Al-Muqaddimāt al-Mumahhidāt - Ibn Rush al-Jadd - (1/244)

Al-Muqaddimāt al-MumahhidātIbn Rush al-Jadd

at night. He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also said: “This religion is firm, so proceed in it gently, for one who drives his mount to exhaustion neither completes his journey nor preserves his mount.” He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “No one overburdens himself in practising this religion without being overcome by it.”

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Intention is among the conditions for the validity of fasting and its obligatory requirements. A fast is therefore not valid without an intention, as explicitly stated by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): “Whoever does not resolve during the night to fast has no fast.” This also follows from the general wording of his statements: “Each person will have only what he intended,” and “Actions are judged only by intentions.” Fasting is an action, for it is an action of the heart, and therefore cannot be valid without an intention. Allah—mighty and majestic—says:

“They were commanded only to worship Allah, devoting their religion sincerely to Him.” [al-Bayyinah: 5]

Fasting is part of religion, so worship through it must be devoted sincerely to Allah Most High. The intention required for fasting Ramadan is to intend to draw near to Allah Most High by fulfilling what He has made obligatory: abstaining from food, drink and sexual intercourse throughout the day, from beginning to end.

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Fasting requires an intention—even though it is not a commanded bodily action, but rather refraining from an action, which is an omission, and omissions under Islamic law do not require an intention—because it is an omission confined to a specified period. It therefore requires an intention, unlike omissions that are not confined to a specified period, such as refraining from fornication, drinking wine and the like.

A number of lexicographers have stated without qualification that fasting is not an action. Al-Tahāwī also held this view. Regarding the report in which the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) related that his Lord said, “Every action of the son of Adam is for him, except fasting: it is for Me, and I shall reward it,” he said that this is a discontinuous exception, meaning “but.” The correct view, however, is what we have stated.

ليلا وقد قال ﷺ: «إن هذا الدين متين فأوغلوا فيه برفق فإن المنبت لا أرضا قطع ولا ظهرا أبقى». وقال ﷺ: «لن يشاد هذا الدين أحد إلا غلبه». فصل ومن شروط صحة الصيام وفرائضه النية، فلا يجزئ صوم بغير نية؛ للنص الوارد في ذلك عن النبي ﵊ بقوله: «من لم يبيت الصيام من الليل فلا صيام له»، ولعموم قول النبي ﷺ: «وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوى»، وقوله ﷺ: «إنما الأعمال بالنيات»، والصيام عمل من الأعمال؛ لأنه من أعمال القلوب فوجب أن لا يجزئ بغير نية؛ لقول الله ﷿: ﴿وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ﴾ [البينة: ٥]، والصيام من الدين فوجب أن تخلص العبادة لله تعالى به. والذي يلزم من النية في صيام رمضان اعتقاد القربة إلى الله تعالى بأداء ما افترض الله عليه من استغراق طرفي النهار بالإمساك عن الطعام والشراب والجماع. فصل وإنما افتقر الصيام إلى النية، وإن لم يكن فعلا مأمورا به من أفعال الأبدان، وإنما هو إمساك عن فعل وهو ترك، والتروك في الشرع لا تفتقر إلى نية؛ لأنه ترك مختص بزمن معلوم فإنه يفتقر إلى النية، بخلاف ما كان منها لا يختص بزمن معلوم كترك الزنا وشرب الخمر وما أشبه ذلك. وقد أطلق القول جماعة من أهل اللغة أن الصيام ليس بعمل، وإلى هذا ذهب الطحاوي وقال فيما روي عن النبي ﷺ: أنه قال حكاية عن ربه: «كل عمل ابن آدم فهو له إلا الصيام فإنه لي، وأنا أجزي به»، إنه استثناء منفصل بمعنى لكن، والصواب ما ذكرناه.