Abu al-Hasan Malik al-Akhdar
3 Ramadan 1440 AH
Allah states in His Noble Book,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِلَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ
“O you who have believed, eat from the good things We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.” [al-Baqarah 2:172]
As we begin another blessed month of Ramadan, we are mindful of Allah’s Mercy and Beneficence. And as we strive to fast—forsaking food, drink, and intimate relations during the day—for His Sake, we are grateful for the food and drink He provides us nightly. Yet one should be careful not to overindulge, as there are numerous warnings in the authentic Sunnah against overeating. The Messenger of Allah—sallallahu alayhi wa sallam—states, “The child of Adam cannot fill a vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for him to eat enough to straighten his back. If he cannot do that, then he may fill it with a third of his food, a third of his drink, and a third of his breath.”[1] So, just as we should not overeat outside of Ramadan, we should not use fasting as an excuse to do so. Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi mentions that the one who overindulges at the time of iftar will not benefit that night. Likewise, he mentions, the one who overindulges at the time of suhur will not benefit that morning.[2]
[1] Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (no. 2380). It has been authenticated by al-Albani in al-Sahihah (no. 2265).
[2] Ahmad b. Qudamah, Mukhtasir Minhaj al-Qasidin. (Dar al-Bayan, 1389 AH), 44