The Spirit of Fasting

The month of Ramadan brings with it the possibility of a major personal transformation. Inserted in the flow of time through a Divine Command in the second year of the Prophet’s migration to Madinah, this month of fasting provides believers an excellent opportunity to achieve consciousness of Allah (taqwa) through an act which Allah Himself has called a deed specially done for Him. But fasting does not mean a reshuffling of times of eating, as is generally done in Pakistan and many other Muslim countries. In many Arab countries, the whole society changes its daily routine. Restaurants and bazaars remain open through much of the night and the city sleeps during the day. This unfortunate practice of circumventing the real spirit of fasting brings nothing but hunger, thirst, and drowsiness during the day to those who fall into this habit and there is neither reward for this nor any personal benefit.

Fasting is a unique act of worship. It is a very personal act; unlike the other four pillars of Islam, shahadah, salah, zakah and Hajj, no one really knows if a person is eating and drinking or not, except for the person keeping the fast and the One for Whom the fast is being kept. Yet, this most private of all acts of worship is a community affair in many ways.

Salman al-Farsi, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet (SAW) addressed us on the last day of Sha`ban and after praising Allah, as was his custom, he said, “O people, a great month is about to descend upon you, a month in which there is one night that is better than one thousand nights. Allah has made fasting in this month obligatory and standing in prayer during its nights is a means of additional benefits for you. Anyone who performs a non-obligatory deed in this month is rewarded as if such a person has performed an obligatory deed and the reward of the obligatory acts of worship is multiplied up to seventy times. This is the month of patience and the reward of patience is Paradise. This is the month of empathy and a month in which the provisions of believers are increased. Anyone who feeds a fasting person in this month for the sake of Allah will be saved from the Fire of Hell and forgiven and such a person will be rewarded the reward of the fasting person, without anything being decreased from the reward of the latter…The first part of this month is mercy; the middle forgiveness; the last, a time to save yourself from the Fire of Hell and whoever lightens the burden on his servants during this month, Allah will forgive him and deliver him from the Hell Fire.”

This month also brings back memories of that first year of fasting when the Muslim community of Madinah celebrated this month for the first time in history. This was the month in which the decisive battle of Badr was fought—a battle which transformed human history forever. It was, moreover, a battle which changed the balance of power in Arabia and firmly established the nascent Islamic state in Madinah on such a solid foundation that within the span of one generation, Muslims had reached as far as central Asia on the one hand and the heart of Africa on the other.

The month of Ramadan has always been a special month for the Muslim community all over the world. It enhances the spirit of Islam in communities through the revival of the personal commitment to Islam. Since the beginning of fasting in the second year of Hijrah, there has never been a year during which countless people have not recited the whole Qur’an, refreshed their memories and renewed their consciousness of numerous Qur’anic teachings all of which revolve around three basic themes: Tawhid (Unicity of Allah), Risalah (Prophecy), and Ma`ad (The Return). These three themes of the Qur’an are the basis of Islam in the broader sense of the word. Islam, as defined by the Qur’an, is a religion that Allah has revealed to humankind through hundreds of Prophets who all came with the same message: There is one and only one Creator, He has sent prophets to guide humanity and there is a definite end to this life after which there is another life in the Hereafter—an eternal life.

These three themes of the Qur’an, which was sent down from the High heavens to the lower heavens during the month of Ramadan, provide a focal point for the believers to ponder, reflect and rethink their priorities. In order to help believers understand the importance of these three themes, the Qur’an provides numerous parables, metaphors and similes which liken the brevity of this earthly life to the twinkling of the eye or to a short nap. Likewise, the Qur’an presents the stories of many Prophets in graphic details so that its readers can understand the continuity of Allah’s message in a broad historical sense.

In addition, culled from the Qur’an and inserted into the flow of Islamic thought, are the aphorisms of the Prophet’s Companions—may Allah be pleased with them all—which have remained a source of wisdom (Hikmah) and guidance for all these centuries. “Do deeds pertaining to this world as if you are to live forever,” Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, is reported to have said, “and perform the deeds for the Hereafter as if you are to die the next moment.”

Ramadan of this 1425^th year of Hijrah brings with it a very special opportunity for the Muslim Ummah now experiencing one of the lowest points in its history. For various Muslim communities around the world, it provides an opportunity for a major break with the vicious cycles of the previous years. For Pakistanis, it is a time to reflect over the Qur’anic injection that if someone kills another believer intentionally, the punishment for this deed is Hell and Allah’s curse forever and ever (Q. 4:93). There is no recompense for this evil deed and our beloved Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, has told us that anyone who has proclaimed the two Shahadahs (I testify there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger), his blood becomes inviolable. So regardless of other differences, everyone who has pronounced the two shahadahs has entered the fold of Islam and to kill such a person is an unforgivable act in the sight of Allah.

For Muslims in Iraq, Palestine, Chechneya, and other occupied lands, this month of Ramadan brings the opportunity to rethink their strategies of fighting against the occupation forces and to instill a new hope in their ranks because anyone fighting for the sake of Allah is sure to be victorious. And verily Allah’s promise is true today, as it has always been.