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The Reality of FastingSummary 1) The arrival of Ramadhaan 2) The characteristics of Ramadhaan 3) The human self is inclined towards evil and is not chained when the devils are chained in Ramadhaan. 4) Allaah makes Siyaam (fasting) easy for the Ummah 5) Siyaam purifies the soul and prevents it from sinning 6) Generous spending in charity is of the characteristics of a Muslim 7) The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam used to live an ascetic life The crescent of a noble month has been sighted, marking the start of a blessed season. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam used to give glad tidings to his Companions upon the arrival of this month. So glad tidings to you, O believers, for the month of Ramadhaan, the month in which Allaah ordained fasting and revealed the Qur'aan. He made this month a season of worship and endeavor, a season of goodness and blessings. He made it a time of action and striving for four things: fasting, Qur'aan, worship, and righteous deeds. These are the most obvious gifts and features of this month. I shall talk about these four things during the coming Fridays of this month, Allaah willing.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reports that the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "When Ramadhaan begins, the gates of Heaven (in another narration, the Gates of Jannah) open and the gates of Jahannum (Hellfire) are sealed, and the Shayaateen (devils) are chained.” (Bukhaari & Muslim) He sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam also said, "On the first night of Ramadhaan, the Shayaateen (devils) and the leaders of the Jinn are chained." (Ibn Maajah) This means that their ability to tempt people becomes less during this month. Evil and disobedience decrease, because, although the causes of disobedience are many, the greatest reason of all is the whispers of Shaytaan (Satan). However, not all Shayaateen are chained during this month. Other narrations prove that only the leaders of the Shayaateen (devils) are chained, that is why, even though evil and disobedience decrease during this month, it does not come to a complete halt.
There are many other sources of evil that still remain, one of them is the human self, which is inclined towards evil and it accompanies one at all times. Human devils are another reason for immorality, in addition to man's own lusts and desires. Yet another reason is that the remaining soldiers of the devils that did not get chained continue misguiding people. Nevertheless, all of these reasons and causes have a lesser effect over fasting people because fasting bestows them a certain blessing.
O Muslims! This is the value of Ramadhaan, the month of fasting. Allaah ordained fasting during this month whereby they refrain from food, drink and conjugal relations from dawn until sunset. When the sun sets, a fasting person can eat and drink and (the married persons can) have marital relations. The nations that came before us were not allowed to touch their spouses even at night, and if a person fell asleep before he ate or drank anything, then it was forbidden for him to eat or drink after that; he had to continue fasting until the next day.
However, Allaah has made it easy for this Ummah. It is from Allaah's mercy that He made all of this permissible, thus releasing the believers from the heavy burdens that were upon the previous nations. As soon as the sun sets, it becomes lawful for the fasting person of this Ummah to eat, drink and to have relations with his/her spouse. Allaah says which means, “ … Allaah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and (wants) for you to complete the period and to glorify Allaah for that (to) which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.” (Al-Baqarah: 185)
Moreover, in another verse, to show this Ummah His favors upon them, Allaah says which means, “It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives (for sexual relations)…” (Al-Baqarah: 187).
This means that this was not lawful for the people before you and now it is lawful for you, O Ummah of Muhammad sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam.
Of the signs of ease of this religion and the mercy that Muhammad sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam came with is that the ill person and the traveler can break his fast and make it up at a different time after Ramadhaan. Also, the elderly, who cannot bear fasting, as well as the terminally ill, can feed the needy and they do not have to make up the fasting. It is not righteous to fast while traveling, nor is it better for the ill to fast while they are sick if it is hard for them to fast. In these cases, they are to make use of the permission that Allaah has furnished them with, because He likes it when people take heed of the mercy that He has provided.
Know, O Muslims, that fasting is a protection from wrongdoing. This month is an opportunity for you to purify yourselves and release yourselves from the effects of sins. Take advantage of it. During Ramadhaan a Muslim has less burdens as his desires are decreased and he gets more good from being involved in fasting. You can get rid of bad habits, such as overdoing things that are lawful, like overeating, talking too much and being over involved in the marital relations with your spouses. You must stop the habit of overdoing all of these desires.
Some people do not understand the reality of fasting. They refrain from eating and drinking in the mornings but do not abstain from sinning or oppression. They continue their practices as usual or if they do stop in the mornings, they continue with their normal lives as soon as they break their fast. They spend their mornings hungry and thirsty and their evenings are full of sin and evil. They spend the whole night watching TV with their wives and children. Others refrain from food during the daytime, and after sunset, they eat all night long to make up for the food they missed. Therefore, fasting is nothing for these people but a change in the time of eating -- they eat during the night rather than the day. When night comes, all kinds of food are put forth for them to eat -- one kind of food is not sufficient for these people -- and then they stuff their stomachs with all of this. It is as if these people have never heard of the Prophet's (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) saying, "The believer eats in one stomach, and the disbeliever and the hypocrite eat in seven." (Bukhaari and Muslim).
In another narration of this Hadeeth it is mentioned, “A man by the name of Abu Ghazwaan came to visit the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam. This was before Abu Ghazwaan had become Muslim. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam was the most generous of all people. He milked seven sheep for him, so the man drank all of the milk. Then the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said to him, "Isn't it time for you to become Muslim?" He replied, "Yes", and became Muslim. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam then wiped his chest (saying a Du’aa'). The next day, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam milked only one sheep for him, but Abu Ghazwaan was not able to drink all of the milk. So, the Prophet asked, "What is the matter Abu Ghazwaan?” He said, "By the One Who sent you as a Prophet, I have had enough." So the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, “Last night you had seven stomachs when you were a disbeliever and today you only have one stomach.” (Tabaraani) The saying of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam means that a believer can eat less and control his desires more, since he does not eat to enjoy or fulfill a desire, but rather to stop hunger and to become stronger so that he can worship Allaah. The disbeliever, however, who does not believe in the Day to come, eats with a strong desire and the lust of animals, as Allaah described them in the Qur'aan saying which means, “but those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as grazing livestock eat, and the Fire will be a residence for them.” (Muhammad: 12)
O Muslims! One kind of food is enough. Let us not be like the Children of Israel who would not settle for only one kind of food. O people who observe fasting! When you put these different kinds of foods on the table in front of you, remember before you begin to eat that the master of the creations of Allaah, leader of all Messengers and creation, and Seal of the Prophets sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam, would remain without a lighting a fire in his house (i.e. without cooking) for one or two months. “He and his family only ate dates and drank water” (Bukhaari). One or two months! This was not because he could not have had it and that he had no choice, because he could have had all he had wanted. It was because he was staying away from worldly matters, living an ascetic life, and trying to get closer to Allaah. Even though Allaah offered him control of the treasures of the earth and the ability to live like kings, having a nice, easy, and comfortable life, he chose to live in poor conditions, eating as a slave eats, sitting as a slave sits. He used to say, "O Allaah! Let me live as a Miskeen (humble) and resurrect me with the Masaakeen (humble)." (Tirmithi & Baihaqi)
O Muslims! Let this month be an opportunity that we will take advantage of. Let us get used to these habits, the habits of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam. Let us get rid of the habits of overeating as animals do. Let this month be a chance to purify ourselves and become elevated from lusts, desires, and trivialities that are of no real value. Let us elevate our souls to the heavens with faith. We can elevate them from the pleasures of this world to the pleasures of the world to come.
Abu Hurayrah, may
Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam said, “Fasting is a protection, so when one of you fasts,
let him not touch his wife (for sexual relations), and let him not badmouth
anyone, and if someone fights him or upsets him, let him say, 'I am fasting,
I am fasting.' By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, the smell of the mouth
of a fasting person is better to Allaah than the smell of musk. He left
eating and drinking and his desires for My sake.” And Allaah says,
"Fasting is for Me and I reward it - one blessing (for fasting) is
multiplied ten times”. (Bukhaari)
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