The Fast of Ramadan
EsinIslam
Ramadan
Ramadan Explorer
Muhammad Abdul Rauf
Fasting is not unique to the Muslims. It has been practiced for centuries in
connection with religious ceremonies by Christians, Jews, Confucianists,
Hindus, Taoists, and Jains. God mentions this fact in the Qur'an:
"O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for
those before you, that you may develop God-consciousness." (Surat Al-Baqarah:
183)
Some Native American societies fasted to avert catastrophe or to serve as
penance for sin. Native North Americans held tribal fasts to avert threatening
disasters.
The Native Americans of Mexico and the Incas of Peru observed penitential
fasts to appease their gods. Past nations of the Old World, such as the
Assyrians and the Babylonians, observed fasting as a form of penance. Jews
observe fasting as a form of penitence and purification annually on the Day of
Atonement or Yom Kippur.
On this day neither food nor drink is permitted.
Early Christians associated fasting with penitence and purification. During
the first two centuries of its existence, the Christian church established
fasting as a voluntary preparation for receiving the sacraments of Holy
Communion and baptism and for the ordination of priests.
Later, these fasts were made obligatory, as others days were subsequently
added.
In the 6th century, the Lenten fast was expanded to 40 days, on each of which
only one meal was permitted.
After the Reformation, fasting was retained by most Protestant churches and
was made optional in some cases. Stricter Protestants, however, condemned not
only the festivals of the church, but its traditional fasts as well.
In the Roman Catholic Church, fasting may involve partial abstinence from food
and drink or total abstinence.
The Roman Catholic days of fasting are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In the
United States, fasting is observed mostly by Episcopalians and Lutherans among
Protestants, by Orthodox and Conservative Jews, and by Roman Catholics.
Fasting took another form in the West:
The hunger strike, a form of fasting, which in modern times has become a
political weapon after being popularized by Mohandas Gandhi, leader of the
struggle for India's freedom, who undertook fasts to compel his followers to
obey his precept of nonviolence.
Islam is the only religion that has retained the outward and spiritual
dimensions of fasting throughout centuries.
Selfish motives and desires of the base self alienate a man from his Creator.
The most unruly human emotions are pride, avarice, gluttony, lust, envy, and
anger.
These emotions by their nature are not easy to control, thus a person must
strive hard to discipline them. Muslims fast to purify their soul, it puts a
bridle on the most uncontrolled, savage human emotions. People have gone to
two extremes with regard to them.
Some let these emotions steer their life which lead to barbarism among the
ancients, and crass materialism of consumer cultures in modern times.
Others tried to deprive themselves completely of these human traits, which in
turn led to monasticism.
The fourth Pillar of Islam, the Fast of Ramadan, occurs once each year during
the 9th lunar month, the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic
calendar in which:
"...the Qur'an was sent down as a guidance for the people." (Surat Al-Baqarah:
185)
God in His infinite mercy has exempted the ill, travelers, and others who are
unable from fasting Ramadan.
Fasting helps Muslims develop self-control; gain a better understanding of
God's gifts and greater compassion towards the deprived. Fasting in Islam
involves abstaining from all bodily pleasures between dawn and sunset.
Not only is food forbidden, but also any sexual activity. All things which are
regarded as prohibited is even more so in this month, due to its sacredness.
Each and every moment during the fast, a person suppresses their passions and
desires in loving obedience to God. This consciousness of duty and the spirit
of patience help in strengthening our faith. Fasting helps a person gain
self-control.
A person who abstains from permissible things like food and drink is likely to
feel conscious of his sins.
A heightened sense of spirituality helps break the habits of lying, staring
with lust at the opposite sex, gossiping, and wasting time. Staying hungry and
thirsty for just a day's portion makes one feel the misery of the 800 million
who go hungry or the one in ten households in the US, for example, that are
living with hunger or are at risk of hunger. After all, why would anyone care
about starvation if one has never felt its pangs oneself? One can see why
Ramadan is also a month of charity and giving.
At dusk, the fast is broken with a light meal popularly referred to as iftaar.
Families and friends share a special late evening meal together, often
including special foods and sweets served only at this time of the year.
Many go to the mosque for the evening prayer, followed by special prayers
recited only during Ramadan. Some will recite the entire Qur'an as a special
act of piety, and public recitations of the Qur'an can be heard throughout the
evening.
Families rise before dawn to take their first meal of the day, which sustains
them until sunset. Near the end of Ramadan Muslims commemorate the "Night of
Power" when the Qur'an was revealed. The month of Ramadan ends with one of the
two major Islamic celebrations, the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast, called
Eidal-Fitr.
On this day, Muslims joyfully celebrate the completion of Ramadan and
customarily distribute gifts to children. Muslims are also obliged to help the
poor join in the spirit of relaxation and enjoyment by distributing
zakat-ul-fitr, a special and obligatory act of charity in the form of staple
foodstuff, in order that all may enjoy the general euphoria of the day.
Source: The Fourth Pillar of Islam
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