The Book of Fasting

نَظَرَ إِلَى النَّاسِ فِي يَوْمِ فِطْرٍ يَلْعَبُونَ وَ يَضْحَكُونَ فَقَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ وَ الْتَفَتَ إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ خَلَقَ شَهْرَ رَمَضَانَ مِضْمَاراً لِخَلْقِهِ لِيَسْتَبِقُوا فِيهِ بِطَاعَتِهِ إِلَى رِضْوَانِهِ فَسَبَقَ فِيهِ قَوْمٌ فَفَازُوا وَ تَخَلَّفَ آخَرُونَ فَخَابُوا فَالْعَجَبُ كُلُّ الْعَجَبِ مِنَ الضَّاحِكِ اللَّاعِبِ فِي الْيَوْمِ الَّذِي يُثَابُ فِيهِ الْمُحْسِنُونَ وَ يَخِيبُ

“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), on the day of al-Fitr looking at the people who were playing and laughing, turned to his companions and said, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, has created the month of Ramadan as an arena for His creature to compete in matters of obedience to Him to achieve His pleasure. Certain peop

كَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ ع لِمَ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ الصَّوْمَ فَوَرَدَ الْجَوَابُ لِيَجِدَ الْغَنِيُّ مَضَضَ الْجُوعِ فَيَحِنَّ عَلَى الْفَقِيرِ.

The answer was, ‘It is made obligatory so that affluent people can feel the taste of hunger and become compassionate to the poor.’”

أُتِيَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَ هُوَ جَالِسٌ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ بِالْكُوفَةِ بِقَوْمٍ وَجَدُوهُمْ يَأْكُلُونَ بِالنَّهَارِ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع أَكَلْتُمْ وَ أَنْتُمْ مُفْطِرُونَ قَالُوا نَعَمْ قَالَ يَهُودُ أَنْتُمْ قَالُوا لَا قَالَ فَنَصَارَى قَالُوا لَا قَالَ فَعَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَدْيَانِ مُخَالِفِينَ لِلْإِسْلَامِ قَالُوا بَلْ مُسْ

7. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn Ishaq from al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Sulayman from Muhammad ibn ‘Imran who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once when ’Amir al-Mu’minin was in the Masjid of al-Kufa, a certain people, who were found eating during the day in the month of Ramad