| 12 August 2010
Do you know that we are going to host a unique, a generous and an honourable guest; a guest that visits us once a year and brings with it all sorts of blessings; a guest that brings with it the wide Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah; a guest that brings with it a smell of Paradise; a guest that makes the believer closer to Allah and His Paradise and away from Devil (Shaitan) and Hell Fire. It is Ramadhan, the month of the Qur’an, the month of Mercy, the month of Forgiveness, the month of prayer at night and Suhoor, the month of solidarity and mutual help, the month of all blessings.
It is reported from some of the Salaf, pious ancestors that they used to pray to Allah during the six months before Ramadan to extend their lives so that they can fast Ramadan, and in the six months after Ramadan they would ask Allah to accept their fasting of Ramadan. Therefore, we have to be thankful to Allah that He allowed us to witness this Ramadan, so let us please Him during this month.
Why do we fast? It is from the nature of humans to ask questions and to wonder why they do things. But before responding to this question let us see the etymology of the word saum. Siyam (Fasting): in Arabic means “to abstain from something”.
For example, Allah says about Maryam (Mary) in the Qur’an that she said [meaning]: “Verily! I have vowed a fast to the Most Beneficent (Allah) so I shall not speak to any human this day “[Maryam 19:26]. It means even abstaining from speech is included in the meaning of the word saum and once was also observed as a part of fasting.
In the famous Arabic lexicon Lisan al Arab of Ibn Manzoor the meaning of the word saum has been given as:
Saum means taraku al ta´am wal sharāb wal Nikah wal Kalām. (Volume 12, P-350-351)
In Muffradat al Imam Raghib Isfahani the meaning of saum is given as: to abstain from some work whether related to eating drinking or talking .It is in this sense that a horse which does not eat fodder or stops from walking is called as Sayem in the usage of the Arabs. (Lahore, Volume, 11 p-601)
Thus when we say that someone has observed saum it indicates that he abstained in an absolute sense and this is the primary signification of the word saum or we can say this is the primary signification in the proper language of the Arabs and in the language of Law when we use those word it means a person has observed saum that is a particular kind of abstinence ,he abstained from food ,drink and coitus ,and by a tropical application abstaining from speech as in the Quran :Verily I have vowed unto the compassionate ]an abstaining from speech. When a horse stands without fodder or abstained from the eating of fodder or when we say that sauma an al sayar it means it has abstained from going along or journeying (Lane p-1749).
In the same sense when we use the word saum in respect of wind or nihar or day or Sun, it conveys the meaning of stillness .For example, we say Saum al Rih ,the wind became still or calm , Saum al Maa, the water became still ,or motionless .(,Arabic English Lexicon, book 1, Part 4, 1872, p-1750 , London)
In religion (Islam) Siyam means “abstaining from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn until sunset with the sincere intention of doing so (for the sake of Allah)”.
According Abu Ubeed in the fasting we don’t only mention intention verbally and in action but basically in the very word saum is included the intention of the heart and abstinence from eating and drinking.
Therefore among the pillars of fasting apart from abstaining from eating and drinking intention become very crucial.
Also the Messenger of Allah (S) said: Actions are judged according to the intention behind them, and for everyone is what he intended” [Bukhari and Muslim]
The intention must be made before Fajr and during every night of Ramadan and is valid if made in any part of the night. Hafsah reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever does not determine to fast before Fajr will have no fast” (that is it won’t be accepted) [an-Nasa’i, at Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and others, Sahih]. In this Hadith of the prophet the same fact has been mentioned:
The Prophet (SAW) said: “He who fasts Ramadhan, due to Iman and hoping for reward (from Allah) then his past sins are forgiven.” [Al-Bukhari, Muslim]
Here it is again reiterated that the prime motive and intention behind saum should be pleasure of Allah and not the ostentation.
Muslims do things to please Allah, and they can please Allah only by obeying Him and practicing His religion. Thus, in answer to this question “Why do we fast?” we respond that it is a commandment and a clear order from Allah upon us and we have no other choice but to obey Allah and please Him out of Love and Fear at the same time.
If our intention in observing fast is not for the sake of Allah but for showing off then it will tantamount to committing a shirk as has been mentioned in a Hadith. Striving for Ihsan (righteousness and sincerity) and staying away from riyaa’ (showing off) is the actual purport of observing fasting.
Ihsan means to worship Allah as if one sees Him, for if one does not see Him, He sees all. Hasan al-Basri said:"By Allah in the last twenty years, I have not said a word or taken something with my hand or refrained to take something with my hand or stepped forward or stepped back, except that I have thought before I have done any action,’ Does Allah love this action ? Is Allah pleased with this action?' “So when one is fasting, one should gain this quality of watching oneself and also staying away from riyaa (showing off). That is why Allah said in a Hadith-i-Qudusi, ".Fasting is for Me and I will reward it.” (Bukhari) Allah singles out fasting from all other types of worship saying, "..Fasting is for Me..", because no one knows whether you are fasting or not, except Allah. For example, when one is praying or giving charity or making Tawaf, one can be seen by the people, so one might do the action seeking the praise of the people. Sufyan at-Thawri used to spend the nights and the days crying and the people used to ask him: "Why do you cry, is it due to the fear of Allah ?", he said, ‘No.', they said, “Is it due to the fear of the hell-fire ?", he said, 'No. It is not the fear of Allah that makes me cry, what makes me cry is that I have been worshipping Allah all these years and doing scholarly teaching, but I am not certain that my intentions are purely for Allah.' Indeed, the Prophet (saw.) has said: “Perhaps a person fasting will receive nothing from his fasting except hunger and thirst.” [Ibn Maajah, Ad-Daarimee, Ahmad, al-Baihaqi, Sahih]
Abu Umaamah (r.a.a.) said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an action by which I may enter Paradise. He said: Take to Fasting, there is nothing like it. [An-Nasa’i, Ibn Hibbaan, Al-Haakim, Sahih]
In this Hadith, the Prophet (saw.) singled out fasting when asked about a deed that leads its doer to the best of rewards, Paradise. This fact alone is sufficient for us to understand the greatness of fasting. Mere knowledge of the importance and superiority of fasting, however, is not enough for a Muslim to attain Allah’s pleasure and then, Inshâ’ Allah, His great reward.
This Hadith should raise our concern about fasting and increase our desire to perform this act of worship with the best intention and in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw.). The first step is for a Muslim to realize that Allah has prescribed fasting as a means of gaining Taqwa. Allah (swt) has also informed us that it is Taqwa that distinguishes people in the His sight.
Allah says: “The most honoured by Allah amongst you are those best in Taqwa.” [49:13]
The reward for fasting is immense, as mentioned in the following Hadith: “Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward; each good deed receiving ten times it’s like, up to seven hundred times. Allah the Most High said, ‘Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his desires and his food for Me.’ for the fasting person there are two times of joy; a time when he breaks his fast and a time of joy when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth of the fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk.” [Al-Bukhari]
Also, Sahl ibn Sa’ said that the Prophet (saw.) said: “Indeed there is a gate of Paradise called ar-Rayyaan. On the day of Resurrection those who fast will enter through it; no one enters it except for them, and when they have entered, it is closed so that no one enters it, so when the last of them enters it, it is closed, and whoever enters it drinks, and whoever drinks never becomes thirsty.” [Ibn Khuzaimah, Sahih].
Fasting is a shield against the Fire: “Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself from the Fire.” [Ahmad, Sahih] and his saying (saws) “No servant fasts on a day in the path of Allah except that Allah removes the hellfire seventy years further from his face.” [related by the group except for Abu Dawood] On the Day of Judgement, “Fasting will say: O My Lord I prevented him from food and desires so accept my intercession for him.” [Ahmad, al-Haakim and Abu Nu’aim, Hasan] Fasting is a means for one’s sins to be forgiven. Fasting is expiation for various sins, as mentioned in the Qur’an, (in verses: 2:196, 4:92, 5:89, 5:95 and 58:3-4.)
The supplication of the fasting person is answered: “There are in the month of Ramadhan in every day and night those to whom Allah grants freedom from the Fire, and there is for every Muslim a supplication which he can make and will be granted.” [Al-Bazaar, Ahmad, Sahih]
The fasting person will be among the true followers of the prophets and the martyrs: ‘Amr ibn Murrah al-Juhaanee r.a.a. said: A man came to the Prophet (saw.) and said: O Messenger of Allah, what if I testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah, and I observe the five daily prayers, and I pay the Zakah, and I fast and stand in prayer in Ramadhan, then amongst whom shall I be? He said: Amongst the true followers of the prophets and the martyrs. [Ibn Hibbaan, Sahih]
Fasting is a shield against one’s base desires, as the Prophet (saw.) told the youth: “O youths, whoever amongst you is able to marry then let him do so, since it restrains the eyes and protects the private parts, and he who is unable, then let him fast because it is a shield for him.” [al-Bukhari, Muslim]
Once we realize the greatness of fasting and what achievement it leads to, we must put all our efforts in performing the fast in the best manner possible. And since fasting is worship, it must be done solely for Allah’s sake, and no intention is accepted, other than pleasing Allah and seeking His Face with all one’s sincerity. Without a correct intention, no deed is of any value in the Hereafter.
We Muslims must constantly verify our intentions and consider why we perform fasting. Do we do so merely because it is the practice of our parents and friends, or do we do so because it is part of our tradition, or perhaps because we simply want to conform to our environment in order to avoid any problems? A Muslim who realizes that only that which is with Allah remains, and that He (swt) is the only One who grants and withholds, would not be of those to which the Prophet (saw.) alluded in the Hadith: “On the Day of Judgement, a caller will cry out, ‘Whoever performed a deed for someone other than Allah may seek his reward from that for which he performed the deed’” [Sahih al-Jami].