Transliteration:( Yaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo kutiba 'alaikumus Siyaamu kamaa kutiba 'alal lazeena min qablikum la'allakum tattaqoon )
398. Fasting in this verse refers to the compulsory fasts of Ramadaan. It should be remembered that the first compulsory fast in Islam was that of the Day of Ashurah - (10th Muharram) i.e. one fast per year only. This was followed by 3 monthly fasts on the 13, 14, and 15th of each month. Thereafter came the command for the Fasting in the month of Ramadaan as per this verse, which abrogated the obligation of the other above mentioned fasts. One important fact emerging from this is a QUR'AANIC verse can abrogate the command laid down in the Hadith e.g. the obligation of the earlier fasts is proven from the Hadith without any QUR'AANIC injunction but their abrogation is made by this verse. Fasting in the month of Ramadaan became obligatory only in the year second Hijrah.
399 From this verse we learn that the non-believers are not responsible for carrying out religious duties, thus, on accepting Islam they are not duty bound to fulfil their Islamic obligations missed while they were out of the fold of Islam.
400. From this discussion emerge a few issues:
1. Fasting is a very ancient form of worship which was obligatory during the period of previous Prophets.
2. Fasting is a means of achieving piety and nearness of Allah because fasting controls the action of the inner-self (Nafs-e-Ammarah). i.e. when a person fasts he controls all his basic passions, thereby avoiding committing a sin.
3. Man should not merely rely on his good deeds but rather seek the blessings of Allah. For this reason the word "that you may" is used. This expectation and hope is with regard to man and not with regard to Allah.
The tafsir of Surah Baqarah verse 182 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Baqarah ayat 180 which provides the complete commentary from verse 180 through 182.
(2:183) Believers! Fasting is enjoined upon you, as it was enjoined upon those before you, that you become God-fearing.[183]
183. Like most other injunctions of Islam those relating to fasting were revealed gradually. In the beginning the Prophet (peace be on him) had instructed the Muslims to fast three days in every month, though this was not obligatory. When the injunction in the present verse was later revealed in 2 A.H., a degree of relaxation was introduced: it was stipulated that those who did not fast despite their capacity to endure it were obliged to feed one poor person as an expiation for each day of obligatory fasting missed see (Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 184). Another injunction was revealed later see (Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 185) and here the relaxation in respect of able-bodied persons was revoked. However, for the sick, the traveller, the pregnant, the breast-feeding women and the aged who could not endure fasting, the relaxation was retained. (See Bukhari, ‘Tafsir al-Qur’an’, 25; Tirmidhi, Sawm’, 21; Nasai, ‘Siyam’, 51, 62, 64; Ibn Majah, ‘Siyam’, 12; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 3, p. 104; vol. 4, pp. 347 and 418; vol. 5, p. 29 – Ed.)
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