The
Fasting - a unique feature of Islam
By Amanulla
Vadakkangara
ACCORDING to the words of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
Ramadan is a season for the flourishing of goodness and piety, and in this season, the
more you perform wellmotivated deeds, the greater will you avail yourselves of its
blessings, and radiate their benefits to your other brothers, and if you maintain the
effects of this month at a high pitch during the subsequent 11 months to that extent the
garden of virtue will flourish, and developing process will go on infinitely.
The prescribed institution of fasting is a unique moral and
spiritual characteristic of Islam. This is the second Ibadat (form of worship) made
obligatory by Allah for the Muslims. The Qur'an clearly states that the fasting has
remained compulsory in the Shariah of all the prophets from the beginning. The Qur'an
says: 'O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, just as it was prescribed for
those before you, that ye may ward off evil" (2:183).
What is fasting: Fasting literally means to abstain or to keep
away. In Islam, fasting refers to abstaining completely from foods, drinks, intimate
intercourses and smoking before the break of the dawn till sunset. But it would be a
mistake to restrict the meaning of the Islamic fasting to this literal sense. Because to
go hungry and thirsty while ignoring the spirit of fasting carries no value in the sight
of Allah. Allah's messenger (pbuh) has said: "If one does not give up lying and
acting by it Allah does not require him to give up eating and drinking". "Many
are the people who fast but gain nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst".
"Fasting is a shield, so when one of you is fasting he should not use foul talk. If
someone abuses him or insults him, let him say I'm fasting, I'm fasting." When we
observe the fast, it is essential that we should keep our eyes, ears, tongue, mind, hands
and feet from sins. We must guard our tongue from lying, backbiting rudeness and
disputes. In other words we can sum up the true spirit of Islamic fasting as follows:
1. It teaches man the principle of sincere Love; because when he
observes the Fasting he does it out of deep love for God.
2. It equips man with a creative sense of hope and an optimistic
outlook on life; because when he fasts he is hoping to please God and is seeking His
Grace.
3. It imbues man with a genuine virtue of effective Devotion,
honest Dedication and closeness to God; because when he fasts he does so for God for His
sake alone.
4. It cultivates in man a vigilant and sound Conscience; because
the fasting person keeps his Fast in secret as well as in public. In fasting, especially,
there is no mundane authority to check man's behaviour or compel him to observe the
fasting. He keeps it to please God and satisfy his own conscience by being faithful in
secret and in public. There is no better way to cultivate a sound conscience in man.
5. It indoctrinates man in patience and unselfishness; because
when he fasts he feels the pains of deprivation but endures patiently. Truly this
deprivation may be only temporary, yet there is no doubt that the experience makes him
realise the severe effects of such pains on others, who might be deprived of essential
commodities for days or weeks or probably months together. The meaning of this experience
in a social and humanitarian sense is that such a person is much quicker than anybody else
in sympathising with his fellow men and responding to their needs. That is an eloquent
expression of unselfishness and genuine sympathy.
6. It is an effective lesson in applied moderation and will
power. The person who observes his fasting properly is certainly a man who can discipline
his passionate desire and place his self above physical temptations. Such is the man of
personality and character. The man of will power and determination.
7. It provides man with a transparent soul to transcend, a clear
mind to think and a light body to move and act.
8. It enables man to master the art of mature adaptability. We
can easily understand this point once we realise that fasting makes machange the entire
course of his daily life.
9. It grounds man in discipline and healthy survival. When a
person observes the regular course of fasting in consecutive days of the holy month, in
the holy months of the consecutive years he is applying himself to a high from of
discipline and a superb sense of order.
10. It originates in man the real spirit of social belonging, of
unity and brotherhood, of equality before God as well as before the law. This spirit is
the natural product of the fact that when man fasts, he feels that he is joining the whole
Muslim society in observing the same duty in the same manner at the same time for the same
motives to the same ends.
11. It is a Godly prescription for a self reassurance and self
control, for maintenance of human dignity and freedom, for victory and peace. These
results never fail to manifest themselves as a lively reality in the heart of the person
who keeps the fasting properly.
This was in this sense the Prophet (pbuh) said: Every deed of man
gets some increment or other from God. One good deed flourishes ten times to 700 times.
But Allah says: "Fasting is exempt from this. It is for Me and exclusively for Me and
I give reward for it as much as I want". May Allah, the Almighty help us to perform
our fasting in its pure and perfect sense and forgive all our sins through it.
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