And when this nation had a compilation of what is in the books and the scrolls, its principles of rulings were based on the rulings of the previous rulings. Just as they were directed towards the direction of the People of the Book at the beginning, then they had the direction towards the Kaaba at the end, likewise they were commanded to fast like the People of the Book, "a few numbered days". This means a few days specified by a known number at the beginning, then they advanced to fasting for the entire month at the end. This is because when those before them were people of accountability for what pertains to worldly matters, their years were solar, so their fasting was for a number of days, not for the duration of a month. And in informing them, there is an obligation to renew the intention for each day, as they are numbered days. And in understanding this, there is a prohibition against continuing the fast during the night, which is the meaning of continuity, the correctness of which elevates the status of fasting to the fasting of the month, which is the lunar cycle. It allows breaking the fast on a night as a concession for the weak, not as an obligation for the faster. And in it, there was from the burden what was in the fasting of the People of the Book, in that there was no eating or marriage after sleeping. So there was a burden from what is in the books for the head of this nation and its early ones to attain a share of what the early nations attained, then Allah would elevate it to the ruling that pertains to it, so it would be nurtured and find the taste of ease after hardship - this has ended and there is a discussion in it.

And the position of Al-Shafi'i, may Allah be pleased with him, is the prohibition of continuity. They said: "O Messenger of Allah! Indeed, you continue fasting!" He said: "I am not like you." And he said: "Whoever is continuing, let him continue until dawn."

Al-Harali said: So he informed about continuing the fast until dawn, to transfer the meal of breaking the fast that corresponds to the state of the People of the Book to the meal of dawn, which is specific to the People of the Criterion - this has ended. And in the continuity of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, with them when they refused except for continuity for days, it bears witness for whoever permitted that, and Allah, glorified and exalted is He, knows best.

Al-Harali said: And in its establishment upon the number, there is a refuge to return to it when the month is obscured, which is the crescent, as will be explicitly stated. Thus, the number for them in fasting is like the tayammum in purification, they return to it in necessity when the sighting of the moon is lost, just as they return to the pure earth when water is lost.

And when the sick person has a need for medicine and food according to the condition of his body, the writing is lifted from him. This is due to what has passed in His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "So whoever among you is sick" means a sickness that harms him immediately or increases his ailment later.

Al-Harali said: So he remains under the ruling of bearing with certainty from what nourishes the believer and gives him drink from the unseen blessings of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, as he, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "I spend the night with my Lord, and He feeds me and gives me drink." Thus, for the believer, there is nourishment in his fasting from the blessings of his Lord by the ruling of his certainty in what does not reach him who has not reached his place. According to how much the inner states of people are derived from their outward appearances, the outward of the certain one is derived from his inner self until it becomes strong in his limbs by the support of the light of his inner self, as this is evident in the people of guardianship and religion. Therefore, the breaking of the fast for the sick is a concession for the place of his treatment and nourishment.

And when sickness is a description that comes with the term of description, and when travel is the removal of the covering from the head, completing a cycle of day and night by moving away from it in such a way that he cannot return to his abode in the span of his day and night, relative between two bodies, it came with the letter of addition, separated, and it was said: "Or on a journey" for what the traveler needs from nourishment for the fullness of his energy in his work during his travel. And that the time of his nourishment is according to the places, not according to the choice, since the traveler and his belongings are on a heart except for what Allah protects. "Travel is a piece of punishment," and that is so that two burdens do not gather upon the servant, and the hardship is multiplied upon him in religion and worldly matters. So if the matter lightens from him from a natural aspect, he takes the ruling from another religious aspect. "So a specified number" its arrangement indicates that the written number is a number "of days" meaning consecutive or separate "other" for the organization of the segments of speech, some of them with others, heads and ends. Thus, in understanding it, the written for the sick and the traveler is not the same as the written for the healthy and the resident. Therefore, there is no need for estimation: "So I break my fast," because the intent is the meaning of the writing, and what is below the writing remains under the ruling of his bearing. It is as if it is said to the sick and the traveler: Your written days are other days, not these days. Thus, these days remain free from the ruling of the writings, not free from the legislation of fasting.

And when they were a people who were not accustomed to fasting, and Allah's care was encompassing them, honoring their Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, He said, giving them a choice at the beginning: "And upon those who are able to fast"; that is, fasting, from the word 'ṭawq', which is what is placed around the neck as an ornament. Thus, what one can do of actions is a 'ṭawq' for him in meaning. "A ransom is food"; this is by addition or separation. "For a poor person"; in the singular, referring to one day, and in the plural, referring to the total of days, for each day is one meal, which is a 'mud' and two handfuls with both hands, which is the sustenance of the hungry for lunch and dinner, sufficient neither in stinginess nor extravagance. In general, this is an expansion of the matter of fasting upon those who cannot fast, from among those who are overwhelmed by the need of their nature for food, like the sick and the traveler. Thus, he is in a state of illness due to his craving, as if it were a state of sickness that his nature has been created with. Therefore, in looking at him, there is a fulfillment of the mercy of looking at the sick and the traveler, except for what is between the ranks of the two categories, being that this one is able and those two are not able or not capable. In informing him, it is made clear that whoever cannot restrain himself from his food, his right is to feed others, so that the giving of food may stand in place of abstaining from food, due to the connection between the two meanings for that. And there was not mentioned here, along with the food, freeing a slave or fasting. "So whoever volunteers for good"; that is, increases in the ransom, "it is better for him"; because he has done what indicates his love for his Lord.

And when He, glorified and exalted is He, made the breaking of the fast at the time of ability, and the obligation and recommendation of the ransom is in the context of the absence and the omission of mentioning the breaking of the fast, even if the context indicates it, as a hint to its insignificance, to deter from it, the people of fasting were made the place of the presence of the address, signaling to what they have of honor in all of this, encouraging it and urging it. He said: "And that you fast"; O you who are able, "is better for you" than the ransom, even if it increases.

Al-Harali said: In it, there is an indication that the fasting person receives a great share of goodness in his body, health, and sustenance, along with immense reward in the Hereafter. This is as indicated by the sacred hadith: "And every action of the son of Adam is for him except fasting, for it is for Me." This is because actions are deeds, expenditures, behaviors, and states that the servant is meant to perform for himself and his family in this world, and since fasting is not among what he is meant to do, it is not for him. Prayer, for example, consists of actions and words, and that is within the scope of a person. Zakat is expenditure, and that is also within his scope. Hajj is traveling on the earth, and that is within his scope. However, it is not within his scope to not eat, drink, marry, or retaliate against someone who wrongs him. If someone insults him or fights him, he should say: 'Indeed, I am fasting.' Therefore, the overall objectives of fasting are not within his scope, and its reality is the weakening of his body and the diminishing of his self. For this reason, fasting is an expiation for unintentional killing, so that through fasting, he may atone for the killing of his own soul in some way that occurred through his hands due to an error in killing. Thus, in fasting, there is a reduction of the essence of the faster. For this reason, Allah, the Most High, said: "For it is for Me," when it was not of the kind of actions of humanity. He, glorified and exalted is He, said: "And I reward for it." In His indication, the reward is from the unseen of Allah, which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and has not crossed the heart of any human. All of this is within the meaning of His saying: "If you only knew." Ended.

And his response, and Allah, glorified and exalted is He, knows best: You fasted and volunteered, for if they did not know that it is good for them, they would not do it, so it would not be good for them.

Al-Harali said: It was good in that there was no contradiction between the gathering of fasting and feeding, but rather cooperation in what the word goodness implies. Ended.

Al-Bukhari, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated in the tafsir, and Muslim, Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmidhi, and Al-Nasa'i from Salamah ibn Al-Akwa', may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "When the verse 'And for those who can fast with hardship' was revealed, whoever wanted to break his fast and make an expiation until the verse that followed it was revealed, which abrogated it. In one narration: until this verse was revealed: 'So whoever witnesses the month, let him fast it.'" (Al-Baqarah: 185)

And Al-Bukhari narrated from Ibn Umar: "From the companions of Muhammad, may Allah be pleased with them, who said: The verse 'The month of Ramadan' was revealed, and it was difficult for them. So whoever fed a poor person every day was allowed to break the fast if he could not fast, and they were permitted in that, and it was abrogated by 'And to fast is better for you.' So they were commanded to fast."