Spiritually, it cleans one inner self and removes the bugs left behind evil and ill thoughts. The spiritual discipline that can help you draw closer to God, humble yourself before Him, resist temptation, seek His guidance, and show solidarity with others. By fasting and praying, you can grow in our relationship with God and become more obedient to His will.
Fasting has pleasant effects of one's health and body. It can can slow down aging, prevent the development of diabetes, thyroid disorders, hypertension and heart disease and increase the chances of a long and healthy life. It also promotes weight loss. A healthy body weight automatically translates to healthier joints and a great body image. The concept of intermittent fasting which has lately become very popular and is widely adopted is based on the fasting which is applicable to people of the varying faiths.
Fasting also has its social dimension. Since the basic purpose of fasting is to discipline oneself, A fasting man is not allowed to use foul language and be harsh to others for it is against the spirit of fasting. It aids in preventing quarrels, backbiting and lies and fighting. This sudden change can have healthy effects on the society for everyone would be making an endeavour to be good to others to take full benefits of fasting as promised by Allah.
We share today a wholesome Hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ which lays down the basic guidelines for fasting which please Allah and thus the reciprocal reward. At the end of two pleasures of a fasting person are mentioned. We will explain these after you read the hadith.
This Hadith is mentioned in Sahi al-Bukhārī (Book 30 - Fasting / كتاب االصوم / Chapter 9: Should one say, "I am observing Saum (fast)" on being abused? / باب هَلْ يَقُولُ إِنِّي صَائِمٌ إِذَا شُتِمَ) as Hadith 1904, given herein under:
Narrated by Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Allah said, 'All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.' Fasting is a shield or protection from the fire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, 'I am fasting.' By Him in Whose Hands my soul is' The unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting."
Arabic Text:
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، أَخْبَرَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عَطَاءٌ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ الزَّيَّاتِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " قَالَ اللَّهُ كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلاَّ الصِّيَامَ، فَإِنَّهُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ. وَالصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ، وَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ، فَلاَ يَرْفُثْ وَلاَ يَصْخَبْ، فَإِنْ سَابَّهُ أَحَدٌ، أَوْ قَاتَلَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ صَائِمٌ. وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَخُلُوفُ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ، لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ يَفْرَحُهُمَا إِذَا أَفْطَرَ فَرِحَ، وَإِذَا لَقِيَ رَبَّهُ فَرِحَ بِصَوْمِهِ ".
In the above quoted Hadith, it is Allah Who is telling His servants what He expects of us while we fast. We will not repeat what is mentioned in the Hadith. However, we will discuss the very last part which mentions the two pleasures of a fasting person:
Pleasure of breaking the fast: After a day of avoidance of food and drink, there can be no pleasure better than opening the fast. The pinching thirst during the day, specially in scorching summers is really a great test for a fasting man. I remember my fasting in days of June inn one of the hottest place in my country, Pakistan. The temperature would soar to 50 degrees Celsius during day and we being in the field work would get the worst brunt of the scorching sun overhead. And I cannot explain the pleasure of drinking water, which we drank in gallons, to hydrate our bodies. We used be more attracted towards water than the food. This is the pleasure which is being mentioned here.
Pleasure of meeting Allah: The second the more pronounced pleasure would be when believers fasting for the love of Allah will meet their Creator. That day will be special day for the blessed men of fasting for they will be treated like state guest for the abstained from what is otherwise Halal for the love of their Creator. And Allah will exclusively reward them for fasting.
SO my dear sister and brothers in Islam, let us not waste away our fasting by doing acts which are forbidden during the period of fasting, so that our fasts are accepted and we are duly rewarded.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Please refer to our reference page: Collection of Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ about Saum - Fasting in Ramadan for more Hadiths on the subject
Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about Hadiths and Sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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