Fast all Your Life

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Imam Ja’fer al-Sadiq (as) quotes his forefathers (as) saying
that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) once asked his companions,
“Which one of you fasts the whole time?”
Salman al-Farsi, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said,
“I do, O Messenger of Allah!”
The Messenger of Allah asked them, “Which one of you says
prayers the whole night?”
Salman al-Farsi, may Allah have mercy on his soul, again said,
“I do, O Messenger of Allah!”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked them,
‘Which one of you recites the entire text of the Qur’an every
day?”
Salman al-Farsi, may Allah have mercy on his soul, for the
third time said, “I do, O Messenger of Allah!”
One of the Prophet’s companions became angry and said,
“O Messenger of Allah! Salman is a Persian who wants to brag
and demonstrate his superiority over us, we men of Quraysh.
You asked us, ‘Which one of you fasts the whole time?’ and he
said he does so, while he eats most of the time. And you
asked us, ‘Which one of you says prayers the entire night?’
and he again said he did so, while he sleeps most of the night.
And you asked us, ‘Which one of you recites the entire text of
the Qur’an every day?’ and he for the third time said that he
did so, while most of the time he is silent.”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) rebuked that man and said,
“Keep your silence, so-and-so, for how far you are from
Luqman the Wise! Ask him, and he will explain to you,”
whereupon that companion turned to Salman and asked him
thus:
“O father of Abdullah! You have claimed that you fast the
whole time, haven’t you?”
Salman answered him in the affirmative, so the companion
said,
“But I have seen you eating most of the time!”
Salman said,
“It is not what you say! I fast three days in every month, and
Allah, the most Exalted, the most Glorified One, says, ‘Whoever
does a good deed will be rewarded ten-fold’ (Surat
al-An’am, verse 16). And I join the month of Sha’ban with the
month of Ramadan in my fast, so it is regarded as though I
fast the whole time.”
The man then asked him,
“But you claim that you spend your entire night offering
prayers, don’t you?”
Salman answered in the affirmative, whereupon that man
said to him, “How so since most of your night you are in bed?”
Salman said,
“It is not as you say. I have heard my beloved Messenger of
Allah (pbuh) say, ‘Whoever remains in a state of tahara
(purification) during his sleep will be regarded as though he
spent the whole night offering prayers,’ and I do remain tahir!”

The man still asked him,
“Have you not claimed that you recite the entire text of the
Qur’an every day?”
Salman said,
“I have.”
The man then asked him,
“But you spend most of the day silent!”
Salman said,
“It is not as you say, but I have heard my beloved Messenger
of Allah (pbuh) telling Ali (pbuh): ‘O father of al-Hasan (pbuh)!
Your similitude in my nation is like that of Surat al-Ikhlas: whoever
recites it once is considered as having recited one third of the
entire text of the Qur’an, and whoever recites it twice is
considered as having recited two-thirds of the Qur’an, while
whoever recites it thrice will be regarded as having recited the
entire text of the Qur’an; whoever loves you with his tongue
completes one third of his eiman (conviction), and whoever
loves you with both his tongue an heart completes two thirds
of his eiman, whereas whoever loves you with his tongue and
heart and assists you with his hand (i.e. physically with his
might and means) perfects his eiman. I swear by the One Who
sent me with the truth, O Ali! Had all people on earth loved
you as those in the heavens do, nobody would have been
tormented with the Fire,’ and l do recite Surat al-Ikhlas thrice
daily.”

The man then stood up and left as if someone had filled his
mouth with a rock (as the Arabs put it).
This incident is recorded on pp. 93-94, Vol. 94, of Bihar al-
Anwar.
104

Excellent Stories Vol 1