A test of true faith

By S.G. Jilanee

"Ramazan is the month in which was sent down the Quran," which is a "guidance to all mankind," says The divine proclamation. (2:185). The call is irresistible. Those who have attained such a state of piety that their "skins tremble" when they listen to the Quran so that "their skins and their hearts do soften to the celebration of Allah's praises" (39:23), are a class apart.

They are the ones who, not only say by word of mouth, "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are (all) for Allah ...." (6:162), but demonstrate it in practical life. So, when Ramazan comes they recall the Message, "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you" (2:183), they prostrate themselves like obedient servants and say, "We hear and we obey" (2:285). "Not for them to question, why."

Such people rejoice at the advent of Ramazan, for which they had been waiting in eager expectation for eleven months. They spend the month in fasting, reciting the Quran, giving alms and in prolonged prayers, particularly in the late hours of the night, when man can communicate with Allah in absolute quiet.

But this should not at all be understood to mean that such people skip their normal chores and duties during the month. On the contrary, they perform all those acts of piety side by side with their normal daily business, reflecting the prayer, "Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the hereafter." (2:201).

However, all believers are not at the same level of piety. Most of us are ordinary, sinful, people. Actually, we are "Muslims," not "Momins," in the real sense of the term. To us applies the anecdote of some desert Arabs who had claimed, "We believe (aamanna)," only to be reminded "Ye have no faith. But say 'We have submitted our wills to Allah (aslamna),' because faith has not yet entered your hearts." (49:14).

The Ramazan fast is for the whole month - thirty days or twenty-nine, at a stretch. No break is permissible except in certain clearly defined cases. It was natural that this command to trigger the feeling among some people that this stressful duty was imposed on the followers of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), only. Therefore, to put their minds at rest, believers were reminded that such was not the case.

Ramazan fast was not an innovation exclusively for the ummah. Fasting was ordained on others before Islam - the Jews and Christians. "O ye who believe, fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you," Allah pointed out. He even explained the purpose behind prescribing the fasting, namely, "that ye may (learn) self-restraint." (2:183).

But a few other questions would still bother the common Muslim. For example, "even if it had to be thirty days, why consecutively? Why not allow the period to be spread out all over the year, at the individual's own will?"

Turning to the question of consecutive fasting versus its alternative, first, the former is more convenient if you ask anyone who fasts this way. The reason is simple. When people all around are fasting, and food and drink are not on display, it creates a congenial ambience. So an individual who fasts becomes a part of the crowd. He forgets the pressure of hunger or thirst and completes his fast without any discomfort.

By contrast, if one were to fast at any other time, he would feel singled out, and become self-conscious. He would also experience the stress of resisting food and drink when it will be available aplenty, all over the place. If he is a smoker, the "aroma" of tobacco when others around him are smoking would hit his olfactory senses to torment him. And above all it would not be possible to offer taraweeh prayer in a congregation and listen to the recitation of Quran.

Besides, in case of consecutive fasting, after the initial few days, it would become a routine. A sort of habit would form after one has adjusted to the new schedule of daily meals. On the other hand if one were to observe the fast by fits and starts, every time it would be new exercise, and he would feel its rigour more acutely.

Another very tangible benefit of a full month of fasting is that it reduces air pollution to the lowest level. There is no smoking either inside offices and stores or in the open. This result could not be achieved by spreading out the thirty days over the full year.

And finally, due to its full month of fasting, Ramazan is a "culture." It touches every Muslim and turns him towards piety, so that even those who do not offer prayers at other time during the year, offer congregational prayers during this month.

Ramazan also creates its own peculiar ambience. Mosques wear a festive look and overflow with people offering prayers. Even little children throng to the mosques. In the afternoons everything wakes up into activity. Nights are full of life as stores and eateries keep open till late hours. Nothing of this kind can happen if it is not a full month of fasting.

But, far more importantly, consecutive fasting is necessary to discover the wisdom of the Divine purpose, namely, "that ye may (learn) self-restraint." Evidently one can't "learn" any lesson in one sitting or casual, occasional sittings, and especially a lesson such as self-restraint. Every lesson requires practice to imbibe its benefits and understand its virtue. The same applies to self-control. Indeed, the virtues of self-restraint have been lauded through the ages in all religions and societies.

Many Muslims spend money to feed the poor, but in a detached sort of way. They do not know the agony of a hungry stomach and a thirsty throat. Ramazan fast offers them the unique opportunity to voluntarily undergo the experience so they may genuinely feel for the poor.

Fasting is not starvation. Starvation means suffering from lack of food. But in the case of fasting there is no lack of food. It is a case of self-denial. It is a lesson in self-restraint which is Allah's declared purpose behind prescribing Ramazan fasting. And even yet, it has been made as convenient as could be. Thus, between the breaking of one fast and the start of the next, people are free to eat and drink and partake of whatever bounties Allah has endowed him/her with including performing their marital functions.

Fasting has many benefits both in the physical and the spiritual spheres. On the practical side, it has been admitted to be one of the oldest therapies. Hippocrates believed that in fasting the body heals itself. Eminent physiologists have hailed fasting as "the single greatest natural healing therapy", and nature's universal "remedy" for many physical problems. These problems include hypertension and heart disease, allergies, diabetes, and cancer. Fasting has a therapeutic and preventive effect for many of these conditions. The most common everyday application of fasting is in the case of indigestion.

Hardship there is in fasting. No question about that. Fast begins from the time when "the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its black thread, until night appears" (2:187). During this period of at least twelve hours, (longer during summer) not a grain of food, nor a drop of water, must pass down the throat. Every Muslim, who is at his home, is bound by the command, (2:185), except sick people, women during their period and those on a journey. But they must complete the count later.

But then, Ramazan is a test of faith. And every test, even the most mundane one, imposes some hardship. It is also a rewarding experience, both for the purification of the soul, for which it acts like a catharsis, and for the prevention and cure of many a physical ailment. The length of time it requires to go without food and drink may appear too discouraging to a prospective entrant. But that is true of every adventure. No lecture can convey the real purport of Ramazan fast, as fasting itself.