The act of fasting has many lessons for the Muslim Ummah. Allah has ordained the best form of worship on Muslims to cultivate amongst them the loftiest of traits in their characters. By abstaining from food and drink and indulging in prayers before the Almighty, one must learn to develop his being and purge the self from all types of evil and malice towards others.
The verses 261-265 in Surah Al-Baqra mention about charity and the high standards it requires. It is here that Allah says: “Kind words, and the covering of faults are better than charity” (II:263) In the above verse, Almighty Allah, places good deeds such as covering the faults of others at the same pedestal as charity, which is the third form of worship after Salat and Saum. This verse amply proves that there is no room for ritualistic worship in Islam; mere observance of Saum and other forms of worship is insufficient, these acts must be accompanied by revolutionary changes in the character of the individual.
The essence of fasting is to imbibe a permanently inherent quality of leading a devout and disciplined life. The practice of good behavior that attends a Muslim during his fasting tenure is to be replicated 365 days of the year. The garb of humility and modesty is, but, unfortunately worn for mere thirty days and then it is consigned back to the wardrobe; to be taken out again with the next advent of Ramadan. This is fasting without purpose!
Fasting must be observed with the accompaniment of the purpose for which Allah Almighty has instituted it, as an essential format of worship. It must necessarily bring about a revolutionary change in the personality and character of its practitioner. Those who “fast” must stand out as embodiment and true reflection for what Islam stands for – a religion of peace, tolerance, mercy and forbearance.
The changes must induce taqwah (piety), mercifulness, forbearance, forgiveness and also the ability to bury the knowledge of misdeeds of others. In our day to day life, which preferably to cover our own inadequacies, we like to refer as ‘practical life’, there is tendency to completely ignore these important facets of the teachings of Islam.
At the core of each form of worship is the objective of developing human qualities in a person. The observance of Salat, Zakat or any other form of worship must initiate good manners and exemplary behavior, otherwise such worship is devoid of any station. The Holy Quran asserts, “And indeed thou standest on a lofty standard of character”(68:4) Umull momineen Ayesha said, “His morals are the Quran”. The prophet (SAW) manifested in his everyday life a personality that will remain as a summit of human behavior. He was kind, merciful, forgiving, loving, patient and exhibited a remarkable trait of modesty, despite his lofty standing. The Quran testifies and says, “Surely, such a thing hurts the prophet but he is too modest to tell you so and Allah does not forbear to tell the truth” (33:53). In another verse, “To the believers he is compassionate, merciful” (9:128)] He proved the need to attend to the sick by visiting the woman, who would otherwise everyday throw garbage in his way; he invoked the mercifulness of Almighty through Arch Angel Gabriel, when he visited him with the command of Allah, that should the Prophet desire, he will cause the two mountains at opposite ends to collide against each other, so that everybody therein would perish.
Through this one act, the prophet set aside the bitter persecution he and his companions, endured at the hands of Meccans. The prophet again demonstrated that it is better to forgive than to retaliate. Here it must be understood that only the powerful can forgive or otherwise; the weak possess no retaliatory option, and hence can only succumb. The lesson therefore, is to show restraint, when in power to do otherwise.
“Say to my servants, that they should only say those things that are best…” (XVII:53). Abdullah Yousuf Ali interpreting this verse says, “This command refers to two situations: (1) even to your enemies and the enemies of God, you should speak fair: who are you to judge others. Judgment belongs to Allah alone, for he knows mankind best and your personal knowledge at best is imperfect. (2) Amongst yourselves i.e. believers, you should not entertain suspicion but speak politely according to best standards of human speech. A false or unkind word may destroy all efforts at building up unity, because the forces of disruption are numerous than the forces of unity”. We pray and observe Saum in an exhibitionist fashion, but conveniently forget these simple but lofty standards; we need to imbibe in our everyday life. Through fasting, Allah wants us to be devoted to worship … To come to know Him better and obey Him more, so that we will be closer to Him, and become spiritually attached to Him.
As we devote ourselves to Him, Allah wants us to think about ourselves, so that each of us will understand himself in a precise and thorough manner. It is because what is inside ourselves may well be involuntary… For instance, we might have acquired certain negative or bad attitudes from the environment we live in, or we might have learned certain habits and traditions from our parents or from society at large. It is the act of fasting which instills in us a sense of self accountability, it gives us an opportunity to reflect upon our actions and take stock of how we conduct ourselves.
The prophetic tradition says: “Judge yourselves before you are judged by others”. It is important to indulge in self-accountability, for its effect involves both worlds. In this world, you will lose the criteria to distinguish between good and evil, and in the hereafter when you have to defend your deeds, you will not find anything to say. Therefore, one ought to know the ulterior motives of his deeds to determine if his deeds and morals are Islamic or not and there is no better option than fasting to achieve this.
