It is narrated from Hazrat Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that prayer passed through three stages, and fasting also passed through three stages. As for the conditions of prayer, when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Madinah Munawwarah, he used to pray facing Bayt al-Maqdis for seventeen months, until Allah Almighty revealed the command of changing the Qiblah, and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned his face towards Makkah Mukarramah. This was one stage. People used to gather for prayer and inform others, and for this, they began to ring a bell or came close to ringing a bell. Then an Ansari companion came and said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah! I saw a man in a dream—while I was between sleep and wakefulness—who was wearing green clothes. He stood facing the Qiblah and gave the call to prayer (Adhan). After some time, he sat down, then stood up again and repeated the same words of the Adhan, but added 'Qad qamatis salah.' And if people do not deny me, I can say with certainty that I was awake at that time, not asleep." Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Teach these words to (Hazrat) Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) so that he may give the Adhan." Thus, Hazrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first person to give this Adhan. Meanwhile, Hazrat Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) also came and said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah, I also saw exactly the same dream, but the Ansari man has already narrated his dream before me." These are two stages. The narrator says that previously, when someone saw people in the mosque in congregation, he would inquire how many rak'ahs had been performed so far, and it would be indicated to him. He would first perform those rak'ahs, then join the remaining prayer. One day, Hazrat Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said: "I will adopt whatever state and condition I find you (the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him) in, and later I will complete my missed prayer." Because when he arrived, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had already led part of the prayer. So he stood with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) completed the prayer, he also stood up and completed his prayer. Upon seeing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) has set a way for the people, so you should do the same." These are three stages.

As for the stages of fasting: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Madinah Munawwarah, he commanded fasting three days every month and fasting on the day of Ashura. After that, the fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory. This noble verse was revealed: "O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you..." So whoever wished would fast, and whoever wished would feed the poor, and that would suffice. Then Allah Almighty revealed another verse: "The month of Ramadan is that in which the Qur'an was revealed..." So whoever among you witnesses the month of Ramadan must fast in it. After this, except for the sick and the traveler, the concession was ended, and fasting was made obligatory for others. However, for the elderly who could not bear to fast, the permission to feed (the poor) remained. These are two stages.

In the beginning of Islam, it was permissible to eat, drink, and approach women until one slept; after sleeping, until the time of breaking the next day's fast, eating, drinking, and intercourse were not allowed. Once, Hazrat Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) intended to have relations with his wife. His pure wife said: "I had fallen asleep." Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) thought that his wife was making an excuse to avoid intercourse. Nevertheless, Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had relations with his wife. Similarly, an Ansari companion once intended to eat and drink after iftar. People said: "Wait, let us warm the food for you." That Ansari companion fell asleep. When morning came, Allah Almighty revealed the noble verse: "It has been made lawful for you to go unto your wives on the night of the fast..." (Al-Baqarah, 187), meaning that it is permissible to have intercourse with wives during the nights of fasting. In the same way, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fasted three days every month from Rabi' al-Awwal to Ramadan for nineteen months.