The Virtues of Fasting – Part 2
5. It is mentioned in a Hadith that at the time of opening the fast, the person is permitted to make a dua whose acceptance is promised.
6.It is mentioned in a Hadith that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam addressed two persons saying: “You should fast hecause fasting is a shield in order to save oneself from hell and in order to save oneself from the difficulties of time.” In other words, one will be saved from hell and also from the difficulties and calamities of this world.
7. It is mentioned in a Hadith that on the day of judgement, three persons will not have to give an account of the food that they ate, immaterial of what they ate as long as it is halaal. They are: the fasting person, the person who makes sehri, and the person who is stationed on the borders of the Islamic state safeguarding it from being invaded by the kuffaar.
This is a great concession for these three persons that they have been absolved from giving an account of their eating. It should be borne in mind that despite this concession, one should not spend a lot of money and time in preparing very exquisite meals.
Spending a lot of time in preparing delicacies turns one away from the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala and gives impetus to one’s power of committing sins. This should always be borne in mind. One should value the bounties that Allah Ta’ala has blessed one with. The best way of showing gratitude to Allah Ta’ala is that one should obey all His commands and orders.
8. It is mentioned in a Hadith that the person who feeds a fasting person at the time of opening fast will receive the same reward as that of the fasting person without there being any decrease in the reward of the fasting person. In other words, through the mercy and generosity of Allah Ta’ala, both of them will receive the same reward. This will apply even if the person feeds him with a very simple or insignificant meal. Even if he merely gives him some water to drink.
9. It is mentioned in a Hadith that Allah Ta’ala multiplies the rewards of His pious servants by ten times up to 700 times except for the reward of fasting. In other words, there is no limit for the reward of fasting. As regards fasting, Allah Ta’ala says: “It is for Me alone and I will give the reward for it. “From this we can gauge how great the reward of fasting is that there is no limit to the rewards. In addition to this, Allah Ta’ala will give the reward for fasting Himself and will not delegate this task to the angels. Glory be to Allah Ta’ala for attaching such importance to this little effort on our part.
However, it should be borne in mind that all these virtues and benefits of fasting will only come into effect when we fulfil this duty as it ought to be fulfilled, and only when we abstain from speaking lies, backbiting, and all other sins.
In the month of Ramadaan, some people leave out their salaats completely while others miss out the fajr salaat. In doing so, they are depriving themselves of the numerous blessings and rewards of fasting.
Furthermore, by reading this Hadith, one should not have this misconception that fasting is more virtuous than salaat because salaat is the most virtuous of all the different acts of ibaadah, The meaning of this Hadith is that there is a very great reward for fasting and it does not mean that fasting is the most virtuous act of ibaadah.
The above-mentioned Hadith continues that there are two times of extreme happiness for the fasting person. The first time of happiness is when he opens his fast and the second time is on the day of judgement. That is, when he meets Allah Ta’ala, as mentioned in other Ahaadith.
Source: Bahishti Zewar
