Brief Comments on Riyaadh al-Saaliheen #29

The continuous fasting of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم:
(al-Wisaal: Fasting continuously without breaking one's fast in the evening or eating before the following dawn)

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

[Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen, pg. 2/560]

Shaikh al-`Utahymeen رحمه الله said:

When a man is preoccupied with a thing which is most beloved to him, he forgets everything else. And this is why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

“Who among you is like me? When I sleep (at night), my Lord makes me eat and drink.” [1]

And what some of the people of knowledge have interpreted about the food and the drink - that the food is from the Jannah and the drink is from the Jannah – is not correct; because, if he صلى الله عليه وسلم was eating and drinking a physical (real) food, it would not have been considered as al-Wisaal (continuous fasting). Rather the food and drink here means the remembrance of Allaah with the heart, the tongue and (the actions of) the limbs which kept the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم preoccupied .

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[1] Narrated Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه: Allaah’s Apostle صلى الله عليه وسلم forbade Al-Wisaal. The people said (to him): “But you fast Al-Wisaal.” He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Who among you is like me? When I sleep (at night), my Lord makes me eat and drink.” But when the people refused to give up Al-Wisaal, he صلى الله عليه وسلم fasted Al-Wisaal along with them for two days and then they saw the crescent whereupon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “If the crescent had not appeared I would have fasted for a longer period”, as if he intended to punish them herewith.

Narrated Anas رضي الله عنه: The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Do not practice Al-Wisaal (fasting continuously without breaking one's fast in the evening or eating before the following dawn).” The people said to the Prophet: “But you practice Al-Wisaal?” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied: “I am not like any of you, for I am given food and drink (by Allah) during the night.”

[This Hadeeth is also mentioned on the authority of Ibn `Umar, `Aaishah, Abu Sa`eed; Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (1922, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 6851, 7242, 7299) and Saheeh Muslim (1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1857)]