الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah. InshaAllah, starting tonight, we’ll be having every night a short talk of about 10 minutes on a few aspects of Ramadan that I hope will help us to reflect upon the significance of this special month. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar in which all physically mature and healthy Muslims are obliged to fast for the complete month.
The main objective of fasting is to achieve piety and righteousness. This means becoming conscious of our Creator, increasing our awareness of His Majesty, exalting and glorifying His names and attributes, appreciating His greatness, recalling His blessings upon us, and being grateful to Him for His guidance.
Tonight, let’s reflect upon the topic: What does fasting imply and what are some of the benefits of fasting? The term for fasting in the Arabic language is siyam, which literally means “to abstain from something.” Between dawn and sunset, Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and intimate spousal relationship. But the meaning of fasting is not restricted to this literal sense. The spiritual aspects of fasting include an added emphasis on refraining from gossip, lies, backbiting, obscenity, and in general, any sinful act.
There are spiritual, physical, and psychological benefits of fasting. When we fast, we realize how weak we are, how fragile the human body is, and how dependent we are on so many things that we don’t even think of usually. It’s a situation that makes us wonder who we really are—created beings, full of needs. We begin to realize that every created thing belongs to the Creator alone who provides for His creatures. This is the beginning of the process of unifying Allah (SWT), which is not only to believe in one God, as opposed to multiple gods, but to realize that all attributes of perfection belong not to the creations, but to their Creator. So with fasting we experience Tawheed or the unique oneness of Allah (SWT).
When we fast, we realize that hunger hurts. We appreciate the value of food. We realize how precious a gift it is and we are filled with gratitude. Food becomes a token of love, a sign of divine favor, a sign that turns our attention from the food itself to the Supreme Being who has given us food. It gives a pleasure of being in the presence of Allah’s everlasting mercy and love. This pleasure is the essence of worship. It makes us reflect on the countless gifts of mercy that we have been given. Everything becomes a sign speaking of Allah’s mercy.
Fasting reminds us of our needs, and the needs are the means to feel empathy for the needy. That is why sharing becomes a source of joy.
The physical fast is a symbol and outward expression of the real, inner fast. In fasting one expels from within oneself the impurities of thought and character and makes an attempt to connect with Allah. All those who fast also know that fasting teaches patience to resist temptation. This leads one to achieve a higher level of personal maturity. It also teaches self-sacrifice and enables one to be humbled from the experience of fasting. Fasting individu’als will attest that they are forced to control themselves from vices and attractions that easily distract us in everyday life.
A fasting person learns how to regulate his or her daily routine in a prescribed manner thus teaching discipline. All this is done with an intention to make the person feel humble and realize one’s weaknesses and strengths at the same time. The strength in fasting teaches us that we can take control of our lives and tame ourselves. One can say to oneself, “If I can fast and control myself, I can do many other things in life.” Fasting is a Godly prescription for self-reassurance and self-control.
Moreover, medical research on fasting has shown benefits in areas of obesity, cancer, lupus, skin conditions, allergies, blood pressure, diabetes, addictions and more.
Fasting also has positive psychological effects. When food in the body is short, the body releases chemicals to help protect the brain from negative effects. During the first few days, the body responds to starvation by releasing chemicals in the brain. The body responds to the stress through a boost of these feel-good chemicals. For those who fast regularly, there is evidence of overall increased vigilance, improved mood and feeling of well-being. In addition to fasting in Ramadan, many Muslims following the example of the Prophet Muhammad (S) fast on Mondays and Thursdays, and a few other days during the year.
Fasting is not only for the body and the mind but also for elevating one’s level of spirituality and closeness to Allah (SWT).
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
وَصَلَّ اللهُ عَلَى خيرِ خَلقِهِ مُحمَّدٍ وعَلَى آلِه وأصْحَابِه أجْمَعِين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
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Some passages have been excerpted and paraphrased from the book “Thirty Lessons for Those Who Fast” by Aa’id Abdullah al-Qarni.
