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by T. H. Usoof

Fasting is an important duty made compulsory on all Muslims who have attained the age of puberty. It is the fourth of the five main duties or pillars of Islam. The Arabic word which refers to this duty "Saum" means "to refrain". In the Islamic context, to refrain from doing anything which invalidates the fast, from the break of dawn till sunset, accompanied by one's intention to fast that day during the month of Ramadhan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar. When Islam introduced this matchless institution, it planted an ever growing tree of infinite virtue and invaluable products. Some of the explanations of the spiritual meaning of the Islamic Fasting are given here under.

It teaches man the principle of sincere Love, because when he observes the Fasting he does it out of deep love for God. And the man who loves God truly is a man who really knows what love is.

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. It saturates man with a genuine virtue of effective Devotion, honest Dedication, and closeness to God, because when he fasts he does so for God and for His sake alone.

It cultivates in man a vigilant and sound conscience, because the fasting person keeps his fast in secrets 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.

It indoctrinates man in patience and unselfishness, because when he fasts he feels the pain of deprivation but endures patiently. Truly this deprivation may be only temporary, yet there is no doubt that the experience makes him realize 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 sympathizing with his fellow men and responding to their needs. That is an eloquent expression of unselfishness genuine sympathy.

It is an effective lesson in applied moderation and willpower. The person who observes his fasting properly is certainly a man who can discipline his passionate desires and place his self above physical temptations. Such is the man of personality and character, the man of will power and determination. It provides man with a transparent soul to transcend, a clear mind to think and light body to move and act. All this is the never failing result and intellectual experience attest to this fact.

It shows man a new way of wise savings and sound budgeting, because normally when he eats less quantity or less meal he spends less money and effort. This is spiritual semester of home economics and budgeting.

It enables man to master the art of mature adaptability. We can easily understand the point once we realize that fasting make man change the entire course of his daily life. When he makes the change, he naturally adapts himself to a new system and moves along to satisfy the new rules. This, in the long run, develops in him a wise sense of adaptability and self-created power to overcome the unpredictable hardships of life. A man who values constructive adaptability and courage will readily appreciate the effects of fasting in this respect.

It grounds man in discipline and healthy survival. When a person observes the regular course of fasting on consecutive days of the holy month and in the holy months of the consecutive years, he is certainly applying himself to a high form of discipline and superb sense of order. Similarly, when he relieves his stomach and relaxes hid digestive system, he is indeed insuring his body, not to mention the soul, against all harm that results from stomach overcharge. In this manner of relaxation he may be sure that his body will survive free from the usual disorder and break, and that his soul will continue to shine purely and peacefully.

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 end. No sociologist can say that there has been at any period of history anything comparable to this fine institution of Islam. People have been crying throughout the ages for acceptable belonging, for unity, for brotherhood, for equality, but now echoless their voice has been, and how very little success they have met. Where can they find their goals without the guiding light of Islam.

Fasting is a godly prescription for 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 lovely reality in the heart of the person who knows how to keep the fasting. When he fasts in the proper manner, he is in control of himself, exercises full command over his passions, disciplines his desires and resists all evil temptations. By this course, he is in a position to reassure himself, to restore his dignity and integrity and to attain freedom from the captivity of evil. Once he obtains all this, he has established inner peace, which is the source of permanent peace with God and, consequently, with the entire universe.

Numerous traditions of the Prophet have been quoted which explain the great value of fasting as a form of worship. Abu Hurairah (rali) quotes the Prophet as saying "Allah says: every action a human being does belongs to him except fasting, which is done for My sake, and I reward it accordingly. Fasting is a protective shield (against sins). When any of you fasts, he should refrain from obscenity, shouting loud and every unbecoming behaviour. If anyone insults him or quarrels with him, let him answer by saying. I am fasting (twice). By Him who holds Muhammand's soul in His hand, the mouth smell of a fasting person is, according to Allah, of better fragrance on the Day of Judgment than musk. A fasting person has two occasions to feel happy, he feels happy when he ends his fast, and he feels happy when he meets his Lord for having fasted" (Related by Ahmad, Muslim and Al-Nassaie) The same tradition is also reported by Al-Bukhari and Abu Dawood with minor variations of wording. Abu Umamah (rali) reported that he went to the Prophet and said: "Prescribe for me something which helps me, if I fulfil it, to be admitted into Heaven". The Prophet said: "I recommend you to fast, for fasting is superior to all actions" I asked him a second time later, and he said: "I recommend you to fast". (Related by Ahmad, Al-Nassaie and others) Allah says in the Quran: It was in the Ramadhan that the quran was revealed, guidance for mankind and self evident proof of that guidance and standard to distinguish right from wrong. Hence, whoever of you is present in that month shall fast throughout it. (2: 185)

There are two essential things for fasting to be valid. 1) To refrain from anything which invalidates fasting, from the break of dawn still sunset. Allah says in the Quran: You may eat and drink against the blackness of the night. Then, resume the fast till nightfall (2: 187) 2). Intention. Allah says in the Quran: They have been ordered only to worship Allah making their submission pure to Him alone.

The Prophet says: "Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he intended." It is necessary to have the intention to fast before dawn on each night of the month of Ramadhan, Hafsah, a wife of the Prophet, quotes him saying: "He who has not made up his mind to fast before dawn invalidates has fasting." (Related by Ahmad and others)

It is strongly recommended by Prophet Muhammad to observe these practices especially during the month of Ramadhan.

1). To have a light meal before the break of dawn, known as Suhoor.

2). To eat three dates and have a drink of water right after sunset, saying this prayer: "Al-lahumma laka sumna, wa'ala rizqika aflarna - Om God, for Your sake we have fasted and now we break the fast with the food You have given us.

3). To make your meals as light as possible because, as the Prophet put it, the worst thing man can fill is his stomach.

4). To observe supererogatory prayer known as Taraweeh.

5). To exchange social visits and intensify humanitarian services.

6). To increase study and recitation of the Quran.

7). To exert the utmost in patience and humbleness.

8). To be extra ordinarily cautious in using the senses, the mind and especially, the tongue, to abstain from careless and gossipy chats and avoid all suspicious motions.

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