The Meaning and Rules of Fasting
- From: "Faris Jawad" <ana_faris_bila_jawad@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 13:26:07 -0400
The Meaning and Rules of Fasting
What is Fasting?
Fasting is called sawm in the Qur'an. The word sawm literally means "to
abstain". In Surat Maryam, Allah tells that Mary the mother of Jesus said
("I have vowed a fast (sawm) for the sake of the Merciful, so today I shall
not speak to anyone.") (Maryam 19:26) The meaning is "I have vowed to
abstain from speaking to anyone today." According to Shari 'ah, the word
sawm means to abstain from all those things that are forbidden during
fasting from the break of dawn to the sunset, and to do this with the
intention of fasting.
Purpose of Fasting
The Qur'an says what means, (O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for
you as it was prescribed for those who were before you, in order that you
may learn taqwa (piety)) (Al-Baqarah 2:183).
Taqwa is a very important spiritual and ethical term of the Qur'an. It is
the sum total of all Islamic spirituality and ethics. It is a quality in a
believer's life that keeps him/her aware of Allah all the time. A person who
has taqwa loves to do good and to avoid evil for the sake of Allah.
Taqwa is piety, righteousness and consciousness of Allah. Taqwa requires
patience and perseverance. Fasting teaches patience, and with patience one
can rise to the high position of taqwa.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that fasting is a shield.
It protects a person from sin and lustful desires. When the disciples of
Jesus asked him how to cast the evil spirits away, he is reported to have
said, "But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting." (Matthew
17:21).
According to Imam Al-Ghazali (d. 1111 C.E.), fasting produces a semblance of
divine quality of samadiyyah (freedom from want) in a human being. Imam Ibn
Al-Qayyim (d. 1350 C.E.), viewed fasting as a means of releasing the human
spirit from the clutches of desire, thus allowing moderation to prevail in
the carnal self. Imam Shah Waliullah Dahlawi (d. 1762 C.E.) viewed fasting
as a means of weakening the bestial and reinforcing the angelic elements in
human beings. Maulana Mawdudi (d. 1979 C.E.) emphasized that fasting for a
full month every year trains a person individually, and the Muslim community
as a whole, in piety and self restraint.
Click here to continue
http://islamonline.net/English/introducingislam/Worship/Fasting/article03.shtml
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