dear respectful thinker :
answering whys, is the most difficult job, and the most rewarding one too. so:
1 - why muslims fast?
2 - why fasting ramadan is a pillar of islam?
3 - why muslims fast that specific islamic way they do ?
4 - why fasting the islamic way generates piousness?
5 - why specially fasting is prescribed in Ramadan, not in any other month?
why ... why ... why
the wisdom of fasting the islamic way ,
and its purposes in islam
the Whys
first of all , islamic fasting is not confined on a physical practice only , since its deepest purpose is to teach Muslims piousness . but the questions might pose them selves here are :
1 - what is the relationship between piousness and fasting ?,
2 - what is the relationship between piousness and fasting the islamic way?,
3 - why the revelation of Quran taken place specifically in the fasting month (Ramadan),why did not it take place in any other month ?. here are the answers :
1 - refraining (willingly) from some things sometimes , is similar to the use of car's breaks . this use should not be seen as a barrier before the car, that blocks it from moving on its way, but as a tool that enables the driver to make the useful stop, and might save his life. the physical part of the islamic fasting , requires refraining from food , drinking and marital intercourse from dawn to dusk . if you scrutinize these three things , you would see that they are all lawful things in islam (the refrain is not from drinking wines, eating swine meat nor fornication), but this is the point. if you trained your self (willingly) and when there is no one watching you , to refrain from the lawful that what you desire , you will have the strong will that will break ..... , i mean will enable you easily to refrain (willingly too) from what is banned upon you . take the marital intercourse as an example , if you willingly trained your self to refrain from having it during the fasting time ( 16 continuous hours for continuous 30 days at least) you will be more capable of refraining from it when it is time you were exposed to the seduction of fornication, specially under hard contidions (travelling alone abroad e.g) . this will make you a more faithful (more important : real) husband . apply it similarly with water and wine ....
2 - if you analyzed the activity of the islamic fasting , you would find that it is
Refraining from food and water when they are most desired , specially during the working days ,
waking up most of the night praying and reading Quran as it is the way of the Muslims’ prophet , then keep awoken till the time of the meal (at Sohoor meal's time before dawn) when sleeping is most desired ,
eating that Sohoor meal when you not only lacking the appetite for eating fully, but also when eating is most undesirable . this is what so called "pushing the human limits further" ,
Going on with analyzing the activities that were revealed as a complementary duties associated with fasting , there is “Zakatt Alfitr” which means paying charity to the poor at the end of the month (knowing that Zakatt with its various forms, is another pillar of islam. so fasting the islamic way represents a sample of variety of islamic worships) and before the last of its rituals “prayer of Fitr” (prayer is an islamice pillar too) . so as has been illustrated here , that ritual (fasting the Islamic way) in addition to the complementary duties associated with it , represents a sample of most of the pillars of the religion, and many of its worships (prayer , zakat , reading quran , connecting with relatives , refraining from all the forms of falsehood such lying , cheating …etc , otherwise wasting such great efforts without avail according to the prophets instructions*), and so , fasting the islamic way represents a fine preparation for the Muslim for proceeding his islamic life after Ramadan .
further , when it is the time the Muslim society faces crisis or catastrophes (provided that it is committed to fasting the islamic way), it is the best society that has been prepared and capable of managing these crisis (men and women alike, with all required manners : patience , stamina , compassion**, donation, carrying on for long continuous periods exerting efforts without food , water and sleeping) .
3 - there is an inextricable bond between quran and fasting (according to quran it self , review the quranic verse 2/185).
but why ?
first of all, we see in the second verse of the chapter within which fasting was prescribed, that Quran is a book of conversion, but only for pious people. given that quran was revealed with a comprehensive set of commandments that covers the whole life of the believer (the Muslim) , from scrutinizing every single item of creation (as a way to know the respectful Creator of the universe : chapter 7-185), to paving the way even for strangers and showing mercy for animals (where a woman deserved the hellfire for mistreating a cat, while a prostitute deserves the gratefulness of Allah and his paradise for giving a thirsty dog some water) , such a responsibility requires a great virtue called piousness, which includes patience for doing Good, perseverance as a result of faithfulness.... etc. and piousness is what you get from fasting the islamic way (2-183).
article three
the quranic and the social contexts
the Quranic context
fasting is aiming at strengthening faith in its clearest tolerant form , with growing piousness the islamic way (how?)
the verse that announces fasting Ramadan as a compulsive duty, is a part of a long chapter, that begins with detailing the characteristics of the believers as the following :
A :-
" And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee, and sent before thy time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter".
(chapter2, verse 4).
B:- and ends (we are talking about the same chapter) with a declaration of the unity of faith , that encompasses the previous nations and prophecies as follows:
The messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the muslims . Each one (of them) believeth in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, Our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys." (2-285)
then comes the verse, in which fasting was stated, as follows:
"O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) piousness" (2-183)
here, we can see how the Quranic context (through fasting Ramadan) sheds light to the strong bond that connects Muslims with that long raw of previous believing nations, reminds muslims of their experiences of faith , urges them to respect these experiences, and to follow them on the same bath of faithfulness and response to Allah's commandments.
if it became obvious how that long raw of believing nations is connected to the same mission, and the same purpose of worshiping the one only God that created them all, if that became clear, no wonder then that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) starts (before prescribing Ramadan) with fasting a day that represented a celebration of the salvage of prophet muses (PBUH) and his followers (sons of israel) from the tyrant Pharon. there has been a saying of a wise man that says " the idiots are two, one who says : this is old, so it is all evil. and one who says: this is newer, so it is better than the old".
article four
the social contexts
We have seen how Fasting Ramadan represents a preparation for Muslims, in the face of the state of victory and luxury, as well as in the face of adversity and crisis**. now, one last thing needs indication. ones might say : yes yes, fasting came just as a result of torture and starvation Muslims suffered from during the Meca epoch.
surely this is not correct at all , i refer who says this to the first sentence i wrote in this context**, and to the whole article.
Fasting Ramadan became compulsive in Madina, where Alansar "Muslims of Madina" lived an easy life, most of whom were rich and own fertile gardens of Dates, wide substantial markets....etc.
هذا السياق المفيد على صغره , مقتبس من محاضرة للشيخ محمد اسماعيل المقدم عن تاريخ الصيام))
so it did not became a temporary procedure to in the face of adversity. because there were many temporal worships and rituals were abrogated when the circumstances had required them vanished.
in brief, there is one only purpose for presenting Fasting Ramadan as a pillar of that religion ...... piousness
Epilogue
Ramadan, and fasting the islamic way, re-form the Muslim, by enabling him to become a real civilized human being, in the face of adversity and crisis, as well as in the face of the seductions of powers, luxury and victories.
for that, it deserves to be a prestigious pillar of islam. Prophet Mohammad says " Allah (God) says ... every deed or act of son of Adam, will be counted for him to be rewarded for. except fasting, it is for me, and i reward with it" .
may it be a pleased Ramadan.
* Prophet mohammad says : "no need for who does not refrain from saying or acting evil , to refrain from eating or drinking".
these are my own reflections , and are not copyrighted. you can print or translate them .
also your comments are very welcome
thanks in advance
answering whys, is the most difficult job, and the most rewarding one too. so:
1 - why muslims fast?
2 - why fasting ramadan is a pillar of islam?
3 - why muslims fast that specific islamic way they do ?
4 - why fasting the islamic way generates piousness?
5 - why specially fasting is prescribed in Ramadan, not in any other month?
why ... why ... why
the wisdom of fasting the islamic way ,
and its purposes in islam
the Whys
first of all , islamic fasting is not confined on a physical practice only , since its deepest purpose is to teach Muslims piousness . but the questions might pose them selves here are :
1 - what is the relationship between piousness and fasting ?,
2 - what is the relationship between piousness and fasting the islamic way?,
3 - why the revelation of Quran taken place specifically in the fasting month (Ramadan),why did not it take place in any other month ?. here are the answers :
1 - refraining (willingly) from some things sometimes , is similar to the use of car's breaks . this use should not be seen as a barrier before the car, that blocks it from moving on its way, but as a tool that enables the driver to make the useful stop, and might save his life. the physical part of the islamic fasting , requires refraining from food , drinking and marital intercourse from dawn to dusk . if you scrutinize these three things , you would see that they are all lawful things in islam (the refrain is not from drinking wines, eating swine meat nor fornication), but this is the point. if you trained your self (willingly) and when there is no one watching you , to refrain from the lawful that what you desire , you will have the strong will that will break ..... , i mean will enable you easily to refrain (willingly too) from what is banned upon you . take the marital intercourse as an example , if you willingly trained your self to refrain from having it during the fasting time ( 16 continuous hours for continuous 30 days at least) you will be more capable of refraining from it when it is time you were exposed to the seduction of fornication, specially under hard contidions (travelling alone abroad e.g) . this will make you a more faithful (more important : real) husband . apply it similarly with water and wine ....
2 - if you analyzed the activity of the islamic fasting , you would find that it is
Refraining from food and water when they are most desired , specially during the working days ,
waking up most of the night praying and reading Quran as it is the way of the Muslims’ prophet , then keep awoken till the time of the meal (at Sohoor meal's time before dawn) when sleeping is most desired ,
eating that Sohoor meal when you not only lacking the appetite for eating fully, but also when eating is most undesirable . this is what so called "pushing the human limits further" ,
Going on with analyzing the activities that were revealed as a complementary duties associated with fasting , there is “Zakatt Alfitr” which means paying charity to the poor at the end of the month (knowing that Zakatt with its various forms, is another pillar of islam. so fasting the islamic way represents a sample of variety of islamic worships) and before the last of its rituals “prayer of Fitr” (prayer is an islamice pillar too) . so as has been illustrated here , that ritual (fasting the Islamic way) in addition to the complementary duties associated with it , represents a sample of most of the pillars of the religion, and many of its worships (prayer , zakat , reading quran , connecting with relatives , refraining from all the forms of falsehood such lying , cheating …etc , otherwise wasting such great efforts without avail according to the prophets instructions*), and so , fasting the islamic way represents a fine preparation for the Muslim for proceeding his islamic life after Ramadan .
further , when it is the time the Muslim society faces crisis or catastrophes (provided that it is committed to fasting the islamic way), it is the best society that has been prepared and capable of managing these crisis (men and women alike, with all required manners : patience , stamina , compassion**, donation, carrying on for long continuous periods exerting efforts without food , water and sleeping) .
3 - there is an inextricable bond between quran and fasting (according to quran it self , review the quranic verse 2/185).
but why ?
first of all, we see in the second verse of the chapter within which fasting was prescribed, that Quran is a book of conversion, but only for pious people. given that quran was revealed with a comprehensive set of commandments that covers the whole life of the believer (the Muslim) , from scrutinizing every single item of creation (as a way to know the respectful Creator of the universe : chapter 7-185), to paving the way even for strangers and showing mercy for animals (where a woman deserved the hellfire for mistreating a cat, while a prostitute deserves the gratefulness of Allah and his paradise for giving a thirsty dog some water) , such a responsibility requires a great virtue called piousness, which includes patience for doing Good, perseverance as a result of faithfulness.... etc. and piousness is what you get from fasting the islamic way (2-183).
article three
the quranic and the social contexts
the Quranic context
fasting is aiming at strengthening faith in its clearest tolerant form , with growing piousness the islamic way (how?)
the verse that announces fasting Ramadan as a compulsive duty, is a part of a long chapter, that begins with detailing the characteristics of the believers as the following :
A :-
" And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee, and sent before thy time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter".
(chapter2, verse 4).
B:- and ends (we are talking about the same chapter) with a declaration of the unity of faith , that encompasses the previous nations and prophecies as follows:
The messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the muslims . Each one (of them) believeth in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, Our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys." (2-285)
then comes the verse, in which fasting was stated, as follows:
"O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) piousness" (2-183)
here, we can see how the Quranic context (through fasting Ramadan) sheds light to the strong bond that connects Muslims with that long raw of previous believing nations, reminds muslims of their experiences of faith , urges them to respect these experiences, and to follow them on the same bath of faithfulness and response to Allah's commandments.
if it became obvious how that long raw of believing nations is connected to the same mission, and the same purpose of worshiping the one only God that created them all, if that became clear, no wonder then that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) starts (before prescribing Ramadan) with fasting a day that represented a celebration of the salvage of prophet muses (PBUH) and his followers (sons of israel) from the tyrant Pharon. there has been a saying of a wise man that says " the idiots are two, one who says : this is old, so it is all evil. and one who says: this is newer, so it is better than the old".
article four
the social contexts
We have seen how Fasting Ramadan represents a preparation for Muslims, in the face of the state of victory and luxury, as well as in the face of adversity and crisis**. now, one last thing needs indication. ones might say : yes yes, fasting came just as a result of torture and starvation Muslims suffered from during the Meca epoch.
surely this is not correct at all , i refer who says this to the first sentence i wrote in this context**, and to the whole article.
Fasting Ramadan became compulsive in Madina, where Alansar "Muslims of Madina" lived an easy life, most of whom were rich and own fertile gardens of Dates, wide substantial markets....etc.
هذا السياق المفيد على صغره , مقتبس من محاضرة للشيخ محمد اسماعيل المقدم عن تاريخ الصيام))
so it did not became a temporary procedure to in the face of adversity. because there were many temporal worships and rituals were abrogated when the circumstances had required them vanished.
in brief, there is one only purpose for presenting Fasting Ramadan as a pillar of that religion ...... piousness
Epilogue
Ramadan, and fasting the islamic way, re-form the Muslim, by enabling him to become a real civilized human being, in the face of adversity and crisis, as well as in the face of the seductions of powers, luxury and victories.
for that, it deserves to be a prestigious pillar of islam. Prophet Mohammad says " Allah (God) says ... every deed or act of son of Adam, will be counted for him to be rewarded for. except fasting, it is for me, and i reward with it" .
may it be a pleased Ramadan.
* Prophet mohammad says : "no need for who does not refrain from saying or acting evil , to refrain from eating or drinking".
these are my own reflections , and are not copyrighted. you can print or translate them .
also your comments are very welcome
thanks in advance
