Fasting, False Speech and Bad Actions

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

Fasting is one of the greatest forms of `Ibaadah (worship). Allaah تعالى specifically attributed this action that it is done for Him and that He تعالى has taken upon Himself to reward them for it personally. Allaah will reward them without measure:

Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Allaah تعالى said: {All the deeds of Aadam’s sons are for them, except Fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.’...}”

[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (1904, 5927, 7492, 7538) and Saheeh Muslim (2564, 2566, 2568)]

And in another narration in Muslim it is reported:

“All the deeds of Aadam’s sons are rewarded ten times to seven hundred times. Allaah تعالى said: {Except Fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it, for he has avoided his desires and food for my sake.}”

[Saheeh Muslim (2567)] 

Allaah تعالى singled out Fasting from among all the other deeds, and that is because of its high status with Him, and His love for it, and the apparent sincerity there is in it for Him, because it is hidden between the slave and his Lord and nobody knows about it except Allaah. A person may be between a group of people and none will know that he is Fasting. He might be alone, where there is no one to see him, yet he will not eat or drink, knowing that Allaah is watching Him. This is the highest level of Ikhlaas (sincerity).

But yet, the magnificent reward for this great action may be lost because of a person not taking control of his tongue or his actions; for fasting is not only abstaining from food and drink, but from everything which Allaah تعالى hates and has made it prohibited.

A few narrations on the importance of controlling the tongue and actions while Fasting:

#1 Narrated Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه: The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Whoever does not give up false statements (i.e. telling lies), evil deeds, and speaking bad words (i.e. indulging in obscene language) to others, then Allaah is not in need of his (Fasting) leaving his food and drink.”

[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (1903, 6057)]

#2 Narrated Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه: The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Fasting is a Shield. If one of you is Fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and avoid quarreling (and behaving foolishly), and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, ‘I am Fasting.’”

[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (1894, 1904) and Saheeh Muslim (2566)]

#3 Narrated Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه: The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “There may be a Fasting person who gets nothing more from his Fast except hunger and thirst, and there may be a person who prays Qiyaam (night prayers) and all he gets from his Qiyaam is a sleepless night.”

[Sunan Ibn Maajah (1690) and Musnad of Imaam Ahmad (8856) and graded as “Hasan-Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]

#4 Narrated Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه: The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Fasting does not just mean giving up food and drink, rather Fasting also means giving up idle and obscene talk.”

[Saheeh Ibn Khuzaymah (1996), and Mustadrak of al-Haakim (1570) and graded as “Saheeh” by al-Albaanee in Saheeh al-Targheeb (1082) and Saheeh al-Jaami` (5376)]

#5 It was narrated that Taleeq ibn Qays said: Abu Dharr said: “When you Fast then be careful as much as you can.” When Taleeq was Fasting he would enter his house and only come out to pray.

[Musannaf Ibn Abee Shaibah (8878)]

#6 Jaabir ibn `Abdallaah al-Ansaaree رضي الله عنه said: “When you Fast, then let your hearing, your sight and your tongue also Fast from lying and sin, and stop abusing the servants, and be tranquil and dignified on the day when you Fast. Do not let the day when you do not Fast and the day when you Fast be the same.”

[Musannaf Ibn Abee Shaibah (8880)]

#7 Al-Mutawakkil رحمه الله said: “When Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه and his companions Fasted, they would stay in the Masjid and say: “We are keeping our Fast pure.”

[Hilyatul Awliyaa’ (1/382) and Musannaf Ibn Abee Shaibah (8881)]

#8 `Umar ibn al-Khattaab رضي الله عنه said: “Fasting does not mean that one abstains from food and drink only; it also means abstaining from lying, falsehood, idle talk and (false) oaths.”

[Musannaf Ibn Abee Shaibah (8882)]

  

#9 Maimoon Ibn Mihraan رحمه الله used to say: “The easiest part of Fasting is abstaining from food and drink.”

[Musannaf Ibn Abee Shaibah (8883)]

  

#10 `Alee ibn Abi Taalib رضي الله عنه said: “Fasting does not just mean giving up food and drink; it also means giving up lies, falsehood and idle talk.”

 [Musannaf Ibn Abee Shaibah (8884)]

#11 Mujaahid رحمه الله said: “Whoever protects himself from these two characteristics, his Fasting will be correct: Gheebah (backbiting) and telling lies.” 
[Musannaf Ibn Abee Shaibah (8887)]

#12 Ibraaheem al-Nakha`ee رحمه الله said: “They used to say that telling lies breaks the Fast.”

[Musannaf Ibn Abee Shaibah (8888)]

#13 Abu al-`Aaliyah رحمه الله said: “A Fasting person is in (a state of) `Ibaadah as long as he does not backbite anyone.”

[Musannaf Ibn Abee Shaibah (8889)]