CHAPTER3
FASTING IN ISLAM - LAWS AND
LINKAGES
The compulsory fast of Islam is
to be observed during a fixed period of time (ayyaam maduda) (Qur'an
2:184), and the Qur'an identifies this fixed time as the lunar month of Ramadan
in the hijri calendar. (Qur'an, 2:185)
The compulsory fast commences
when the new crescent moon of Ramadan is visible, or when the month of Sha'ban
(which precedes Ramadan) has completed its thirtieth day, whichever is first. The
fast is observed daily from dawn to sunset. During this time one must refrain
from eating or drinking anything. One must also refrain from sexual
intercourse. After the sun has set and the daily fast has ended one may partake
of food and drink, and may engage in sexual relations. The month-long fast ends
when the new crescent moon of Shawwal is visible or the month of Ramadan has
completed its thirtieth day, whichever is first.
In the very process of
instituting fasting with an imperishable link with the lunar month - a span of time
determined by nature of which Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’alah)
is the author, the Qur'an provided a built-in mechanism in religion which
safeguarded against the process of the secularization of time.
The Qur'an itself claims that
it was revealed in the month of Ramadan, and this was so momentous an occasion
that the believers were required to fast for the entire month in order to show their
gratitude to Almighty Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’alah). And so Islam forged an imperishable link between
the revealed scripture (the Qur'an) and fasting. Now this is a matter of great
importance for, as we have already noted, the goal of fasting is taqwa and
taqwa 'reaches' Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’alah).
The Qur'an, on the other hand is an unbroken link between man and Allah. It is
the 'word' of Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’alah)
and hence possesses the Divine quality of uncreated eternity. Yet it exists in
a living human language, Arabic, and is thus readily accessible. The Qur'an is,
therefore, a 'rope' from Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’alah)
by holding on to which man can either ascend to Allah, or be drawn to Allah. (Qur'an,
3: 101)
In the secular society the fast
of Ramadan plays the strategically important role of restoring the
consciousness of the existence of the unseen world and of the revelations which have
been sent from that world as guidance for mankind. When once such revelations
are accepted by man he is obliged to submit to its authority.
We are also informed that the
Qur'an was revealed (or sent down) on a single night in Ramadan, namely the
'night of power' (lailatul qadr). Now this is a matter of tremendous
importance. Ramadan is the month of the compulsory fast, and Ramadan is also
the month in which exists the night the Qur'an was revealed. That night is the
night of power. There is, therefore, a clear link between fasting and power, a
link determined by Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’alah)
Himself Who chose Ramadan for the compulsory month-long fast.
Historically, however, it is
clear that the Qur'an actually reached the Prophet (through the medium of the
arch-angel Gabriel) in bits and pieces over a period of twenty-three years. The
explanation for this appearance of contradiction is that when Allah (subhanahu wa ta’alah) said that He sent down the Qur'an
in Ramadan, what He meant was that the Qur'an was sent down to the lowest
heaven (sam al duniyah) in Ramadan during the 'night of power'. Indeed
it still exists there where its verses (ayats) adorn the lowest heaven
as lamps. (Qur'an, 67:5) Like all the other revealed scriptures the Qur'an is
described as a 'light' from Allah (subhanahu
wa ta’alah)
and therefore each verse of the Qur'an is a 'light'. (Qur'an, 64:8) It was,
therefore, from the lowest heaven that the angel Gabriel brought the Qur'an piecemeal
to the heart of the Prophet (sallalahu
ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam) over a period of twenty
three years. The first revelation came to the Prophet (sallalahu ta’alah ‘alaihi wa sallam) on that 'night of power' when
he was meditating in the cave of Hira! Allah (subhanahu wa ta’alah) chose to give to the night of the first revelation the name
'night of power'. He could have named it the night of 'Truth', or of 'Peace', or
of 'Din' (religion). He did not! Since He named it the 'night of power',
the implication is that the Qur'an contains within it that through which power
can be acquired. We thus have linkages between fasting and power, and between
the Qur'an and power.
In the establishment of a
direct link between the month-long compulsory fast of Ramadan and the
continuous recitation and study of the revealed scripture (Qur'an), religion
has, in fact, reached a stage in its development never reached before. No other
religious community was ordered to fast for as long a period as one month every
year. Nor was fasting so organically linked to the recitation of the revealed
scripture in any previous religious community. Muslims, indeed are so fond of reciting
the Qur'an while fasting that the writer was amazed
when, as a young student just arrived in Cairo, he found so many people
reciting the Qur'an while travelling in crowded buses to work in the mornings
of Ramadan. Some, in fact, were standing in those packed buses with one hand clasping
the Qur'an and the other holding the rail. Not only do Muslims recite the Qur'an
while fasting but, in addition, they perform during the nights of Ramadan, the
prayers of the 'night vigil' (qiyam al-lail or taraweeh) in which the entire Qur'an is sometimes recited. This recitation,
like all others in salaat, is always performed in the original Arabic text of the
Qur'an.
Now although the Qur'an
recognizes that other religious scriptures also possess light (Qur'an, 5:47-49)
and.hence can be used in conjunction with fasting for achieving spiritual
nobility, the problem which non-Muslims face is that they are seldom in a position
to recite their scriptures in the original language in which they were
revealed, and. in which language alone they possess light. Most scriptures no .longer
exist in their original language, and when they do, the language is either dead
or archaic and hence not readily accessible to the believing masses. Only a
very tiny fraction of Christians today have ever read the Hebrew Bible, for example.
In a very real sense, the Qur'an is, perhaps, the only
revealed scripture which is readily accessible today to the overwhelming majority
of those who believe in it, accessible, that is, in the original language and text in which it was revealed.
This lends itself to further
support for the claim of the book to be the revealed word of God!
To Be Continued ....
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