Bismillah walhamdulillah wassalatu wassalamu ‘ala Rasoolillah
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O you who believe! Observing saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become the pious. (Soorah al Baqarah 2:183)
The goal of fasting is to attain Taqwa or God-consciousness and fear of Allah. The ability to tame the unruly tendencies of one’s inner self on one hand, and the cultivation of one’s will power, on the other, are very important in the process of purification of the soul. This is because during fasting in Ramadan, there are many opportunities, blessings and means that one can avail and utilize so that one’s soul is purified.
Firstly, forgiveness of sins has a very positive result in purifying the soul. The accumulation of sins for the whole year produces in the conscience a sense of endless guilt and the feeling of one’s sins are being forgiven is a relief in one’s weary heart. Have you ever wondered how people cannot sleep at night because they have wronged someone or quarreled with someone? This heavy burden upon a believer’s soul is relieved once reconciliation takes place. Similarly, Allah subhanahu wa taala, in His mercy forgives the fasting people whereby relieving him of the guilt of his past sins against Allah. The Prophet Muhammad said:
من صام رمضان ايمنا و احتصابا غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه
Who ever fast in Ramadan having Iman and Ihtisab, his past sins will be forgiven for him.
This hadeeth stipulates two conditions in order for the sins to be forgiven. The fasting person must of course be a Mu’min. Al Ihtisab carries with it three meanings: having firm resolve, hoping for the reward, and being pleased with the act not considering it a heavy burden.
Secondly, one should feel that he is doing a deed that is very dear and special to Allah. Every deed of son of Adam has an equivalent reward of ten to seven hundred times, except fasting which will be rewarded by Allah Al Kareem, the Most Generous.
Third, fasting purifies the soul by cultivating the much needed virtue of patience. There are three categories or facets of patience: Being patient in performing the obligations, being patient in avoiding the prohibitions and being patient in times of calamity. All of these three are trained in the fasting person by performing the obligatory act of fasting, avoiding vile, filthy, senseless, sinful actions and being patient in difficulties that might happen while fasting.
Fourth, fasting reminds him the true purpose of his creation and the meaning of Islam. That to worship Allah, one must inevitably submit to His will first; that Allah comes first before one’s own desires. Especially for those who are living in non Muslim countries experience the temptation where everyone is eating and drinking while you are holding yourself because you want to follow what Allah wants.
Fifth, everything seems to slow down during Ramadan (especially in Muslim countries), and one doesn’t have the usual energy to do the fruitless things. Hence one is left with more free time to think and ponder. This leaves a person with more time to ponder over his life and possibly the wrong things he have done.
Sixth, feeling and doing the act yields more certainty that witnessing it. How many times we have seen pictures of malnourished children in Africa and felt pity for them, yet one still cannot feel how is it to starved and taste the pangs of hunger in one’s stomach. This in turn should turn on the switch of gratefulness in us for the blessings of Allah.
Seventh, fasting makes us realize our potential as human beings. Some of us think that the obligations and prohibitions of Islam are overwhelming or inapplicable especially in non Muslim societies so we involve ourselves in haram activities thinking that we cannot do anything about it. But in Ramadan, we only haven’t abstained from the haram but from the halal as well. If we have the strength to abstain from the halal then how about the haram? This is especially true for the smokers! In fact fasting is a sort of training for the gradual weaning from the addictive effects of smoking.
Eighth, turning to Allah and realizing one’s need for Him. If Allah takes away our most fundamental needs as human beings then who is there to help us. Imagine if Allah takes away our sense of taste or sense of satiety. Having been born with all the complete senses and limbs makes us forget that ultimately these are not really ours. This reality is vividly demonstrated in people with illness such as stroke patients with hemiplegia or paralysis of one’s side of the body. His left hand is there still connected to his body, he can see it, yet he cannot move it on his own and sometimes might not even feel that it is there. Subhanallah!
Ninth, we have heard the hadeeth of the Prophet: Whoever guarantees me what is between his jaws/beard [the tongue] and what is between his legs [sexual organs] I guarantee him paradise . Don’t you see? Being fasting makes us more conscious of what we say and more careful in our interactions with the opposite sex.
Tenth, fasting again makes us remember that we are not here just to eat and drink; that our existence is not just mere fulfillment and gratification of our basic desires; that we are here for a more sublime purpose, which is to worship Allah. In other words we eat not just to live but to worship the Creator. This is what separates us from the modern, secular materialistic people where they eat to live or even worst, some of them actually live to eat .
Eleventh, fasting is a chance to demonstrate sincerity to Allah. All types of worship are visible to others even giving charity secretly whereby the receiver knew that somebody gave him secretly. However in fasting nobody knows if you really fasted or secretly ingested food to your mouth except Allah. Sincerity in actions is a fundamental prerequisite in the acceptance of deeds and consequently success.
Twelfth, fasting helps to cure the disease of the ‘desire for more’. When one thinks that he is able to survive with only one and half meal a day and this is his real needs. Some of us has this self-made needs, a make believe that we ourselves concocted. How many of us say things like “I can’t live without smart phone or a V8 engine powered vehicle or a three storey villa”? We misallocate our resources at the expense of other more important things.
Ultimately, Taqwa have a big role in all of this. This will power to do the things that Allah has ordered us to do, this self-restraint that bridles us to avoid what Allah has prohibited for us, and this love for Allah, doing what is beyond the obligatory. Fasting in Ramadan and its Tarawih incorporates all of these aspects, purifying our souls and making us closer and closer to Allah. “Allah the Almightly has said :For whoever has mutual animosity wit a fried (wali) of Mine, I declare war upon him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved more to Me than the religious duties that I have imposed upon him; and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works such that I love him. And when I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which strikes, and his leg with which he walks. Were he to ask of me, I would surely give him; and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. (Bukhari).
The contents of this article are largely taken from Jamaluddin Zaraboso's bbook "Purification of the Soul".
