The Fast

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ فَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُ وَأَن تَصُومُواْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُواْ الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ اللّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ (2: 183-185)

Believers! Fasting has been made obligatory upon you as it was made upon those before you so that you become fearful of God. These are but a few days, but if any one among you is ill or on a journey, let him fast a similar number of days later; and those who have the capacity [to feed a needy] should feed a needy in place of it. Then he who does a virtuous deed of his own accord, it is better for him and if you fast, then this is even better for you if you but knew. It is the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was revealed, as a book of guidance for mankind and in the form of manifest arguments which are a means of total guidance and a means of distinguishing right from wrong. Therefore, whoever among you is present in this month, he should fast. And he who is ill or on a journey should fast a similar number of days later on. [This concession is because] God desires ease for you and not discomfort. And [the permission given to travellers and the sick to feed the needy has been withdrawn because] you can complete the fasts [and thus not be deprived of the blessings of fasting] and [for this purpose the month of Ramadan has been fixed so that in the form of the Qur’an] the guidance God has bestowed upon you, you glorify God and express your gratitude to Him. (2:183-185)

After the prayer and the zakah, the fast is the next important worship ritual of Islam. In the Arabic language, the word used for it is صَوْم(sawm), which literally means “to abstain from something” and “to give up something”. In Arabia, when horses were kept hungry in order to train and instruct them, the Arabs called this state as the صَوْم of the horses. As a term of the Islamic shari‘ah, it refers to the state of a person in which he is required to abstain from eating and drinking and from marital relations with certain limits and conditions.

A person expresses himself through deeds and practices; hence when his emotions of worship for the Almighty relate to his deeds and practices then these emotions, besides manifesting in worshipping Him, also manifest in obeying His commands. Fasts are a symbolic expression of this obedience. While fasting, a person, at the behest of His lord, gives up things which are originally allowed to him to win the pleasure of his lord; he thus becomes an embodiment of obedience and through his practice acknowledges the fact that there is nothing greater than the command of God. So if the Almighty forbids him things perfectly allowed by innate guidance, then it is only befitting for a person who is the servant of his Creator to obey Him without any hesitation whatsoever.

A little deliberation reveals that this state of a person in which he experiences and acknowledges the power, magnificence and exaltedness of the Almighty is a true expression of gratitude from him. On this very basis, the Qur’an says that the fast glorifies the Almighty and is a means through which gratitude can be shown to Him: The Qur’an says that for this very purpose the month of Ramadan was set apart because in this month the Qur’an was revealed as a guide for human intellect having clear arguments to distinguish right from wrong so that people could glorify God and express their gratitude to Him. The words are: وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ اللّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ (and so that you glorify God and express your gratitude to Him). While referring to this essence of the fast, it has been said that a fast is for Allah and only He will reward a person for it. In other words, when without any reason a person merely at the command of his Creator also forbids himself things which are not forbidden, then the Almighty out of His graciousness will reward him without measure and such will be this immense reward that he will flourish and prosper. Abu Hurayrah (rta) reports from the Prophet (sws): “Whatever pious deed a person does, he is rewarded from ten to seven hundred times but the fast is an exception to this. The Almighty says: فأنه لي و أنا أجزي به (it is for Me and only I will reward [a person] for it) because he gave up eating and drinking and abstained from sexual desires for My sake.” =1= It is also reported that for persons who fast, there are two occasions of happiness: one when they break their fast and the other when they will meet their Lord. =2= It is evident from these narratives how important the fast is to the Almighty. The Prophet (sws) is reported to have said:

لَخُلُوفُ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ

The smell of the mouth of a person who fasts is more pleasant to God than musk.

 =3=

إِنَّ في الْجَنَّةِ بَابًا يُقَالُ له الرَّيَّانُ يَدْخُلُ منه الصَّائِمُونَ يوم الْقِيَامَةِ لَا يَدْخُلُ منه أَحَدٌ غَيْرُهُمْ يُقَالُ أَيْنَ الصَّائِمُونَ فَيَقُومُونَ لَا يَدْخُلُ منه أَحَدٌ غَيْرُهُمْ فإذا دَخَلُوا أُغْلِقَ فلم يَدْخُلْ منه أَحَدٌ

There is a door in Paradise called rayyan. People who fast will enter Paradise from this door on the Day of Judgement. No other person will be able to pass through this door. It shall be asked: “Where are the people who fast?” At this, they will get up and no one else will enter with them. Once they will enter [Paradise], it shall be closed. No one else after them would be able to pass through it.

 =4=

According to the shari‘ah, the excellence a person can attain in this ritual of worship is that while fasting he imposes certain other restrictions on himself and confines himself to a mosque for a few days to worship the Almighty as much as he can. In religious terminology, this is called اِعْتِكَاف (i‘tikaf). Though this worship ritual is not incumbent upon the believers like the fasts of Ramadan, it occupies great importance viz-a-viz purification of the soul. The cherished state which arises by combining the prayer and the fast with recitals of the Qur’an and the feeling of being solely devoted to the Almighty having no one around helps achieve the objective of the fast in the very best way. For this very reason, the Prophet (sws) would sit in i‘tikaf in the Masjid-i Nabawi every year =5= in the last ten days of Ramadan and would devote all his time to praying to the Almighty, kneeling and prostrating before Him and reciting the Qur’an. ‘A’ishah(rta) narrates:

كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا دَخَلَ الْعَشْرُ شَدَّ مِئْزَرَهُ وَأَحْيَا لَيْلَهُ وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ

When the last ten days of Ramadan would arrive, the Prophet (sws) would fully prepare himself to worship the Almighty. He would worship the Almighty late in the night and would wake up his family members for this as well.

 =6=

The ritual of the fast is incumbent upon the Muslims in the month of Ramadan. No doubt, one is caught up by many lures and attractions of this world; the Prophet (sws), however, has informed us that in this month the Almighty out of His grace stops the devils among the jinn-folk from misleading mankind. It is narrated: “When Ramadan comes the doors of Paradise are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the devils are enchained.” =7= Consequently, there is an opportunity in this month for every person to strive to attain success and salvation without any external hindrance. Some narratives mention the reward of fasting as forgiveness of all the sins of a person. This is in accordance with the general principle of repentance as mentioned in the Qur’an. However, specifically regarding Ramadan, the Prophet (sws) has given glad tidings of fasting in the following words:

مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ

A person who fasts in Ramadan with faith and while holding himself accountable to God, his previous sins are forgiven.

 =8=

مَنْ قَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ

A person who prays during the night in Ramadan with faith and while holding himself accountable to God, his previous sins are forgiven.

 =9=

Precisely, the same glad tidings are given for praying at night during the laylah al-qadr. =10= It was in this night that the revelation of the Qur’an began and the Almighty has informed us that angels and Gabriel descend in this night with permission in all affairs. Since important decisions are made in this night, the extent of the blessings and favours of the Almighty and His nearness which can be achieved in this night cannot be achieved in a thousand other nights. On these very grounds, the Qur’ansays: (97: 3) لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْر(better is this night in which destinies are decided than a thousand months, (97:3)) The Prophet (sws) is reported to have said that one should try to seek the laylah al-qadr in the last ten days of Ramadan particularly in the nights which begin with an odd number. =11=

What is the importance of fixing certain periods of time for worship? Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi answers this question in the following words:

… just as in this material world seasons, climates and time occupy importance, they do so in the spiritual world as well. Just as in this material world there is a certain season and climate in a certain part of the year in which the seeds of a particular crop must be sown if they are to sprout, and any negligence to these factors will not yield the required produce in some other periods of time however much one tries; likewise, in the spiritual world also, there are special days and times of the year which are set aside for special acts of worship. If they are offered during them, only then the required results are obtained, and any ignorance in this regard cannot be compensated for in other periods of time even if their span is extended. A few examples will make this matter more clear: to offer the Friday prayer, a certain day has been set aside; similarly, a particular month has been fixed for fasting; for the offering of hajj and its rites too certain days have been appointed by the Almighty. The time for standing in ‘arafahhas also been prescribed by the Almighty. All these acts of worship have been made conditional to certain periods of time, during which their performance yields a reward that cannot be estimated. If these times are not utilized for these acts of worship, they fail to reap the blessings they have.

 =12=