Blessings of fasting
By Sirajuddin Aziz
Even before the advent of Islam, it was customary for Arabs to devote a certain period of the year to exclusive worship and prayer. Muhammad Hussein Heykal in his biography of the Prophet (peace be upon him) has referred to this tradition as, "the Arabs annual retreat".
He states that much before the revelations, the Prophet would each year spend the whole of Ramazan in the cave of Mount Hira, devoting himself uninterruptedly to his spiritual pursuits in peace, solitude and tranquillity.
The sacred month of Ramazan is in fact an annual invitation to delinquents to shed evil ways and put on the garb of humility. The Holy Quran states, "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that ye may ward off evil" (2:183).
The regulations pertaining to Ramazan in Chapter II of the Holy Quran are coupled repeatedly with the emphasis on two aspects: facilities and concessions given in respect of fasting and the spiritual significance of fasting.
The verse i.e. II: 187, that follows the ordinance about Ramazan, is of particular significance to the concept of self-denial and offers limitless assurances to those who fast, "when My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me..."
According to a tradition, the Prophet said, "Verily, a month of blessing has come to you... Allah has made obligatory the fast of it on you. The doors of paradise are opened during it, while the doors of hell are closed.
Satan is put in fetters. There is a night in it, which is better than one thousand months. Whoever is deprived of the goodness of it is really a deprived person."
Thus fasting has been enjoined and made incumbent upon every Muslim adult but with the condition that he must be fit physically for it. A sick person, one who is travelling, an old person and one who finds the severity of fast hard to bear on account of age or other infirmities are exempt. But for the sick and the traveller this is a temporary exemption, they have to complete the period on other days. "And whosoever of you is sick or on a journey let him fast the same number of other days." (2:185).
Yusuf Ali, in his commentary on the Holy Quran, writes, "Illness and journey must not be interpreted in an elastic sense; they must be such as to cause pain and sufferings."
On the other hand, Allah does not wish to burden the man who has permanent infirmity. For such a person the Quran states: "And for those who cannot afford it there is ransom, the feeding of a man in need." (2.184).
Fasting infuses in man a great degree of determination and trust in Allah, imparts loftiness to his character and personality. There is a tradition related by Abu Hazim, that the apostle of Allah once said, "In Paradise there is a gate named ar-Rayyan through which on the Day of Reckoning those who fast will enter, and through which none but they will enter." It is said that the Prophet during Ramazan was more generous than the rain-bearing wind.
Ramazan is a month of patience. Every Muslim during the course of this holy month has to observe utmost patience against all provocations. "The object of fast is to attain righteousness, patience in adversity, steadfastness in deprivation and to increase one's power of resistance.
Fasting places everybody the rich and the poor; the high and the low on the same pedestal. Both the well to do and the less favoured experience in common the pangs of hunger and privation to an equal degree.
"Muslim fast is not meant for self-torture. Although it is stricter than other fasts, it also provides alleviations for special circumstances. It is not merely a temporary abstention from food and drink but this abstention enables the attention to be directed to higher things" writes Yusuf Ali.
Fasting accustoms us to face hardships of life - by renouncing everyday comforts; we give strength to our resolve and increase our power of resistance. It must not be forgotten that the whole purpose of fasting during Ramazan is to promote righteousness, which is a progressive cultivation of spiritual values.
The Prophet was very particular and emphatic in drawing attention to this aspect of fasting. He said, "He who abstains from food and drink during the period of fasting but does not strive to abstain and safeguard himself against moral lapses, starves to no purpose."
Maulana Mohammed Ali Jauhar in his eloquent discourse "The Religion of Islam" comments, "the injunction laid down in the Holy Quran runs as follow: "the month of Ramazan is that in which the Quran was revealed..." (2:185).
It will be seen from the words of the injunction that the choice of this particular month is not without reason. It is well known that the Holy Quran was revealed piecemeal during a period of 23 years; therefore, by its revelation in the month of Ramazan is meant that its revelation began in that month. And this is historically true. The first revelation came to the Prophet during Ramazan when he was in the cave of Hira. The month which witnessed his greatest spiritual experience was thus considered to be the most suitable month for the spiritual discipline of the Muslim community which was to be effected through fasting."
During Ramazan falls the night of al-Qadr on which day the Prophet received his call and the first verses of the Holy Quran were revealed at Mount Hira. "Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Power. (97.1).
It is on this night that God's decree for the year are brought down on the earthly plane. "And angels and the spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees."(97.4).
"The Night of Power is better than a thousand months." That is how this verse is interpreted "A thousand nights must be taken in a very indefinite sense as denoting a very long period of time. One moment of enlightenment under God's light is better than a thousand months/years of animal life and such a moment of enlightenment translates into a period of spiritual glory."
The Holy Prophet said about al-Qadr that whosoever rises up for vigil and prayers during the night of al-Qadr with faith, and in hope of recompense, will have all his previous sins forgiven.
The most significant aspect of "fasting" is the reformation of the "self" through a conscious management of the "self". It is this process, which is to receive our utmost attention, while we engage in fasting.
If this objective is not achieved, then fasting would be a ritual without a purpose. The object is to make our behaviour symbolic of the virtues attending to fasting such as mercy, generosity, truthfulness, endurance, patience and fortitude.
We should not defeat and outrage the primary teaching underlying this fundamental injunction of Islam, because in the final analysis, fasting erases from the believing soul every evil, it perfects and liberates the human spirit and directs it towards common welfare, thus helping in the establishment of a righteous and stable society.