Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:183

This is an exposition of another of the legal rulings. The repetition of the address [to the believers] serves to manifest the importance [of the command], given the time that has elapsed since the previous one.

Al-Siyam (fasting) is, like al-sawm, an infinitive of the verb sama. In the Arabic language, it means "abstaining." From this root, silence is called sawm because it is an abstention from speech. Ibn Durayd said: "Everything whose motion ceases has 'fasted'." To this refers the saying of al-Nabigha: "Some horses are 'fasting' [stationary], while others are not, beneath the dust of battle, chewing the bit." Thus, the wind "fasted" when it became still, and the sun "fasted" when it reached its zenith at midday.

In Islamic law, it is the abstention from specific things, in a specific manner, at a specific time, by one who possesses specific attributes.

(As it was prescribed for those before you), meaning the prophets and the nations from the time of Adam (peace be upon him) until our own time, as is evidenced by the generality of the relative pronoun [in the Arabic text]. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas and Mujahid (may Allah be pleased with them) that it refers to the People of the Book. It is narrated from al-Hasan, al-Suddi, and al-Sha'bi that it refers specifically to the Christians. This serves to emphasize the ruling, to encourage it, and to console the hearts of those addressed, for when difficult matters are widespread, they become easier to bear.

The intended meaning of the "likeness" (al-mumathalah) is either a likeness in the fundamental nature of the obligation—which is the view of Abu Muslim and al-Juba’i—or a likeness in time and quantity. This is based on the premise that fasting the month of Ramadan was imposed upon the People of the Book, but the Jews abandoned it in favor of fasting one day of the year, claiming it was the day Pharaoh was drowned. The Christians added a day before it and a day after it by way of precaution, until it reached fifty days, at which point it became difficult for them in the heat, so they moved it to the time when the sun enters the sign of Aries.

Ibn Hanzalah, al-Nahhas, and al-Tabarani narrated from Mughaffal ibn Hanzalah, in a marfu’ (attributed to the Prophet) tradition: "Fasting the month of Ramadan was incumbent upon the Christians. Their king became ill, so they said: 'If Allah cures him, we will add ten days.' Then another king came who ate meat and fell ill, so they said: 'If Allah cures him, we will add seven.' Then another king came and said: 'We shall not leave any of these three days; we will complete them and fix our fasting in the spring.' He did so, and it became fifty days."

Regarding the [grammatical status of] ka-ma ("as it was prescribed"), there are five possibilities:

1. That its position is in the accusative as an attribute to an omitted infinitive; i.e., "It has been prescribed a prescription like what was prescribed."
2. That it is in the accusative as a state (hal) from the infinitive, acting as a defined descriptor; i.e., "Fasting has been prescribed for you, being likened to what was prescribed." In both these cases, ma is an infinitive particle.
3. That it is an attribute to an infinitive derived from the word al-siyam; i.e., "a fast like the fast prescribed for those before you."
4. That it is a state (hal) from al-siyam; i.e., "while it is like what was prescribed." In these two cases, ma is a relative pronoun.
5. That it is in the nominative position as an adjective for al-siyam, based on the fact that a noun defined by the generic al- is close to an indefinite noun.

(So that you may attain piety): meaning, so that you may beware of sins. For fasting suppresses the desire which is the mother of sins, or [at least] breaks its intensity. For indeed, al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded in their Sahihs from Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to us: "O gathering of youth, whoever among you has the capacity for marriage, let him marry, for it is more shielding for the gaze and more protective of the private parts. And whoever cannot, let him fast, for it is a restraint (*wij’) for him."

It is possible that the object [of the intent] is to avoid failing in the performance [of the obligation]. According to the first view, the speech is linked to the word "prescribed" without regard to the comparison. According to the second, it is viewed in light of the comparison; i.e., "It was prescribed for you just as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain piety by not failing to perform it, once you know of its originality and antiquity." There is no need to postulate an omitted phrase, such as "I have informed you of the ruling for this purpose," as some have claimed. It is also possible that the verb is treated as if it were intransitive, meaning: "so that you may reach through it the rank of piety."