It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the stages of change in fasting were as follows: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madinah, he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast three days of every month and the day of Ashura. Then Allah Almighty made fasting obligatory and revealed the verses from "O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you" up to His saying, "And upon those who are able to fast (but do not) is a ransom: feeding a poor person" [Surah al-Baqarah: 183-184] . At that time the rule was that whoever wished would fast, and whoever wished would feed a poor person, and that would suffice for him. Then Allah Almighty revealed the other verse, from "The month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was revealed" up to "So whoever of you witnesses the month, let him fast it" [Surah al-Baqarah: 185] . So Allah Almighty made fasting binding on the resident who is healthy, and granted a concession to the sick and the traveller, while keeping the ransom (feeding) for the elderly person who is unable to fast. So these were the two initial stages of fasting. And at first, during the night of fasting, people were permitted to eat, drink and go to their wives as long as they had not slept, but after sleeping all of this became forbidden. Then a man of the Ansar called Sirmah (may Allah be pleased with him) worked the whole day while fasting. In the evening he came home, and after the Isha prayer sleep overcame him and he slept without eating or drinking anything. In the morning he rose still fasting, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him in a state of severe exhaustion and weakness. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What is the matter, that I see you so exhausted?" He said: O Messenger of Allah, I worked yesterday, and when I came home I lay down from fatigue and fell asleep, and so I began the morning fasting (without the pre-dawn meal). Likewise, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had been intimate with one of his slave women or his free wife after sleeping. He came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned it, and Allah Almighty revealed the verses from "It has been made lawful for you, on the night of fasting, to go to your wives" up to "Then complete the fast until the night" [Surah al-Baqarah: 187] (which permitted eating, drinking and intimacy throughout the night). This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jarir bin Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) concerning this saying of Allah Almighty, "Call upon Me, I will respond to you" [Surah Ghafir: 60] , that he said: Its meaning is, "Worship Me, and I will answer your supplication." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.