The significance of fasting

Fasting, is abstaining from eating, drinking and coitus from daybreak
to sunset as a devotional ritual. Allaah, the Almighty Says in the
Noble Quran (what means):
"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was
decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous." [Quran;
2:183] That is: that you may fear Allaah, keep away from His
prohibitions, and fulfill His Commands. Prophet Muhammad said: "
Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allaah is not
in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept
hisfasting.)" [Al-Bukhaari]
This means that Allaah does not want us to abstain from eating and
drinking only, rather, He wants us to refrain from evil deeds and
vileness too. The Prophet instructed that a fasting person, if
offended or abused, should say: "I am fasting." [Al-Bukhaari] By
this, as though the fasting person says:"It is because I am fasting I
do not return your abuses." The offender at that point may feel
embarrassed, and desist.
What is the purpose of Fasting?
The purpose of fasting is not physical training to endure hunger,
thirst and exhaustion; rather, it is disciplining the ego to
relinquish the loved for the sake of the Beloved. The loved arethe
desires of eating, drinking, sexual activities etc., while the Beloved
is Allaah, the Exalted. Hence, it is imperative to keep in mind when
we observe fasting that we do so only for the sake ofAllaah. It
becomes imperative on us to try our best to observe the rites that
reflect our obedience toAllaah, such as the remembrance of Allaah,
reading the Quran, supererogatory prayers, charitable deeds and
donations, good manners, etc.
Fasting has great significances and aims, which, if carefully
considered, instill in us much surprise. Among these significances, we
mention the following:
First significance:
Fasting is linked with true faith inAllaah, the Most Exalted; that is
why it has been reported that fasting is a secret act of worship since
a person may break his fast,if he wishes, by eating, drinking or
simply by not making the intention to fast (in which case his fast
will not be accepted even if he remains fasting the whole day).
Fasting, then, is a hearty, secret worship that concerns only the
servant and his Creator. When the servant knowingly gives up the
things and acts that nullify the fast, despite his ability to reach
them in secret, he gives indeed strong evidence of his certain belief
that Allaah, the Almighty, watches over him in both his manifest and
secret deeds. There is no doubt that in this kind of conduct is a
significant training to strengthenfaith in Allaah.
Second significance:
Fasting is also training for the servant to aspire to the Hereafter
since, by fasting, he gives up some of the worldly matters, looking
forward to Almighty Allaah's reward. By observing the fast, he weighs
the profit in terms of the condition in the Hereafter. However, those
who measure things in materialistic terms are only concerned with the
worldly aspect of fasting. As aresult, they think of it as merely
deprivation of the pleasures of life, which please the self and
satisfy the body. They are not in the least concerned with the other
aspect of its significance in the hereafter that constitutes thereal
reward and the genuine perpetuity. This attitude of their hearts
weakens their aspiration for the hereafter and its eternal enjoyment.
Third significance:
Fasting is a practical embodimentof submission and servitude to
Allaah, the Exalted, that the servant manifests by eating and drinking
at night only in responseto the call of his Lord, Allaah WhoSays in
the Noble Quran (what means): " And eat and drink until the white
thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from theblack thread [of
night]." [Quran; 2:187]. That is why the fasting Muslim should eat at
Iftaar (breakfast) time, at sunset, and just before dawn (Suhoor, or
the per-dawn meal) because continuous fasting (day and night) is
forbidden in Sharee'ah (Islamic law).
The act of eating is, therefore, a form of worship of Allaah, the
Almighty. When dawn starts, Muslims discontinue eating and drinking
(and having sex with their spouses) in compliance withAllaah's order,
for He Says (what means): "…Then complete the fast until the night
[i.e. sunset]." [Quran; 2:187]. In this way, the Muslim is educated
about complete servitude to Allaah, the Most High, in such a way that
when his Lord commands, he complies. It is, therefore, not simply a
matter of personal taste,whim and disposition, but a matter of
obedience to Allaah and implementation of His Commands.
Fourth significance:
Fasting is similarly a form of education to the whole society since
when the fasting Muslim feels that people around him are all fasting,
he finds fast no longerdifficult, but feels that he is in harmony with
the society to which he belongs through worship, the unifying factor
of the whole community. Whoever compares voluntary fasting to the
obligatory fast in the month of Ramadhaan perceives a
certaindifficulty in the former and easiness in the latter due to the
aforementioned reasons. That is why Muslims find it very difficult to
spend the month of Ramadhaan away from Muslim environments.