Fasting is one of the sublime acts of worship that has a great impact on reviving and purifying souls and cleansing hearts. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and has a great virtue with Allah SWT that is unmatched. The meaning of fasting is abstaining from food and drink, and everything that Allah SWT has forbidden, starting from the call to Fajr prayer until the call to Maghrib prayer.
It calls us to good morals and all acts of righteousness and maintaining family ties, and even goes beyond that to refining behavior and purifying the soul. It is important for a Muslim to learn the Fiqh of fasting, its recommended acts, its pillars, its conditions, its disliked acts, and the excuses that permit breaking the fast or not. In this article, we will talk about 4 types of fasting in Islam, with an explanation of their rulings and virtues.
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4 types of fasting in Islam
There are 4 types of fasting in Islam so that you can worship Allah SWT in the way that pleases Him and these types are as follows:
Obligatory Fasting (Fard)
Obligatory fasting is the fasting that every sane and adult Muslim must perform at its times specified in Sharia, from the call to Fajr prayer until Maghrib prayer, otherwise he sins and deserves punishment. It includes obligatory fasting such as fasting in the blessed month of Ramadan, which is a pillar of the religion, and it is an individual obligation on every Muslim who meets the conditions.
There is also obligatory fasting in fulfillment of a vow which is what the Muslim obligates himself to Allah SWT, and fasting as expiation such as expiation for intercourse during the day in Ramadan, expiation for breaking an oath, expiation for accidental killing, and expiation for zihar (a form of divorce).
Abandoning obligatory fasting is more severe than adultery and addiction to alcohol, in addition to the fact that scholars doubt his Islam. This matter is a major sin that requires repentance and seeking forgiveness, but there are some excuses that permit breaking the fast and it is necessary to make up the fast when the appropriate opportunity arises, such as illness, travel, menstruation, and postpartum bleeding.
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Recommended Fasting (Sunnah)
Recommended fasting is one of the most famous of 4 types of fasting in Islam, and it is sometimes called voluntary or supererogatory fasting. It is the fasting for which the doer is rewarded and the one who leaves it is not punished, and this type of fasting carries many benefits, including that Allah keeps you away from the Fire by seventy autumns, as it was narrated from the Prophet PBUH that he said:
(مَن أنْفَقَ زَوْجَيْنِ في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ، نُودِيَ مِن أبْوَابِ الجَنَّةِ: يا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ هذا خَيْرٌ، فمَن كانَ مِن أهْلِ الصَّلَاةِ دُعِيَ مِن بَابِ الصَّلَاةِ، ومَن كانَ مِن أهْلِ الجِهَادِ دُعِيَ مِن بَابِ الجِهَادِ، ومَن كانَ مِن أهْلِ الصِّيَامِ دُعِيَ مِن بَابِ الرَّيَّانِ)
(“Whoever spends a pair of anything in the cause of Allah will be called from the gates of Paradise, ‘O servant of Allah, this is good.’ Whoever was among the people of prayer will be called from the gate of prayer; whoever was among the people of jihad will be called from the gate of jihad; and whoever was among the people of fasting will be called from the gate of al-Rayyan.”)
You gain a lot of reward and blessings through it as for its times, they are very numerous, and each type has a special virtue, such as fasting Mondays and Thursdays of each week because deeds are raised to Allah on those days, fasting the Day of Arafah which expiates the past year and the coming year, fasting the six days of Shawwal if you fast them after Ramadan it is as if you fasted the entire year, fasting Ashura and fasting the White Days such as the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth of the Hijri month.
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Disliked Fasting (Makrooh)
Disliked fasting is the fasting that is not recommended to do and it is better to leave it. There are different types of it, such as fasting on Saturday because in this matter there is a resemblance to the Jews who glorify this day, and fasting on Friday because it is considered a celebration in which Muslims rejoice at the end of each week, so if you want to fast it, you must fast a day before it or a day after it, so that there is no resemblance to the Jews and Christians.
Prohibited Fasting (Haram)
It is one of 4 types of fasting in islam, and it means the fasting in which the Muslim sins when fasting on these days and he must repent and seek forgiveness from Allah if he does so. It includes the days of Eid such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and this is specific to the first day of these Eids, because that is in opposition to the Sunnah and showing joy and happiness with the blessings of Allah.
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Virtues of Fasting in Islam
After we have learned about 4 types of fasting in Islam, we should realize the virtue of fasting, as there are many benefits that cannot be counted when fasting, which benefit the individual and society, such as cleansing hearts from sins and wrongdoings. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah PBUH said:
من صام رمضان إيمانًا واحتسابًا غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه.
“Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven,”.
It also makes you a person with a strong will and enhances your relationship with Allah and you feel the meaning of intimacy with Him, and the Prophet said about it that fasting is a shield, so let him not commit obscenity or act ignorantly, and if someone fights him or insults him, let him say, “I am fasting” twice. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, the odor of the mouth of a fasting person is better to Allah than the fragrance of musk.
It also helps the Muslim in chastity and overcoming desires, and it is one of the greatest deeds in which sincerity is achieved, as the Messenger of Allah PBUH said:
(قال الله عز وجل: كل عمل ابن آدم له إلا الصيام فإنه لي وأنا أجزي به).
(Allah SWT said: Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting; it is for Me, and I shall reward for it).
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Importance of Intention in Different Types of Fasting
Intention is considered a basic condition for accepting any good deed, especially fasting, because obligatory fasting or obligatory fasting is invalidated without intention, as it is a basic pillar of its pillars, so the Muslim must intend before the Fajr prayer in every day of Ramadan, or intend to fast the entire month on the first night, and this is to alleviate and facilitate Muslims.
As for voluntary fasting, one can make the intention at any time as long as they have not eaten or drunk anything. The evidence for this is what was narrated from our mother Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) when she said:
“دخل علي الرسول ﷺ فقال: أعندكم شيء؟ قلنا: لا قال: فإني إذًا صائم” فصام من أثناء النهار كما ان النية محلها القلب ولا يجوز التلفظ بها بل يكفي ان يعزم المسلم في قلبه على الصيام.
“The Messenger of Allah PBUH entered upon me and said, ‘Do you have anything?’ We said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Then I am fasting.'” So he fasted from during the day. Also, the intention is in the heart and it is not permissible to utter it; rather, it is sufficient that the Muslim resolves in their heart to fast.
How to Deal with Doubts about Intention During Fasting
Since the intention is in the heart, the Muslim must strive and prevent any hypocrisy that comes to his mind, because he is rewarded with many good deeds when he drives away this matter and resists it, but if he finds hypocrisy in himself, he must renew his intention, because Allah does not accept from the deed except what is purely for His sake, but he must realize that this matter is from the devil and should not prevent him from performing good deeds, and the solution is to do some hidden deeds if he can with the apparent deeds, as they are more likely to be accepted.
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What are the Benefits of Voluntary Fasting and How do I Start with it?
The benefits of voluntary fasting are many, including that it earns the individual good morals and makes him more humble and submissive in worship, as it intercedes for its companion on the Day of Judgment until it enters him into Paradise. The evidence for this is the saying of the Prophet:
الصيام والقرآن يشفعان للعبد يوم القيامة يقول الصيام: أي رب منعته الطعام والشهوات بالنهار، فشفعني فيه ويقول القرآن منعته النوم بالليل فشفعني فيه قال: فيشفعان
“Fasting and the Quran intercede for the servant on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting says: O Lord, I prevented him from food and desires during the day, so accept my intercession for him. The Quran says: I prevented him from sleeping at night, so accept my intercession for him. He said: So they intercede.”
You can start gradually by fasting three days of each month, and increasing listening to religious lessons that show the virtue of fasting so that you become enthusiastic and your ambition rises.
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Is it Possible to Combine Two Intentions in One Fast?
This matter differs according to the type of fasting, whether it is obligatory or voluntary. It is possible to combine two intentions in the case of voluntary fasting, such as intending to fast on Monday, which is at the same time a day of the six days of Shawwal, but if the fasting is obligatory, then it must be started with it in the intention and not to involve the intention of the Sunnah with it.
What are the Rulings on Breaking the Fast in Cases of Necessity?
The ruling on breaking the fast is permissible even in obligatory fasting, which is the most important type of 4 types of fasting in islam, as long as the person has an acceptable excuse such as severe illness that may lead to a deterioration in his health if he fasts, and this is determined by trusted doctors, or traveling a very long distance provided that hardship occurs, or menstruation and postpartum bleeding for women.
Fasting is one of the greatest acts of worship, and we have explained 4 types of fasting in islam, which are obligatory, recommended, disliked, and prohibited fasting. It is necessary for a Muslim to learn well about his religion in order to attain the pleasure of Allah SWT and Paradise.
