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It reins in man’s most rebellious and unrestrained tendencies and subdues them. For this reason, it is completely in line with human nature that such a practice should be tough and severe in temperament.
Among the most powerful aspects of the human soul are lusts, desires, and emotions. These are naturally intense, volatile, and impassioned. Therefore, to subdue them, great discipline of the will is required. This discipline is so strenuous and disheartening that a study of the history of ancient religions shows that many seekers of self-purification became completely hopeless about being able to bring these tendencies under control. Consequently, instead of taming and training them, they thought of and adopted methods to eliminate them altogether. However, Islam is a religion of nature, and these tendencies are among the necessary components of human nature, without which neither individual nor collective human needs can be fulfilled. Thus, it has not permitted their elimination but has commanded that they be restrained and directed toward the right path. Yet this is a fact: subduing them is far more difficult than eliminating them. If one wishes to kill a wild horse, there’s no great effort required—a single bullet is enough to bring it down. But if one wants to tame it and make it suitable for riding, that goal can only be achieved after intense training, rigorous effort, and facing many dangers—by an expert rider.
The worship of fasting has been prescribed in Islam so that, on the one hand, these rebellious tendencies of the human soul may weaken and come into balance, and on the other hand, man’s willpower may grow stronger to suppress them and bind them to the limits set by God. Because of this dual effect, as we have mentioned, this worship holds great significance from the perspective of self-purification, and its blessings are countless. Here, we will briefly mention some of its blessings.
The Blessings of Fasting
1.The Liberation of the Celestial Soul
The greatest blessing of fasting is that it grants substantial freedom to man’s celestial soul from the pressure of carnal desires. The true inclination of our celestial soul is toward the Highest Assembly. By its very nature, it seeks nearness to God, resemblance to the angels, and detachment from base things. It wishes to soar toward lofty intellectual and moral objectives instead of remaining entangled in the demands of material life. There is an obvious conflict between the demands of this soul and those of the lower self, which arise from desires and lusts. These two are often at odds, and in this clash, it is usually lusts and desires that triumph.
This state of affairs, clearly, is entirely contrary to the natural inclinations of the soul. If this condition persists for a long time and the soul is given no opportunity to roam freely in the realms it favors, then not only is its ability to soar lost, but gradually the soul itself begins to perish.
Fasting brings about a recurring change in this situation. It imposes many restrictions on those things that strengthen desires and lusts. Eating, drinking, and sleeping all become reduced during fasting. Some restrictions are also placed on other pleasures and indulgences. The effect of these changes is that the raging forces of lust within the self are greatly diminished, and the celestial soul finds the opportunity to soar in the realms it longs for.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "قَالَ اللَّهُ: كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلَّا الصِّيَامَ فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ. وَالصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ، وَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلَا يَرْفُثْ وَلَا يَصْخَبْ فَإِنْ سَابَّهُ أَحَدٌ أَوْ قَاتَلَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ: إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ صَائِمٌ - وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ، لَخُلُوفُ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ - لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ يَفْرَحُهُمَا: إِذَا أَفْطَرَ فَرِحَ وَإِذَا لَقِيَ رَبَّهُ فَرِحَ بِصَوْمِهِ -
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: "God said: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except fasting; it is for Me, and I shall reward it. Fasting is a shield. So when any of you is fasting on a given day, he should not utter obscenities nor raise his voice in noise. If someone insults him or quarrels with him, he should simply say: ‘I am fasting.’ I swear by the One in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul, the odor from the mouth of the fasting person is more pleasant to God than the scent of musk. The fasting person has two joys: one at the time of breaking the fast and the other when he meets his Lord.” (Bukhari, No. 1904)
Other narrations in this same context shed more light on the essence of this hadith, and so we include them here:
يَتْرُكُ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ وَشَهْوَتَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي. الصِّيَامُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ. وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا.
“He leaves his food, his drink, and his desires for My sake. Fasting is for Me, and I shall reward it. A good deed is multiplied ten times over.” (Bukhari, No. 1795)
Abu Hurayrah (RA) also narrated that:
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ يُضَاعَفُ الْحَسَنَةُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا إِلَى سَبْعِ مِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ. قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: إِلَّا الصَّوْمَ فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ يَدَعُ شَهْوَتَهُ وَطَعَامَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي. لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ: فَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ فِطْرِهِ وَ فَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ لِقَاءِ رَبِّهِ - وَلَخُلُوفُ فِيهِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ -"
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: "Every deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied—good deeds will be multiplied from ten to seven hundred times. God said: ‘Except for fasting; it is for Me, and I will reward it. He gives up his desire and his food for My sake. The fasting person has two joys: one at the time of breaking the fast and one at the time he meets his Lord. And surely, the odor from his mouth is more beloved to God than the fragrance of musk.’” (Muslim, No. 1151)
By reflecting on both these narrations together, it also becomes clear why God has assigned this act of worship a special connection to Himself, and what is meant by His rewarding it with His own hand.
The reason He has declared it especially for Himself is that the servant gives up those desires and demands of the self—which hold the strongest sway over him and in which all his material joys and pleasures are gathered—purely to seek God’s pleasure and closeness. To turn away from these pleasures solely for God’s approval is so beloved to Him that He has granted it a special rank of belovedness and said: “The servant fasts for Me and leaves his food, drink, and pleasures for My sake.”
What is meant by “rewarding it with My own hand” is that there are fixed principles in God’s system for rewarding good deeds. According to the circumstances and qualities, each good deed receives a reward multiplied from ten times up to seven hundred times. For example, one deed may be performed in favorable conditions and another in difficult ones; or one may be carried out with full caution and care, and the other with relatively less effort and attention. Keeping such differences in mind, the reward for each deed will be recorded in God’s ledger according to the stated principle, and each person entitled to it will receive their due.
However, the worship of fasting is excluded from this formula. Its reward will be determined by a different criterion, known only to God. When the time of reward comes, He alone will unveil it and personally reward every fasting person. For a worship whose reward involves such arrangements, who can estimate what the Lord of the heavens and the earth will give as recompense?
2. Blocking the Gates of Temptation
Another blessing of fasting is that it significantly shuts the major doors of temptation within a person. The major gates of temptation in man, as clarified in several hadiths, are the stomach and the private parts. Because of these, a person not only ruins himself in countless ways but also causes untold harm to others. These are the primary routes through which Satan launches his attacks on human beings.
If someone can guard these, it can be said that he has protected himself from the torment of Hell. The Prophet (PBUH) has guaranteed Paradise for the one who can guarantee the safety of these two things.
Consider this hadith:
It is narrated from Sahl b. Sad (RA) that the Messenger of God (PBUH) said:
‘Whoever can guarantee to me what is between his jaws and between his legs, I will guarantee Paradise for him.’ (Bukhari, No. 6109)
Fasting provides the most effective protection for these. During fasting, not only is eating and drinking forbidden, but so too is arguing, quarreling, lying, backbiting, and engaging in useless talk—such actions run directly against the purpose of the fast. Similarly, not only is fulfilling carnal desires prohibited during the fast, but all things that might stimulate such desires are also contrary to the spirit of fasting. Fasting itself weakens these urges, and the fasting person is also instructed to stay as far away as possible from any situations that may nourish these inclinations.
When the doors of temptation are closed, it becomes much easier for a person to do those things that earn God’s pleasure and lead to Paradise, while the paths to those deeds that displease God —and lead to Hell—are blocked. Satan becomes utterly powerless before him. His schemes collapse. He searches but finds no way to attack the fasting person. This is the very truth that a hadith expresses as follows:
It is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (RA) that:
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: "إِذَا دَخَلَ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ فُتِّحَتْ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ وَغُلِّقَتْ أَبْوَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَسُلْسِلَتِ الشَّيَاطِينُ
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: “When the month of Ramadan arrives, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are chained.” (Bukhari, No. 1800)
3. Training of the Willpower
The third blessing of fasting is that it trains a person’s willpower in the best possible manner. The most essential thing for adhering to the boundaries of the Shariah is a firm and strong will. Without strong willpower, it is virtually impossible for anyone to restrain the unbalanced impulses of lust, emotions, and desires. And whoever cannot restrain such overwhelming urges cannot hope to abide by the limits set by God. A person with a weak and pliable will is prone to stumble at every step. Whenever anything provokes his anger, he will be easily overpowered by it; whenever anything tempts him with greed, he will chase after it; and wherever anything enticing comes into view, he will fall for it. Such a person cannot accomplish even the smallest task that requires determination and resolve, let alone uphold the commands and restrictions of the Shariah.
Especially the aspect of the Shariah that commands refraining from evil requires strong patience. This patience is cultivated through fasting, and it is through this patience that the taqwa (God consciousness) is born, which is the real objective of fasting:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ.
“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain taqwa.” [Quran, 2:183]
In the end, we pray to Allah Almighty that He grants us the ability to understand the reality of this world, to prepare for the Hereafter, and to fill our lives with righteous deeds:
That you may attain taqwa—meaning, that through the training of patience and endurance, your willpower may be strengthened so that, by confronting every temptation, provocation, difficulty, and obstacle, you can remain steadfast upon the limits set by God.
This very strength becomes the weapon in a believer’s hand with which he repels every assault of Satan, who attacks him through the path of lusts, emotions, and desires. It is precisely for this reason that in the hadith mentioned earlier, fasting is referred to as a shield, and the fasting person is instructed in how to use it: if anyone abuses or quarrels with him, he should respond, “I am fasting.
4. Nurturing the Spirit of Selflessness
Fasting also nurtures the spirit of selflessness within a person—and this spirit is among the noblest human emotions, from which thousands of good deeds originate. When a person remains hungry and thirsty during fasting and is forced to suppress his other desires as well, he gains a direct and personal understanding of the pain, deprivation, and daily struggles of the poor, the hungry, the destitute, and the oppressed. By tasting hunger and thirst himself, he draws nearer to those who suffer them constantly. He begins to understand their needs and hardships, and naturally, a desire is born within him to help them however he can.
This effect of fasting is experienced by every person according to their individual ability and sensitivity. In some, it manifests more strongly; in others, less. But for anyone who possesses the essential qualities of fasting, this effect is inevitable. Even those with a weak sense of selflessness are stirred by fasting to some degree, while for those whose spirit of selflessness is strong, the month of fasting becomes like a season of spring for its growth. The generosity and blessings of our Prophet (PBUH) were always abundant, but the month of Ramadan was like a springtime of his generosity.
It is narrated from Abdullah b. Abbas (RA) that:
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَجْوَدَ النَّاسِ بِالْخَيْرِ وَكَانَ أَجْوَدَ مَا يَكُونُ فِي رَمَضَانَ.
“The Prophet (PBUH) was the most generous of people, and he was at his most generous in the month of Ramadan.” (Bukhari, No. 6)
5. Connection with the Quran
The Quran has a special connection with the worship of fasting. Because of this connection, unique blessings of the Quran become manifest upon the fasting person. During fasting, many worldly engagements are lifted from a person’s shoulders, and, as we have already mentioned, great changes take place within the inclinations and tendencies of the soul due to fasting. The silence, solitude, freedom from unnecessary activities, and the life of withdrawal and detachment that a fasting person attains all create a special suitability for the recitation and contemplation ofthe Quran.
Perhaps this is why the first revelation came to the Prophet (PBUH) while he was in seclusion in the cave of Hira. Also, God chose the blessed month of Ramadan for the revelation of the Quran and, as an expression of gratitude for this blessing, made fasting obligatory for the entire month. According to some hadiths, the angel Jibril used to come to the Prophet (PBUH) every night during Ramadan to review the Quran with him, and they would go over whatever portion had been revealed by that time. Everyone is aware of the importance of reciting and listening to the Quran during the nights of Ramadan in the Tarawih prayers. All these matters testify to the deep connection between fasting and the Quran.
6. Total Devotion to God
The ultimate purpose of fasting is for the heart, mind, body, and soul to turn entirely toward God. This state is described in the Quran as tabattul ila Allah—complete devotion to God. This station is attained through fasting, and it is precisely to help attain this state that itikaf (spiritual retreat) has been joined with fasting. Although iʿtikaf is not obligatory for everyone like fasting in Ramadan—it is a voluntary act of worship—its significance in terms of self-purification is immense.
If, in the last ten days of Ramadan, when the soul naturally enters a state of detachment and focus toward God, a person engages in itikaf, then the core purpose of fasting is fulfilled to its highest degree. The care and effort the Prophet (PBUH) used to exert in the last ten nights of Ramadan is described by Aishah (RA) in the following words: