is countered by these other attributes. Such a counterargument invalidates every form of analogy unless it is shown that the attribute they have asserted, rather than this alternative, is the effective cause.

The fifth argument is that revealed text and scholarly consensus establish that a fasting person is forbidden to eat, drink, or have sexual intercourse. It is also established that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Satan flows through the son of Adam as blood flows.”

There is no doubt that blood is produced from food and drink. When a person eats or drinks, the pathways of the devils widen. Hence he said:

“So constrict his pathways through hunger.”

Some transmit this wording as a saying traced back to the Prophet. Hence the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“When Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of the Fire are closed, and the devils are shackled.”

For the devils’ pathways, namely the blood, become constricted. When they become constricted, hearts are moved to perform the good deeds through which the gates of Paradise are opened, and to abandon the evil deeds through which the gates of the Fire are opened. The devils are shackled, and their shackling diminishes their strength and activity, so they cannot do during Ramadan what they do at other times. He did not say that they were killed or that they died; rather, he said, “shackled.” A shackled devil may still cause harm, but this is less frequent and less severe than outside Ramadan. This varies according to the completeness or deficiency of the fast. Someone whose fast is complete repels Satan in a way that an incomplete fast cannot. This rationale is therefore evident in prohibiting the fasting person from eating