We begin in the name of Allah. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the prophet, Muhammad ?, and his household.

Allah (SWT) has blessed His slaves by assigning for them some seasons of goodness in which the rewards for good deeds are multiplied, bad deeds are forgiven, peoples' status are raised, and the hearts of the believer is turned to his Master. One of these seasons is the month of Ramadan, where in all Muslims are obligated to fast has legislated in the Qur'aan and Sunnah of the prophet ?. It is in this light that we intend to discuss matters relating to fasting as presented by Sheik Muhammad ibn Saalih Al-munajid in his book, 70 matters relating to fasting. We pray that Allah benefits us all and accept it from us.

THE DEFINITION OF SIYAAM (FASTING)
1. Linguistically, siyaam in Arabic means abstinence. In Islamic terminology, it means abstaining from things that break the fast, from dawn until sunset, having first made the intention (niyyah) to do so.

THE RULING CONCERNING FASTING

2. The Ummah (Islamic nation) is in agreement to the fact that fasting the month of Ramadan is obligatory, the evidence for which is in the Qur`aan and Sunnah. Allaah says:

 "O you who believe! Observing al-sawn (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become al-muttaqoon (the pious)."[Surah al-Baqarah 2:183]
The Prophet (?) said: 

"Islam is built on five [pillars]..."

...among which he mentioned fasting in Ramadan. 

Whoever breaks the fast during Ramadan without a legitimate excuse has committed a serious major sin, The Prophet (?) said when describing a dream that he had seen: "...until I was at a mountain where I heard loud voices. I asked, what are these voices? They said, 'This is the howling of the people of Hell fire. Then I was taken [to another place], and I saw people hanging from their hamstrings with the corners of their mouths torn and dripping with blood. I said, 'Who are these? They said, 'the people who broke their fast before it was the proper time to do so (i.e., before the time of breaking fast)." 

 

Al-Haafidh al-Dhahabi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said,"Among the believers it is well-established that whoever does not fast in Ramadan without a valid excuse is worse than an adulterer or drunkard; they doubt whether he is even a Muslim at all, and they regard him as a heretic and profligate."
Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyyah] (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "If a person does not fast in Ramadan knowing that it is haraam but making it halaal (permissible) for himself to do so, he must be executed; and if he does it because he is immoral [but believes it is haram (impermissible)], then he must be punished for not fasting.