The Prophet ﷺ said:
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «بُنِيَ الإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَحَجِّ الْبَيْتِ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ».
“The religion of Islam is built on five: the testimony that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, paying zakat, performing Hajj to the House, and fasting Ramadan.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim)
Islam has been built on five
It has been narrated that Islam has been built on five pillars. When you trace the history of this narration, you find that it came towards the end of the Prophet’s ﷺ life, most likely around the 8th or 9th year after Hijrah. Although zakat and fasting were prescribed in the 2nd year after Hijrah, and salah was prescribed around 18 months before Hijrah, Hajj was prescribed later (around the 8th or 9th year after Hijrah). When you look at these obligations together, you also find them included within the Hadith of Jibril, when Jibril came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him about Islam, iman, and ihsan.
أَتَى جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِسْلَامِ. قَالَ: «الإِسْلَامُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةَ، وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ، وَتَحُجَّ الْبَيْتَ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا».
“Jibril came to the Prophet and said: ‘Tell me about Islam.’ He said: ‘Islam is to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give zakat, to fast Ramadan, and to perform Hajj to the House if you are able to do so.’”
(Sahih Muslim)
Why these pillars benefit us
When we go through the seerah, we see that these pillars are beneficial for us. Salah is our connection to Allah. Fasting (siyam) is like a shield, as the Prophet said: when you are fasting it is a protection for you, unless you makes holes in by doing what displeases Allah (such as sins of the tongue and limbs).
Fasting is a shield
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «الصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ».
“Fasting is a shield.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim)
The Prophet ﷺ also taught that Allah multiplies the deeds of the son of Adam: a good deed is rewarded ten times its like, even seven hundred times depending on the intention behind and sincerity of the action. This is from the generosity of Allah. But fasting is singled out as an exception in a special way: Allah says that fasting is for Him, and He Himself will reward it. The fasting person leaves their desires and food for Allah’s sake. This is why Allah made fasting special.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ يُضَاعَفُ، الحَسَنَةُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِلَّا الصَّوْمَ فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ، يَدَعُ شَهْوَتَهُ وَطَعَامَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي».
“Every deed of the son of Adam is multiplied: a good deed is rewarded ten times its like up to seven hundred times. Allah the Most High said: ‘Except fasting, for it is for Me, and I will reward it. He leaves his desires and food for My sake.’”
(Sahih Muslim)
Patience, sabr, and ramadan
All deeds are rewarded, but the reward for patience is without limit. Allah mentions this in the Quran, and fasting is from the greatest forms of patience. Ramadan is the month of sabr, and through fasting Allah is encouraging us to protect our ears, eyes, tongue, and limbs, so we do not ruin our reward.
The patient are rewarded without measure
إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
(سورة الزمر ٣٩:١٠)
“Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without measure.”
(Surah Az-Zumar 39:10)
ayah: ramadan and the obligation of fasting
A hidden worship and a huge return
Scholars also commented that the reward for fasting is high because, unlike salah and other pillars which can be seen, fasting is between the servant and Allah. It is a deeply sincere worship, and it is also one of the longest acts of worship: taming desires and training the self to control whims, the tongue, and the limbs. The return on this investment is unimaginable, and that is why Allah kept its reward hidden and special.
With Ramadan very close, we ask Allah to allow us to reach Ramadan with open hearts. Ameen.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 13th February 2026.