Bidāyat al-Mujtahid - Ibn Rushd - (2/45)

Bidāyat al-MujtahidIbn Rushd

Book of Fasting

Part One of the Obligatory Fast – Section One: The Categories of Obligatory Fasting

This Book is first divided into two halves:

Fasting that is obligatory.
Fasting that is recommended.

The study of obligatory fasting itself comprises two sections:

Matters pertaining to the fast.
Matters pertaining to breaking the fast.

The first section—concerning the fast—branches into two themes:
• Identification of the kinds of obligatory fasts; and
• Identification of the pillars of fasting.

The section that deals with breaking the fast is further divided into: (a) the acts that nullify the fast, and (b) the persons who break the fast and the rulings that apply to them.

Let us begin, then, with the first section of this Book and its opening theme, namely, the various kinds of fasting. We say:

Under the Sacred Law fasting is of two sorts: obligatory and recommended.

Obligatory fasting falls into three categories:

That which becomes due because of the time itself—namely, the fast of the month of Ramadan;
That which becomes due because of a particular cause—namely, the expiatory fasts (kaffārāt);
That which a person makes binding upon himself—namely, the fast undertaken by way of a vow (nadhr).

This Book will treat only the fast of the month of Ramadan. Expiatory fasts will be discussed under the chapters that mention the circumstances requiring expiation, and fasting by vow will be dealt with in the Book of Vows.

The fast of the month of Ramadan is obligatory by the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the unanimous agreement of the Muslims.

Evidence from the Qur’an is His, the Exalted’s, statement:
“O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become God-fearing” (Qur’an 2:183).

Evidence from the Sunnah appears in the Prophet’s—peace and blessings be upon him—saying, “Islam is built upon five,” in which he mentioned fasting; and in his words to the Bedouin: “and the fasting of the month of Ramadan.” The man asked, “Am I obliged to do anything else?” He said, “No, unless you choose to do so voluntarily.”

The obligation to fast the month of Ramadan was instituted in the second year after the Hijrah.

[كِتَابُ الصِّيَامِ] [الْقِسْمُ الْأَوَّلُ مِنَ الصَّوْمِ الْمَفْرُوضِ الْجُمْلَةُ الْأُولَى أَنْوَاعُ الصِّيَامِ الْوَاجِبِ] ِ وَهَذَا الْكِتَابُ يَنْقَسِمُ أَوَّلًا قِسْمَيْنِ: أَحَدُهُمَا: فِي الصَّوْمِ الْوَاجِبِ. وَالْآخَرُ: فِي الْمَنْدُوبِ إِلَيْهِ. وَالنَّظَرُ فِي الصَّوْمِ الْوَاجِبِ يَنْقَسِمُ إِلَى قِسْمَيْنِ: أَحَدُهُمَا: فِي الصَّوْمِ. وَالْآخَرُ فِي الْفِطْرِ. أَمَّا الْقِسْمُ الْأَوَّلُ وَهُوَ الصِّيَامُ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْقَسِمُ أَوَّلًا إِلَى جُمْلَتَيْنِ: إِحْدَاهُمَا: مَعْرِفَةُ أَنْوَاعِ الصِّيَامِ الْوَاجِبِ. وَالْأُخْرَى: مَعْرِفَةُ أَرْكَانِهِ. وَأَمَّا الْقِسْمُ الَّذِي يَتَضَمَّنُ النَّظَرَ فِي الْفِطْرِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْقَسِمُ إِلَى مَعْرِفَةِ الْمُفْطِرَاتِ، وَإِلَى مَعْرِفَةِ الْمُفْطِرِينَ وَأَحْكَامِهِمْ. فَلْنَبْدَأْ بِالْقِسْمِ الْأَوَّلِ مِنْ هَذَا الْكِتَابِ، وَبِالْجُمْلَةِ الْأُولَى مِنْهُ وَهِيَ مَعْرِفَةُ أَنْوَاعِ الصِّيَامِ فَنَقُولُ: ; إِنَّ الصَّوْمَ الشَّرْعِيَّ مِنْهُ وَاجِبٌ، وَمِنْهُ مَنْدُوبٌ إِلَيْهِ. وَالْوَاجِبُ ثَلَاثَةُ أَقْسَامٍ: مِنْهُ مَا يَجِبُ لِلزَّمَانِ نَفْسِهِ، (وَهُوَ صَوْمُ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ بِعَيْنِهِ) . وَمِنْهُ مَا يَجِبُ لِعِلَّةٍ (وَهُوَ صِيَامُ الْكَفَّارَاتِ) . وَمِنْهُ مَا يَجِبُ بِإِيجَابِ الْإِنْسَانِ ذَلِكَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ (وَهُوَ صِيَامُ النَّذْرِ) . وَالَّذِي يَتَضَمَّنُ هَذَا الْكِتَابُ الْقَوْلَ فِيهِ مِنْ أَنْوَاعِ هَذِهِ الْوَاجِبَاتِ هُوَ صَوْمُ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ فَقَطْ. وَأَمَّا صَوْمُ الْكَفَّارَاتِ فَيُذْكَرُ عِنْدَ ذِكْرِ الْمَوَاضِعِ الَّتِي تَجِبُ مِنْهَا الْكَفَّارَةُ، وَكَذَلِكَ صَوْمُ النَّذْرِ وَيُذْكَرُ فِي كِتَابِ النَّذْرِ. فَأَمَّا صَوْمُ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ: فَهُوَ وَاجِبٌ بِالْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ وَالْإِجْمَاعِ. أَمَّا الْكِتَابُ: فَقَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ} [البقرة: ١٨٣] . وَأَمَّا السُّنَّةُ: فَفِي قَوْلِهِ - عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ -: «بُنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ» وَذَكَرَ فِيهَا الصَّوْمَ. وَقَوْلِهِ لِلْأَعْرَابِيِّ: «وَصِيَامُ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ، قَالَ: هَلْ عَلَيَّ غَيْرُهَا؟ قَالَ: لَا إِلَّا أَنْ تَطَّوَّعَ» . وَكَانَ فَرْضُ الصَّوْمِ لِشَهْرِ رَمضَانَ فِي السَّنَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ مِنَ الْهِجْرَةِ.