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Published: 24 April 2020

Fasting, like prayer, is also an act of worship and is the fourth pillar of Islam. It is compulsory for all Muslims, both men and women; but pregnant women, the sick and travellers are exempted from fasting.

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Published: 23 April 2020

Fasting, like prayer, is also an act of worship and is the fourth pillar of Islam. It is compulsory for all Muslims, both men and women; but pregnant women, the sick and travellers are exempted from fasting.

But travellers have to observe fasting after the end of their journey, pregnant women after the delivery of their child and the sick when they become well. Women during the period of menstruation need not fast but have to make up the lost days afterwards.

People in distress, hardship, or inconvenience are exempt from fasting but have to make up the lost fasting days afterwards. Allah said: “Fasting is for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number should be made up from the days later. For those who can do it with hardship is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give more of his own free will, - it is better for him. And it is better for you that you fast.” (Al-Baqarah: 184). Obviously, this permission not to fast during sickness or journeys is given to avoid unnecessary inconvenience and hardship to believers.

1. An institution of Islam
Fasting is another important institution of Islam. It has always been an obligatory duty on believers even before the advent of Prophet Muhammad (saw). All the previous nations were commanded to observe fasting: “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may learn self-restraint.” (Al-Baqarah: 183).

Fasting has been universally recognized by all faiths. It was practised by people of all faiths in one form or another. It is practised by Hindus and Jews. Prophet Musa and Isa practised fasting and enjoined it on their followers. Disciples of Isa fasted but this institution later lost its true significance.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) was asked to re-establish this institution in its proper place and form. He was ordered to fast during the month of Ramadhan.

2. Month of Ramadhan
Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The Qur’an was first revealed in this month: “Ramadhan is the month in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear signs for guidance and judgement between right and wrong.” (Al-Baqarah: 185)

Allah selected this holy month for fasting and made it compulsory: “So every one of you who is present at his home during that month should fast in it. But, if any one is ill or on a journey, the prescribed period should be made up by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put you in difficulties. He wants you to complete the prescribed period.” (Al-Baqarah: 185)

Muslims commence the fast with the appearance of the moon for the month of Ramadhan and end it with the new moon of Shawwal. Ibn Umar reported hearing Allah’s Messenger saying: “When you see the new moon of Ramadhan, start fasting, and when you see the new moon of the month of Shawwal stop fasting; and if the sky is overcast and you can not see it, and then regard the month of Ramadhan as 30 days.” (Bukhari)

Allah selected lunar months for the purpose of fasting for very obvious and significant reasons. The lunar months rotate and share all seasons and weathers in the course of time.

The month of Ramadhan would, accordingly, come in every weather and season and Muslims all over the world would have the experience of fasting in winter as well as summer, in shorter days as well as in longer days.

Muslims living all over the globe will equally share the benefits and hardships of fasting during all weathers.

This would not have been the case if fasting have been prescribed according to the solar months for the convenience of fasting in shorter days and cooler weather would have permanently gone to one part of the world, and the hardship of fasting in longer days and hotter weather permanently to the other part.
(To be continued)

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Published: 16 April 2020

Yusuf Abdul Rahman (SeekersGuidance)

Your life is tailor-made by the All Merciful Creator entirely in your interests. Everything that has happened in your life, both the beautiful moments and the bitter, have been created to reveal to you something about yourself or your relationship with The One. Nothing has ever gone wrong. Every moment contains a secret, an embedded message from Him, which, if heeded, moves one forward towards awakening.

Awakening should not be considered a distant state attained only by the celebrity saints of the past. Rather, it is your primordial condition, your starting point. You were born a saint. You were born with clear vision. You saw Him in all things. You knew He was your ally, and that there was nothing to be fearful of. Existence was amazing. You were bedazzled by the rain, a toy train, the tablecloth. The universe is His Creation, and He is The Gently Loving and Kind. Hence, what can this world possibly do to you that is beyond His Mercy?

“But what about the pain?” you ask. “It hurts so much.”

Allah bless you and soothe your heart. The pain is the product of inaccurate perception, of misunderstanding the nature of the universe and your purpose within it. Imagine sitting in a dark room, and making out a black snake in the passing moonlight. The night would be spent in fear, anxiety, and vigilant stillness, lest the snake pounce from its place and sink its fangs into you. After the most frantic of nights, the sun rises, and the snake you feared is revealed to be a shoe lace. The pain, the angst, and the nausea were all caused by your misinterpretation of the situation. There was no need to be afraid. But you were.

The disbeliever considers the universe to be arbitrarily organised. He believes that the events of his life are random, and through his own ingenuity and labour, he can organise matters as he would wish them to be. However, things rarely turn out as he would choose, which gives rise to a permanent state of discontentment, and the resulting overwhelming stress. Life has no meaning to him. There are no lessons to be learnt, just painful failures. Success can only be found in the achievement of outcomes. Anything less is a waste of energy. He celebrates when things go his way, and is desperately distraught when the universe refuses to fall into line. The universe rarely falls into line, so his existence is defined by distrust and resentment.

Alternatively, the believer knows that every moment of her life is perfectly designed by He who knows all. She sees challenges as an opportunity to hone her perspective, and to draw her priorities into focus. The difficult moments remind her of her inherent human inability. When it begins to rain, she thanks Allah for her umbrella. She does not judge the moment she faces, but rather is inquisitive, saying ‘subhanAllah’ when things do not go to plan, rather than screaming in disgust. Sometimes, she laughs when others would cry, because the believer has a stoic sense of humour: “O Allah! What are you doing with me this time?” She focuses on her contribution to the universe, knowing that that is her only responsibility. She rarely gets angry, as she has learnt that anger at the universe is in reality anger at its Creator. She is deeply grateful, and sees the golden thread of meaning that weaves its way through her life, guiding her towards her end goal. Her target is Allah, not a large house. She is generous. “He has given before, He will give again.”

Gratitude seeps out of every one of her pores, as she cannot account for the myriad blessings that permeate her life. When she is given something, she gives thanks. When she loses something, she willingly hands it back to her Lord, knowing it was never hers in the first place. She is in a state of perpetual peace, as she knows that whatever she encounters in life is designed in her interests by The One, and that if she engages with that moment appropriately, she will take another step towards seeing Truth as Truth. She is rarely shaken, because her faith is her reality.

Islam is the vehicle by which one moves from disbelief to belief. It is now normative to consider our faith a cultural identity rather than a technology of transformation. Often, our spiritual practices are performed out of a sense of duty or fear. This neuters their transformative power, and limits them to empty shells rather than potent, rich, and profound tools for reawakening our primordial worldview. Islam, which is the culmination of the Divine Conversation with humanity, is the most perfect and holistic system of human awakening. By reducing it to a cultural identity, it becomes a club like any other. The extent to which one sees the world through the prism of disorder and randomness is the extent to which one experiences pain in it.

Despite billions having declared the faith upon the tongue and having intellectually accepted the tenets of our religion, rare is the man who lives in the state of Islam. The objective of Islam is to see things as they truly are. As one moves towards gratitude and trust, and begins to witness the shadow of the Divine Hand cast over all experiences, the pain begins to cease, one’s vision becomes more accurate, and the heart begins to heal. This movement is shif’a, the return to Reality.                              (The End)