Why Intention is the Foundation of Fasting
The Two Pillars of Fasting: Intention and Abstinence - Islamic Jurisprudence Lecture
Summary
This lecture from the Muslim Community Center of Tucson provides a detailed analysis of the pillars of fasting in Islamic jurisprudence. The instructor covers the two main pillars: intention (niyyah) and refraining from things that break the fast. The lecture emphasizes that intention must be established before dawn for obligatory fasts, and discusses how evidence is structured in Islamic scholarship, moving from general to specific proofs using Quranic verses and hadith narrations. The instructor explains that intention is a condition for all acts of worship and uses the principle that obligatory fasts follow the same rulings whether during Ramadan or when making up missed days. The second pillar is explained through Quranic evidence, particularly verse 187 of Surah Al-Baqarah, which delineates the fasting period from dawn until sunset. The lecture emphasizes the importance of understanding the evidence behind Islamic rulings rather than merely following them blindly, distinguishing between true knowledge and blind adherence.
Note: This transcript was generated using YouTube's automatic captioning, with AI-assisted cleanup for readability. It may contain inaccuracies due to background noise, audio quality, or limitations of the transcription software — particularly during Arabic recitation. Listener discretion is advised; please refer to the original video for precise wording.
Alhamdulillah. Continuing in the book of fasting, the chapter regarding the pillars of fasting. The pillars of fasting. We mentioned yesterday morning that fasting has how many pillars? Two. Two pillars. The first one is intention. And the second one emptiness. Yes. Refraining from anything that breaks one's fast. Intention is the condition of all conditions. It is a condition in every act of worship. There are few acts of worship that are valid without intention. And so this is kind of a standard, right? And we mentioned that intention is in the heart. It places in the heart but intention for fasting if it is an obligatory fasting the month of Ramadan fasting fasting a vow any kind of fasting that is obligatory then what is the then a person must have his intention before the break of dawn correct before the break of dawn. And a good point to mention here and we'll mention it again later inshallah and that is that when it comes to alabat making up fasting that a person has missed of Ramadan. Any day that a person makes up outside of Ramadan, once they engage in that fast, it has the exact same rulings as Ramadan, right? So for instance, a person may break his may have an allowance during Ramadan to break his fast, illness, travel, whatever. a woman breaks her fast or is not fasting because of her cycle, she is then able to make it up any day throughout the coming year. It's a difference of opinion on whether or not she must make it up immediately when she is able or he or any time throughout the year. an issue we will discuss in due time inshallah. However, most of the scholars view that a person is able to choose any day that they wish from the coming year to make up that day of fasting that they missed in Ramadan. But once they begin the fasting, so notice, you can choose any day you want, but once you begin the day of fasting, you're now locked into it just you would be in the day of Ramadan, right? It now becomes just as obligatory as the day of Ramadan is. And it it then has the same rulings as if it were the month of Ramadan. So intention has to be made before the break of dawn for obligatory fasting.
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When He mentions a general evidence and this is another thing we will take real quick and that is that how do we organize evidence right because not all evidence is on the same level. It's not on the same level of strength. It's not on the same level of clarity. It's not on the same level of it's not on the same it's not all the same. We can have general evidences, specific evidences. We can have evidences that mention something by name that mention something by its description, right? evidence from the Quran, evidence from the Sunnah, evidence from different places in the Sunnah, whether it's from the prophet's words or from his actions or from his companions or from his So evidences are not all the same. They're on different levels. So when we go to look at the way that the scholars have structured their arguments, we start with the way that Allah has structured the arguments that he mentions in the Quran. And how are those arguments mentioned? Every major chapter of the Quran usually structures these arguments in the same way. And that is that the introduction to the chapter, the beginning and opening verses of the chapter will mention the general arguments and then he will become it will become more and more specific as the chapter continues and then at the end of the chapter it draws conclusions and ties back to the beginning and ties all the evidences together. So you begin at kind of a bird's eyee view and you home in right the same thing the scholars do in their arguments when they wish to mention an evidence for something they begin first with a general evidence a general rule if you will then they will become more and more specific in their evidences being that this book here is by by definition it's a very summarized book. It's meant to be memorized by students of hadith. It's meant to be a kind of handbook if you will for the general Muslim. So by definition it's going to be very very summarized and very abridged in that. So, it's not going to mention every single evidence, but we still see the same structure and that is that he begins with a general evidence from the Quran, a general evidence for the Sunnah, and then a specific evidence from the Quran. If it's there, then a specific evidence from the Sunnah. This is how he has structured the book. This is how most arguments are structured. So he begins with a general evidence from the Quran meaning not specific to Ramadan but in general that intention is a condition in all acts of worship. So he begins with the fifth verse of surah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says regarding the previous nations meaning all nations were commanded with the same thing that this nation is commanded with and that is.
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He says, "And the previous nations, namely the Jews and Christians, were ordered not except that they were to worship Allah, making sincere to him all acts of worship. ship. so the point here is making sincere to him all acts of worship. That is intention. Intentionality that not only do I intend to worship but I intend to worship Allah alone without any partners. So that's an evidence for intention. Intentionality being a condition in all acts of worship. Then he mentions the general evidence from the Sunnah, an narration that has been collected by all of the major books of hadith. It's the narration of Omar. It's usually one of the first narrations anyone learns in which the prophet sallall.aii wasallam said deeds are but by intention. Meaning deeds are rewarded and judged and weighed based on the intention of the person who does the deed and indeed for each person what he has intended. This narration as we mentioned is in all the six books the major six books of hadith including Musad Ahmed and others. Then he mentions a specific narration a specific evidence from the Sunnah regarding having intention to fast the day of Ramadan before the break of dawn of the intended day. He says,.
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He says, "And a person must have his intention to fast before the break of dawn before fud then of each night. So the night comes before the day. So before the break of dawn any time during that night the person must have the intention to fast the following day and this is due to the narration of the prophet's wife's daughter in which she narrates that the messenger of Allah said, "Whoever has not intended to fast before the break of dawn, then their fasting is not valid." Okay? Whoever has not solidified his intention to fast before the break of dawn, then his fasting is not valid. Now, if you'll notice, the way that we have worded this is that an obligatory fast. So we say Ramadan kafow right another etc. This is all types of obligatory fast fast for fasting because of unintentional killing of a Muslim etc accidental. These are types of obligatory fasting and the intention must be arrived at and solidified before the break of dawn. So what about an optional fast? If a person is going to fast every Monday and Thursday or three days out of the month or if a person wishes to fast the six days of Sha or a person wishes to fast every other day or a person wishes to fast or the the 10 the 10th of or the day of etc. optional fasting. Does it have the same rule? Generally, yes. Specifically, no. And this has its own chapter which we'll delve into inshallah when we arrive at that. But for our intents and purposes, obligatory fast, a person must have solidified his intention. He must have arrived at a coherent intention to fast the following day before the break of dawn. Before the break of dawn for the day that he wishes to fast. This narration of hapsa has been collected by Abu Di and so three of the four books of sun. the second pillar of fasting. And so before we move on, there may be a lot of questions in your minds right now. for instance, what about if a person doesn't know that it's Ramadan yet until midway through the day? What if a person only finds out after fud? But if these kinds of incidental things we will discuss them at the end of this book at the end of this book meaning the book of fasting. It has its own chapters which we'll deal with there. First we want to have a solid foundation and then we start to go into the exceptions to the rule. First we learn the rules. Then we learn the exceptions and how to deal with them. Right? So the second pillar of fasting is refraining from anything that will break a person's fast from the break of dawn until the sun sets. Refraining from anything that will break a person's fast from the break of dawn until the sun sets. And the evidence for this for.
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Insanity. and.
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What the whole.
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He says, "And the evidence for this second pillar is the statement of Allah." Verse 187 of Bakar in which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that which translates to and eat all of you and drink until the white thread is distinguished from the black thread on the horizon at the break of dawn. and then continue to hold your fast until nightfall. Okay, so we will discuss this verse in more detail inshallah. But what is important here for our intents and purposes is to take the aspect of the verse that the author intended for this issue and that is that Allah commands us to eat and drink until the break of dawn. Until up until the break of dawn. Then you cease eating and drinking until nightfall. And nightfall begins in the Arabic language and in Islamic legislation at the sunset. The thing that is going through a lot of our minds when we hear this kind of topic discussed in this way is sheh we already know this right? Of course we know this. I know this ever since I was a little little boy that I'm supposed to hold my fast from the break of dawn until the sun sets and that I'm supposed to refrain from eating and drinking anything, etc. Are we What are we doing here? Why are we over complicating something? Are we chewing water here in this gathering? We already know this. The answer is this is the difference between knowledge and ignorance. Knowledge and blind following. It's not that you know the conclusion, it's that you know where the conclusion comes from. It's not just that you know the answer, but that you know the evidence for that answer. That's what scholarship is. That's what knowledge is. Knowledge is having evidence. And this is something that has honestly become overlooked. For instance, if I were to say to you right now, what is one kind of filth that if it's on your clothing or your person or your place of salah, if you were to pray, it would invalidate your prayer. Number one thing that comes to mind, huh? Yes. So we say filth, right? Well, how many types of filth are there? So for instance, stool or or you know defecation is that filthy human defecation. Is it filthy? It's filthy, right? What's the evidence for that? No, I need a I need an evidence that that's filthy. Specifically that.
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I need an evidence that human feces is filthy. That's the evidence I need. I don't want a general thing. I need an evidence for that. We all know that, right? Is there anyone here who does not know that? Every one of us knows that. What's the evidence for it? Because just saying I know that or everyone knows that or that's common knowledge. That's not an evidence. That's not evidence. Christians all know common knowledge that Jesus was crucified. They all know that he's one of three. They all know that he's the son of God. So tell me what is the evidence that human feal matter is filthy and that it will invalidate your prayer. See this is the difference between scholarship and ignorance or between knowledge and following. When we do what's called which you must do, you can't know every single thing always, right? It's not possible. Even major scholars will have certain issues that they do on because life is short and they're not able to research every single tiny thing. Right? That's why there's so many scholars. They all complete each other. Whatever this one misses, the other one has. They form a whole collectively. But the issue here is the difference between knowledge and because aid by definition is not a person of knowledge. Right? Saying for instance, how many prayers are there in a day? Five prayers. What's the evidence for that? Evidence. We all know that. We're not calling this into question. But this is what knowledge is. So maybe tomorrow somebody can tell me what that evidence is. Right? Under one condition, don't use Google. Find it. Find it. Okay. What is that?