يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ 183
Translations
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -
Transliteration
Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu kutiba alaykumu as-siyamu kama kutiba ala alladhina min qablikum laaallakum tattaqun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes fasting (sawm) as an obligatory act of worship for the Muslim community, just as it was prescribed for the nations before them. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the phrase 'laaallakum tattaqun' (perhaps you will attain taqwa) indicates that fasting is a means to develop God-consciousness and piety, refining the soul and strengthening one's connection to Allah. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that the prescription of fasting upon Muslims mirrors the divine wisdom in previous scriptures, demonstrating the continuity of this important practice across all divinely-guided religions.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Medina during the second year of Hijrah and marks the institution of fasting in Ramadan as obligatory for Muslims. It appears within the section of Surah Al-Baqarah that addresses the major pillars of Islamic practice (prayer, charity, and fasting), establishing the legislative framework for the Muslim community's spiritual disciplines.
Related Hadiths
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'Fasting is a shield' (Sahih Bukhari 1904), emphasizing its protective spiritual role. Additionally, in Muslim 1151, the Prophet stated that fasting is 'for Me [Allah] and I will give the reward for it,' highlighting the intimate relationship between the faster and their Lord.
Themes
Key Lesson
Fasting in Ramadan is not merely physical abstinence but a comprehensive training mechanism for spiritual elevation and moral development. By acknowledging that all believers before us were similarly commanded to fast, we recognize our place in a continuous spiritual tradition and find motivation in the shared human struggle toward piety across generations.
Related Ayahs
ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Then We forgave you after that so perhaps you would be grateful.
إِنَّمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلسُّوٓءِ وَٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَأَن تَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
He only orders you to evil and immorality and to say about Allāh what you do not know.
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ٱدْخُلُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَدًا وَٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُولُوا۟ حِطَّةٌ نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَـٰيَـٰكُمْ ۚ وَسَنَزِيدُ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
And [recall] when We said, "Enter this city [i.e., Jerusalem] and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance, and enter the gate bowing humbly and say, 'Relieve us of our burdens [i.e., sins].' We will [then] forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]."
۞ وَإِن كُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ وَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ كَاتِبًا فَرِهَـٰنٌ مَّقْبُوضَةٌ ۖ فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضًا فَلْيُؤَدِّ ٱلَّذِى ٱؤْتُمِنَ أَمَـٰنَتَهُۥ وَلْيَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُۥ ۗ وَلَا تَكْتُمُوا۟ ٱلشَّهَـٰدَةَ ۚ وَمَن يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُۥٓ ءَاثِمٌ قَلْبُهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ
And if you are on a journey and cannot find a scribe, then a security deposit [should be] taken. And if one of you entrusts another, then let him who is entrusted discharge his trust [faithfully] and let him fear Allāh, his Lord. And do not conceal testimony, for whoever conceals it - his heart is indeed sinful, and Allāh is Knowing of what you do.