The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 294
CH. 2 AL-BAQARAH PT. 2 أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَتٍ فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمُ The prescribed fasting is. 185 for a fixed number of days, but مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَيَّامٍ whoso among you is sick or is أخَرَ وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ on a journey shall fast the same number of other days; and for طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ فَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَهُوَ those who are able to fast only خَيْرٌ لَّهُ وَاَنْ تَصُوْمُوْا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ اِنْ with great difficulty is an expiation the feeding of a poor man. And whoso performs a good work with willing obedience, it is better for him. And fasting is good for you, if you only knew. 191 "2:204. cannot live, but also from going in unto one's wife which is the means of assuring one's future race. Thus he who fasts really expresses his readiness, if need be, to sacrifice his all for the sake of truth. Fasting indeed affords a wonderful training ground for man. كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ 2:143-145 where a similar process has been adopted. 191. Important Words: are able to fast only with يطيقونه It must also be noted here that this verse does not actually contain a command to fast, which follows in the verse coming after the succeeding verse. It only prepares Muslims for the coming commandment by saying that (1) the fasting which is going to be prescribed for them is not a new thing but was also prescribed for the people that had gone before, and that (2) it is a most useful thing which is sure to benefit them greatly. It will be seen that very often the Quran does not give a commandment all of a sudden but first prepares the ground for it by making some general remarks. In this connection see also 294 great difficulty) is derived from b They say meaning, or he was able or fit to do it; or he had the strength and power to do it (Aqrab). But the word as is not used of strength generally but of such strength only as, so to speak, lies on the border, i. e. just the strength with which a thing may be done and no more a strength required to do a thing only with difficulty and trouble (Mufradāt & Lane). This is why the word as is never used to express the power of God for which words like and 8 are used; for whereas the latter two words express the sense of vastness of power, the former expresses only that of its narrowness. The Quran uses the word ab only twice and at both these places it uses