Ramadan & Fasting

In Ramadan, Muslims everywhere in the world enter into a season of intensive worship, which is characterized by fasting, praying, and training for self-control and discipline in order to become a better and spiritually purified human being. This season is the month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month in the lunar calendar. It became a sacred month when the Holy Qur'an, Allah's word, was revealed to the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) for the first time around 610 C.E.

Muslims have been fasting in Ramadan for more than 1420 years since they were ordered by God Almighty through the Holy Qur’an:
(Oh you who believe! Fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you, so that you may learn self-restraint) Chap 2: 183.
This Ayah shows clearly that the Muslims were not the first ones to fast. Allah prescribed fasting on many nations before Muhammad (P.b.u.h.) was sent as a Prophet. The Qur’an tells us that when Zachariah (P.b.u.h.) prayed and asked God to give him offspring, he was commanded to fast three days by abstaining from talking. Likewise, Maryam (P.b.u.h., the mother of Jesus (P.b.u.h., was also ordered by Allah to fast the same way when she became pregnant. Our Prophet Muhammad (P.b.u.h.) told us that Daawud - David - (P.b.u.h.)used to fast every other day. Jesus (P.b.u.h.) fasted forty days and forty nights as we read in Matthew 4: 2. Fasting had been always one of the observances of pious people.

In Islam, fasting is one of the fundamental ordinances, with its unique moral and spiritual characteristics. The other fundamental ordinances are: the five daily prayers (dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night), Zakaat, or alms, which is an obligatory charity that the Muslim must pay once a year (2.5% of his, or her, wealth…) to the poor and the needy people and pilgrimage to Makkah once in a lifetime for those who are able to do it physically and financially. These religious obligations are stations where the believer charges his soul with love of God and desire for righteousness. As we nurture our bodies with food and drink at different times of the day, we nurture our souls five times a day by praying. We go through the same process when we listen to the Friday sermon once a week and pray collectively in a congregation, when we perform the pilgrimage to Makkah once in our life, and when we fast the whole month of Ramadan once a year.

What is fasting?
Literally defined, fasting means to abstain completely from eating, drinking, and having intimate , before the break of the dawn till sunset, and from committing any kind of sin whether a major or a minor one during the month of Ramadan. This does not mean that the act of fasting cannot be performed in other times of the year. There are great virtues in fasting in general, but in this sacred month it is God’s commandment, which should be fulfilled by every Muslim who reached the age of puberty and is, of course, physically able. Those who cannot do it for these reasons can eat and drink, but they still have to control themselves and avoid committing minor and major sins. They too live and share the spiritual experience with their fellow Muslims.

The spiritual experience
Fasting in Ramadan is a great spiritual experience, an occasion for reflection and spiritual discipline and another chance to express gratitude for God’s countless blessings and guidance. It is also an occasion to show one’s commitment and submission to God Almighty. It is a month of Mercy, Tolerance, Forgiveness, and Purification from past sins and mistakes. It is also an awareness of human frailty and dependence on God. It is also an eye-opener and self-experience of what the less fortunate, the poor and the hungry, are enduring and experiencing in everyday life

Fasting in Ramadan is a practical school
In this institution, the faithful learn the principle of sincere love. Fasting also equips the individual with a fervent hope in God. It imbues the person with virtues of effective devotion, honest dedication and closeness to God. It indoctrinates people in patience and unselfishness. Fasting is also an effective lesson in applied moderation and willpower. It provides a transparent soul to transcend, a clear mind to think and a light body to move and act. It creates an atmosphere of equality and unity among the fasting people. Fasting also shows us a new way of wise saving and sound budgeting instead of lavish wasting. Indeed, fasting is a school for learning righteousness, self-discipline and self-control.

Fasting and Self-Control
For eleven months, Muslims eat and drink in moderation as required by Islam, but in this month of Ramadan, they renew self-control and habit modulation in resisting one’s desires instead of becoming slave to them. A fasting person must overcome hunger and thirst and must keep all of his, or her, desires under control. Many sins and crimes are caused by the failure of people to silence or control their desires, whether they are physical or emotional. Sinners and criminals are usually persons who found themselves weak in front of their s and desires. The school of Ramadan trains those who fast the proper way to overcome base .

Fasting and Health
We believe that human beings are bodies and souls. While fasting purifies the soul, it cleanses the body. Fasting has many health benefits and results in increasing many advantages for the human body. It gives the digestive system the opportunity to rest. It often happens that the advice of the physician to the patient is to limit meals or decrease quantities of food. This process where fat and excess stored energy are reduced leads to positive weight loss. Fasting is an excellent preventive measure or remedial treatment of the digestive system and the colon where accumulation of faecal matter causes a lot of problems for many people. In fact, fasting was proven medically that it is effective for some illnesses related to the stomach and the intestines.

Finally
The advent of the month of Ramadan is greeted by Muslims with great joy and its passing away lamented, with the consolation that the next Ramadan would certainly come to the following year.
May Allah bless us and forgive our previous sins in this sacred month! May He give us the strength to make up the fasting the proper way! And May He bless this Ummah of Muhammad (S)!
Imam Hamid Slimi