Imam WDM: Ramadan - It's Meaning For Muslims!

Fasting is as popular today as it has been in the history of humanity. Today people are fasting for health reasons and for spiritual growth and experience. But it seems that people are more weight conscious today than they have ever been, and many are fasting to lose weight. In Islam, fasting has its own special meaning—a meaning that is natural in the religion.

It is a meaning that is understood by religious people all over the world who truly practice divine worship.

Fasting in Islam is no new institution or new practice. With the following quotation from the Holy Quran, we can see that Prophet Muhammad, to whom the Quran was revealed, did not at any time claim to be offering any new fundamental teachings in religion to the religious world:

"O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint, . . ." Holy Qur’an; Sura II Verse 183

This verse clearly tells us that fasting was prescribed in other revealed books before the revelation of the Holy Quran to Prophet Muhammad of Arabia (upon whom be peace), and that fasting is no new institution for the religious world. The proper practice of fasting in religion has withstood many threats to take it over and to corrupt it.

Dualism has threatened the meaning of the fast in religion. Also it has been threatened by the belief that the carnal life should be punished. Today, in our time, it is somewhat threatened by vanity. People who are selfish and vain take up the fast only as a passing fad and they fast to present or to keep themselves physically attractive.

No dualism is in Islam. In Islam, creation is one, Creator is One, and that creation of the Creator is His wonderful works.

We do not fast to merely fight the enemies of the spiritual man. We fast to fight the enemies of the total man. We fast for God's pleasure. While fasting we are conscious of the need to appreciate and to respect both man and the outer world as’ creation of the Almighty God. Those who are to fast during the month of Ramadan are those Muslims who are physically able, who are adults, and who have sound minds.

Both male and female are to fast. However, during the period called the menses, the women are exempt but they are to make up an equal number of missed days when the period is over. By this, the sister is able to continue her fast and complete 30 days of fasting.

Fasting is among the discipline practices in Islam. The entire month, day and night hours is given to the forceful self-discipline. The habit-formed life that is called by us “daily routine” usually allows moral sleep and too much selfish indulgence.

Ramadan fast is enforced as a periodic adjustment in our lives for proper human balance. It follows the lunar calendar. The book by Muhammad Hamidullah titled "Introduction to Islam" on page 59, section 173 reads:

"The fast extends over a whole month and, as is known, it is the purely lunar month that counts in Islam. The result is that the month of fasting (Ramadan) rotates turn by turn through all the seasons of the year (autumn, winter, spring and summer) and one gets accustomed to these privations in the burning heat of summer, as well as the chilling cold of winter."

I have quoted from Hamidullah on fasting because I find it very significant that Ramadan is regulated; that is, this calendar is regulated by the lunar phases. Islam is a universal religion and a religion recognizing Divine: that is the Divine plan and the Divine law working throughout the creation.

With the discipline of the inner body, Muslims read 1 /30th of the Holy Quran each day so as to complete the Quran over this 30 day month fast period. Those who are unable to read should get with one who can read and repeat to oneself so that only the reader's voice is heard on a pleasing but moderate sound level, thus keeping the practice of Prophet Muhammad (on whom be peace).

Many Muslims complete the recitation with the prescribed daily prayers within the 30 day period. Such very outstanding reciters of the Holy Quran are rewarded the title "Hafis."

One booklet talking about prayer says that the Muslim prayer service is un-equaled.

Study the Muslim's way of worship and you will agree with me that there is no better way of Divine worship. Why? For one thing, the Muslim always washes himself before communicating with God (God). In other words, he first cleans his own body and then invites the clean holy spirit to come into his body.

That is the best state of body, as well as of mind, in which to say one's prayer.

Among the things to avoid during the fast period is the tendency to be spiritually idle or morally absent minded and the lazy tendency to miss daily prayers with no acceptable excuse. Also, avoid the self-righteous tendency and the self-enrichment spiritual efforts which overlook the crying needs sounding out in others near and distant. And avoid the desire to see God over the human need to emulate the Divine attributes as a worshipful and obedient slave (servant).

As many of you know, among those things to abstain from during the daylight hours of Ramadan are the taking of anything into the mouth such as food or drink; carnal or physical pleasures ,with wife or husband during the daylight hours; mental mastication, which responds to the above appetites. It is permissible to be with one's wife or husband during the night hours.

The fact that the entire month of Ramadan is a month of strenuous discipline should be constantly among our thoughts on God's pleasure, which serves to increase the growth and human excellence.

Every one of you who is present at your home during that month should spend it in fasting. But if anyone is ill or on a journey, the prescribed period should be made up later. God intends every facility for you. He does not want to put you through difficulty. He wants you to complete the prescribed period and to glorify Him in that He has guided you and, perchance, you shall be grateful.

The whole month of Ramadan is a month of fasting.

During this month period, Muslims are not to overeat, over drink, oversleep, or overindulge for selfish pleasure. Your daily meal should be the meal of a poor person.

Muslims should sacrifice time from their usual past-times of pleasures to give time to Islamic growth. The extra time is to be spent praying, reading the Quran, and helping the propagation (spread) of Islam.

If you eat expensive cuts of meat, etc., you will miss one of the important benefits of the fast, which is to bring to your mind the hardships of the less fortunate ones in our community so that we will be aware and more sympathetic to the needs of others.

The Ramadan fast has been divinely ordered by God. If you deviate in any way from the strict instructions, you break the fast. You are to eat after sunset prayer time and you are to take light food before morning prayer time. During the daylight hours, you are to abstain from, food, drink, sex, and non-Islamic activities.

If you fast in excess of the stated time (hours) for fasting (eating every other day or missing whole days), you are ignoring the discipline of the fast. Then you are guilty of setting up and following your own rules, thus breaking the fast. It is not how much or how long you can fast, it is how well you can follow the guidance of God.

Any food that is "halal" (permissible) for consumption in the Holy Quran is permissible to eat during Ramadan. Remember, however, that it is expected for you to stay away from expensive food, or "rich people's food."

The thoughts of all Muslims should constantly be on God during the Ramadan season. You should show the love and the unity that we have as brothers and sisters.

Loudness of voice (talk), excessive talk, gossip, and aggravating others is strictly forbidden during the fast.

Fasting, or abstaining from food and drink, is easy if you keep your mind on something that is worthwhile. During Ramadan, the Muslim keeps his mind or her mind on things that are valuable, important, good, and clean.

If you don't keep your mind on God and on the higher values of life, fasting will be hard for you. If you keep your mind on God, on the higher values of life, and read the Holy Quran as we have suggested in our articles fasting will not be that difficult for you.

Remember, the Ramadan fast is not just a fast of physical food; it is a fast of the whole human body (whole human being). It is not just a fast for spiritual benefit; it is a fast for the benefit of the total person-physically, spiritually, mentally.

In keeping your mind on God and the higher values of life, force yourself to take time from something you have been doing during the day (listening to the radio, watching television, etc.) and read the Holy Quran.

The great benefit of fasting is the development of self-mastery. It is hard for us to make ourselves do what we know is good for self and others because we are weak. Prayer, right thinking, and fasting helps us to overcome this weakness. Fasting gives us the strength to overcome the drive of physical hunger.

Almost the whole life of the animal world is ruled over by the drive to overcome hunger. That is the drive of the flesh for something to satisfy the flesh. If you can control that very powerful drive, it not only gives you the power to with-stand the flesh, but it helps you in every way because everything in the universe is related. The body affects the mind, the mind affects the body, morality is affected-all these things influence each other.

In the Holy Quran, God says that fasting is for Him. The power of hunger drives animals and humans to kill and to eat other animals. Yet the Muslim man and woman lives with that hunger, denies it, and moves about peacefully without grumbling. It drives an animal mad, but the Muslim is spiritual and happy containing it.

The Muslim on the Ramadan fast thanks God and reflects on the wisdom and the beauty of God. With the hunger that drives the world mad the Muslim acts as though he is in heaven. Under the power of God and under the power of His truth, the Muslim thinks on God's wonders, on the truth of creation that supports the heavens and on the design and the order of creation.

By thinking on God's great wonders, we are kept powerful and very much alive. Our mind (the inner being) is awakened and it makes us stand up independent of the outer body. Though the outer body is crying for food, the inner being can't hear it. It has separated itself from the outer body and it is living in the world of the higher form then.

This kind of fasting should not be done for extensive periods of time. We are just to fast during Ramadan through the daylight hours. If you fast for more than that time, you have broken the fast. As long as we are free to do things as we want to do them, we will destroy the benefit of discipline and order. Take the Ramadan fast exactly as it is prescribed and you will get the benefit.

At the end of Ramadan, those who have kept the fast will receive their benefits very soon. Not only will you see a change in your personal life, but you will also see a change in the community of Islam.

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Ramadhan and the Path to Enlightenment

We have been taught that five pillars uphold the structure of our way of life, Al-Islam. In these five ideas, we see the direction that Allah intends for human life. We become conscious of our Creator, we cultivate the self, we give increase to others, we become victorious as an individual, and we become victorious as a group (the biggest group being humanity). These are the five pillars or five principles or five ideas or five senses that guide and govern the Deen of Al-Islam.

We are in the holy month of Ramadhan, the fourth of the five pillars. This is the time for victory over the self. This month is filled with challenge and reward, with difficulty and ease, with seriousness and joy. It is a time of learning, feeling, serving experiencing, yielding, submission, sensitivity, and yearning. In this month, we confront ourselves; we listen to our own bodies, see our own thoughts, feel our own souls, and dream new dreams.

In this month, heaven and earth are torn asunder, then seamlessly sewn back together with the mighty thread of faith. A likeness is that of a cell (muscle tissue), when torn apart from vigorous exercise, repairs itself into ever stronger tissue. In Ramadhan, we deconstruct and then reconstruct. Ramadhan produces a state of body, mind, and soul that is a result of a vigorous and beautiful training exercise for the body, mind, and soul.

What do we mean by deconstruct and then reconstruct? Ramadhan means to burn. To burn something is to change its composition. When you change something’s composition, it is no longer itself; it effectively becomes something else. To burn is to scorch or destroy. When something burns, its cellular and/or molecular composition is changed and this produces an effect we call ‘damage.’ To burn the skin, damages the skin. To burn the plastic toy, damages the plastic toy. Damage is the deconstruction of the burned substance.

What is burning actually? It is the application or transfer of heat to a substance greater than that substance’s capacity to absorb heat. Dry wood’s capacity to absorb heat is far less than steel’s capacity. Therefore, wood burns more readily than steel. What causes heat? Heat is an energy produced as a consequence or reaction to friction; be that friction mechanical, chemical, electrical or otherwise.

When Allah instructs us to fast during Ramadhan, we are cast into a friction with our bodies, minds, spirits, and ultimately our souls. What we practice during Ramadhan is usually different from what we have been practicing throughout the year. Thus, we are put at odds with our eating and drinking habits, our study and praying habits, our emotional and spiritual habits. This friction creates heat, and if we persist in our fast, this heat will increase to the point of burning; to the point of deconstruction.

What is deconstructed? Whatever is put into the heat is what gets burned, right? What are we putting into the heat during Ramadhan? Our appetites are put into the heat. Our desires, ambitions, physical needs, our mistreatment of ourselves, even the things we think about are all put into the heat. How? They are placed into the heat by being put into conflict (friction) with the command to sacrifice or subdue them to pursue the training that Allah has prescribed for us. What is deconstructed? The things in our lives that are in discord with the will and guidance of Allah are deconstructed.

We are living beings and whenever a living thing gets burned, it feels the stinging, discomforting sensation in the spot where the burning occurs. Is it painful to make our prayers, do our reading, give up the rich food, stop arguing with our mates, or stop watching our favorite TV program? What has become so big in our life that it competes with our submission to Allah’s training program? Stick it in the heat, by disciplining our self to take the training, and let it burn. Do this, because we want to decompose those things that have become competitors with following the guidance of The Most High.

When you heat matter beyond its comfort zone, its molecules try to escape the heat, causing the matter’s innate structure to expand. The expansion makes the matter softer, more flexible and malleable. Now, you can reshape the bad habit, the out-of-balance appetite into its proper form.

Another meaning for the word Ramadhan is to sharpen, as in sharpening a blade. Ramadhan allows us to sharpen our physical, mental, and spiritual ‘blades’ so we can cut away the fat, perform surgery on the cancers, and sculpt our character and mentality into the form that we need to fulfill the mission outlined by Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, and our leader, Imam W. Deen Mohammed.

The first revelation of the Glorious Qur'an was revealed during a Night of Power in the month of Ramadhan. Allah tells us in the Sura called The Night of Power; 97:1-5, that He revealed this message (the Qur'an) in the Night of Power. What is the Night of Power? It is better than one thousand months. What is one thousand months? It is approximately 83 years; in other words a lifetime. What kind of night is better than an entire lifetime?

Allah says on that night, the angels and the Spirit (Ruh) come down on every kind of command, task, errand, cause or mission. One of the major commands of the angels is to bring revelation and messages from Allah to prophets and people. What is the command of the Spirit? It comes into us and inspires life in our soul; starting the growth of a new creation.

This is what happened to Muhammad Ibn Abdullah on the day he received revelation. When Muhammad was in the darkness of the cave (night), the angel Gabriel and the Spirit came to him. It is easy to think that only Gabriel came to him, but the Spirit was also there. What is the proof?

In Sura 2, ayat 97, Allah says that it is Gabriel that brings the revelation to the heart of man. Gabriel pressed or squeezed Muhammad’s chest three times. When your chest is squeezed, both the lungs and the heart are affected. When squeezed, the breath is taken out of you. Once released, you take a deep breath. Pressing 3 times is a picture given to communicate that Muhammad inhaled the mighty breath of inspiration. This is the Spirit. “And when I breathed into him of My Spirit…”

Oxygen, from deep breathing, is required for healthy blood. Imam Mohammed has taught us that blood carries the life of the body. What happens when the heart is squeezed; it pumps and distributes blood to the body. What is the life of the human being? The life of the human being is revelation and the revelation was written on Muhammad’s heart. What is revelation? You answer this one, but don’t think it is just scripture in the formal sense. For the blood carries air, water, and physical nutrients to give life.

What happened to Muhammad in the cave was the making of a prophet. What he experienced was his birth as a prophet; his rise to the highest enlightenment. Gabriel’s pressing or squeezing of the chest 3 times represents the completion of his delivery of the revelation on Muhammad’s heart and the breathing of the Spirit of Inspiration (Qur'an Yusuf Ali - 17:85) into Muhammad’s soul. After living a lifetime among his people, a new creation began, Muhammad the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

What night is better than one thousand months? It is the night in which the angels and the Spirit descend upon our chests and we are pressed and squeezed until truth is revealed to us and we are resurrected into enlightenment, just as a new born baby or a prophet is born into the world. Allah says in Sura 31:28, “And your creation or your resurrection is in no wise but as an individual soul: for Allah is He Who hears and sees (all things).” Indeed, a single night in which we attain enlightenment is better than a lifetime of ignorance to our higher self and purpose.

Yes, the Immaculate Conception (birth or pure concept) of a prophet and the resurrection of the human being is the same process. A confirming similitude is seen in the resuscitation of a person that has stopped breathing (stopped taking in life). We press the chest to stimulate the heart and breathe air into the lungs to bring the person back to consciousness.

So, this blessed month of Ramadhan begins when we see the crescent of the new moon; the dawning of a new light, the first signs of enlightenment. How does our daily process go? We are in a deep sleep, we are dead. Then in the darkness, a spark of consciousness alerts us that we must get up, we rise and come to life—this is conception. When we take Suhoor; we take nutrients, which give us energy and strengthen us, which help us grow—we develop in the womb, unseen. After strengthening ourselves and increasing our growth, then comes the light of Fajr—we come to birth into the light.

Then, we put our appetites and free-spirit in check, while we pray (cultivate the spirit), read the Qur'an (study revealed knowledge) and we practice charity (help increase others).

Why do we deny ourselves during the daylight hours? The day is for rational development and meaningful productivity. The message is that to think clearly and be productive, we must not be driven by our appetites and jinn nature. As a consequence, we shed excess fat and the impurities that accompany it. We lose weight and are thus lighter so that we can go faster. To go faster means we can do more and reach our goals quicker. If we are not burdened with unchecked appetites and an unruly and frivolous Jinn nature, we can go fast. Hence the term ‘to fast.’ 

The word fast is also related to the word fasten. To fasten is to make secure, as in “fasten the door.” Our training, discipline, and reorganization of the self during Ramadhan enable us to better secure and control the advances we make.

What a beautiful religion we have, so pregnant with meaning and full of guidance. Imam Mohammed said it best,

“We have been taught to read letters, but most of us have not been taught to read ideas. Until we learn to read the ideas, we are living in darkness. Many of us have faith, but that doesn’t mean we have light. There is a difference between faith and light.”

“Muslim holidays are not to be taken as rituals, empty rituals. Everything that Allah did through the Great Prophet Muhammad was done to bring the people out of darkness, the darkness of ritualism, the darkness of empty formalities. Empty gestures, empty traditions that say no more than just a show. Do no more than just wet the appetite but never satisfy. These things attract us to think, to think. Everything that you see operating in the universe is something to provoke thought, make you think.”

 Mubaashir is an author and writes commentaries for the Muslim Journal Newspaper.










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