The reward of a fasting person
“The angels bless the fasting person when someone eats near him.”
Walking down the street we sometimes see how certain people instead of keeping the fast, eat, drink or nibble sunflower seeds. Some become annoyed at this sight, others turn away, so as not to tempt themselves.
They try to show patience as they understand that God bestowed them the best, i.e. fasting. The refusal of the fasting testifies the weakness of the faith of this man. Unfortunately, few people know about the reward that the most generous God prepared for those who are fasting when others are eating. It is difficult for us to be around the people who eat when we ourselves are hungry. But if we show patience, the Most High and the All-Merciful God will grant us such reward, that if the people who do not fast knew about them, they would have left everything and started keeping fasting.
Al-Tirmidhi narrates from Ummuh Umarat al-Ansariyat (may God be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to her and she placed a meal before him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her, “Eat.” She replied, “I am fasting” (she was observing the Sunna-fasting).
Then the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Verily the angels bless the fasting person, when someone eats near him until they will finish (their meal), and sometimes – until they get enough”. In another hadith, narrated by Buraydah (may God be pleased with him, it is said that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Bilal, “Come for breakfast, o Bilal.” Bilal (may God be pleased with him) said, “I am fasting” (Sunnafasting).
And the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “We eat our lot, but the dignity of Bilal’s lot is in Paradise. Do you know Bilal that the bones of fasting person make praise, and the angels bless him, while someone eats at his elbow?”
MUHAMMAD MUSLIMOV
