O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.' (2:184) With the grace of God, Ramadan has started. Thank God that He has granted us the experience of yet another Ramadan.
In the above verse God draws attention of true believers to the significance and obligation of fasting and has reminded them that communities of earlier Prophets were also prescribed fasting because fasting is essential for progress of faith as well as for spiritual progress. Although fasting in other religions has changed with time, yet the concept remains in some shape or form.
We find fasting prescribed at the time of Hazrat Moses and Hazrat Daud (peace be on them both). Hindus also have fasting as part of their faith although their abstinence is only from cooked food.
Christians also have the concept of fasting, some Christian denominations only abstain from eating meat when fasting and can eat vegetables.
God Himself promised to safeguard the Holy Qur'an and believers are enjoined that if they believe, then fasting for a month is obligatory on them during which they have to abstain from all food and drink in order to attain Taqwa (righteousness), to enhance in Taqwa and try and attain pleasure of God.
Certainly, the Bible commands the disciples to fast to seek God's pleasure and not for pretentious reasons. Fasting enhances one's spirituality but the concept of atonement has negated the spirit of fasting, which is attainment of Taqwa.
The Holy Qur'an enjoins fasting by making clear its objective and has given tiding of its reward. In order to keep its teaching alive, reformers and saints kept coming into Islam. Later, by sending the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) God facilitated revival and renaissance of religious teachings for all, Muslims and non-Muslims. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: 'The third pillar of Islam is fasting.
People are also unaware of the reality of fasting. The truth is one cannot talk about a place that one does not go to and is not aware about. Fasting is not merely staying hungry and thirsty; rather its reality and its impact can only be gained through experience. It is human nature that the less he eats, the more his self/spirit is purified and his capacity for [spiritual] visions increases.
The will of God is to decrease one kind of sustenance and to increase the other. A person who is fasting should always be mindful that he is not just required to stay hungry. On the contrary he should remain engaged in remembrance of God so that he can cut asunder ties of worldly desires and amusements and is wholly devoted to God.
Hence, the significance of fasting is this alone that man gives up one kind of sustenance which only nourishes the body and attains the other kind of sustenance which is a source of comfort and gratification of the soul.
Those who fast only for the sake of God and not as something which is customary, should remain engaged in Hamd (glorification of God), Tasbih (saying: SubhanAllah) and Tahleel (saying: La illaha illAllah) of Allah the Exalted, through which they will get the other sustenance.'
(Translated from Malfuzat, Vol. 9, pp. 122 – 123) The above extract could have given the impression that starvation was the only way of purification of the self/spirit, therefore the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) has elucidated that staying hungry is not the objective of fasting, rather, it is attainment of Taqwa and if one fasts for the sake of God, one should spend time in God's remembrance.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said at another place that by starvation even hermits gain the capacity for visions, but the objective of the life of a believer is to cut ties with worldly matters and be devoted to God, for which remembrance of God is essential and Salat is the best way for this.
When fasting, apart from reduction in food intake, one also abstains from other permissible things and is more focused about Salat and remembrance of God. If one used to combine Salat or offered it late, particular attention should be given during these days to remembrance of God and worship of God; it should take precedence over everything else.
When we say Alhamdulillah (All praise belongs to Allah), it should not be mere verbal profession. When we recite it, we should be conscious that Hamd (praise of Allah) is for the Great God alone and it reverts to Him alone.
We praise that God Who guides those who are lost. If we did not turn to Him during the rest of the year as is His due, then may He guide us in this month so that we are saved from going astray and through the beneficence of Hamd, gain Taqwa.
Regarding this, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that when engaged in Hamd, one should be mindful that all honour is in God's hand. In this Ramadan we should pray that whatever virtues we do may they give us nearness of God and may we not be drawn to worldly renown and negligence.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that one should focus on Tasbih (saying SubhanAllah). However, it is not sufficient to simply utter SubhanAllah. When God's holiness is acknowledged one should be deeply moved to pray for oneself to be freed of all kind of foulness of the world.
He then enjoined to say Tahleel. One should worship God in a manner that He alone is worthy of worship.
When one is in need of support, one should only seek God's support. Indeed, man is always in need of God's support, therefore effort should be made to always turn to the True Beloved.
When fasting we should pray to stay in God's refuge and to partake of the change that God has decreed for those who seek beneficence from fasting, and for this change to grant us beneficence for the rest of our lives.
Hamd, Tasbih and Tahleel bring about the condition of 'Tabattalillah' which means to separate oneself for the sake of God from every kind of worldly desire and inculcate perfectly sincere connection with God as well as the condition of 'Inqita', which means to separate oneself from all kinds of worldly amusements and be drawn to the worship of God.
This leads to the objective that God has stated as the reason for fasting, that is, a person who is fasting will attain Taqwa.
This Ramadan will benefit us only if we keep this in view. This is a great objective and it requires hard work. It requires paying the full dues of worship of God as well as dues of mankind because discharging both these dues in conjunction lead to Taqwa.
