God Almighty says: "O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous" [Al-Baqarah 183]. Hisham bin al-Hakam asked Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq about the reason for fasting, and he replied: "Fasting was imposed so that the rich and the poor would be equal, and this is because the rich would not otherwise feel the touch of hunger to show mercy to the poor. So God, the Almighty, wanted to let the rich taste the touch of hunger so that they would feel compassion for the weak and show mercy to the hungry."
We consider this to be one of the aspects of the wisdom of fasting regarding the rich, because fasting was imposed upon the poor just as it was imposed upon the rich.
It is stated in the book "Minhaj al-Arifin" (The Path of the Knowers) by Imam al-Ghazali regarding fasting: "Fasting is the annihilation of the desires of the soul, and in it is the purification of the heart, the discipline of the senses, a reminder to be charitable to the poor, to seek refuge in God, to show gratitude for the blessings He has bestowed, and to lighten the reckoning."
Regarding the virtue of fasting, the Messenger of God (PBUH) said: "Everything has a Zakat, and the Zakat of the body is fasting." He (PBUH) also said: "Everything has a door, and the door to worship is fasting." God Almighty said: "Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except for fasting; it is for Me, and I shall reward for it. Fasting is a shield," meaning a protection. "The fasting person has two joys: he rejoices when he breaks his fast, and he rejoices when he meets his Lord due to his fasting" (Narrated by the Five).
Lady Fatima al-Zahra said in her sermon that God made fasting a means to establish sincerity. God Almighty said: "And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways" [Al-Ankabut 69]. Jihad (struggle) is the struggle of the soul by suppressing its desires, which are the pasture of devils; by suppressing them, their frequenting is cut off, and the majesty of God—which was veiled from the servant—is revealed. From this perspective, fasting became the door to worship. In fasting, there is a resemblance to the angels, and the human being’s rank is above the rank of animals and below the rank of angels; so whenever he indulges in desires, he descends to the lowest and joins the masses of animals. And whenever he suppresses desires, he rises to the highest heights and joins the horizon of the angels. And the angels are brought near to God, the Almighty and Majestic. It has been said: If there were nothing in fasting but the ascent from the abyss of animalistic desires to the pinnacle of resemblance to the spiritual angels, it would be sufficient merit and success.
Qada' (Making up missed days) and Fidyah (Ransom) in Fasting:
God Almighty says: "[Fasting for] a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey, then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship], a ransom [as a substitute] of feeding a poor person. And whoever volunteers excess - it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew" [Al-Baqarah 184]. The limited days are the days of the month of Ramadan, and the sick person and the traveler are permitted to break their fast because He, the Almighty, has mandated making up the days due to the travel and illness.
So if a person misses days during the month of Ramadan and does not fast them, it is incumbent upon him to make them up after Ramadan.
As for the meaning of His saying: "And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship], a ransom [as a substitute] of feeding a poor person" [Al-Baqarah 184], it is stated in the Tafsir al-Safi: "Those who are able to fast, meaning fasting is within their capacity but they experience hardship and difficulty with it; God did not obligate them by way of absolute necessity, such as the elderly, the pregnant woman, and the like. Rather, He gave them a choice between it and the ransom as an expansion and mercy from Him. Then He made fasting better for them in terms of reward and recompense if they choose hardship over ease."
As for the Kaffarah (expiation): it is fasting two consecutive months, excluding the month of Ramadan. If one cannot fast, then feeding sixty poor people; that is, in exchange for each of the sixty days, feeding one poor person. Kaffarah is only required in fasting—along with making up the days—if a man has intercourse with his wife intentionally while fasting during Ramadan; in this case, making up the day and Kaffarah are required from both parties.
In the secrets of fasting and its inward conditions by Imam al-Ghazali, it is stated: Know that there are three degrees of fasting: the fast of the general public, the fast of the specific, and the fast of the most specific of the specific. As for the fast of the general public, it is abstaining the stomach and the private parts from satisfying desire. As for the fast of the specific, it is restraining the hearing, the sight, the hands, the feet, and all the senses from sins. As for the fast of the most specific of the specific, it is the fasting of the heart from base concerns and worldly thoughts, and restraining it from everything other than God entirely.
We know that the fast of the general public is refraining from eating, drinking, and intercourse in the month of Ramadan from dawn until sunset. It is mentioned in the noble Hadith: "God is not worshipped with anything better than the chastity of the stomach and the private parts." As for the fast of the specific, which is restraining the senses from sins, its completion is in six things:
– First: Lowering the gaze and restraining it from looking freely at everything that is blameworthy, hated, or distracting...
The Prophet (PBUH) said: "The glance is a poisoned arrow from the arrows of Iblis; whoever leaves it out of fear of God, God will give him faith, the sweetness of which he will find in his heart." And it is also narrated from the Prophet (PBUH): "Five things break the fast of the fasting person: lying, backbiting, gossiping, false swearing, and looking with desire."
– Second: Protecting the tongue from babbling, lying, backbiting, gossiping, obscenity, and arguing... and obliging it to be silent or to recite the Quran; this is the fast of the tongue. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Fasting is a shield, so if one of you is fasting, he should not use foul language or act ignorantly. If someone fights him or insults him, let him say, 'I am fasting'." This is supported in Al-Mahajjah al-Bayda by the words of Imam Ja'far: "Whoever backbites a Muslim, his fast is void and his wudu is invalidated."
– Third: Restraining the hearing from listening to anything hated, because everything that is forbidden to say is forbidden to listen to. For this reason, God Almighty equated the listener to lies with the consumer of illicit gain, saying: "[They are] avid listeners to falsehood, devourers of what is unlawful" [Al-Ma'idah 42]. Being silent about backbiting is forbidden, and for this reason, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "The backbiter and the listener are partners in the sin."
– Fourth: Restraining the rest of the senses, such as the hands and feet, from hateful things, and restraining the stomach from doubtful things. There is no meaning to fasting while abstaining from food and the lawful, but breaking the fast on what is forbidden. Such a fasting person is like one who builds a palace and destroys a city. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "How many a fasting person gets nothing from his fast except hunger and thirst."
– Fifth: Not to consume a large amount of lawful food at the time of breaking the fast until one is full. How can one benefit from fasting in suppressing the enemy of God and breaking desire if the fasting person compensates at his Iftar for what he missed during the day? The spirit and secret of fasting is to weaken the powers that are the tools of the devil in leading to evil, and this will not be achieved except by moderation. This means eating the meal one would have eaten every night if one were not fasting. In fact, if one combines what one would have eaten during the day with what one eats at night, one does not benefit from the fast.
– Sixth: That the heart after breaking the fast should remain suspended and anxious between fear and hope, not knowing if his fast will be accepted and he becomes among the brought near, or rejected and he becomes among the despised. If worship is of two parts: acquisition and avoidance, then fasting in its reality and essence represents the part of avoidance completely, in His saying: "No soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do" [Al-Sajdah 17]. It was said that their deed was fasting. So what a noble act of worship that leads to what no ear has heard, no eye has seen, and has not crossed the heart of a human being.
An important note on fasting:
There is nothing more obscene than openly breaking the fast in the month of Ramadan in an Islamic society, in the sight and hearing of those fasting, because that hurts their feelings, wounds their sensitivity, and creates suspicion among them. The Messenger (PBUH) says: "All my nation is forgiven except those who commit sins openly."
Even if a person has broken their fast due to a reason or excuse, they must observe the feelings of others who are fasting and not expose themselves to suspicion among them. Who are they to know that he is excused, and that his breaking the fast is for this reason or that? He cannot tell everyone who sees him that he is excused for a legitimate religious reason. This person excused for breaking the fast can eat and drink inside his house, or away from the sight of others, so that evil suspicion does not spread about him.
Edited on: 7 Rabi' al-Awwal 1430 AH. Corresponding to 3/3/2009 AD.
Unitarian Knowledge
Issued by the Office of the Sheikh al-Aql
Of the Druze Unitarian Community
