Chapter: To protect oneself from evil talk while observing the fast
Guarding One’s Tongue when Fasting
- Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Fasting is a shield (or a screen or a shelter). So, the person observing fasting should avoid sexual relations with his wife and should not behave foolishly and impudently, and if somebody fights with him or abuses him, he should tell him twice, ‘I am fasting.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the smell of a fasting person’s breath is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. (Allah says about the fasting person), ‘He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So, I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times.”
Shaykh ‘Ubayd al-Jaabiri said that fasting is not just to keep away from eating and drinking and fulfilling your desires and having relations with your spouse rather the reason behind fasting is higher than that and it is more than that. It is obligatory on a Muslim to keep away from all that is prohibited in terms of statements and actions, in terms of statement he keeps away from backbiting; tale carrying, accusing a lady of having committing illicit relations, so it is not allowed for a person in this situation to speak in that which is prohibited likewise it is not allowed for a person while he is fasting that he does an prohibited action such as hit another person unjustly and such as steal for indeed it has been reported in Bukhari; Abu Hurairah said that Prophet ﷺ said; “whoever does not leave false witness, falsely lying; testifying falsely and also acting in that regard along with ignorance then Allah is not in need of that person to leave his food and drink.”
This hadith in the chapter mentioned clearly shows that one should guard his tongue from everything that is considered to be disgusting and horrible because it is from the prohibited matters. These prohibited matters may be from the statements and actions and a person should be far away from prohibited statements and actions in his life but more so in Ramadan.
From the mannerisms and the etiquette of a Muslim is keeping his fast sound. If a person insults a Muslim by calling him names or he intended to hit him then he replies to that person by saying “I am fasting, I am fasting.” He says that as a way of bringing about fear in a person because the fasting person is the guest of Allah and Allah is able to take revenge over the oppressor.
And thirdly from the benefit of fasting is that the smell of one’s breath whilst he is fasting is considered to be better than the smell of musk and nobody knows the reward for fasting that Allah will give.
Allah said in the hadith Qudsi:
Except for fasting it is for me and I reward it.
Because He left it open, it shows clearly that Allah has the right to reward and he will reward according to His bounty; mercy and great generosity.
If person does good deeds, he will get 10 rewards of each deed. The Messenger ﷺ also mentioned that may Allah may magnify the deeds by 700 times. What is intended here O Muslims is that a person who fasts the obligatory fast or extra fasts then that person must fast the month; his tongue must fast; his hearing must fast; his sight and limbs must fast; and be free and keep away from all that is haram.