Fasting in the month of Ramadan is obligatory for every Muslim. This month has the virtue and the importance of being the month of fasting as well as the month of the Quran. The first five verses of Sura-e-Alaq, which were revealed first, came down in the month of Ramadan, as mentioned in the Quran.
(شہر رمضان الذی انزل فیہ القرآن ہدی للناس وبینات من الہدی والفرقان، فمن شہد منکم الشہر فلیصمہ).
The fact of the month of Ramadan is that it emancipates man from the slavery of carnal desires, strengthens the intention, and creates the attribute of patience. In front of the fasting man, there is delicious food and cold and sweet water, but still, he is hungry and thirsty. His wife is present but still refrains from sexual demands, while no one but Allah is the only supervisor. It is possible only with the strength of intention and patience. That is why patience is interpreted as fasting and fasting as patience. In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty narrated to seek help through prayer and patience in two places. Many commentators in these verses take patience in the sense of fasting.
Fasting informs man of the value of every blessing and favor of Allah. In general, when the blessings are more and more abundant on a person, the feeling of their importance, dignity, and worth disappears from the heart. In the state of fasting, when he tastes the bitterness of hunger and the intensity of thirst, he realizes the importance of the blessings bestowed on him in the form of food and drink, making him feel the hunger of the poor and the need of the needy. As a result, the heart of the rich softens for the poor, and he tries his best to help them. In the same way, in fasting, man makes the last demonstration of complete submission and devotion to Allah and endures hunger and thirst despite all the means of food and comfort, and he does it only for the love and pleasure of Allah. Allah’s Messenger (sallaAllahu alayhe wasallam) said: “Allah said: “Every good deed performed by son of Adam is a credit for him but fasting is exclusively Mine and I give reward for it. Fasting is a shield against sins”. In addition to the spiritual and moral benefits, the physical benefits of fasting are numerous. Fasting is also a way of energy for the body and protection against many diseases. It is also a means of relieving the stomach from digestive problems and protecting the body from harmful waste. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “fasting will cure you.” (Tibrani). The legitimacy of fasting in Islam is not for the torture and revenge of human beings, but for the spiritual awakening of the servants of Allah, physical health, maturity, and strength of will, and making them accustomed to patience and acquainting them with the blessing of Allah and cultivating feelings of compassion and to prepare them for complete submission to Allah. The Salaf-e-Saliheen achieved all these goals through fasting. Their days were full vigor of good deeds and the nights were full of recitation and Tahajjud. And the whole month of Ramadan was spent in worship, spreading and gaining knowledge of Islam and good behavior. Their tongues used to fast and did not utter any nonsense, their ears also sued to fast and did not hear any haram thing their eyes also used to fast and did not see any haram and indecent things, their heart also used to fast and did not intend to commit any sin, and there hands also used to fast and did not commit any sin or torture as if they used to fast from head to toe. Today, some Muslims follow the Salaf-e-Saliheen and consider Ramadan as a spring of good deeds, but the majority of Muslims do not pay the dues of Ramadan and do not take advantage of the month of Ramadan. Fasting is meant to revolutionize our character, but we have made it a ritual. Fasting is meant to provide for the needy, but some of us have made it a way of showing off our wealth. It is a restation of sorrow for Muslims.
The purpose of fasting is piety, and until this goal is not achieved, fasting will not be considered valid.
It is the responsibility of every Muslim to consider this sanctified month of blessings as a blessing and to do his best to avoid any sin.
Purpose of fasting
It is clear from the Quran that there are three main purposes of fasting: 1- Taqwa 2- Giving glory to Allah for his guidance 3- Thanking Allah for his every blessing.
The reference to the first goal came as follows: “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous-
The second purpose is stated as follows: “And give glory to the Allah for the guidance”
Explaining the third purpose, the Almighty says: “So that you may be grateful.”
The spiritual purpose of fasting is piety, and the meaning of piety is to avoid. What to avoid? According to Maulana Darya Badri, “from everything, that hinders the development of the spirit. From everything that has a poisonous effect in favor of the subtle essence of the soul. From everything that keeps the soul trapped in the swamp of worldly prosperity. The miracle of Quranic facundity is that the whole meaning of the word has conveyed by one-word تتقون (Tattaqoon)”.
The purpose and object of fasting are that the person should fully detach from all material pleasures and should completely focus on the purity of the soul. It creates self-control and teaches man to be the ruler of the soul. It takes him to the highest cherubic level and destroys all the forces of evil. Allama Syed Sulaiman Nadvi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Taqwa is the state which after attaining it, the heart begins to feel reluctant towards sins and yearns for good things, and this is the purpose of fasting. Most of the emotions of sin in the human heart are because of the excesses of the superhuman force. Fasting weakens the intensity of these emotions.”
The second purpose of fasting is to express the greatness of Allah, and the third purpose is to give thanks to Allah.
Fasting is the name of the feeling of gratefulness of Allah.
Imam al-Ghazali، has written while shedding light on the purposes of fasting that the purpose of fasting is that a person should develop within himself one of the divine morals, called Samadiyat. And by imitating the angels as much as possible, he should give up the desires.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The purpose of fasting is to free a person from the shackles of desires and habits. So that his sexual power is balanced and he attains the goal of eternal bliss. And to attain eternal life, he should be able to purify himself and allows hunger and thirst to reduce the intensity of his lust and reminds him of the poor people who require a meal, which narrows the devil ways to him, and restrains his body from inclining towards that which is detrimental to both the world، and the Hereafter. In this regard, it is the reins of the pious, the strength of the Mujahideen, and the discipline of the near and dear ones of Allah.
Hazrat Shah Waliullah Sahib Muhaddith Dehlavi has mentioned three things below the purpose of fasting, the summary of which is that to make nature obedient to prudence, sometimes exercise is required. Fasting is the name of the exercise by which human nature gets used to obedience.
Secondly, in the case of committing sins, fasting is also necessary for punishment. It is the insight of the fasts of expiation. Thirdly, fasting is also prescribed for the treatment of lust and to reduce the intensity of carnal desires.
Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Taqi Usmani says, Ramadan is not just the name of Sehri and Iftar but a training course that every Muslim goes through. So that he cultivates high virtues and morals within himself through Riyadh and Mujahidah, and awakens his passion for good deeds and abstinence from sins is in his heart and lights the candle to protect himself from wrongdoing even in the darkness of the night and in the wilderness of the forest. It is called Taqwa. The Holy Quran states that this is the real purpose of fasting. If Ramadan passes safely, the whole year will pass safely.
Hakim-ul-Ummah Hazrat Thanwi (may Allah have mercy on him) has also said that the objective of fasting is to make the kingdom of Allah prevail over the behemoth and establish the attribute of piety. Fear of Allah and creating perfection in every sphere of life is a highly effective recipe for creating tenderness and defeat in the heart. And the limit of one month is because the medicine should not be permanent and not very short but should have a limited duration. Fasting prescribes medicine and healing for ailments and diseases of the soul.
Fasting is an element of Islam, and its benefits in practical life are so great that no one can describe them.
Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (May Allah have mercy on him) has mentioned some benefits of fasting, which are summarized here:
(1) It is a sign of Allah’s love, that is why fasting is not permissible for anyone without Allah.
(2) Fasting is considered the health of the body and the soul, so the lack of food and drink is considered to be good for the health of the body, and in Sufism, it is useful for the purification of the heart.
(3) It arises compassion in heart.
(4) It is an opportunity to give thanks to Allah.
(5) By fasting, one sees his humility and tranquility and the glory of Allah almighty and His power.
(6) Fasting instills fear of Allah in the heart.
In addition to these benefits, fasting gives the rich a sense of the pain of hunger, and a feeling of relief from the pain of others. Fasting awakens the spirit of self-sacrifice, compassion, empathy, and cooperation. It is reported that in Ramadan the generosity of the Prophet used to be like a strong wind, in the same way, fasting is a way of training the body to become accustomed to hardship and to acquaint oneself with the patience and forbearance of hunger and thirst for every expected field of jihad. That is why fasting is interpreted as patience. In conclusion, fasting is the expiation of our sins and also the expiation of our spiritual sins.
