Why do we fast?

The purpose of fasting is ultimately to strengthen our consciousness of God: “O you who have attained to faith, it is prescribed upon you fasting, as it was prescribed upon those before you, so that you may strengthen your consciousness (to God)” (2:183).

To strengthen one’s consciousness of God means to strengthen his (or her) faith and loyalty to Him, as the chosen ones amongst God’s creation. Chosen to be God’s vicegerent, the master and the responsible in this big but limited world. Afterwards, everyone will be questioned and judged by God on his conduct, on Resurrection Day.

In any day of the year, one may fast voluntarily (except in the day of ‘ied-al-fitr and the day of ‘ied-al-Ad-ha), but it is obligatory for Muslims to fast during the days of the holy month of Ramadan. That is because this specific month is a really great month: “The month of Ramadan, wherein the Qur’an was revealed, a guidance for mankind, and as clear proofs of the Guidance and the Criterion …” (2:185).

The month of Ramadan is a great event for Muslims and an excellent opportunity to get more spiritual energy and is an occasion for purification. The Prophet Muhammad (God’s blessings upon him) allegorically expressed this occasion as follows: “When Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained” (Reported by Abu Hurairah, recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in their collections of Hadith).

“Paradise” is an expression of God’s great mercy for His devoted servants who follow His Guidance and apply His ordinances. “Hell” is an expression of anger or wrath of God. So the month of Ramadan is, for faithful Muslims, a month in which God is granting them more opportunities to receive plenty of mercy and more chances to obtain His forgiveness. For those who take this occasion seriously, all their sincere devotions to God will surely purify them spiritually and supply them with God’s guidance.

As God says in the Qur’an: “And those who are (willing to be) guided, He increases their (ability to follow His) guidance and causes them to grow in God-consciousness” (47:17).

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (God’s blessings upon him) said: “Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking God’s reward, all his past sins will be forgiven. And whoever prays (taraweeh) during the nights of Ramadan with faith and seeking God’s reward, all his past sins will be forgiven. And whoever passes lailatulqadr (special night of Al-Qadr in one of last ten nights of the month of Ramadan) in prayer with faith and seeking reward from God, all his past sins will be forgiven”  (Recorded by AlBukhari in his Collection of Hadith).

The Messenger of God often related spiritual realities which could not be seen or heard by ordinary people, for example:

That in the first night of Ramadan there is a caller (maybe an angel) who calls: O seeker of the good, come near! And: o seeker of evil, stop! And every night of this month, there will be people to be freed from Fire!” (Reported by Abu Hurairah, recorded by At-Tirmidhi in his Collection of Hadith). 

From the physical perspective, fasting begins from the first light of dawn and lasts till sunset, which implies abstaining from food, drink and sexual relations. From the moral and behavioral perspective, one must be more careful than usual in abstaining from lying, malicious gossip, quarrelling and trivial nonsense during the whole month.

Exempted from the fast are the very old and the insane. Those who are sick, the elderly or those on a journey and women who are menstruating, pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast, but must make up an equal number of days later in the year. If physically unable to do so, they must feed a needy person for each missed day. Children begin to fast (and to observe the prayers) from puberty, although they are to be trained earlier.

Fasting during the month of Ramadan has many moral benefits: developing individual strength in character and one’s maturity. It also gives one an opportunity to think deeply about his (or her) behavior and conduct, so that one can correct his mistakes and restart his life with purer and fresher spirit to face all issues in life.

It is recommended for Muslims to always be generous and to be more generous in Ramadan, as the Prophet Muhammad (God’s blessings upon him) used to be so.

Ibn Abbas reported that the Messenger of God (God’s blessings upon him) was the most generous of people in charity, but he was generous to the utmost in the month of Ramadan” (Muslim in his Collection of Hadith).

Of course fasting in Ramadan is an obligatory devotion for the faithful Muslim, yet it gives physical benefits as well, as Dr Razeen Mahroof, an anesthetist from Oxford said: “Ramadan isn’t always thought of as being an opportunity to lose weight, because the spiritual aspect is emphasized more than the health aspect, however, it’s a great chance to get the physical benefits as well” (www.nhs.uk).