Fasting - An introduction (II)

Fasting is the only means of intellectual, spiritual, moral and other forms of development.  Without this, true piety cannot be acquired.  Fasting is a furnace which separates the pure from the impure.

 

In the Hadith, a wisdom of fasting is mentioned that the person who keeps his stomach empty, his (or her) capacity to think and reflect increases.  One develops a power to grasp things and the heart is softened.  If the stomach is not checked like this, then excess of eating and sleeping will harden the heart and blemish the Batin.  A fast is royal property.  Other forms of worship may be given to those whose rights are still outstanding, but fasts will not be given to anybody else.

 

Translation of Hadith: The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  The mark of my Ummah is fasts.  This is because when a slave closes the door of desire, the doors of the heart are opened and that person tours the other spiritual world, they way a tourist tours city after city.  When a fasting person enters Jannah, it will be said that he (or she) may go wherever desired and live wherever desired.  The fasting person will sometimes live in this palace and then in another.  This gratifying period makes us the beloved of Allah Ta’ala in 30 days and is finished.

 

If you want to increase closeness to Allah Ta’ala and want to sit near Him, then keep optional (Nafl) fasts as well.

 

Son!  When a fasting person is so loved by Allah Ta’ala and the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has praised those who fast so much then there is no misfortune worse than not fasting!  The Base Self (Nafs Ammara) has enslaved this person.  This person does not have a care for his Master.  Woe on this kind of life that except eating like cattle and other animals, nothing else is possible!  Apart from the hereafter, this kind of person is humiliated in this world itself.

 

The reason as why the first 10 days are of Rahmah (mercy) is that without guidance from Allah Ta’ala no good deed is possible.  If Allah Ta’ala had not guided us to fast, to offer Taraweeh, to listen to and recite the Holy Quran, what could we have done?  It is the mercy of Allah Ta’ala that right from the beginning of Ramadhan, guidance to perform these acts is granted.

 

Allah Ta’ala says that through good deeds, bad deeds are forgiven.  Because of guidance, good deeds have started in the first 10 days.  Thus, the second 10 days are of forgiveness (Maghfirah).

 

Forgiveness of sins is what saves from hell.  Thus, the last 10 days are of emancipation from hell.

 

We learn 2 things from this.  The first is that for those people who don’t fast, don’t offer Taraweeh, it is to be understood that these people have committed some bad deed because of which Allah Ta’ala does not want that they should fast, offer Taraweeh so that they may be forgiven and be freed from hell.  Son!  This is very frightening.  These people should repent, perform Tauba.

 

Now those people who fast, offer Taraweeh, listen to the Holy Quran and recite it, they should not be proud of their deeds and should not consider it their accomplishment.  Unless and until something is not cast into the heart on the orders of Allah Ta’ala, a human being can never do anything.  It is the prerogative of Allah Ta’ala.  Unless and until, there is no help from that quarter, nothing can happen.  So don’t be proud.  Yes!  We should feel happy that Allah Ta’ala has helped us, guided us so that we fasted, offered Taraweeh, listened to the Holy Quran and recited it.

Excerpted from Mawaaiz-e-Hasana, Vol. 1, Pg. No. 188/189]