Blessings Unlimited
Fasting in General
“Fasting is observed not only by human beings but by
all creatures in nature including animals and trees.
Wild animals in the region of heavy snowfall go
without food for weeks and months and still survive….
This state of abstention from food and drink results in
rejuvenation and renewal of life…..
Fasting gives them strength and vigor.
Similarly trees shed their leaves in winter when they
are not watered. They are in a state of fast.
At the end of the season new leaves sprout forth, new
buds and fresh flowers bloom, the trees bear fruit”.
(Quoted from Dr.Geoffery by Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah in The Emergence of
Islam, the English version of his famous Bahawalpur lectures)
General Facts:
* Fasting was prescribed by Allah on all those
people who went before the emergence of
Prophet Muhammad (sal-lal-lahu alaihi wa sallam)
* Fasting was made compulsory on the followers
of Prophet Muhammad (sal-lal-lahu alaihi wa sallam) in
the second year of Hijrah
The Prophet (sal-lal-lahu alaihi wa sallam) said:
There is Zakah on everything and the Zakah
of the body is Fasting” (Ibn Maja, Abu Huraira)
FASTING – A pillar of Islam
To observe fast during the month of
Ramadan is to establish one of the five pillars of
faith. One who doesn’t observe fast in the month
of Ramadan despite not being sick or not on a
journey, doesn’t fulfill the condition of being a
Muslim!
The Prophet of Islam (sal-lal-lahu alaihi
wa sallam) cursed those who do not take full
advantage of Ramadan: that is – those, in spite
of being healthy and in station, do not observe
fast in the month of Ramadan.
One Speech Tells It All!
It is reported from Salman Farsi (RA) that the Prophet Muhammad (sal-lal-lahu alaihi
wa sallam) delivered a speech on the last day of Shaban in which he said:
“O mankind! You are on the threshold of a solemn month,
a month of immense blessings. It is a month whose one
night is better than a thousand months.
“Allah has prescribed fasting compulsory in this month
and made Qiyamul layl (taraweeh prayers) optional in this
month.
“Whosoever willingly and with good intention does one
good act in this month, will have the merit of having done
an obligatory act of other months; and whoever does an
obligatory act in this month, will have the reward equal to
seventy obligatory acts of other months.
“This is a month of endurance and the reward of
endurance is Paradise; and this is a month of caring and
sharing with the poor and needy people of the community”.
(Mishkaat)
Why Fast in Ramadan? Why not in other months?
The Answer is in Chapter 2, Verse 185 wherein Allah declares and
commands the Muslims thus:
“Ramadan is the month in which the Qur'an was sent
down : (this Book is) a perfect guidance for mankind and
consists of clear teachings which show the right way and
are a criterion of Truth and falsehood.
Therefore from now on whoever witnesses it, it is
obligatory on him to fast the whole month, but if one be ill
or on a journey, he should make up for the same number by
fasting on other days.
Allah desires to show leniency to you and does not
desire to show any hardship. Therefore this method is
being shown to you so that you may complete the number of
Fast days and glorify Allah for the Guidance He has shown
to you and be grateful to Him.”
Explaining the verse 2:185, Maulana Maududi writes:
“It is clear from this verse that fasting in Ramadan has
been prescribed not only as a form of worship and a
training for piety, but also to show gratitude for the great
blessing of the Revelation of the Qur'an during the month
of Ramadan.
And the best way to show gratitude for a favour is to
fulfill the object for which it was bestowed and to prepare
oneself for its completion as best as one can.
The object for which Allah has bestowed the Qur'an
upon us is to reveal His Will so that we may fulfill it
ourselves and persuade others to do the same.
Fasting provides the best training for the fulfillment of
this object and is both a devotion and a sign of gratitude for
the favour shown in the form of the Qur'an.”
The Purpose of a Muslim’s fast
Allah, the Most Gracious, while enjoining fast on the Muslim Ummah
spells out the purpose of fast thus:
“O You who believe! Fasting is prescribed
to you as it was prescribed to those before you,
that you may become self-restraint” (2: 183)
Fasting in which the spirit of fast is not observed
is only an exercise in starvation and not really a fasting
at all. This is what the Prophet (sal-lal-lahu alaihi wa
sallam) meant when he said:
“Whosoever does not give up telling lies,
or acting in a false manner, Allah has no need of
his staying away from food or drink”.
The emphasis is not merely against uttering falsehood, but
on more comprehensive acting in false manner which
embraces all various forms of disobedience to Allah.
He who professes to recognize Allah as such, and yet
disobeys Him, in effect belies his professions. Allah does not
intend to keep our bellies empty for a certain period. The
Prophet (sal-lal-lahu alaihi wa sallam) said:
“Many are the observers of fast who gain nothing
from their fast but thirst and hunger. Many are the
people who stand in night in prayers and gain nothing
from their prayers except sleeplessness”.
The purpose of fast, therefore, is to make Muslims
become Allah-conscious and adopt righteousness in thought
and deed.
A Sure Way to Salvation
Firmness of belief and sincere evaluation of one’s deeds
(Imaan and Ehtesaab) are two necessary means to get one’s past
sins forgiven in the month of Ramadan.
The gems coming out from the lips of the Prophet (sal-lallahu alaihi wa sallam) glitter like this:
“Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan with
firmness of belief and stock taking of his deeds, then all
his past sins will be forgiven.
“Whoever stands in prayers in the month of
Ramadan with firmness of belief and stock taking of his
deeds, then all his past sins will be forgiven”.
(Bukhari, narrated by Abu Huraira)
Laylatul Qadr
Allah’s Declaration of the Specialty of the Night
“We have indeed revealed this (Qur’an) in the
Night of Power: And what will explain to you what
the Night of Power is!
The Night of Power is better than a
thousand Months. Therein come down the angels
and the Spirit by the permission of their Lord (on
every errand):
(The Night is full of) Peace until the rise of
Morn!”
(Al Qur’an, Chapter 97)
The Golden Moments
The golden moments of Ramadan are more manifest in the
Laylatul Qadr. The Prophet (sal-lal-lahu alaihi wa sallam) said:
“A month has come to you in which there is a night
which is better than a thousand months. Whoever
deprives himself of its blessings, is deprived of all
blessings. And none is deprived of the blessings of the
Night of Power except the most unfortunate”.
This loving command and caution should make all Muslims
become intensely serious and sincere in striving to attain the
blessings of Laylatul Qadr.
May Allah guide us to take this hadith in all earnest.
Striving hard & straining one’s nerves
Prophet Muhammad (sal-lal-lahu alaihi wa sallam) did not
specify a particular night to be Laylatul Qadr. By saying, “Seek
Laylatul Qadr among the odd nights during the last ten
nights of Ramadan”, the Prophet (sal-lal-lahu alaihi wa sallam)
has kept it a secret.
Here in lies a Muslim’s thrill. A sublime thrill in striving to
live the nights in worship and glorification of the Lord Almighty!
The whole idea boils down to the fact that if you want to
aim higher and go beyond the sky, you need to strive hard.
Precious things can’t be attained just like that!
A million dollar question!
Millions of Muslims the world over spend most of their time in
Ramadan reading the Qur’an. Alhamdulillah!
But then how many of us read the Qur’an with understanding?
Allah addresses the human minds and hearts in several places, for e.g.
“Do they not then earnestly seek to understand the
Qur’an, or are their hearts locked up by them? (47:24)
“And We have indeed made the Qur’an easy to
understand and remember: then is there any that will
receive admonition? (This Question is repeated 4 times in Surah
Al Qamar - 54:17, 22, 32 & 40)
“We have revealed for you (o men!) a book in which is
a Message for you: will you not then understand?” (21:10)
The interrogative “Afala Ta’qiloon?” can also be translated as:
“Don’t you have brains? Can’t you apply your minds to what is
being said in the Qur’an?”
Qur’anic vision & Beseeching Allah’s Help:
Hazrat Umar (R.A) shows the Way
By far the most comprehensive dua that a Reader of the
Qur’an can offer at the end of his reading, beseeching Allah’s help
and guidance, is the Dua of Caliph Umar bin al Khattab (R.A):
‫اللهم ارزقني التف ّكر والتدبّر بما يتلوه لساني من كتابك والفهم له‬
‫والمعرفة بمعانيه والنّظر في عجائبه والعمل بذالك ما بقيت‬
‫إنّك على ك ّل شىء قدير‬
Translation ……….
“O Allah! Whatever my tongue
recites from Your Book, grant me the favor to
reflect upon it. O Allah! Bestow upon me the
understanding of it. Vouchsafe to me the
knowledge of its meaning and spirit, and the
vision to see its niceties. Grant me the favor to
act according to its injunctions as long as I live.
Certainly You have power over all things”.
While we observe fast in the month of Ramadan, let us
try to read the Qur’an and imbibe the spirit of this dua.
May Allah guide us to observe fast in a true Islamic way
so that we become worthy inheritors of Paradise
(aameen)
Jazakallahu Khairan
Kaseera!
MUQITH MUJTABA ALI
muqith_ali@yahoo.co.in