Fasting

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "When Ramadan begins the gates of heaven are opened." A version has, "The gates of paradise are opened, the gates of jahannam are locked, and the devils are chained." Another has, "The gates of mercy are opened." (Bukhari and Muslim).

Sahl b. Sa'd reported God’s messenger as saying, "In paradise there are eight gates among which is a gate called ar-Rayyan which only those who fast will enter." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "He who fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from God will have his past sins forgiven; he who prays during the night in Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from God will have his past sins forgiven; and he who passes Lailat al-qadr in prayer with faith and seeking his reward from God will have his past sins forgiven." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God’s messenger as saying, "Every and when the day of the fast of any of you comes he must not use vile language or raise his voice, and if anyone reviles him or tries to fight with him he should tell him he is fasting.” *This is not from the Qur’an, but is a hadith qudsi, a tradition which gives words spoken by God. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "When the first night of Ramadan comes the devils and the rebellious jinn are chained, the gates of hell are locked and not one of them is opened; the gates of paradise are opened and not one of them is locked, and a crier calls, 'You who desire what is good, come forward, and you who desire evil refrain.' Some are freed from hell by God, and that happens every night." Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Ahmad transmitted it from a man. Tirmidhi said this is a gharib tradition.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “Ramadan, a blessed month, has come to you during which God has made it obligatory for you to fast. In it the gates of heaven are opened, the gates of al-Jahim are locked, and the rebellious devils are chained. In it God has a night which is better than a thousand months. He who is deprived of its good has indeed suffered deprivation." Ahmad and Nasa’i transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr reported God’s messenger as saying, “Fasting and the Qur’an intercede for a man. Fasting says, ‘O my Lord, I have kept him away from his food and his passions by day, so accept my intercession for him.’ The Qur’an says, ‘I have kept him away from sleep by night, so accept my intercession for him.’ Then their intercession is accepted." Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-iman.

Anas b. Malik told of God’s messenger saying when Ramadan began, “This month has come to you, and it contains a night which is better than a thousand months. He who is deprived of it is deprived of all good, but only those who are denied prosperity are deprived of it." Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Salman al-Farisi told of God’s messenger saying in a sermon which he delivered to them on the last day of Sha'ban, “A great month, a blessed month, a month containing a night which is better than a thousand months has approached you people. God has appointed the observance of fasting during it as an obligatory duty, and the passing of its night in prayer as a voluntary practice. If someone draws near to God during it with some good act he will be like one who fulfils an obligatory duty in another month, and he who fulfills an obligatory duty in it will be like one who fulfills seventy obligatory duties in another month. It is the month of endurance, and the reward of endurance is paradise. It is the month of sharing with others, and a month in which the believer’s provision is increased. If someone gives one who has been fasting something with which to break his fast it will provide forgiveness of his sins and save him from hell, and he will have a reward equal to his without his reward being diminished in any respect.” Some of them remarked to God’s messenger that they did not all have the means to give one who had been fasting something with which to break his fast, and he replied, “God gives this reward to him who gives one who has been fasting some milk mixed with water, or a date, or a drink of water with which to break his fast, and anyone who gives a full meal to one who has been fasting will be given a drink from any tank by God and will not thirst till he enters paradise. It is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is freedom from hell. If anyone makes things easy for his slave during it, God will forgive him and free him from hell.”

Ibn ‘Abbas said that when the month of Ramadan began God's messenger set every prisoner free and gave to every beggar.