A Commentary on the phrase Wa huwa ash-Shahru alladhi farad-ta siyama-hu ‘alayya

وَهُوَ الشَّهْرُ الَّذِي فَرَضْتَ صِيَامَهُ عَلَيَّ

And it is a month whose fast You have made compulsory on me

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“O you who have faith! Prescribed for you is fasting as it was prescribed for those who were before you, so that you may be God-wary” (2:183).

... فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ...

“...So let those of you who witness it fast [in] it....” (2:185).

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... فَرَضْتَ صِيَامَهُ ....

...whose fast You have made compulsory...

The phrase ‘farad-ta means ‘You made obligatory’. According to the well-known tradition of qurb al-fara’id (proximity through obligatory deeds) quoted by the insightful scholars, that which Allah has made obligatory makes one attain a higher degree of spiritual elevation than that which is recommended and supererogatory (an-nawafil). The clause mentioned in the tradition that emphasises this point is:

وَمَا يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيَّ عَبْدٌ مِنْ عِبَادِي بِشَيْءٍ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتَ عَلَيْهِ

And My servant does not draw near to Me through a thing that I love, more than that which I have made obligatory on him1.

... فَرَضْتَ صِيَامَهُ ....

...whose fast You have made compulsory...

It is important for us to realise that although the words farad-ta (You made [it] obligatory) apparently reveals divine majesty (Jalal) and calls us to be alert, but it encapsulates within itself nothing but divine beauty (Jamal), mercy, love and goodness. This is because there are ample benefits of fasting. In fact, according to a sacred tradition (hadith qudsi) narrated by the Holy Prophet (S), the reward of fasting is said to be Allah Himself:

يَقُولُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: الصَّوْمُ لِي وَأَنَّا أَجْزَي بِهِ

Allah, the Invincible and Majestic, says: Fasting is for Me, and I am its reward2.

In other words, fasting enables one to soar to the heights of perfection and attain the proximity of Allah. For a detailed exposition of this reality, you may refer to pages 41 and 42 of our treatise: The Divine Invitation3.

... فَرَضْتَ صِيَامَهُ عَلَيَّ

...whose fast You have made compulsory on me

The following verse of the Holy Qur’an alludes to the fact that fasting was made compulsory:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“O you who have faith! Prescribed for you is fasting as it was prescribed for those who were before you, so that you may be God-wary” (2:183).

Unless one is faced by internal or external hurdles as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and the authentic traditions of the Holy Prophet (S) and the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), it is compulsory on every male and female to fast in the holy month of Ramadan. The authorities of Islamic law have explained the details of the rules and regulations of fasting and every believer on whom fasting is obligatory must know them, in order to observe the fast as it must be observed, and to attain its material and spiritual benefits.

... فَرَضْتَ صِيَامَهُ عَلَيَّ

...whose fast You have made compulsory on me

Interestingly, instead of as-Sawm, the word as-Siyam has been employed. This subtlety shows us that what is actually required from us is the result of the action (natijat al-hadath) of sawm (fasting), and not only the act (hadath) of fasting (sawm). The word siyam, being the noun of the infinitive (ism al-masdar) and not an infinitive (masdar), linguistically signifies the result of fasting. And that is what is really important. This is because many of us fast, but reap substantially less than the potential benefits.

In short, what is anticipated from us is not merely the act of as-Sawm, but the state of as-SiYam, which is the spiritual result of fasting.

Small wonder it is that some traditions do not reckon the mere abstinence from food, drink, legal sexual union, etc. as the true act of fasting that is anticipated from a faithful one. Consider the following traditions:

1. Hadrat Fatimah az-Zahra’ (‘a) is reported to have said:

مَا يَصْنَعُ الصَّائِمُ بِصِيَامِهِ إِذَا لَمْ يَصُنُ لِسَانَهُ وَسَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ وَجَوَارِحَه

What should the fasting one do with his fast, if he did not protect his tongue, hearing, sight and members of his body?4

Hadrat Zahra’ (‘a) informs us indirectly that such a fast that only adheres to the apparent laws has little value.

2. Ibn ‘Ajlal reports from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a):

لَيْسَ الصِّيَامُ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ وَ الشَّرَابِ أَنْ لَا يَأْكُلَ الْإِنْسَانُ وَلَا يَشْرَبَ فَقَطْ وَلَكِنْ إِذَا صُمْتَ فَلْيَصُمْ سَمْعُكَ وَبَصَرُكَ وَلِسَانُكَ وَبَطْنُكَ وَفَرْجُكَ وَاحْفَظُ يَدَكَ وَفَرْجَكَ وَأَكْثِرِ السُّكُوتَ إِلَّا مِنْ خَيْرٍ وَارْفُقْ بِخَادِمِكَ

Fasting from food and drink does not [merely] mean that the human being should not eat or drink; rather, when you fast, then your ears, eyes, tongue, stomach and private parts must [also] fast; and safeguard your hand and private part and observe silence most of the times save from what is good to say; and be kind to your servant5.

Here Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) informs his companion that when one fasts the commonly known physical fast one must understand that there is more to the outer rules and regulations. Fasting requires one to ensure that all the members of one’s body are also fasting.

3. Alluding to the real kind of fast anticipated from the servants of Allah, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (‘a) in his supplication on welcoming the holy month of Ramadan says:

وَأَعِنَّا عَلَى صِيَامِهِ بِكَفِّ الْجَوَارِحِ عَنْ مَعَاصِيْكَ، وَاسْتِعْمَالِهَا فِيهِ بِمَا يُرْضِيكَ حَتَّى لا تُصْغِي بِأَسْمَاعِنَا إِلَى لَغْوِ، وَلَا تُسْرِعَ بِأَبْصَارِنَا إِلَى لَهُرٍ، وَحَتَّى لا نَبْسُط أَيْدِينَا إلى محظور، وَلا تَفْعَلُو بِأَقْدَامِنَا إِلَى مَحْجُورٍ، وَحَتَّى لَا تَعِيَ بُطُونُنَا إِلا مَا أَحْلَلْت، ولا تنطق ألسنتنا إلا بِمَا مَثْلَتَ، وَلَا تَتَكَلَّفَ إلا ما يُدْنِي مِنْ ثَوَابِكَ، وَلَا نَتَعَاطَى إِلَّا الَّذِي يَقِي مِنْ عِقَابِكَ

And help us to fast in it by us restraining our limbs from acts of disobedience toward Thee and our employing them in that which pleases Thee, so that we lend not our ears to idle talk and hurry not with our eyes to diversion, we stretch not our hands toward the forbidden and stride not with our feet toward the prohibited, our bellies hold only what Thou hast made lawful and our tongues speak only what Thou hast exemplified, we undertake nothing but what brings close to Thy reward and pursue nothing but what protects from Thy punishment!6

Note that Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (‘a) makes no mention of abstaining from food or drink when mentioning fasting although they are vital conditions for its validity. Rather he seeks the protection of the different members of the body from sin. The reason for this, perhaps, is to draw our attention to the spirit of the true fast.

In conclusion, one must aspire to achieve the fundamental purpose of fasting, and that is divine proximity. And that cannot be achieved save through taqwa (God-wariness) in different dimensions and levels. Hence, in addition to what one has been obliged to abstain from when fasting, one must also refrain from all those things that Allah is displeased with.

• 1. Shaykh al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 352.
• 2. Al-Maghribi, Da‘a’im al-Islam, v. 1, p. 270.
• 3. Available from The World Federation of KSIMC: www.world-federation.org;
  www.wfshop.org
  Online at: https://www.al-islam.org/short-treatise-divine-invitation-muhammad-m-kha...
• 4. ‘Allamah Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v. 93, p. 295.
• 5. ‘Allamah Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar. v. 94, p. 352.
• 6. Imam as-Sajjad (‘a), as-Sahifah as-Sajjadiyyah, Supplication 44.