FASTING AND POWER
Now taqwa possesses both a
moral and a spiritual dimension. In respect of its moral dimension it connotes
moral rectitude which is the fruit of a divinely-grounded vigilance, on the one
hand, and the purification of the heart (tazkiyah) on the other. Moral
rectitude manifests itself in acts of commission (awamir) and omission (nawahi),
i.e. performing virtuous acts required by the moral code such as 'giving
alms to the poor', on the one hand, and refraining from evil acts (also
prohibited by the moral code) such as acts of bribery
and corruption on the other.
Almighty Allah (subhanahu wa ta’alah) declares in the Qur'an:
"Whosoever purifies (the nafs) has achieved success. And whosoever
corrupts it has failed. " (Qur'an, 91:9)
The implication of this verse
of the Qur'an is that values must be recognized as one of the foundations of power.
Indeed there is a specific confirmation of such in the chronological sequence
of the revelation of the Qur'an.
After the migration from Makkah
to Madinah had been effected, and shortly after victory over the Quraish at
Badr, Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’alah)
revealed the Surah entitled AI-Anfal (the spoils of war) in which He recalled
the road which had been travelled:
"Call to mind (that time) when you were a small (band), weak,
helpless (and vulnerable) in (your) territory, and afraid that (hostile) people
would finish you of. Then (Allah) provided you with (a way to) safety and
refuge, and empowered you with His aid, and provided you with wholesome
resources that you might be grateful. "
(Qur'an, 8:26)
The power to which Allah (subhanahu wa ta’alah) refers was, of course, manifest in the battle of Badr. And the manifestation of that power was of such strategic importance in the Divine scheme that Allah (subhanahu wa ta’alah) went on to describe it as the 'Furqan', or criterion, through which truth was distinguished from falsehood (verse 29). He also says:
"That it (the demonstration of power) might serve to confirm
Truth and expose Falsehood, distasteful though it be to those in guilt.”
(Qur'an 8:8)
What is of critical importance
for our topic is the fact that Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’alah) chose
a moment shortly before the month of Ramadan, in which the battle of Badr was
fought, to reveal the verses of the Qur'an which promulgated the compulsory
fast of Ramadan. It should be clear as daylight that the fast of Ramadan
was instituted to function as a means through which the community may be empowered.
If not, how can we possibly explain the long delay in promulgating the
institution of fasting? Would it not have been beneficial to the oppressed
Muslims of Makkah to have been given the fast of Ramadan? Would it not have
enhanced their fortitude to resist the kuffar? The fact that Allah (subhanahu wa ta’alah) waited more than fourteen
years, after the commencement of the revelation of the Qur'an, to reveal the
verses relating to the compulsory fast of Ramadan, is a direct indication of
the relationship which exists between fasting and power.
There is a link between fasting
and power. The link is that fasting not only builds, but also, reinforces and
consolidates values, and values form an indispensable foundation of power.
Also, since no nation, society
or civilization can ever rise to greatness without establishing and sustaining
the moral health of its people, it follows that the institution of fasting in
religion plays a role of crucial importance in nation-building and in the
process of establishing a healthy and enduring society and civilization. In fact
the Qur'an goes beyond this to claim that survival, in the historical process,
depends upon moral health. It does so when it declares that those who purify themselves
and permit the proper growth and development of their moral being will succeed
(in history as well as in the Divine scheme of things). Those, on the other
hand, who corrupt themselves and, in the process, obstruct the growth and
development of their moral being, will eventually perish. (Qur'an, 91:9-10) This
holds true as much for the social order, the nation and civilization, as for
the individual.
The Qur'an does not merely
state this thesis as a fact. It does more than that. It seeks to demonstrate the
validity of the thesis by inviting attention to the historical process at work
in the rise and fall of nations and civilizations. And, in order to facilitate that
inquiry it narrates· the history of certain nations
and tribes which perished because of moral corruption consequent upon the collapse
of values.
To Be Continued ....
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