Excerpted from my book titled
Fast of the Month of Ramadan: Philosophy and Ahkam which you can order
Online; click on this Link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=yasin+t.+al-jibouri&x=0&y=0
In a chapter titled "Bab al-Sawm," which
discusses with fast, on pp. 52-54, Vol. 2, of his work titled Man la
Yahduruhu al-Faqih, the nation's mentor, Shaikh Abu Ja'fer Muhammad ibn Ali
ibn al-Husain ibn Babawayh al-Qummi al-Saduq, states the following:
“Al-Zuhri (one of the companions of our fourth Imam Ali ibn
al-Husain ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib Zaynul-'Abidin al-Sajjad, peace be upon him and
his posterity as weD as progeny) is quoted saying, "Ali ibn al-Husain,
peace be upon them, asked me once, 'Where did you come from, O Zuhri?' I said,
'From the [Prophet's] mosque.' 'What were you discussing?' he asked me. 'We
discussed the fast,' said I, 'and we all agreed that the only obligatory fast
is the fast of the month of Ramadan.' He said to me, 'O Zuhri! It is not as you
all say. Fast is of forty different types: ten are as obligatory as the fast of
the month of Ramadan; ten are prohibited; fourteen are optional: one may fast
during them or he may not; add to that the three different kinds of conditional
fast. Add also: disciplinary fast, permissible fast, and the fast making up for
one who had to go on a journey or who fell sick.' Said I, 'May I be sacrificed
for your sake! Please explain them to me."'
The Imam (as) stated the following:
"Obligatory fast includes the fast of the month of Ramadan
and of two consecutive months for each one day deliberately missed of the month
of Ramadan, and the fast of two consecutive months as an atonement for zihar.
Allah, the most Sublime, the most Exalted, says, ' (As for) those of you who
put away their wives by likening their backs to the backs of their mothers,
these are not their mothers; their mothers are no other than those who gave
birth to them, and most surely they utter a hateful word and a falsehood, and
most surely Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving. (As for) those who put away their
wives by likening their backs to the backs of their mothers then recall what
they said, they should free a captive before touching each other; to that you
are admonished (to conform), and Allah is Aware of what you do. But whoever has
no (such) means, let him fast for two months succesively before they touch each
other' (Holy Qur'an, 58:2-4) Another (such type of obligatory fast) is fasting
two successive months if a Muslim kills another Muslim by mistake and is unable
to free a slave; this is obligatory on account of the verse saying: 'And
whoever kills a believer by mistake should free a believing slave, and
blood-money should be paid to his people unless they remit it as alms; but if
they be from a tribe hostile to you and he is a believer, the freeing of a
believing slave (suffices), and if he is from a tribe between whom and you
there is a covenant, the blood-money should be paid to his people along with
the freeing of a believing slave; but if he cannot find (a slave), he should
fast for two months successively: a penance from Allah, and Allah is Knowing,
Wise' (Holy Qur'an, 4:92). Another (such obligatory fast) is fasting three days
as an act of atonement for breaking an oath if one is unale to feed the needy;
Allah, the most Sublime, the most High, says, 'Allah does not call you to
account for what is vain of your oaths, but He calls you to account for making
deliberate oaths; so, its expiation is the feeding of ten poor men out of the
middling (food) whereby you feed your families, or their clothing, or the
freeing of a slave; but whosoever cannot find (means), he, then, should fast
for three days; this is the expiation of your oaths when you swear' (Holy
Qur'an, 5:89). All types of such fast are consecutive, not a day now and a day
then.
"And the fast on account of causing an injury to the
head while shaving it while performing the pilgrimage rites is also obligatory;
Allah Almighty says, 'Whoever among you is sick or has an ailment of the head,
he (should effect) a compensation by fasting or offering alms or sacrificing'
(Holy Qur'an, 2:196). So he is given in this verse an option: if he chooses to
fast, he should fast for three days. And the fast of one who cannot offer a
sacrifice at the pilgrimage is also obligatory; Allah Almighty says, 'Whoever
benefits by combining the visit with the pilgrimage (should take) what offering
is easy (for him) to obtain; but he who cannot find (any offering) should fast
for three days during the pilgrimage and for seen days when you return; these
(make) ten (days) complete' (Holy Qur'an, 2:196). And the fast of one who hunts
while still wearing the ihram is also obligatory; Allah, the most Exalted, the
most Sublime, says, ' O you who believe! Do not kill game while you are on
pilgrimage, and whoever among you kills it intentionally, the compensation (for
it) is the like of what he kills, from the cattle, as two just persons among
you shall judge, as an offering to be brought to the Ka'ba or the expiation (of
it) is the feeding of the poor or the equivalent of it in fasting so that he
may taste the unwholesome result of his deed' (Holy Qur'an, 5:95)."
Then the Imam (as) turned to al-Zuhri and asked him,
"Do you know how its equivalent is met by fasting, O Zuhri?" The
latter said, "No, indeed, I do not know." Imam Zaynul-'Abidin (as)
then said, "The game is first to be estimated, then the estimated value is
to be measured by its equivalent in charity, then such a measure is to be
weighed, so he should fast one day for each half a measure unit. And the
covenant (nathr) fast is obligatory, and so is the fast of i'tikaf. As
regarding the prohibited fast, it is forbidden to fast on Eid al-Fitr, Eid
al-Adha, the three days of tashreeq', and the fast of doubt: Allah ordered us
to fast it with the month of Sha'ban and anyone among us is prohibited from
singling himself out to fast when everyone else is not sure whether it is the
inception of the month of Ramadan or not." I said to him, "May I be
sacrificed for you, but if he did not fast during the month of Sha'ban, what
should he do?" The Imam (as) said, "He should make the intention on
the uncertain night that he is fasting the month of Sha'ban; so, if it turns
out to be the month of Ramadan, he will receive his reward, but if it becomes
evident that it was, indeed, the month of Sha'ban, he will not have committed
any harm." I then asked him, "How can voluntary fast make up for a
compulsory one?" He (as) said, "If someone voluntarily fasts one day
during the month of Ramadan without knowing that it is the month of Ramadan,
then he finds out that it was, should he fast again?! The obligation is
regarding the day itself. The wisal fast is prohibitive, and to fast each day
of your life is likewise prohibitive.
"As regarding optional fast, it is to fast on Fridays,
Thursdays, and Mondays, the white (beed) days, the fast of six days
during the month of Shawwal following the month of Ramadan, the fast on the
standing day at Arafat, and the day of Ashura; all these occasions are
optional; one may or may not fast during them. As regarding the fast by
permission, a woman cannot fast an optional fast without the permission of her
husband; a slave may not observe an optional fast without the permission of his
master; and a guest may not fast an optional fast except with the permission of
his host; the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said, 'Whoever visits some folks,
he should not observe an optional fast except with their permission.' As
regarding disciplinary fast, a boy reaching adolescence is ordered to fast when
he reaches the age of adulthood, though it is not obligatory on him to do so.
Likewise, if one is forced due to a sudden ailment to break his fast at the
inception of the day, then he gains his strength thereafter, he should fast the
rest of the day as a self-disciplinary act although he is not obligated to do
so. Likewise, if a traveller eats at the beginning of the day then reaches
home, he should abstain from eating the rest of the day as a self-disciplinary
act and not as an obligation. As regarding the fast of one who forgets and eats
or drinks, or if he does so only as a measure of taqiya, without doing so on
purpose, Allah, the most Exalted, the most Great, has permitted him to do so
and will reward him for it. As regarding the fast when travelling or suffering
from an ailment, there is a great deal of difference of opinion in its regard.
Some people say that he should fast, whereas others say that he should not. As
far as we (Ahl al-Bayt [as]) are concerned, we are of the view that one should
break his fast during both cases; so, if he fasts during his trip, or when
sick, he has to make it up because Allah, the most Exalted, the most Great,
says, "And if one of you is sick or travelling, (the fast of) a number of
other days (suffices)."
Wassalamo Alaikom