—he is insulted, it is recommended that during Ramadan he voice the words, “I am fasting,” whereas outside of Ramadan he should say them quietly to himself, curbing his own soul out of fear of showing off.

It is likewise commendable to increase one’s recitation of the Quran, remembrance of Allah, and acts of charity, for good deeds are multiplied thereby.

8 – The Prophet’s phrase, “Allah has no need …,” affirms that the divine laws are built upon wisdom, among which are the cultivation of souls, the refinement of character, and the straightening of natural dispositions—just as the Almighty says: “Indeed, prayer restrains one from indecency and wrongdoing” (al-ʿAnkabūt 29:45).

9 – The purpose of legislating the fast is not simply to abstain from food, drink, and other nullifiers, nor hunger and thirst themselves; rather, it is the consequential subduing of desires, the quenching of anger’s flare, and the taming of the commanding self until it becomes tranquil. If none of this is achieved, Allah cares nothing for that person’s fast and does not regard it with acceptance.

Benefits:

First: Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī said, “One tasbīḥa (uttering ‘Glory be to Allah’) in Ramadan is better than a thousand outside it.” Numerous reports confirm that righteous deeds are multiplied in Ramadan.

Second: Al-Bukhārī 5672 and Muslim 47 transmit from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent.” Thus, it is Sunnah for the fasting person to guard his tongue from all speech except that whose benefit is manifest.

Third: Al-Bukhārī 1805 and Muslim 1151 relate from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said, “When any of you is fasting, let him neither indulge in lewd talk nor raise his voice; and if someone insults him or fights him, let him say, ‘I am a man who is fasting.’” The apparent sense is that he says this aloud—a view preferred by the Shaykh. The instruction is not confined to the fasting person, yet it is more emphatically required of him.