The Sunday Mail
Umari Stambuli Holy Quran
This is a common but interesting question which a child may ask his/her parents. Non-Muslims may also pose the question. Here are some of the reasons why Muslims observe a month of fasting during Ramadhaan:
(1) To obey Allah’s injunction
The main reason for it is quite simple: They have been commanded by Allah Almighty to do so. “O ye who believe. Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you. That you may gain God consciousness.” Holy Qur’aan Ch 2 : v 183)
(2) To practice the tradition, and way of the Divine Messengers and pious people.
Fasting is not new to Islam; it is, indeed, as old as Adam, who was the first to be created and the first to submit to only one Allah (a Muslim). The Holy Qur’aan mentions that Prophet Musa (Moses peace be upon him) fasted for 40 days and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that Dawood (David peace be upon him) used to fast every alternate day throughout the year. Also, ‘Eisa (Jesus peace be upon him) used to fast for 40 days.
(3) To attain piety and gain forgiveness of sins
By the very nature of human beings, they are susceptible to sins and transgression of Allah’s limits. Generally, Muslims are prohibited from gossiping, backbiting, slandering, hypocrisy, lying, cheating, grudges, fornicating as these vices oppose the teachings of the Holy Qur’aan.
Since human beings created to err as a result of forgetfulness, they need to be reminded and coached against any social vices from time to time. This will require a fixed training period where one will know and learn how to put an end to vices, learn virtues and get closer to The Almighty Allah. That training period is fasting during Ramadhaan, which occurs once in every year.
(4) Spiritual cleansing
For the Muslim, Ramadhaan is a time to set things right once more, to sort out the priorities in one’s life. It is a time to make a new start and to take one’s faith seriously again, to be faithful to prayers, to recite the Qur’an, to give thanks at all times to The Almighty Allah for His goodness. Ramadhaan gives the chance to start all over again and to forget the mistakes of the past. It is a time to spring-clean one’s spiritual house and invite Allah into every room in that house.
(5) Lessons to be learnt – gratitude to be observed
When each day’s fast is over there is a sense of joy and happiness. It is a time when Muslims share what they have achieved during the day. They are Muslims and they have fasted for Allah’s sake.
And yet, let us remember something very important – for many in the world, the call to the evening prayer as the sun sets will not signal the end of their thirst, nor will it give them an opportunity for food! Let us not forget that in Ramadhaan, as we rejoice and celebrate the end of each day, there will be many in the world who will starve to death because they have no food!
We take many things for granted, like food and drink, like the love of our wives and children, our material possessions, etc. Let us truly be grateful every day — not only in Ramadhaan — for all the good things of this life that Allah has bestowed upon us.
After all what is the purpose of life?
In the Holy Qur’aan, Allah Almighty teaches human beings that they are created in order to glorify, serve and worship Him, and that the basis of all true worship is God-consciousness. All of Allah Almighty’s creatures worship Him naturally. However, humans have been given the free will to worship Allah Almighty, their Creator or to reject Him. This is a great test, but also a great honour. Since the teachings of Islam encompass all aspects of life and ethics, God-consciousness is encouraged in all human affairs. Islam makes it clear that all human acts are acts of worship if they are done for God Almighty alone and in accordance to His Divine Scripture and Law.
As such, worship in Islam is not limited to religious rituals, and for this reason it is more properly known as ‘way of life’ rather than a religion.
The teachings of Islam act as a mercy and a healing for the human soul, and qualities such as humility, sincerity, patience and charity are strongly encouraged. Additionally, Islam condemns pride and self-righteousness, since God Almighty is the only judge of human righteousness.
Accordingly we see that Islam is not a religion of monasticism or separation from the worldly life. On the other hand, it does not allow the uncontrolled indulgence of worldly pleasures and desires. It teaches us to nourish and satisfy our soul and spiritual needs just as much as we need food and provision for our body.
It is a complete social system which promotes a lifestyle based on moderation embracing both religious and mundane affairs, and considers them complementary to one another: neither aspect should prevail at the expense of the other. The balance required is highlighted in many verses of the Holy Qur’aan – eg. Ch 28 V 77.
For further information on Islam or a free copy of the Holy Qur’aan, please contact:
Majlisul Ulama Zimbabwe, Council of Islamic Scholars
Publications Department
P.O. Box W93, Waterfalls, Harare
Tel: 04-614078 / 614004, Fax : 04-614003
e-mail: [email protected]
