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| All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. [Muhammad's Last Sermon] |
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
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Why do Muslims fast?
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| Allah (God) says in the Quran: “O you who believe! Fasting has been written for you, as it was written for those before you, in order that you may become God-fearing” (Quran chapter 2 verse 183)
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This verse makes clear that the fast is an opportunity for us to get closer to our Lord, until we are pious or God-fearing ( taqwa). The meaning of this piety, according to the words of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad  , is:
"The fear of al-Jaleel (one of Allah's names), the acting upon what has been sent down (of revelation) and the preparedness for the Day of Judgment."
Not all those who fast will gain this taqwa, as some people will gain only hunger and thirst if their intention in fasting was not purely to worship Allah  . Islamic scholars have therefore said that gaining taqwa is the wisdom (general objective) behind Allah requiring all Muslims to fast; to give them all the best opportunity to get close to Allah. In the same way, some people do not worship Allah at all, yet the wisdom in creating mankind was so that we may worship Allah.
Allah says "I did not create mankind or the Jinn, except to worship Me" (Quran chapter 51 verse 56)
The wisdom of Allah ordering us to do something may or may not be achieved, as Allah gave us the ability to choose whether to obey or disobey His instructions.
Fasting is part of a Muslim's worship of his Lord. By doing so, we are submitting our own desires to conform to what Allah is pleased with. Islam itself means submission, and by rejecting any food or drink during the daylight hours we are completely submitting our own will to the will of the Creator, Allah .
The Prophet said: " None of you will be true believers until your desires are in accordance with what I came with." | |
We do not fast in order to give our bodies a rest or to 'detox', although this may be a side-effect of doing so. Similarly, we do not fast to empathise with the poor who regularly go hungry. Our experience may lead us to feel for the suffering of the poor, but this is not the reason for us fasting. Simply, fasting is an act of submission to please Allah, our Lord.
The Prophet Muhammad told us that Allah said "All deeds of the children of Adam are for them, except fasting, which is for Me and I will give the reward for it." | |
| One may expect that Muslims dread the month of Ramadan, particularly in these long summer days, as there will be much hardship in fasting during it. Yet, as we are fasting to please Allah, the opposite is true of the believer: we actually look forward to Ramadan. Muslims the world over are waiting in eager anticipation to get closer to their Lord during this glorious month – you may even hear the cheers as the moon is sighted to mark its beginning. |
| Categories: Islam Explained,
| Tags: Fast,
Fasting,
Ramadan,
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The following articles are also linked to this article: | chapter: Can the Quran be translated? The Quran was sent down in the Arabic language from Allah to Muhammad with the angel Jibreel (Gabriel) as the messenger. It is the direct speach of Allah , so it cannot be considered Allah's wor... |
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