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Bulugh al-Maram 770

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade us from practicing wisal in fasting (i.e. fasting continuously without breaking one’s fast in the evening or eating before the following dawn).

Abu Hurayrahnarrated it
Sahihgraded sahih by Al-Albani
2names in the chain
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وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضى الله عنه

قَالَ: «نَهَى رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ اَلْوِصَالِ، فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ اَلْمُسْلِمِينَ: فَإِنَّكَ يَا رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ تُوَاصِلُ? قَالَ: «وَأَيُّكُمْ مِثْلِي? إِنِّي أَبِيتُ يُطْعِمُنِي رَبِّي وَيَسْقِينِي». فَلَمَّا أَبَوْا أَنْ يَنْتَهُوا عَنِ اَلْوِصَالِ وَاصَلَ بِهِمْ يَوْمًا، ثُمَّ يَوْمًا، ثُمَّ رَأَوُا اَلْهِلَالَ، فَقَالَ: «لَوْ تَأَخَّرَ اَلْهِلَالُ لَزِدْتُكُمْ «كَالْمُنَكِّلِ لَهُمْ حِينَ أَبَوْا أَنْ يَنْتَهُوا»

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade us from practicing wisal in fasting (i.e. fasting continuously without breaking one’s fast in the evening or eating before the following dawn).

So a man said to him, ‘But you practice wisal O Messenger of Allah!’ The Prophet Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) replied, “Which one of you is like me? I am given food and drink during my sleep by Allah.” So when people refused to stop wisal, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) fasted day and night continuously along with them for a day and then another day and then they saw the crescent (of the new month of Shawwal).

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said to them, “If the crescent had not appeared, I would have made you fast for a longer period.” That was a punishment for them because they refused to stop (practicing Wisal). Agreed upon.

Bulugh al-Maram 770, Book 5, Fasting, Hadith 13. 1 min read
The note in this edition

صحيح. روه البخاري (1965)، ومسلم (1103)

What it means

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessing be upon him) forbade his Companions from Wisāl out of mercy and compassion for them. However, the Companions, out of their love for virtuous deeds and their eagerness to perform deeds that would bring them closer to Allah, wished to practice the Wisāl fast, following the example of the Prophet.

They said to him: But you practice Wisāl! So he informed them that he was given (by Allah) what compensates his need for food and drink. He added that whoever wants to continuously fast, then he may do so until the time before dawn. The Islamic Shariah is tolerant and easy and is free of whatever causes hardship and distress, and is also free of extremism and excess, because that would entail torture and exhaustion of the self, and Allah does not charge a soul except with that within its capacity. This is also because ease and facilitation encourage the continuity of deeds and ward off boredom.

Moreover, they emphasize the justice that Allah has placed on earth, which is giving Allah what He demands of worship while giving the self its essential needs.

From the Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths, hadeethenc.com.

The chain

Who passed it on, from Ibn Hajar back to the one who was there.

  1. 1Ibn HajarCompiler, died 852 AH
  2. 2Abu HurayrahFrom, Companion, died 57 AH

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