Zakat and Fasting in Maraqi al-Falah

Ash-Shurunbulali's zakah and fasting chapters in Maraqi al-Falah provide the evidential basis for the Hanafi rulings presented concisely in Nur al-Idah. For each ruling, the student now understands the hadith source and the Hanafi interpretation, preparing them for more advanced study.

The obligation of zakah is grounded in the Quran's frequent pairing of prayer and zakah: 'Establish prayer and give zakah' appears multiple times in the Quran (2:43, 2:83, 2:110, and others). This pairing establishes zakah as the second financial pillar of Islam — not a voluntary charity but an obligatory act of worship whose neglect is sinful and whose denial constitutes kufr.

The nisab thresholds are established by the hadiths: 'There is no zakah on less than five uqiyyas [of silver]' and 'There is no zakah on less than twenty mithqals [of gold]' (al-Bukhari, Muslim). The rate of 2.5% is established by the prophetic instructions to zakah collectors. Ash-Shurunbulali explains why the Hanafi school combines gold and silver for nisab purposes: since both serve as monetary mediums and their fundamental function is the same, they should be treated as a single category for zakah purposes.

The Hanafi permission to pay zakah in monetary value (qimah) — paying cash equivalent to the zakah obligation rather than the physical commodity — is defended with the argument that the purpose of zakah is to benefit the recipient, and cash (which the recipient can use to meet any need) often serves this purpose better than physical commodities. The hadith of Mu'adh ibn Jabal (reported in al-Bayhaqi) in which the Prophet instructed him to 'take cloth or garments instead of the zakah on crops' is cited as precedent for accepting equivalent value rather than the specified commodity.

For Ramadan fasting, Maraqi al-Falah presents the Hanafi school's lenient position on the timing of the niyyah (intention). The hadith narrated by Hafsa in which the Prophet said 'Whoever does not resolve to fast from the night, there is no fast for him' (Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah) establishes the nighttime intention as optimal. The Hanafi school balances this with the report from 'A'ishah that the Prophet sometimes formed the intention to fast after morning — reconciling the two by holding that the nighttime intention is optimal (sunnah) but a pre-midday intention is minimally valid for obligatory fasting.

Ash-Shurunbulali concludes the fasting chapter with a discussion of the spiritual significance of Ramadan that connects to ash-Shawkani's and Ibn Qudamah's insights. The month of Ramadan is a training ground in which the Muslim practices control of desire, gratitude for blessings, and solidarity with the poor. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, their previous sins will be forgiven' (al-Bukhari, Muslim). The legal mastery of fasting rules — knowing what breaks the fast, what makes it valid, and what makes it optimal — serves the higher purpose of maximizing the spiritual benefit of this blessed month.