unaffected. The permissible category has two forms:

The first is when kissing does not arouse his desire at all.

The second is when it does arouse his desire, but he is confident that his fast will not be spoiled.

As for other preliminaries to intercourse, such as embracing and the like, their ruling is the same as that of kissing; there is no difference.

“And one must avoid lying, backbiting, and insulting …”

His statement, “And one must avoid lying”: “Avoiding” means keeping away from something. Lying is to report something contrary to reality, whether out of ignorance or deliberately. An example of ignorance is the Prophet’s statement: “Abu al-Sanabil was mistaken.” Abu al-Sanabil had said to Subay‘ah al-Aslamiyyah—who gave birth a few nights after her husband’s death—that when he passed by her and found that she had adorned herself for prospective suitors, he said to her, “You will not become lawful for marriage until four months and ten days have passed over you.” When she mentioned what he had said to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, he replied, “Abu al-Sanabil was mistaken.” (2)

An example of deliberate lying is the statement of the hypocrites when they come to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: “We bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of Allah.”