Ramadan
O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it
was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint. [Quran
2:183]
Ramadan is a month of fasting and prayers for the Muslims.
The fast consists of total abstinence from food and drink from dawn to dusk.
There is, however, a greater significance to fasts than mere abstinence from
eating and drinking. The real objective of fasts is to inculcate in man the
spirit of abstinence from sins and of cultivation of virtue. Thus the Qur'an
declares that the fasts have been prescribed with a view to developing piety in
man, as is clear from the verse quoted at the top of this page.
How are the many facets of piety sought to be cultivated
through the fasts?
1. The prime consideration in undertaking fast, as in any act
of devotion, is to seek NEARNESS TO GOD and beseech HIS PLEASURE and
FORGIVENESS. This itself generates a spirit of piety in man.
2. The willful creation of the stringent conditions of hunger
and thirst for one's own self, simply in obedience to the Divine Order,
measures the FAITH of man in God and helps to strengthen it by putting it to a
severe test.
3. Fasting enhances through creation of artificial
non-availability, the value of the bounties of God, which man is apt to take
for granted in the midst of plentiful availability, and thus inculcates in man
a spirit of GRATITUDE and consequent DEVOTION to GOD.
Nothing else can bring home to man the worth of God's bounties than a glass of
water and a square meal after a days long fast. This also reminds man that the
real joy in enjoying God's bounties lies in MODERATION and RESTRAINT and
not in OVER INDULGENCE.
4. Fasting makes us deeply conscious of the pangs of hunger and
discomfort suffered by the less fortunate among our brethren, who may have to
put up with such stringent conditions all through their lives it thus enkindles
in man a spirit of SACRIFICE leading to CHARITY towards his
suffering brethren.
5. Fasting affords man an unfailing training in ENDURANCE i.e.
a SPIRIT OF. ACCEPTANCE of the inevitable, which could well prepare
him to put up with the unchangeable situations in life in the same spirit
of RESIGNATION as cultivated during the fasts.
6. Fasting develops COURAGE, FORTITUDE and
a FIGHTING SPIRIT IN man to surmount the heavy odds in life with a
cool and tranquil mind. It sharpens his, power of CONCENTRATION to
overcome obstacles, through a vigorous exercise all through the month, leading
to a steeling of his WILL POWER and RESOLVE, which could help
him in trying situations in actual life. It is seen that many an undesirable
habit which is found hard to leave, is more easily left off during the days of
fasting.
7. Fasting teaches man RELIANCE on God and CONFIDENCE in HIM
in facing the bitter situations in life with the comforting thought that these
too, ordained by Him, could well be surmounted through His assistance alone,
even as the rigorous state of fasting for a complete month. For, fasting
develops the quality of PATIENCE in man, with the realization that, as the days
of fasting, though seeming unending do have a successful and, so are all the bitter
situations in life. It therefore infuses a spirit of GOOD CHEER, (driving
away BITTERNESS and DESPAIR)in his attitude towards life and in his
demeanor towards others.
8. Through quick alternation of the state of plenty and of scarcity, fasting seeks
to inculcate in man the right type of attitude in different situations in life
of GRATITUDE and THANKSGIVING in plenty and of PATIENCE and FORBEARANCE in
difficulty.
9. Fasting is meant to CONQUER ANGER, not to augment it, and to develop SELF
CONTROL in man; for the vigorous effort of willfully putting up with a
continued state of hunger and thirst can well be extended to conquer other
infirmities of human character that lead man into error and sin.
10. Fasting inculcates a spirit of TOLERANCE in man to
face unpleasant conditions and situations without making his fellow-being the
victim of his wrath on account of his adverse conditions, such as deprivation
of his basic needs of life, which constitutes the common cause of dissension
among men.
11. Fasting MELLOWS a man and enhances his character,
giving jolt to the human instincts of 'PRIDE, HAUGHTINESS, ENVY and AMBITION,
for when fasting, a man's energies are too sapped to follow these instincts
which are the chief causes of discord and conflict among men.
12. Fasting exposes the weakness of man in the event of his being deprived of but
two of the bounties of God those of food and drink; it thus infuses in him a
spirit of MEEKNESS and SUBMISSION, generating HUMILITY and PRAYER in
an otherwise arrogant man.
13. Fasting breathes the spirit of FORGIVENESS in man towards his
subordinates, as he himself seeks God's FORGIVENESS through fasts and
prayers.
14. Fasting affords lessons in PUNCTUALITY through man's strict adherence
to various time schedules in the observance of fasts and offering of prayers.
15. Fasting can be made to effect ECONOMY in an individual's life, which
can be extended to wider spheres.
16. Fasting enforces in man rigid DISCIPLINE mental,
spiritual and physical a trait of character which forms an essential ingredient
to success in human life.
17. Fasting provides LEISURE, that could he gainfully employed in
devotional or intellectual pursuits. The month long duration of fasts creates a
proper climate for the SPIRITUAL REFORMATION in man, infusing in him
a spirit of enthusiasm and zest to turn over a new leaf an opportunity provided
every year.
18. On the physical side, fasting cleanses the human system of the accumulated
impurities of uninterrupted eating throughout the year. It prepares the body
for toughness and hardihood to face disease or conditions of scarcity. The
rigid abstinence that the fast provides, regulates man's HEALTH, sharpens
has INTELLECT, gives spurt to his SPIRITUALLY and enhances the
qualities of his HEART. With the cleansing of the human body, it paves the way
for its easy and effective rebuilding through meals at the end of the day or
after the month is over.
*****
Source: Jamiatul Ulama (Council of Muslim
Theologians), Johannesburg, South Africa.
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