Fasting in Ramadan

"O, you who securely believe fasting is prescribed to you, just as it was prescribed for those who came before you in order that you might guard yourselves [for Allah] (Quran Al-Baqarah 2:183).

This surah begins by telling us the fast is medicine, it is prescribed for you and that there are others, in different places, different times, different religions that fasted before. This gives hope to a people whom have never heard of this spiritual practice that it’s possible.

Fasting builds taqwa, or God consciousness, guarding yourselves [for Allah], obedience, thankfulness and what the soul yearns for.

2:184 [by fasting] for the numbered days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able - an expiation [as a substitute] of feeding a poor person [for each day you missed]. Yet whoever voluntarily does good, it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.

The instructions are easy. These instructions were to a culture that did not practice fasting. The concept was foreign in their pagan traditions. So it was made easy.

Fasting teaches many things and has tremendous benefits. Some of these are how it helps control the ego, it helps develop self control, to appreciate ones food and to empathize with those without any food due to their life circumstances.

2:185 The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion [between good and evil]. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then [fast] an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.

In this month the revelation of the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him from Allah through the direct transmission from the angel Gabriel (Jabril) to the Prophets ear and directly into his heart.  It is guidance for all of humanity and a tremendous mercy. The greatest thing that ever happened for humanity was that the Quran was revealed and its first verse was revealed in this  month. One of the reasons we fast is to commemorate this.

Hadith Qudsi: Every act of worship of the sons of Adam are for himself except for fasting that is Mine.

Fasting is an act of self denial for the sake of God. Be grateful for guidance and be grateful for Islam. You will not be asked about what you cannot do. Allah wants ease for you so He can empty you into paradise. He is taxing you now because he wants to honor you. It’s a prescribed medicine. He is not going to ask you to fast if you are sick or menstruating or traveling. There is no one on the face of this earth more blessed than the believer. This is a month to realize this blessing. We have the greatest thing a person can imagine. We would be lost in purposelessness, misguidance, bitterness, depression and darkness without this Quran and this religion.

Fasting has a special multiplication with Allah. Fasting is filled with the purest expression of the virtue of sabur, which Allah (swt) praises. The usual translation of sabur is patience, but it’s more than that. It’s like swallowing something bitter but not showing it on your face. One’s purpose is greater than ones' fear so one goes on.

Addictions to something unlawful are addressed through sabur. How can a person break out of this without the virtue of sabur? He fights everything to uphold that value. It’s through sabur that we get up in the morning to eat something before we begin our fast.

We have an amazing opportunity, fasting in the summer months. Allah loves Sabur and these are the people who are not bothered by the difficulties on the way. It’s the key to taqwa, your intention is to fast this long hot day for Allah’s sake.

Hadith: “Satan runs in the circulatory system of the son of Adam in the same way blood circulates in our system; so tighten his passages with hunger.” (Bukhari/Muslim)

We are spiritual beings having a human experience. Fasting is non-action and it allows putting more emphasis on our soul and Allah.  Energy diminishes, cravings diminish and sins are lessened because there is no energy to fuel them, praise God. It helps us experience and understand sincere love of Allah, because it is for His sake that we fast.

Ibn Arabi said:

“The fast belongs to Allah, so do not be ignorant. You are merely the place of its manifestation.”

Hadith: "All services of the son of Adam are for him except fasting. It is for Me, and I will reward him for it."

People can take good deeds on judgment day if you owe them in return for your harm or insults. What is not rectified in this life gets rectified on judgment day. That is justice. Fasting is Allah’s so he won’t take this good deed of fasting away from you.

2:187 …has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are adornment for you and you are adornment for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves about this, so he turned to you and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset. And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques. [the last ten days] These are the limits [set by] Allah, so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make clear His signs to the people that they may guard themselves for Him.

Hadith: “A grateful eater is on the same level as a grateful faster.”

Worship is continuous -gratitude to patience, nighttime then daytime.

 The Quran has every kind of instruction to motivate one to taqwa - God consciousness. Allah, (swt), speaks to one's soul, the desire to be purified, the desire for taqwa, the desire to compete, the language of shame - answer the call, the language of fear - these are the limits.

 2:188 And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful].

 This ayat seems not to be about Ramadan, but it is here as a reminder. The basics of good conduct during Ramadan are, as always, required and here it serves as a reminder. Why are you going to avoid things that are normally lawful for you and engage in things that are unlawful? We don’t want to gossip and backbite like we did before Ramadan, we don’t want to insult people. How is the medicine - the light of fasting going to come into our heart?

 Hadith: Whoever did not leave false talk and practicing it there is no need for him to leave his food and drink.

When you fast let your tongue fast from lying, backbiting, fighting and your ears fast from listening to gossip and let nobility cover you.

Speaking ill of others breaks the fast. Respect the rights and honor other people.

Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal teaching in Santa Barbara, CA 2009 : Fasting

Oh My worshipper, be to Me as I want you to be and I will be to you as you want Me to be.

It does not befit God (subhanahu wa to ala) to postpone blessings and rewards for good deeds. He will bless you right away, immediately. Allah (subhanahu wa to ala ) is the Most Generous. He created you without taking anything from you. He gave you life; He gave you everything. Did He give you a child, your son or daughter, and say, “Pay Me back?” He does not ask this of you. Can you claim that you did this with your own power? Not really. If He takes that power from you, you will be unable to do anything. Everything comes from Him. That is why He says in the Qur’an: To Allah belongs everything in the heavens and the earth and in between. (24:64)

During Ramadan¸ take the opportunity to purify yourself through giving charity, because giving charity purifies you. In the Quran Allah says:

And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah, announce to them a painful torment. (9:34)

Hadith: Have mercy upon those on earth so that He who is in heaven will bestow mercy upon you.

The one who does to have mercy for people will not be granted mercy and will not know how to receive mercy.

_______________________________________________________________________

We glorify Allah on Eid when we break our fast for this wonderful month. It’s a month to be extremely generous and full of charity

 Ibn Arabi:

“Fasting in reality is non-action, not action”

In reality, fasting is non-action, not action. The negation of likeness is a negative attribute. Therefore the relationship between it and Allah is strengthened. Allah Almighty says about Himself, “There is nothing like Him” (42:11) he denied that there is anything like Him. An-Nasa’I  related that Abu Uama said, I came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, “Give me something that I can take from you.” He said, “You must fast. There is nothing like it.”

Hadith transmitted by Muslim: Every action of the son of Adam belongs to him except the fast. It is Mine, and I repay him for it. Fasting is a protection. When one of you has a day of fasting, he should speak neither obscenely nor too loudly; and if someone seeks to curse him or fight with him, let him say, “I am fasting.”  By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the smell of the mouth of the one who fasts is more delectable to Allah than the scent of musk. The one who fasts has two joys in which to delight: when he breaks his fast, he rejoices; and when he meets his Lord, he rejoices in his fast (Muslim: 13:163)

 Know that since the Prophet denied that there is anything like the fast, as is established in the hadith of an-Nasa’i and Allah has nothing like Him, the faster meets his Lord described as having nothing like him. He sees Him by it, and He is the Seer-Seen. This is why the Prophet said, he rejoices in his fast and not He rejoices in meeting his Lord. Joy does not rejoice in itself; he is made to rejoice by it. Whoever has Allah as his sight when he sees and contemplates Him, only sees himself by seeing Him.

Purification of the Heart

I would like to expound on a few principles I have gleamed from reading Hamz Yusef's book Purification of the Heart. Hamza Yusef is one of the top Islamic Scholars in the United States. He grew up and resides in the bay area east of San Francisco, California.

The book is based on a poem and treatise on how to transform the heart by Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud. He begins his introduction with a hadith ""Actions are based on intentions". All deeds are thus valued according to the intentions behind them, and intentions emanate from the heart.  Every action a person intends or performs is rooted in the heart. His poem is based on previous works especially Imam al-Ghazali's The Revivification of the  Sciences of the Religion, which is all about rectifying the human heart." 

Verse 2, ""Have courtesy with God, the High and the Majestic, by practicing modesty and humility--" 

...courtesy is the portal to the purification of the heart. One must have courtesy with regard to God - behave properly with respect to His presence - if he or she wishes to purify the heart.""  In hadith, the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, states, "Every religion has a quality that is characteristic of that religion. And the characteristic of my religion is haya, an internal sense of shame, which includes bashfulness and modesty."...It is associated with the knowledge and active awareness that God is the all-seeing of what one does - a reality that is permanent. The nurturing of the realization deters one from engaging in acts that are displeasing and vulgar. This is the essence of the noble prophetic teachings.""

Verse 3 - "dejected of of shame and humility humbles in awe, imploring Him..

Iman Mawlud mentions that one should also have dhul which literally refers to being lowly, abject, or humble. The Quran mentions that people who incur the anger of God have this state of humiliation thrust upon them. But what is meant here is something different; it is humility or humbleness voluntarily assumed before God, which is required for courtesy."

Verse 4  "by giving up your designs for His, emptied of covetousness for what His servants have"

When one reflects on God's perfect watch over His creation feelings of shame and humility arise. One prays to have God change them to giving up their plans for God's plan. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "None of you fully believes until his desires are in accordance with what I have brought"

Verse 5: "by hastening to fulfill His commands, and by being wary of the subtle encroachment of bad manners."

A hadith states "One of you will say a word and give it no consideration, though it will drag the person [who uttered it] through Hellfire for 70 years."

Verses 6-8 "If you - the spiritual aspirant- realize your attributes of servitude, you will then be assisted with something of the attributes of the Eternally Besought. Realize your abject character and impoverishment, and you will gain dignity and wealth from the All-Powerful. There is no salvation like the heart's salvation, given that all the limbs respond to its desires.

Blameworthy Modesty:

Verse 67-68: "As for blameworthy modesty, it is that which prevents one from denouncing the condemnable or from asking a question concerning a matter relating to religion and the like. For this reason, it is consider a harmful quality.

Definition

In general, modesty is something praised in Islam and is considered virtuous. What is blameworthy is modesty that prevents one from denouncing what clearly should be denounced, such as tyranny or corruption. This form of modesty results in meekness at a time when one needs to be forthright and courageous. Something condemnable is condemnable regardless of the status of the person who is engaged in it --whether he or she is a close relative or a person of status, wealth, or authority. There must be agreement, however, among scholars on what is condemnable. One cannot, for example, declare decisively that something is considered condemnable if there is a difference of opinion about it among the scholars. Scholars knowledgeable of juristic difference rarely condemn others. They refrain from such condemnation not because of modesty, but because of the extensive knowledge and scholarship. Unfortunately, too many people today are swift to condemn, which creates another disease -- self-righteousness. At issue here is blameworthy modesty that results in timid failure to denounce what unequivocally deserves denouncement and to ask about important matters from those who know."

Fantasizing:

Verses 73-74: "The heart's engagement in matters that do not concern it is only forbidden when it pertains to the prohibited, such as fantasizing about the beautiful qualities of a woman or dwelling on the fault of Muslims, even in their absence."

The Prophet said, "There is a tree in Paradise reserved for one whose own faults preoccupied him from considering the faults of others."