Winter. Beleiver's Best Season

It was reported by al-Haythami in ‘Majma’ az-Zawa’id’ (3/203) with a hasan chain that the Prophet (ﷺ; peace be upon him) said: “Winter is the best season for the believer. Its nights are long for him to pray in, and its days are short for him to fast in.”

Ibn Rajab al-Hambali said in ‘Lata’if al-Ma’arif’ (p. 276): “Winter is the best season for the believer because… Allah strengthens his practice in it by making worship easy for him. This is because in winter, the believer can fast during the day with ease without suffering from hunger and thirst. The days are short and cold, and he therefore doesn’t feel the hardship of fasting…”

It was reported by Ahmad (4/335) with a chain authenticated by al-Albani in ‘as-Silsilah as-Sahihah’ (1922) that the Prophet (ﷺ; peace be upon him) said: “Fasting in the winter is the easy prize.”

Ibn Rajab commented on this in ‘Lata’if al-Ma’arif’ (p. 276): “And the meaning of it being an easy prize is that it is a prize obtained without any battle or effort or hardship. So, the owner of this prize has been given it as a favor without any effort on his part.”

With the clocks having gone back last Sunday, we can obtain great reward through fasting with very little hardship. Fasting is one of the most beloved acts of worship to Allah. So let’s try our best to keep nafl (optional) fasts during these short winter days. May Allah make it easy for us all to worship Him in the best of ways, Ameen.