How Does the Stomach Fast?
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
The topic of tonight’s reflection is: “How does the Stomach Fast?” We should understand that lawful and unlawful food; both affect the life, behavior and character of a person. Hence Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيم
“O messengers! Eat from what is good and lawful, and act righteously. Indeed, I fully know what you do.” (al-Mu’minun, 23:51)
Similarly, Allah says to the believers:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِلَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُون
“O believers! Eat from the good things we have provided for you. And give thanks to Allah if you ˹truly˺ worship Him alone.” (al-Baqarah, 2:172)
The fasting of the stomach implies its avoidance of unlawful things. Apart from abstinence from food, drink, and all that invalidates the fast during the days of Ramadan, it also requires avoidance of consumption of prohibited things after Ramadan.
Do we realize that what we consume, and how it was acquired, is a direct contributor to our connection with our Creator? Not only is this true, but it is one of the most prominent ways by which one is brought near to or made to be distant from the grace and mercy of Allah.
The body, mind, and spirit are all interconnected. Anything that affects the body, in turn, affects the mind and consequently affects the spirit. Thus, whatever negatively affects the mind is prohibited in Islam. This is one of the pearls of wisdom behind the prohibition of specific foods and drinks such as alcohol, drugs, blood, swine, carrion, etc.
Mindless consumption can lead to internal harm. And when one consumes haram, our connection to Allah is cut off. We are no longer able to see Him for what He truly is, and our state of remembrance is hampered.
Please note that response to a du’a is unlikely for the one who eats drinks and wears haram things, for we learn through a hadith that the Prophet (SAW) mentioned a man who undertakes
a lengthy journey and is untidy and covered with dust, and he spreads out his hands to the sky saying, “O my Lord! O my Lord!” while his food is haram, his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished with haram, so how can his supplication be answered?”
This means that by filling the stomach with unlawful gain, one has effectively closed the doors for the acceptance of his prayers, no matter how much he may call upon Allah.
How can the stomach be considered fasting when it eats from food that was acquired unlawfully such as misusing the wealth of orphans, using fraudulent means to acquire wealth, stealing, cheating, bribing, gambling, usurious gain, evading taxes, misappropriation, and all other means considered haram by the Islamic Shariah?
Many times, there is some sin that we commit which acts as a road block in having our du’as accepted. So we need to examine ourselves and see if there are any sins that we’re persistently committing, and resolve to abandon them lest our du’as are not accepted.
Islam encourages the seeking and earning of sustenance from lawful means. As Allah says in the Qur’an:
وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا مَالَ الْيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْئُولًا
“Do not go near the orphan’s property, except with the best of intentions, until they reach maturity. Honor ˹your˺ pledges, for you will surely be accountable for them.” (al-Isra’, 17:34)
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُون
“Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly, nor deliberately bribe authorities in order to take possession of other people’s wealth knowingly and sinfully.” (al-Baqarah, 2:188)
In an authentic hadith, the Prophet (S) said, “Allah has cursed the one who bribes and the one who accepts bribes.”
It was reported that Abu Bakr al Siddiq (RA) was eating one day when he questioned his servant about the origin of the food. The servant said from soothsaying (i.e., the practice or art of foretelling events). Abu Bakr (RA) became angry and vomited all that was in his stomach.
A great scholar of Islam of the 12th century CE – Ibn al-Jawzi narrates that he once ate something that was questionable and his heart changed and became darkened for a period thereafter. Such was the consciousness of our ancestors that they felt the changes in their hearts as they strove to purify them.
As for many of our folks, they eat as they like without sensing any changes in their hearts. That is because whoever desires haram, and does not check himself, the way to accomplish haram activities is made easy for him. Some of them consume alcohol and other forms of intoxicants, thereby denying themselves the delight and sweetness of worship and obedience. Thus they live sunk in anxiety and forbidden from happiness.
Please know that there is a fast of the stomach. One who does not observe it, it is as if he did not fast. We pray to Allah (SWT) to make us among those who only consume what is lawful and keep us far away from what is unlawful. Allahumma ameen.
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.
