Islamicstudies.info
Tafheem.net | About |
Zoom Page: Ctrl+, Ctrl-, Ctrl0
Font | Contact us
Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183-185 [23/40]
  
|
Intro
 
Display
 
Recite
|
Display Options [
V1 /
V2 /
V3 /
Book /
S1 /
S2 /
En /
Ar |
W
]
Section
Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاO you
ٱلَّذِينَwho
ءَامَنُواْbelieve[d]!
كُتِبَIs prescribed
عَلَيْكُمُfor you
ٱلصِّيَامُ[the] fasting
كَمَاas
كُتِبَwas prescribed
عَلَىto
ٱلَّذِينَthose
مِن قَبْلِكُمْbefore you,
لَعَلَّكُمْso that you may
تَتَّقُونَ(become) righteous.
﴿١٨٣﴾
أَيَّامًا(Fasting for) days
مَّعْدُودَٲتٍ‌ۚnumbered.
فَمَنSo whoever
كَانَ مِنكُمamong you is
مَّرِيضًاsick
أَوْor
عَلَىٰon
سَفَرٍa journey,
فَعِدَّةٌthen a prescribed number
مِّنْof
أَيَّامٍdays
أُخَرَ‌ۚother.
وَعَلَىAnd on
ٱلَّذِينَthose who
يُطِيقُونَهُۥcan afford it,
فِدْيَةٌa ransom
طَعَامُ(of) feeding
مِسْكِينٍ‌ۖa poor.
فَمَنAnd whoever
تَطَوَّعَvolunteers
خَيْرًاgood
فَهُوَthen it
خَيْرٌ(is) better
لَّهُۥ‌ۚfor him.
وَأَنAnd to
تَصُومُواْfast
خَيْرٌ(is) better
لَّكُمْ‌ۖfor you,
إِنif
كُنتُمْyou
تَعْلَمُونَknow.
﴿١٨٤﴾
شَهْرُMonth
رَمَضَانَ(of) Ramadhaan
ٱلَّذِىٓ(is) that
أُنزِلَwas revealed
فِيهِtherein
ٱلْقُرْءَانُthe Quran,
هُدًىa Guidance
لِّلنَّاسِfor mankind
وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍand clear proofs
مِّنَof
ٱلْهُدَىٰ[the] Guidance
وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ‌ۚand the Criterion.
فَمَنSo whoever
شَهِدَwitnesses
مِنكُمُamong you
ٱلشَّهْرَthe month,
فَلْيَصُمْهُ‌ۖthen he should fast in it,
وَمَنand whoever
كَانَis
مَرِيضًاsick
أَوْor
عَلَىٰon
سَفَرٍa journey
فَعِدَّةٌthen prescribed number (should be made up)
مِّنْfrom
أَيَّامٍdays
أُخَرَ‌ۗother.
يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُAllah intends
بِكُمُfor you
ٱلْيُسْرَ[the] ease
وَلَاand not
يُرِيدُintends
بِكُمُfor you
ٱلْعُسْرَ[the] hardship,
وَلِتُكْمِلُواْso that you complete
ٱلْعِدَّةَthe prescribed period
وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْand that you magnify
ٱللَّهَAllah
عَلَىٰfor
مَا[what]
هَدَٮٰكُمْHe guided you
وَلَعَلَّكُمْso that you may
تَشْكُرُونَ(be) grateful.
﴿١٨٥﴾


يٰٓـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا كُتِبَ عَلَيۡکُمُ الصِّيَامُ کَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُوۡنَۙ‏  اَيَّامًا مَّعۡدُوۡدٰتٍؕ فَمَنۡ كَانَ مِنۡكُمۡ مَّرِيۡضًا اَوۡ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنۡ اَيَّامٍ اُخَرَ​ؕ وَعَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ يُطِيۡقُوۡنَهٗ فِدۡيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسۡكِيۡنٍؕ فَمَنۡ تَطَوَّعَ خَيۡرًا فَهُوَ خَيۡرٌ لَّهٗ ؕ وَاَنۡ تَصُوۡمُوۡا خَيۡرٌ لَّـکُمۡ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏  شَهۡرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِىۡٓ اُنۡزِلَ فِيۡهِ الۡقُرۡاٰنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَ بَيِّنٰتٍ مِّنَ الۡهُدٰى وَالۡفُرۡقَانِۚ فَمَنۡ شَهِدَ مِنۡكُمُ الشَّهۡرَ فَلۡيَـصُمۡهُ ؕ وَمَنۡ کَانَ مَرِيۡضًا اَوۡ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنۡ اَيَّامٍ اُخَرَؕ يُرِيۡدُ اللّٰهُ بِکُمُ الۡيُسۡرَ وَلَا يُرِيۡدُ بِکُمُ الۡعُسۡرَ وَلِتُکۡمِلُوا الۡعِدَّةَ وَلِتُکَبِّرُوا اللّٰهَ عَلٰى مَا هَدٰٮكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّکُمۡ تَشۡكُرُوۡنَ‏ 

Translation
(2:183) Believers! Fasting is enjoined upon you, as it was enjoined upon those before you, that you become God-fearing.183 (2:184) Fasting is for a fixed number of days, and if one of you be sick, or if one of you be on a journey, you will fast the same number of other days later on. For those who are capable of fasting (but still do not fast) there is a redemption: feeding a needy man for each day missed. Whoever voluntarily does more good than is required, will find it better for him;184 and that you should fast is better for you, if you only know.185 (2:185) During the month of Ramadan the Qur'an was sent down as a guidance to the people with Clear Signs of the true guidance and as the Criterion (between right and wrong). So those of you who live to see that month should fast it, and whoever is sick or on a journey should fast the same number of other days instead. Allah wants ease and not hardship for you so that you may complete the number of days required,186 magnify Allah for what He has guided you to, and give thanks to Him.187

Commentary

183. Like most other injunctions of Islam those relating to fasting were revealed gradually. In the beginning the Prophet (peace be on him) had instructed the Muslims to fast three days in every month, though this was not obligatory. When the injunction in the present verse was later revealed in 2 A.H., a degree of relaxation was introduced: it was stipulated that those who did not fast despite their capacity to endure it were obliged to feed one poor person as an expiation for each day of obligatory fasting missed see (verse 184). Another injunction was revealed later see (verse 185) and here the relaxation in respect of able-bodied persons was revoked. However, for the sick, the traveller, the pregnant, the breast-feeding women and the aged who could not endure fasting, the relaxation was retained. (See Bukhari, 'Tafsir al-Qur'an', 25; Tirmidhi, 'Sawm', 21; Nasai, 'Siyam', 51, 62, 64; Ibn Majah, 'Siyam', 12; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 3, p. 104; vol. 4, pp. 347 and 418; vol. 5, p. 29 - Ed.)

184. This act of extra merit could either be feeding more than the one person required or both fasting and feeding the poor.

185. Here ends the early injunction with regard to fasting which was revealed in 2 A.H. prior to the Battle of Badr. The verses that follow were revealed about one year later and are linked with the preceding verses since they deal with the same subject.

186. Whether a person should or should not fast while on a journey is left to individual discretion. We find that among the Companions who accompanied the Prophet on journeys some fasted whereas others did not; none objected to the conduct of another. The Prophet himself did not always fast when travelling. On one journey a person was so overwhelmed by hunger that he collapsed; the Prophet disapproved when he learned that the man had been fasting. During wars the Prophet used to prevent people from fasting so that they would not lack energy for the fight. It has been reported by 'Umar that two military expeditions took place in the month of Ramadan. The first was the Battle of Badr and the second the conquest of Makka. On both occasions the Companions abstained from fasting, and, according to Ibn 'Umar, on the occasion of the conquest of Makka the Prophet proclaimed that people should not fast since it was a day of fighting. In other Traditions the Prophet is reported to have said that people should not fast when they had drawn close to the enemy, since abstention from fasting would lead to greater strength. (See Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 3, p. 329, and vol. 5, pp. 205 and 209: Darimi, ' Sawm', 41; Muslim, 'Siyarn', 92; Nasai, 'Siyam', 47; Bukhari, 'Maghazi', 71; Muslim, 'Siyam', 102; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 3, pp. 21, 35, 46; Tirmidhi, 'Sawm', 18, Nasa'i. 'Siyam', 52; Bukhari , 'Jihad', 29; Muslim, 'Siyam', 98; Abu Da'ud, 'Sawm' 42; Muslim, 'Siyam', 102, 103, 105; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad vol. 2, 99; Tirmidhi, : 'Sawm', 19 - Ed.)

The duration of a journey for which it becomes permissible for a person to abstain from fasting is not absolutely clear from any statement of the Prophet, (cf. relevant Traditions Abu Da'ud, 'Sawm', 46, 47; Nasai , 'Siyam', 54, 55; Malik, Muaatta', 'Siyam', 21, 27 - Ed.) In addition the practice of the Companions was not uniform. It would seem that any journey which is commonly regarded as such, and which is attended by the circumstances generally associated with travelling, should be deemed sufficient justification for not fasting.

Jurists agree that one does not have to fast on the day of commencing a journey; one may eat either at the point of departure or after the actual journey has commenced. Either course is sanctioned by the practice of the Companions. Jurists, however, are not agreed as to whether or not the residents of a city under attack may abstain from fasting even though they are not actually travelling. Ibn taymiyah favours the permissibility of abstention from fasting and supports his view with vcry forceful arguments.

187. This indicates that fasting need not be confined, exclusively, to Ramadan. For those who fail to fast during that month owing to some legitimate reason God has kept the door of compensation open during other months of the year so that they need not be deprived of the opportunity to express their gratitude to Him for His great bounty, in revealing the Qur'an.

It should he noted here that fasting in Ramadan has not only been declared an act of worship and devotion and a means to nourish piety but has also been characterized as an act of gratefulness to God for His great bounty of true guidance in the form of the Qur'an. In fact, the best way of expressing gratitude for someone's bounty or benevolence is to prepare oneself, to the best of one's ability, to achieve the purpose for which that bounty has been bestowed. The Qur'an has been revealed so that we may know the way that leads to God's good pleasure, follow that way ourselves and direct the world along it. Fasting is an excellent means by which to prepare ourselves for shouldering this task. Hence fasting during the month of the revelation of the Qur'an is more than an act of worship and more than an excellent course of moral training; it is also an appropriate form for the expression of our thankfulness to God for the bounty of the Qur'an.