Ramadhan Articles - The Real Purpose of Fasting

A Purpose for Every Work
There are essentially two component factors in anywork which a man has
toperform. The first thing isthe purpose for which a work is done and
the second thing is the particular shape of that work which is chosen
to achieve that purpose. Forinstance, take the case of food your
object in taking food is to remain alive and maintain your strength.
The method of achieving this object is that you take a morsel, put it
in your mouth, masticate it and push it below the throat. This method
is adopted by you since it is the most effective and proper one to
achieve this object. But everyone of you knows that the main thing is
the purpose for which food is taken and not the form and procedure of
this action.
What will you say if anybody were to make a morsel of saw-dust or
cinder or mud, put it in his mouth, chew and gulp it? You will say
only this that his brain is out of order. Why? Because this idiot did
not understand the real purpose of eating and is suffering form the
misunderstanding that only the aforesaid four component acts
constitute eating. Likewise, you will call that person also mad who
soon after taking the food vomits it by thrusting his fingers into his
throat them complains that the benefits said to accrue from taking
food have not been availed of by him and that, contrarily, he is daily
getting lean and is on the verge of death. This fool blames the food
for his growing weakness little realizing that it is due to his own
stupidity. He imagined, due to his intellectual deficiency, that life
vitality could be got by fulfilling those requirements which
constitute the act of eating. As such, he thought why should he
sustain the load of food in his stomach? "Why not throw it out so that
the stomach may become light? I have already fulfilling the
requirements of eating", he surmises, Naturally he has himself to
suffer the penalty of harboring such a foolish idea and then
implementing it also. He ought to have known that until the bread gets
digested afterentering the stomach and having transformed into blood,
is diffused into the whole body the vitality of life cannot be
obtained.
Although outward actions are also necessary, because without them the
bread cannot reach the stomach, yet the object cannot be achieved by
merely fulfilling the outward actions. There isno magic in these
actionsthat by merely fulfilling them, blood starts running in a
wizardly manner in the veins of a man. Blood will be obviously
produced according to the law prescribed by Allah. If you break it,
you will kill yourself by your own hands.
Consequences of Considering the Outward as Real
If you ponder over the example I have just placed before you in
detail, you can understand why your"Ibadat" have become inefficacious
today. As I have already pointed outrepeatedly, the greatest mistake
of all is to regardthe acts of Salah and fasting and their outward
shape as real '`Ibadat' and you suffer from the delusion that whoever
fulfilled these requirements performed the "Ibadat" of Allah. You are
just like that person who thinks that performance of four acts,i.e.
making the morsel, putting it in the mouth, masticating it and pushing
it below the throat makes up the process of eating, and that whoever
did these four things has eaten the food and so should receive the
benefits of eating irrespective of whether he pushed down in his
stomach mudand stone, or vomited the bread soon after eating it.
If you have a little sense then tell me how a man who is fasting and
is thusengaged in the '`Ibadat' of Allah from morning till evening,
can in the midst of that '`Ibadat' utter a lie and indulge in
backbiting? Why does he quarrel at the slightest pretext and utter
abuses from his mouth? How dare he encroach on other people's rights?
How does he indulge in acquiring illicit money and giving money to
others illicitly? And having done all these thing, he still thinks
that he has performed '`Ibadat' of Allah? Does this not resemble the
work of that person who eats cinder and mud and thinks that by merely
completing the four requirements of eating he has actually done the
job of eating.
Again Freedom from Restrictions after Ramadan
Then tell me how is it that when you are relieved after doing Allah's
'`Ibadat' for about 360 hours throughout Ramadan all the effect of
this whole exercise in piety disappears on the 1st of Shawwal? You do
during the '`Eid' days all that Hindus do in their festivals, so much
so that in the cities even adultery, wine-drinking and gambling are
resorted to on '`Eid' day. And I have seen some wretched people who
keep fast during the day and drink wine and commit adultery in the
night. The general Muslims, by the grace of Allah, are not degenerated
to that extent but after the end of Ramadan how many ofyou are there
who retain some effects of piety and virtuousness on the second day of
'`Eid' also? Which law of Allah is left un-violated? What part ofyour
time is devoted to good deeds, and how much is selfishness reduced?
Result Wrong Conception of '`Ibadat'
Think and ponder as to what after all can be the reason for this? I
assure you that its only reason isthat the very meaning and purport of
'`Ibadat' has become twisted in your mind. You think thatmere
abstention from eating and drinking throughout the day is called
fasting and that this alone is '`Ibadat'. Therefore you observe it
meticulously. You fee the fear of Allah to that extent that you avoid
every transgression which even slightly endangers the break-up of the
fast so much so that even if the life is at stake, you are not
prepared to break the fast. But you do not know that being merely
hungry and thirsty is not real '`Ibadat' but only a form of it. And
the purpose of prescribing this form is to create in you the fear of
Allah and love of Allah, and therebydevelop in you so much strength
that by repressing yourself, you are enabled to avoid the seemingly
profitable things but which actually displease Allah, while, on the
other hand, by controlling yourself you make yourself agreeable to
those things which possibly entail risks and losses but definitely
please Allah.
This strength can be developed only when you understand the purpose of
fasting and make use of the practice you have gone through for curbing
the corporealurges, under fear of Allahand love for Allah, and them
making these urgeswork according to the pleasure of Allah.
But soon after Ramada you throw to the winds this practice as well as
the virtues acquired fromif just as a man after taking food vomits it
by thrusting his fingers into his throat. In fact, some of your spew
the virtuousness of the whole day soon after breaking the fast. Now
you yourself decide, is there in Ramadan and fasting a magic that by
mere completing their outward shape you can acquire that strength
which in reality should emanate from genuine fasting? Just as physical
strength cannot be obtained from the bread until it is digested after
entering the stomach and until it is transformed into blood and
penetrates every vein in the same way spiritual power cannot be
obtained from fasting until the person who keeps fast does not fully
comprehend the purposeof fasting and allows if topermeate his heart
and mind and dominate his thought, motive intention and deed.
Fast, Source of Becoming Pious
This is why Allah said after ordaining fasting: "La`allakum tattaqoon"
i.e. fasting is made obligatory on you, may be you become pious
andvirtuous. It is not said that you will certainly become pious and
virtuous because this outcome of fasting depends on the perception and
intentionof the man concerned. Whoever will understandits purpose and
will try through it to achieve its objective, will become pious to the
desired extent, but one who will not comprehend its purpose and will
not even try to get at if, cannot hope to gain any thing out of it.
Real Goals of Fasting:
Abstention from Lying
Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, has drawn attention
in various waystowards the real aim of fasting and has explainedthat
to be hungry and thirsty without keeping in view the objective is inno
way useful. He said:"Whoever did not give up lying and practicing
falsehood, Allah is in no need of his giving up food and water".In
another Hadith he said:"Many are the fasters whose fasting does not
bring them anything except hunger and thirst and many are those who
keep standing in the night but their standing does not bring anything
except being awake in the night".The purport ofboth these Hadiths is
quite plain. It means that being merely hungry andthirsty is not by
itself '`Ibadat' but an instrument of performingreal '`Ibadat'. And
real '`Ibadat' consists in not violating the law of Allah for fear of
Allah, and for the love of Allah an eagerpursuit of every such work as
would please Him, and lastly avoidanceof satisfying corporeal urges as
far as possible. Whoever remained heedless of this real '`Ibadat',
unnecessarily caused inconvenience to his stomach with hunger and
thirst. Why should Allah need to make him merely give up food and
water for twelve to fourteen hours?
Faith and Self-Scrutiny
The Prophet has drawn attention to the real aim of fasting
thus:"Whoeverobserved fast imbued with faith and with the expectation
of reward from Allah, all his past sins are forgiven".The reference to
faith impliesthat the belief in Allah with a Muslim should remain
fully fresh in the mind of a Muslim, 'Ihtisab' denotes that man should
be desirous of only Allah's pleasure constantly keeping an eye on his
thoughts and actions to check if he is doing anything against the
pleasure of Allah. If, in accordance with these two principles, a
person where to observe all the fasts of Ramadan, he will have all his
past sins forgiven because even if he was once an unruly and
disobedient slave he has now turned fully repentant to his master -
and"A penitent is like one who has, as it were, never committed a sin
at all"this the Prophet said.
Shield for Protection from Sins
In another Hadith it is said:"Fasts are like a shield (just as a
shield is meant for protection from the enemy's assault,so is fasting
for protection from Satan's attack)".Therefore when a man observes
fast he should (utilize this shield and) abstain from disorderly
behavior. If anybody abused him or quarreled with him, the person who
keeps fast should tell him: "Brother, I am fasting (do not expect from
me that I shall take part in such activities of yours)".
Temptation of Goodness
The Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, has directed in other
Hadiths that man while fasting ought to do more and more good works
and should be eager to perform benevolent acts. Particularly during
fasting, he must develop with full intensity a sympathetic sentiment
for his other brothers because being himself in the throes of hunger
and thirst he can all the more realize what is befalling other slaves
of Allah in their plight of destitutionand misery. It is related by
Hadrat Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet,
peace and blessing be upon him, used to become especially kind and
benevolent during Ramadan. No beggar in that period went empty-handed
from his door, and the slaves secured emancipation.
Reward for Providing 'Iftar'
According to a Hadith theProphet, peace and blessing be upon him,
said:"Whoever in Ramadan provide a person who is keeping fast with
Iftar, this act will become a source of forgiveness for his sins and
safety from Hell Fire and he will get as much reward as will the
keeperof fast get without any reduction in the recompense of the
latter".