Ramadan / Ramazan (the Month Of Fasting)

Ramadan (The Month of Fasting) In the Arabic language, the word Siyam has two meanings. The root word for Siyam or Sawm is Sama. It means abstaining or stopping oneself from something which Muslims normally do i.e. eating, drinking and having sexual relationship with one’s spouse etc. Muslims are commanded by Allah (God) to observe fasting during the month of Ramadan. ‫ن‬ َ ‫ﻦ َﻗ ْﺒِﻠ ُﻜ ْﻢ َﻟ َﻌﱠﻠ ُﻜ ْﻢ َﺗ ﱠﺘﻘُﻮ‬ ْ ‫ﻦ ِﻣ‬ َ ‫ﻋﻠَﻰ اﱠﻟﺬِﻳ‬ َ ‫ﺐ‬ َ ‫ﺼﻴَﺎ ُم َآﻤَﺎ ُآ ِﺘ‬ ‫ﻋَﻠ ْﻴ ُﻜ ُﻢ اﻟ ﱢ‬ َ ‫ﺐ‬ َ ‫ﻦ ﺁ َﻣﻨُﻮا ُآ ِﺘ‬ َ ‫ﻳَﺎ َأ ﱡﻳﻬَﺎ اﱠﻟﺬِﻳ‬ "O you who believe! Fasting is enjoined upon you in the same way as it was enjoined upon others before you so that you may become pious." Surah (Chapter) al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2:183 Sawm (Fasting) is the last of the traditional five pillars of Islam, and an important form of Islamic 'Ibadah (Worship). The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad ‫ ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ‬said: Five things are the foundation of Islam:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

To declare and believe that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah (God) and Muhammad ‫ ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ‬is (the last) Rasul (Messenger) of Allah (God), To offer Salah (Prayers) five times every day, To pay Zakah (Compulsory Charity) to the poor and the needy once a (Lunar) year, Going to Hajj (Pilgrimage to the Ka'bah) once in one's lifetime, To fast during the month of Ramadan every year. (Bukhari)

Fasting is a kind of worship for achieving self-discipline and self-cleansing, in which Muslims abstain from Halal (Lawful) things also such as all types of eatables, temptations, wrong-doings and sexual indulgence with their spouces from dawn to dusk. Muslims are enjoined to observe month long fasting in the month of Ramadan (9th month of Islamic calendar). Arabic word for fasting is Sawm. Sawm means to stop oneself from something. While observing Sawm (Fasting), Muslims stop themselves from eating, drinking, smoking and having sexual intercourse with their spouses. The requirement of Sawm (Fasting) is not only to go hungry and thirsty during the day. The basic requirement of Sawm (Fasting) is total abstention and shielding from all sorts of evils and vices. Sawm (Fasting) requires a total cleansing of the body and mind. While observing Sawm (Fasting), Muslims abstain from food, water, sexual desires,

loose talk, lies, backbiting, unfair dealings and any other bad acts or desires. Sawm (Fasting) helps in staying away from everything that is disliked by Allah (God). Abu Hurayrah ‫ رﺿﻲ اﷲ ﻋﻨﻪ‬narrated: The Prophet ‫ ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ‬said, "Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)"(Bukhari) Sawm (Fasting) makes Muslims pious. Besides increasing Taqwa (Fear of Allah, Righteousness), Sawm (Fasting) also shields Muslims from evil acts. Fasting is a protection and a strong fortress that keeps a person safe from the Fire. (Ahmad) It gives them a total control over their desires. Abu Hurayrah ‫ رﺿﻲ اﷲ ﻋﻨﻪ‬narrated: Allah's Apostle ‫ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ‬ said, "Fasting is a shield (or a screen or a shelter). So, the person observing fasting should avoid sexual relation with his wife and should not behave foolishly and impudently, and if somebody fights with him or abuses him, he should tell him twice, 'I am fasting." The Prophet added, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. (Allah says about the fasting person), 'He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times." (Sahih Bukhari) Muslim ‘Ulema” (Scholars) are unanimous in equating Muslims who do not fast during Ramadan without any legitimate excuse to grave sinners; and many of them do not even consider them even Muslims. Every able-bodied adult or adolescent Muslim must observe fasting during the month of Ramadan. Allah (God) has created human beings for the purpose of His worship by performing acts that please Him. Humans must try their best to reflect good. Self discipline and self-control is essential for the Islamic way of life. Fasting not only disciplines a person but also inculcates self-control in that person. There are many people in this world that end up wasting more food in a party than many could afford in an entire year. Such people do not have any understanding of the problems of the poor or the needy. They cannot comprehend the feelings of the needy and poor, because they have never undergone the same type of pain due to hunger and thirst. The more fortunate have understand and be more considerate to the needy, if they, themselves were to go through some of the circumstances that these people have to pass

through every day. He made fasting obligatory so that everyone should feel hunger and thirst so that whenever one comes across a hungry or thirsty person, one should have at least some sympathy for them. This was the philosophy behind fasting to which Allah refers in His Book in the following words: "Perhaps you may become pious." ‫ن‬ َ ‫ﻦ َﻗ ْﺒِﻠ ُﻜ ْﻢ َﻟ َﻌﱠﻠ ُﻜ ْﻢ َﺗ ﱠﺘﻘُﻮ‬ ْ ‫ﻦ ِﻣ‬ َ ‫ﻋﻠَﻰ اﱠﻟﺬِﻳ‬ َ ‫ﺐ‬ َ ‫ﺼﻴَﺎ ُم َآﻤَﺎ ُآ ِﺘ‬ ‫ﻋَﻠ ْﻴ ُﻜ ُﻢ اﻟ ﱢ‬ َ ‫ﺐ‬ َ ‫ﻦ ﺁ َﻣﻨُﻮا ُآ ِﺘ‬ َ ‫ﻳَﺎ َأ ﱡﻳﻬَﺎ اﱠﻟﺬِﻳ‬ "O You who believe! Fasting is enjoined upon you in the same way as it was enjoined upon others before you so that you may become pious." Surah (Chapter) al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2:183 The Arabic word Tattaqun means to inculcate the habit of fear in oneself of the consequences of the Hereafter, and become a perfect human being. It means that everyone should always have the consequences of one’s dealing before one’s eyes. As one will sow, so one shall reap. If today, we have ignored the hunger and thirst of a needy and poor despite resources, there will certainly come one day when we shall be totally ignored.