سورة البقرة

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Do not say "Ramadan", for you do not know what "Ramadan" is. Whoever says "Ramadan" must give charity, or fast as expiation for this speech; rather, as Allah the Exalted has said in the Quran, say "the month of Ramadan". (The intent is: speak with reverence for this month in your speech.)

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): If it is asked: "Why has fasting been made obligatory in the month of Ramadan and not in other months?" — in reply it is said: "Because the Quran was revealed in the month of Ramadan: in this month Allah the Exalted made a distinction between truth and falsehood, as He Himself has said in the Quran: شَهْرُ رَمَضانَ الَّذِی أُنْزِلَ فِیهِ الْقُرْآنُ، هُدیً لِلنَّاسِ وَ بَیِّناتٍ مِنَ الْهُدی وَ الْفُرْقانِ [The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance to men and clear proofs of the guidance and the distinction]; in this month Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was raised to prophethood. Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree) is in this month, which is better than a thousand months, and in it the divine commands are apportioned and distributed. It is the beginning of the year, and everything — of good and evil, harm and benefit, sustenance and death of individuals — is decreed for a person on that [night]. For this reason it is called Laylat al-Qadr."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah chose Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) for prophethood, He granted the merit of the month of Ramazan to him and his ummah. Before [the ruling of fasting in] the month of Ramazan was revealed, people used to fast on other days [besides the month of Ramazan]. Then Allah revealed: شَهْرُ رَمَضانَ الَّذِی أُنْزِلَ فِیهِ الْقُرْآنُ [The month of Ramazan is that in which the Quran was revealed].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Hafs ibn Ghiyath said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: شَهْرُ رَمَضانَ الَّذِی أُنْزِلَ فِیهِ الْقُرْآنُ [The month of Ramazan is that in which the Quran was revealed], given that [we know] the Quran, from its beginning to its end, was revealed [gradually] over a period of twenty years. Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "The whole of the Quran was revealed at one time in the month of Ramazan to the Bayt al-Ma'mur, and then it was revealed gradually over twenty years." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) also said [in this regard]: "The Scriptures of Ibrahim were revealed on the first night of the month of Ramazan, and the Tawrat was revealed on the sixth night of the month of Ramazan. Likewise, the Injil was revealed on the thirteenth night, the Zabur on the eighteenth night, and the Quran was revealed on the twenty-third night of the month of Ramazan."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), addressing Mufaddal: "O Mufaddal, indeed the Quran was revealed over twenty-three years, and Allah says: شَهْرُ رَمَضانَ الَّذِی أُنْزِلَ فِیهِ الْقُرْآنُ [The month of Ramazan is that in which the Quran was revealed]; and He said: إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِی لَیْلَةٍ مُبَارَکَةٍ إِنَّا کُنَّا مُنذِرِینَ * فِیهَا یُفْرَقُ کُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَکِیمٍ * أَمْرًا مِنْ عِنْدِنَا إِنَّا کُنَّا مُرْسِلِینَ [Indeed We sent it down on a blessed night; indeed We are ever warning. In it every wise affair is decided, as a command from Us; indeed We are ever sending]; and He said: وَقَالَ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَیْهِ الْقُرْآنُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً کَذَلِکَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَکَ [And those who disbelieve say: Why has not the Quran been revealed to him all at once? Thus, that We may strengthen your heart by it]." Mufaddal said: "So this is Allah's revelation which He mentioned in His book; how then was the revelation sent down over twenty-three years?" [The Imam (peace be upon him)] said: "Yes, O Mufaddal! Allah bestowed the Quran upon him in the month of Ramazan, and He did not convey it to him except at the time when there was occasion for that word, and he did not deliver it except at the time when Allah had commanded or forbidden. (That is, the Quran was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) all at once, but the conveying of each of its verses to the people was by Allah's command and gradual.) So Jibra'il (peace be upon him) descended with the revelation and conveyed what he was commanded, and this is the meaning of Allah's saying: لَا تُحَرِّکْ بِهِ لِسَانَکَ لِتَعْجَلَ بِهِ [Do not move your tongue with it to hasten it]." Then Mufaddal said: "I bear witness that you have come to know from the knowledge of Allah, and by His power you have become powerful, and in accordance with His decree you speak, and by His command you act."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Abdullah ibn Salam came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "I have come to you on behalf of the Jews with verses from the Torah; explain these verses [which are ambiguous to us] for us, for we consider you among the righteous." The Prophet said: "Ask about whatever you wish!" He said: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! You are fair, so tell me: what is one? What is two? ... What is fifteen?" The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Yes, O Ibn Salam! As for one, it is Allah, the One, the Subduer, who has no partner ... And as for fifteen, it is the Quran, whose detailed verses (āyāt mufaṣṣalāt — the clarified verses) Allah revealed to me on the fifteenth day of the month of Ramadan; the month of Ramadan in which He revealed the Quran as guidance for people and as a clarification of truth and falsehood."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Maʿani al-Akhbar, with its chain from Ibn Sinan, has narrated: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Are the Quran and the Furqan two things (with two meanings) or one thing?" He said: "The Quran is the entire Book of Allah [including the muhkam (clear), mutashabih (allegorical) and other verses], and the Furqan is that part of the muhkam (clear) verses and manifest verses which it is obligatory to act upon."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The months, with Allah, from the day He created the heavens and the earth, have been twelve months, as has also come in the Book of Allah, and the first [and best] month is the month of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, that is, the month of Ramadan, which Allah has mentioned; and the heart of the month of Ramadan is Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree), and the Quran was revealed on the first night of the month of Ramadan. So go to receive this month with the recitation of the Quran.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Torah was revealed on the sixth of the month of Ramadan, the Injil on the twelfth of the month of Ramadan, the Zabur on the eighteenth of the month of Ramadan, and the Quran on Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The Quran was revealed in three parts: one third of it was revealed concerning us and our enemies; one third of it concerning sunan (established practices) and parables (the stories of those who came before); and the other third of it was revealed concerning obligations and rulings.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Quran was revealed in four parts: one quarter [regarding the rulings of] the lawful, one quarter [regarding the rulings of] the unlawful, one quarter [regarding] the sunan (traditions) and rulings, and one quarter [comprising] the reports of those before you and the news of those who will come after you and what pertains to resolving disputes among you.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Fudayl ibn Yasar: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "People say that the Quran was revealed in seven modes and dialects." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "The enemies of Allah have lied! The Quran was revealed in only one dialect and from the One Allah."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Quran was revealed on the basis of this [proverb which says:] "إِیَّاکِ أَعْنِی وَ اسْمَعِی یَا جَارَةْ [I mean you, but listen, O neighbour!]" (that is, I say it to you, but O neighbour, you listen! Meaning: although the Quran's address is to the Prophet, its intent is all the believers and the people).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The obligation of ... fasting is established by the [lunar] month, and the month is determined only by the movement of the moon, not by the position of the sun.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ubayd ibn Zurara said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "[What is the interpretation of] the verse فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْکُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْیَصُمْهُ [So whoever of you is present in the month, let him fast it]?" The Imam said: "How clear the meaning of this verse is! That is: whoever sees the [crescent of the] month [of Ramadan] must fast in it, and whoever travels must not fast in that month."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): How clear and evident is the meaning of this verse for one who understands it! Whoever sees (the crescent of) the month of Ramadan must fast in that month, and whoever travels during it must break his fast.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): When the month of Ramadan arrives, the servant should not set out on a journey, for Allah says: فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْکُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْیَصُمْهُ [So whoever of you is present in the month, let him fast therein].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sabah ibn Siyabah said: [O son of the Messenger of Allah,] Ibn Abi Ya'fur instructed me to ask you about some matters. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "What are those matters?" He said: "He asks you: if the month of Ramadan arrives while I am at home (in my hometown), am I permitted to set out on a journey?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: Allah says: فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنکُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْیَصُمْهُ [So whoever of you is present in the month, let him fast it]. If the month of Ramadan enters upon someone while he is at his own home, he must not travel except to perform Hajj or Umrah, or to secure wealth which he fears will be lost.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the month of Ramadan arrives, Allah has a right in it. Allah the Exalted says: فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْکُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْیَصُمْهُ [So whoever of you is present in the month, let him fast it]. So it is not permissible for anyone, once the month of Ramadan has arrived, to travel except for Hajj, or Umrah, or [to protect] wealth which he fears will be lost, or [to save] a brother whose destruction he fears; and he may not travel because of the loss of his brother's wealth. But after the twenty-third night of the month of Ramadan has passed, he may travel wherever he wishes.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I said to the Imam (peace be upon him): "May I be made your ransom! If the month of Ramadan arrives and I have already fasted part of it, and I wish to go to visit the grave of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), may I go for the visit and break my fast during this journey to and fro, or should I stay here until Eid al-Fitr arrives and then, after one or two days have passed from Eid al-Fitr, go for the visit?" The Imam said: "Stay until Eid al-Fitr arrives." The narrator says: I said to the Imam: "May I be made your ransom! Is that better?" The Imam said: "Yes! Have you not read in the Quran that Allah said: فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنکُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْیَصُمْهُ [So whoever of you is present in the month, let him fast it]?!"

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah does not require of any servant a prayer after the obligatory prayer, nor a charity after zakat, nor a fast after the fast of the month of Ramadan, and He will not question him about it. (Once he has fulfilled these obligations, that is sufficient.)

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): The month of Ramadan has abrogated every fast. (Before the fasting of the month of Ramadan became obligatory, fasting on certain days of the year was obligatory, and that was abrogated.)

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): If someone fasts the month of Sha'ban as the expiation for zihar [that he should fast two consecutive months and thus enters the month of Ramazan], what will his duty be? The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "He should fast the month of Ramazan as the divine obligation, and after that resume his fast (the expiation) from the beginning."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said regarding the interpretation of the verse فَلْیصُمْه [so he shall fast it]: "Fasting is like a mouth that does not open except to speak what is good."

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): As for rukhsah (dispensation) and permission, it is release [and permission] after prohibition [from doing something]. Like the saying of Allah the Exalted: شَهْرُ رَمَضانَ الَّذِی أُنْزِلَ فِیهِ الْقُرْآنُ ... مَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْکُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْیَصُمْهُ [The month of Ramazan in which the Quran was revealed ... so whoever of you is present in the month, he shall fast it]. Then, for the sick and the traveller, He made the ruling easy with this saying: فَمَنْ کانَ مِنْکُمْ مَرِیضاً أَوْ عَلی سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَیَّامٍ أُخَرَ یُرِیدُ اللهُ بِکُمُ الْیُسْرَ وَ لا یُرِیدُ بِکُمُ الْعُسْرَ [So whoever among you is sick or on a journey, then a number of other days; Allah desires ease for you and does not desire hardship for you]. So the obligation which He willed to be permanent applies to the healthy person who has the capacity, and by way of grace upon the servants, He set aside the necessity [and compulsion for all].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): That ease is Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): If a questioner asks: "If for the Asr prayer there is no well-known and established time like the other prayers, then why has the Exalted Truth made it obligatory between Zuhr and Maghrib, and not placed it between Isha and Fajr, or between Fajr and Zuhr?" In answer it is said: "For the people, praying the Asr prayer at this time is easier, more convenient and more fitting than performing it at other times; and fundamentally, the obligation of praying Asr at the said time is such that the weak and the strong, the old and the young, and women and men — all are able to perform it, unlike other times which are not so. The explanation of this is that most people at the beginning of the day are occupied with trade, transactions, pursuing their needs, running the markets and similar affairs; therefore the Exalted Truth did not wish to keep them away from seeking their livelihood and their worldly interests. Also, not all of creation has the power to stand at night, and at that time they do not wake up from sleep, and if the Asr prayer had been made obligatory for them at such a time they would not have been able to perform it. Therefore, the Blessed and Exalted Truth eased and lightened this prayer for them and did not make it obligatory at difficult times (the middle of the night or between morning and noon), but rather placed it at good and easy times (between noon and night); as Allah the Mighty and Majestic has said in the noble Quran: یُرِیدُ اللهُ بِکُمُ الْیُسْرَ وَ لا یُرِیدُ بِکُمُ الْعُسْرَ [Allah desires ease for you and does not desire hardship for you]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The "number" (عدّة) in it means the fasts.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): That is, [complete] thirty days.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The month of Ramazan, according to the divine word, is thirty days — وَ لِتُکْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ [and that you should complete the number] — and its full and complete count is thirty days.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): I said, "People narrate that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) fasted the month of Ramazan as twenty-nine days more often than he fasted it as thirty days." He said: "They lie; the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) did not fast it except in full and complete, and the obligations are not deficient. Allah created the year as three hundred and sixty (lunar) days, and He created the heavens and the earth in six days [six periods] (Al-A'raf/54), and set [those six] aside from the three hundred and sixty, so the year became three hundred and fifty-four days. And the month of Ramazan is thirty days, for Allah has said: وَ لِتُکْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ [and that you should complete the number], and to complete it is to complete the whole month. Shawwal is twenty-nine days, and Dhul-Qa'da is thirty days, because Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: 'And We appointed for Musa thirty nights.' (Al-A'raf/142). And the months are, in order, like this and like that — that is, one month full and one month short. The month of Ramazan is never short, and the month of Sha'ban is never full."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ibn Abi Umayr narrates from a man who said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "May I be your ransom! Among us it is said that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) fasted twenty-nine days more often than he fasted [Ramazan as] thirty days; is this correct?" He answered: "Allah has never spoken a single letter of this, and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) always fasted thirty days, for Allah says: وَ لِتُکْمِلُواْ الْعِدَّةَ [and that you should complete the number]; so [is it believable that] the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) would fall short of it?!"

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sa'id al-Naqqash said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: "You must recite takbir on Eid al-Fitr, but [the manner of it] is sunnah (its recitation follows a particular prescribed manner)." I said: "At what time?" He said: "On the night of Eid al-Fitr, at [the time of the prayers of] Maghrib and Isha of the last night of the month of Ramadan, and in the Fajr prayer on the day of Eid, and in the Eid al-Fitr prayer itself [recite this takbir], and then you finish [and this amount of takbir suffices]." I said: "How [should I say it]?" He said: "Say: اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ وَ لِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ عَلَی مَا هَدَانَا [Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise; Allah is the Greatest for that to which He has guided us]."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): The takbir in the Eid [al-Fitr] prayer is more than in other prayers, because takbir is nothing but the magnification, exaltation and glorification of Allah, in gratitude that He has guided His servants and granted them well-being; as Allah the Mighty and Majestic Himself said: وَ لِتُکَبِّرُوا اللهَ عَلی ما هَداکُمْ وَ لَعَلَّکُمْ تَشْکُرُونَ [And that you should exalt the greatness of Allah for His having guided you and that you may give thanks]. As for this prayer having twelve takbirs — because in every two-rak'ah prayer twelve takbirs are prescribed. Seven takbirs are in the first rak'ah and five takbirs in the second rak'ah, and the two rak'ahs have not been made equal in the number of takbirs; because in the obligatory prayer the sunnah is that the prayer is opened with seven takbirs, therefore seven takbirs were prescribed in the first rak'ah, and in the second rak'ah five takbirs were prescribed, because in the five obligatory prayers of the day and night, five takbirs out of the total takbirs are specific to takbirat al-ihram (the opening takbir of the prayer). Therefore five takbirs were placed in the second rak'ah. Another reason is that in each of the two rak'ahs, the count of takbirs should be odd. Thus, of the number twelve which is even, seven were given to the first rak'ah; the remainder, which is five, is also odd, and was given to the second rak'ah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The takbir on the two Eids (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) is obligatory. However, on Eid al-Fitr, it enters into five obligatory prayers [in succession] in which takbir is prescribed, beginning from the Maghrib prayer on the night of Eid al-Fitr and continuing until the Asr prayer on the day of Eid, and that takbir is as follows: اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ وَ لِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ عَلَی مَا هَدَانَا وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَی مَا أَبْلَانَا [Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise; Allah is the Greatest for that to which He has guided us, and praise be to Allah for that with which He has favoured us]; for indeed Allah says in the noble Quran: وَ لِتُکْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَ لِتُکَبِّرُوا اللهَ عَلی ما هَداکُمْ [And that you should complete the number and that you should exalt the greatness of Allah for His having guided you].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Narrated from Sa'id: The Imam (peace be upon him) said: On the day of Eid al-Fitr, there is takbir. I said: "[Is it not that] takbir is specific to Yawm al-Nahr (the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah)?" He replied: "For Eid al-Fitr also there is a takbir [but not in the same form as on Yawm al-Nahr], and its recitation has been made sunnah in the Maghrib, Isha, Fajr, Zuhr and Asr prayers, and in the two rak'ahs of the Eid prayer."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Ahmad ibn Khalid al-Barqi regarding the verse: وَ لِتُکَبِّرُوا اللهَ عَلی ما هَداکُمْ وَ لَعَلَّکُمْ تَشْکُرُونَ [and that you should exalt the greatness of Allah for His having guided you and that you may give thanks] that Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Thankfulness is ma'rifah (recognition), and regarding the verse: 'If you are ungrateful, indeed Allah is free of need of you. And He does not approve of ingratitude for His servants. And if you are grateful, He approves it for you.' (Zumar/7), kufr (disbelief) in this verse [means acting contrary to the Imams (peace be upon them)] and shukr (thankfulness) is wilayah (allegiance) and recognition of the Imam."