Transliteration:( Yaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo kutiba 'alaikumus Siyaamu kamaa kutiba 'alal lazeena min qablikum la'allakum tattaqoon )
"O you who believe! Fasting [398] has been made obligatory [399] upon you as it was made obligatory upon those before you, so that you may become pious [400]." (Kanzul Imaan Translation)
Compulsory Fasting: This verse refers to the compulsory fasting in the month of Ramadan. Fasting was initially made obligatory on the 10th of Muharram (Ashurah) and later extended to the 13th, 14th, and 15th of each month, before the command for fasting in Ramadan became obligatory.
Abrogation: The command for fasting in Ramadan abrogated the earlier fasts that were practiced, and this was confirmed by the Qur'an. Ramadan fasting was made obligatory in the second year of Hijrah.
Non-Believers' Exemption: This verse makes clear that non-believers are not responsible for the religious obligations that are binding on Muslims, such as fasting, until they embrace Islam. Upon accepting Islam, they are not required to make up for the missed obligations from their time outside the faith.
From this discussion, several key points emerge:
Historical Obligation: Fasting has always been a form of worship that was obligatory during the time of previous Prophets as well. It is a long-standing practice in Islam and other faiths.
Path to Piety: Fasting serves as a means of achieving piety and nearness to Allah. It helps to control the inner-self (Nafs-e-Ammarah), which refers to the base desires and passions of a person. By fasting, individuals refrain from indulging in worldly pleasures and focus on spiritual growth, avoiding sins.
Reliance on Allah's Blessings: Although good deeds are important, one should not rely solely on them. The hope for piety and Allah's mercy is what fasting enables. The phrase "so that you may" indicates the expectation of piety, but it is not a guarantee—it reflects the human effort in seeking closeness 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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