Fasting for spiritual elevation

Fasting for spiritual elevation

BY MJ MOHAMMED IQBAL

Fasting is religious installation as important and universal as prayer and Holy Qur'an says :

"O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint." [2:183]

From this verse, it is understood before Islam, the followers of other faiths Hindus, Christians and Jews etc. also observed fasting.

Moses observed fasting for forty days on the Tur (Mount sira), Jesus remained in the lonely place and observed fasts for 40 days, Yahya used to keep fasts very often and many pious groups too. Moreover, fasting was observed as a sign of grief of mourning or for a great event and the basic underlying idea was to propitiate an angry god. Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) abolished these ideas and introduced highly developed significance as ordered by Almighty Allah, and fasting is made to observe every year to regulate the principles of their lives.

The divine instruction from Almighty Allah on fasting was reveled in the 2nd year after Hijrath (migration from Makkah to Madina) and Ramadan in 9th month of Islamic calendar which is based on lunar system. Due to this arrangement the month of Ramadan keeps on rotating throughout the year on different seasons summer, winter, autumn, spring etc. and completes a full circle in 36 years thus making believers to keep the fast under all conditions of climate and weather.

The word Ramadan does not actually mean fast. The technical term for fasting is Siyam or Saum whose root word means "to be at rest."

According to the Islamic law "Saum" signifies abstaining from eating, smoking, drinking and sexual intercourse from the dim beginning of dawn to dusk. Fasting is a course of training once in a year for a continuos period of one lunar month-Ramadan, during which every believer gets the opportunity of his spiritual elevation. Although the observer of fast can avail, himself of the delicious eatables yet he prefers to remain hungry and to be at rest and peace. He touches neither food nor drink simply because of his firm faith in the omnipresence of Allah.

The month of Ramadan is full of blessings. In this month Allah turns towards his believers and showers upon them his special mercy. He forgives their faults, accepts their prayers, and appreciates their competition for surpassing one another in the performance of virtuous deeds. He feels proud of the attitude of His worshippers and boasts to angels about them. It is necessary upon the believers to display their righteousness in deserved and suitable manner. The most pitiable and unfortunate is he who is deprived of the mercy of Allah in this Holy month by not doing good deeds, special prayers and by ignoring fasting etc.

Following are the important regulations which must be followed for the fasting to be valid.

The niyyath or intention to fast.

The period of the fast must extend from the time just before sunrise until just after sunset. According to the Holy book one may eat and drink at any time during the night "until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the day light; then keep the fast until night."

During the period of fast total abstaining from the following is required food, drink, smoking, sexual intercourse, back biting, fighting, cursing, arguing and misbehavior.

Pregnant or lactating women, seriously ill persons and the most fragile aged persons are exempted from fasting but in some cases may be liable to make up missed days as in menstruation period for ladies.

Fasting occurs in the heart, and mind and so it is hidden from all human eyes, visible only to the eye of God: it is a secret action. Hence Almighty knows the mental strength of the fasting men and reward will be as per the indidvual's faith and true actions.

General people's fast is restraining oneself from eating, drinking and sexual passions.

A higher form of the fast consists of (in addition to above) refrain from wrong actions of hands, feet, sight and other limbs or parts of the body.

The superior form of fast, the greatest a fast of the mind. Such people always think of Almighty. They consider their existence in this world only as a seed for growth into the next world.

Medical experts reveal that during a fast no new food goes into the body and so not new toxins are produced and the liver is free to work full time to eliminate existing toxins. This occurs because the body which requires fuel to survive, now begins to first burn the toxins contained with it and then turns to the stored nutrients. This increases the functioning of the cell and the natural resistance of body increase manifold. The blood becomes pure and the skin begins to clear and acquire a new glow.

Fasting is definitely one of the means to control the Nafs (soul). The great scholar and Imam Jamaliya Seyed Khaleel Awn Mowlana El Hasaniyul Hashimy says, "If lack of peace is identified, we should undertake all possible efforts to get rid of the shortfall. These efforts constitute the major war (Jihaadul Akbar) to subdue the mean soul (Nafs)."

The fasting in higher order will certainly be one of the best tools to deal with nafs (ego), and let Almighty Allah bless us all to attain desired benefits, peace, etc. in the Holy Month.


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