Question
The following narration appears in the ḥadīth qudsī:
قَالَ اللَّهُ كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلاَّ الصِّيَامَ، فَإِنَّهُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ
“Every deed of the son of Ādam is for him except fasting; that is certainly for Me and I shall reward for it.” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1904 (excerpt).
I would like an explanation for this ḥadīth and to know why fasting was specified with this distinction.
Shaykh Ṣāliḥ ibn Fawzān ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Fawzān replied:
All praise belongs to Allah . This is a great ḥadīth, confirmed on the authority of the Messenger who narrates from his Lord who said,
قَالَ اللَّهُ كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلاَّ الصِّيَامَ، فَإِنَّهُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ
“Every deed of the son of Ādam is for him except fasting; that is certainly for Me and I shall reward for it.” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1904 (excerpt).
In this ḥadīth is the virtue of fasting and its merit over all other actions, and that indeed Allah specified it for Himself above the other actions of the servant. The people of knowledge gave several explanations of His statement:
الصِّيَامُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ
“Fasting is for Me and I will reward for it” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1894 (excerpt).
Fasting and the Claims of the Oppressed
From them were those who said that the meaning of His statement
الصِّيَامُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ
“Fasting is for Me and I will reward for it” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1894 (excerpt).
The explanation is that the actions of the children of Ādam serve as retribution for what takes place between him and the oppressed. Those oppressed by him will seek retribution on the Day of Judgement by taking something from his actions and good deeds as appears in the ḥadīth,
The explanation summarises the report as follows: Indeed a man will come on the Day of Judgement with righteous good deeds the likes of mountains, and he comes whilst having debased this one, and having struck that one, and consumed the wealth of this one. Therefore, this person will take from his good deeds, and that person will take from his good deeds until all of his good deeds have vanished and there remains nothing, then the sins of the oppressed ones will be taken and cast upon him and [as a result] he is cast into the fire.
The narration’s wording is:
إِنَّ الْمُفْلِسَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يَأْتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِصَلاَةٍ وَصِيَامٍ وَزَكَاةٍ وَيَأْتِي قَدْ شَتَمَ هَذَا وَقَذَفَ هَذَا وَأَكَلَ مَالَ هَذَا وَسَفَكَ دَمَ هَذَا وَضَرَبَ هَذَا فَيُعْطَى هَذَا مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ وَهَذَا مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ فَإِنْ فَنِيَتْ حَسَنَاتُهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُقْضَى مَا عَلَيْهِ أُخِذَ مِنْ خَطَايَاهُمْ فَطُرِحَتْ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ طُرِحَ فِي النَّارِ
“The bankrupt person of my nation will come on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, fasting and zakāh, but he will have insulted this person, slandered that person, consumed this person’s wealth, shed that person’s blood and struck that person. This person will be given some of his good deeds and that person some of his good deeds. If his good deeds are exhausted before what he owes has been settled, some of their sins will be taken and cast upon him, then he will be cast into the Fire.” Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 2581 (excerpt).
Except for fasting, for indeed, it is not taken from him to be given to his rivals (from those he oppressed) on the Day of Judgement, rather Allah stores it for the doer and rewards him for it.
And what indicates this is His statement,
قَالَ اللَّهُ كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلاَّ الصِّيَامَ، فَإِنَّهُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ
“Every deed of the son of Ādam is for him except fasting; that is certainly for Me and I shall reward for it” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1904 (excerpt).
That is, the actions of the children of Ādam serve as retribution and are taken by his rivals whom he has oppressed on the Day of Judgement, except for fasting, for indeed Allah preserves it and it will not be ruled over by those he oppressed, [but will] remain with Allah for its doer.
Fasting Is a Hidden Act of Worship
And it was said that the meaning of His statement,
الصِّيَامُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ
“Fasting is for Me and I will reward for it” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1894 (excerpt).
The explanation is that fasting is a hidden action nobody knows about except Allah , for it is an intention of the heart in opposition to the rest of the actions which are apparent and seen by the people. As for fasting, it is a concealed action which is between the servant and his Lord and for this reason He said,
يَتْرُكُ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ وَشَهْوَتَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي، الصِّيَامُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ
“He leaves his food, drink and desires for My sake. Fasting is for Me and I will reward for it.” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1894 (excerpt).
And the fact that he abandoned his desires and food for the sake of Allah, this is a hidden action and a concealed intention that nobody knows about apart from Allah in opposition to charity, for example, and Prayer and Hajj and [other] apparent actions that are seen by the people. As for fasting, nobody sees it, because the meaning of fasting is not merely abandoning food, drink or those things which break the fast, rather alongside this, it must be done sincerely for Allah . And nobody knows this (sincerity of his fasting) except Allah . Thus, His statement,
يَتْرُكُ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ وَشَهْوَتَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي
“He leaves his food, drink and desires for My sake.” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1894 (excerpt).
etc., is an explanation of His statement,
الصِّيَامُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ
“Fasting is for Me and I will reward for it.” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1894 (excerpt).
Fasting Is Devoted to Allah Alone
From the scholars are those who said that the meaning of His Statement,
الصِّيَامُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ
“Fasting is for Me and I will reward for it” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1894 (excerpt).
is that polytheism does not enter into fasting, contrary to the rest of the deeds which the polytheists present to their objects of worship like: slaughtering, taking oaths and other than that from the different types of worship. Also supplication, fear and hope, for verily many of the polytheists sought nearness to their idols and that which they worshipped with these things in opposition to fasting; it has not been mentioned that the polytheists would fast for their idols and gods. Fasting rather, is specific to Allah and it is upon this that the meaning of His statement,
الصِّيَامُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ
“Fasting is for Me and I will reward for it” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1894 (excerpt).
is that shirk does not penetrate it, because the polytheists did not seek nearness to their idols with it, but rather fasting is used to seek nearness only to Allah .
References
Al-Bukhārī, Aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ, nos. 1894, 1904.
Muslim, Aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 2581.
Ṣāliḥ ibn Fawzān ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Fawzān, explanation of the narration concerning fasting being for Allah, recorded fatwā, attributed to the official website.
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 2/226, and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 4/100.
