Believers! Fasting is enjoined upon you, as it was enjoined upon those before you, that you become God-fearing. (Surah 2: 183)
Fasting is a means of testing man’s determination and will-power, and an important aspect of man’s relationship with Allah (swt). It is a discipline that teaches man how to rise above his physical needs and overcome the pressure of temptation in order to earn Allah (swt)’s blessings and reward. These are essential ingredients for the discipline and training of the believers so that they may carry Allah (swt)’s message forward despite the temptations, the obstacles and hardships they are bound to encounter.
The overall aim is to adequately equip man for the fulfilment of his role in this world and for the perfection he is intended to achieve in the life to come. It is obvious that all religious practices and obligations are ordained by Allah (swt) with full consideration of man’s physical needs and capabilities, but we should not justify them solely on the basis of what our knowledge, limited as it is, may discover. The scope of human knowledge remains limited and incapable of comprehending the divine wisdom behind the order and the system Allah (swt) has chosen for the discipline of man and the administration of the universe as a whole.
يٰٓـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا كُتِبَ عَلَيۡکُمُ الصِّيَامُ کَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُوۡنَۙ
اَيَّامًا مَّعۡدُوۡدٰتٍؕ فَمَنۡ كَانَ مِنۡكُمۡ مَّرِيۡضًا اَوۡ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنۡ اَيَّامٍ اُخَرَؕ وَعَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ يُطِيۡقُوۡنَهٗ فِدۡيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسۡكِيۡنٍؕ فَمَنۡ تَطَوَّعَ خَيۡرًا فَهُوَ خَيۡرٌ لَّهٗ ؕ
وَاَنۡ تَصُوۡمُوۡا خَيۡرٌ لَّـکُمۡ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ
شَهۡرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِىۡٓ اُنۡزِلَ فِيۡهِ الۡقُرۡاٰنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَ بَيِّنٰتٍ مِّنَ الۡهُدٰى وَالۡفُرۡقَانِۚ فَمَنۡ شَهِدَ مِنۡكُمُ الشَّهۡرَ فَلۡيَـصُمۡهُ ؕ وَمَنۡ کَانَ مَرِيۡضًا اَوۡ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنۡ اَيَّامٍ اُخَرَؕ يُرِيۡدُ اللّٰهُ بِکُمُ الۡيُسۡرَ وَلَا يُرِيۡدُ بِکُمُ الۡعُسۡرَ-
وَلِتُکۡمِلُوا الۡعِدَّةَ وَلِتُکَبِّرُوا اللّٰهَ عَلٰى مَا هَدٰٮكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّکُمۡ تَشۡكُرُوۡنَ
Believers! Fasting is enjoined upon you, as it was enjoined upon those before you, that you become God-fearing. Fasting is for a fixed number of days, and if one of you be sick, or if one of you be on a journey, you will fast the same number of other days later on. For those who are capable of fasting (but still do not fast) there is a redemption: feeding a needy man for each day missed. Whoever voluntarily does more good than is required, will find it better for him; and that you should fast is better for you, if you only know. During the month of Ramadan the Qur'an was sent down as a guidance to the people with Clear Signs of the true guidance and as the Criterion (between right and wrong). So those of you who live to see that month should fast it, and whoever is sick or on a journey should fast the same number of other days instead. Allah wants ease and not hardship for you so that you may complete the number of days required, magnify Allah for what He has guided you to, and give thanks to Him. (Surah 2: 183-185)
This important announcement -
begins by addressing believers directly to remind them of who they are and of their status with Allah (swt). Allah (swt) is aware that for believers to fulfil any religious obligation, regardless of its immediate benefits, they need encouragement and motivation. Hence they are addressed by their essential quality of having faith.
establishes that fasting had been made obligatory for earlier believers, and that the aim behind it is to open their hearts to Allah (swt) and make them more conscious of Him. This, then, is the principal objective of fasting: to be God-fearing, or taqwā.
states Fasting, when observed in obedience to Allah (swt) and in pursuit of His pleasure, instils and revives this quality in the human heart and acts as a safeguard against evil and wrongdoing.
relates to true believers who know and appreciate the value of being God-fearing in Allah (swt)’s sight. Hence, they constantly seek to enhance their sense of it.
Conditions for fasting:
Fasting is prescribed for a specific number of days. It is not required the whole year round.
Those who are ill or travelling are exempt from fasting until they recover or return home. On the face of it, the type and extent of the illness and the travel to which the exemption applies are left unqualified. Therefore, any kind of illness or travel would exempt one from fasting, provided one makes up for it at some other time, after one has recovered or returned home.
This would seem to be the most appropriate interpretation of the Qur’ānic statement, truly reflecting the overriding Islamic objective of mitigating hardship and relieving discomfort. The concession is not conditional on either the severity of the illness or on how arduous the journey is, because in all cases people should not have to undergo any undue strain as a result of fasting. There could be other considerations, known only to Allah (swt), for leaving the conditions so general. Fasting during illness or in the course of a journey could result in hardship or adayah effects that human beings cannot foresee or predict.
Islam does not lead people to obedience by force. It guides them through their consciousness of Allah (swt), which is the ultimate objective.
Those who use concessions to evade religious obligation merely bring their own faith under suspicion, because their attitude negates the very purpose of the obligation. Above all, it is important to keep in mind that Islam is a religion laid down by Allah (swt) not by man, and He is best aware of how much tightening or relaxation is prudent in fulfilling its obligations.
History of Fasting:
Fasting was made obligatory for Muslims in the second year after the Hijrah, i.e. the Prophet’s migration from Makkah to Madinah (which was to become the start of the Islamic lunar calendar). Thus, the obligation of fasting was decreed shortly before the ordinance of jihād, or striving for Allah (swt)’s cause. As a new duty, fasting was at first hard for the Muslims to observe. Those who found it too strenuous were, therefore, given a concession, requiring them instead to feed one needy person for every day of fasting they miss. A general recommendation to feed the needy is then made, either as a voluntary act in itself or by feeding more than the minimum number of needy people in instead of fasting. “He who does good of his own account does himself good thereby.”
Obligatory Fasting: Fasting was made more appealing due to the fact that
it is observed in Ramadan,
the month in which the Qur’ān was revealed.
It is a significant distinction since the Qur’ān is the definitive and timeless Book of the Muslim community, its guiding light, the source of its strength and security, from which it has drawn all the enduring qualities and elements that have made it great. Without the gifts that the Qur’ān has given the Muslim community, it would have become forgotten history long ago. As a token of gratitude to Allah (swt) Almighty, Muslims observe the fast in the month of Ramadan during which the Qur’ān was revealed.
It was in the month of Ramadan that the Qur’ān was revealed: a guidance for mankind and a self-evident proof of that guidance and a standard to distinguish right from wrong. Therefore, whoever of you is present in that month shall fast throughout the month; but he who is ill or on a journey shall fast instead the same number of days later on. (Surah 2: 185) This ayah establishes fasting in Ramadan as obligatory for all healthy non-travelling Muslims, with no concessions except for the elderly.
Religious and social activities and responsibilities are discharged with ease, confidence and assurance, in the happy knowledge that Allah’s purpose is to enable man to go through life with the minimum of hardship or discomfort.
Fasting is an occasion to celebrate Allah’s guidance, glory and grace.
It is a time during which believers can feel and appreciate Allah’s favours and reciprocate with thanks, submission and gratitude.
In doing so, Muslims cultivate the precious and vital quality of taqwā, or God-fearing; a main objective of fasting. Thus we can see how evident Allah’s grace is in the imposition of the duty of fasting which, on the face of it, seems hard and demanding. We can clearly see its educational and disciplinary benefits for a nation being prepared for the leadership of mankind, guided by a genuine fear of Allah (swt), a keen sense of accountability, and a vigorous conscience.
Apart from cases of illness or travel, fasting would be more beneficial and preferable despite the hardship or discomfort it might cause: “For to fast is to do good to yourselves, if you only knew it.” (Surah 2: 184)
Rest Allah knows best.
Source: Quran, In the shade of the Quran