LINK BETWEEN FASTING AND CHARITY
In much the same way that the
Qur'anic stamp of approval for sexual relations during the nights which follow
the days of fasting leads to the spiritualization of sex and chastity, so too,
does the Qur'anic exemptions from the compulsory fast for those who are ill or
on a journey, permitting them to make up for the 'missed' days after Ramadan,
lead to a certain religious pragmatism, realism and moderation. When religion
ceases to be realistic and practical it soon loses its appeal to the masses. It
is precisely for this reason that the Qur'an comments, in the context of the
exemptions:
"God intends every facility for you: He does not want to put you to difficulties."
"God intends every facility for you: He does not want to put you to difficulties."
(Qur'an 2:185)
Those, on the other hand, who are permanently incapable of fasting either because of the nature of their illness or because of the disabilities of old age, are permitted to feed the poor in lieu of fasting. And this reference to charity brings us to the social dimension of fasting. Ramadan is the month when God is most charitable to His creatures. Thus the Prophet is reported to have said: "When Ramadan begins the gates of heaven are opened... The gates of mercy are opened... The gates of hell are locked and the devils are chained." Indeed during Ramadan: " ...some are freed from hell by God, and that happens every night." This generosity and charity from (above also found expression in the life of the Prophet who, according to Ibn Abbas:
"When the month of Ramadan
began, set every prisoner free and gave to every beggar. "
As a consequence, spending
freely of one's substance in charity is an integral part of the institution of fasting
in Islam. It is significant that the compulsory fast of Ramadan was not
promulgated by the Qur'an until the Muslims had migrated from Makkah and had
settled themselves as an organized community in Madinah. This was so precisely
because fasting in Islam is not a strictly private affair but has a social
function to perform in alleviating the condition of the poor, the destitute,
the under- privileged and the weak in the society. So integral is this care for
the poor and needy to the religious way of life that the Qur'an considers its neglect
to be a repudiation of religion:
"Seest thou one who
repudiates religion? Then such is the (man) who repulses the orphan (with
harshness) and encourages not the feeding of the indigent. So woe to the worshippers
who are neglectful of their prayers. Those who want (but) to be seen (of men)
but refuse (to supply) (even) neighbourly needs."
(Qur'an, 107:1-7)
It should be clear that the
institution of fasting in Islam makes a vitally important contribution to
Islam's championing of that noble cause. Indeed what Islam accomplishes in
fasting is nothing less that the spiritualization of charity, for this is the
implication of the linking of charity with fasting.
The momentum generated in the
month of Ramadan in respect of the spiritualization of charity, is enhanced at
no less a place than the house of God itself (the Kaaba in Makkah), when during
Hajj and Umrah, the pilgrim who is forced by illness to shave his hair before the
completion of the rites, is required to compensate for this either by fasting
or by feeding the poor. (Qur'an, 2: 196) Thus even in the House of God Himself,
fasting and charity have the same status.
In a contemporary world in
which 'aid' as a form of 'imperialism' is so common, Islam's spiritualization
of charity is sorely needed.
To Be Continued ....
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