Fasting: The Gateway to Worship

“The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance to men, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion. So whoever of you is present in the Month, he shall fast therein.” —Holy Qur'an 2:185

Fasting is a secret between the Believer and his Lord. Allah (God) says. ‘Fasting is Mine and it is I who give reward for it.” Allah (God) does not need our prayers. He does not need our fast, yet, He has said that the fasting out of all the prescribed duties of the Muslim is His. He claims this particular rite of worship as His own because, the fact is, only Allah (God) knows that you are observing the fast. We can step out in public and act like we are fasting but we are left to ourselves at some point in the day to try out our will, and Allah (God) knows what we do.

We are approached in this Holy Month with the prospect of abstaining from meals and those things that are otherwise permitted. This is among the reasons Fasting is considered the gateway to worship. It is stated in the traditions of Muhammad that, “Everything has a gateway and the gateway to worship is prescribed fasting.” If we can build our will to the degree that we will deny ourselves that which we know is a basic need, such as eating, we will, with the help of Allah (God), be able to conquer any bad habit and cultivate our will to achieve steadfastness in our strides toward success.

Fasting is among the five principles of Islamic action. During the Month of Ramadan fasting is a practice through which the Believer seeks redemption and renewal. The root meaning of the word Ramadan, is Ramid in Arabic, which means to be burning with excessive heat, or to be scorched by the Sun. Ramada means to sharpen (a blade) between two stones, and to roast, or burn. A person fasting, by a comparison, sharpens their nature between the two stones of hunger and thirst burning away bad habits, negative character, and improper actions. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, “The Month of Ramadan was named such because it tends to “ramad” (or burn) the sins.”

Allah (God), the Most High, says to us, “… fasting is prescribed for you … so that you may guard against evil.” (Holy Qur'an 2:183) Fasting during the Month of Ramadan trains us to control our unbridled appetites so that we can present ourselves to Allah (God) as obedient, clean and upright people. And guard ‘self' from the harm of that which is destructive to our own health and society. The Month of Ramadan, which lasts for twenty-nine or thirty days, is a month for purifying the human biological and spiritual appetites and provides us with a way to get reacquainted every year with what is needed from ‘self' to sharpen our will power and increase our devotion and worshipful conduct throughout the rest of the year.

The month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the lunar calendar and this month gives the observer an opportunity to reflect on the year, as one makes a new year's resolution, with a goal toward self-improvement. We take this opportunity to reflect on our year to take account for what we could have done better in our duty toward Allah (God) and in service of humanity with remorse over our transgressions.

This is also a time in which the Believer contemplates the Grace of Allah (God) with a thankful spirit. During this month observers of the Fast seek to heighten their sense of consciousness to repel improper actions through acts of kindness and service toward humanity and the fellow Believer. This is the month where the Believer shows complete tenderness of heart. Allah (God) says in the Qur'an that the Believer is hard on the disbelieving wrongdoer but is to be soft on his fellow Believer. Many times we get this confused. We are harder on our brothers and sisters because we say, ‘Oh, he should know better!” However, the fact is that our brothers and sisters are striving in righteousness for self-improvement and should be honored as such. Overlook the faults of your brother or sister and find excuse for them as we do for ourselves.

We are reminded that if we see any imperfection in our brother or sister, know that the Believer is a mirror to the Believer. One cannot recognize the fault of another if one does not, himself own that fault, or have, themselves, once been guilty of such fault. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad gives beautiful guidance in these words, “during this month, let there be no quarreling or disputing in our homes or abroad.” “In this month, we should keep our minds on Allah,” and, “In this month of fasting we shall keep our minds and hearts clean.” Muhammad, on him be peace, said, “many get nothing out of the fast except hunger and thirst,” suggesting that there is no true reward or benefit in the fast for the one that is engaged in gossip, slander, idle talk, and other activities that are of sport and play, which take away from the remembrance of Allah (God), Most High.

This Month of Ramadan is a month for Muslims to strive toward unity and build community bonds by observing meals with one another and by seeking each other out for forgiveness. As we seek the forgiveness of Allah (God), we also seek atonement of any wrong or harm we may have committed against one another. May Allah (God) unite our hearts in this Month and grant us the will to exchange our low desires with the desire to please Allah (God) alone.

(Sultan Rahman Muhammad is the great-grandson of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and teaches Arabic at Muhammad University of Islam. He teaches a Prayer Class every Sunday at Mosque Maryam, The National Center 1:00PM-2:30PM)