Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and holds great value in the eyes of Allah SWT because it instills profound meanings in people’s souls. Muslims begin their obligatory fast during the month of Ramadan, the month of the Quran, starting from the Fajr prayer until the Maghrib prayer.
During this time, they abstain from food, drink, and sins, and strive to worship as much as possible. Some people wonder: why do we fast in islam? and what the wisdom behind it is.
In this article, we will explain the answer to this question in detail because knowing the philosophy of fasting and the values behind worship makes a person realize the greatness of this religion and thank Allah for His many blessings.
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Why Do We Fast in Islam?
Why do we fast in Islam? is one of the most common questions that come to the minds of many people, particularly non-Muslims. We fast because Allah SWT has commanded us to do so in His Holy Book:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo kutiba AAalaykumu assiyamu kama kutiba AAala allatheena min qablikum laAAallakum tattaqoon
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.
As mentioned in the Hadith Qudsi, the virtue of fasting is that Allah SWT says:
الصومُ لي وأنا أَجزي به، يدَعُ شهوتَه وأكلَه وشُربَه من أجلي ولخُلوفُ فَمِ الصائمِ أطيبُ عند اللهِ من رِيحِ المسكِ.
“Fasting is for Me, and I will reward it. He leaves his desires, food, and drink for My sake, and the unpleasant breath of the fasting person is more pleasing to Allah than the fragrance of musk.”
There are two main types of fasting: obligatory fasting (Fard), which must be observed, otherwise the Muslim sins because leaving obligatory fasting, such as the month of Ramadan, is a major sin; and voluntary fasting (Sunnah), which a person does in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH, and does not sin if he leaves it, but may miss a lot of reward. As for the wisdom of fasting, we will explain it in the following few lines.
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Reasons for Fasting in Islam
There are many reasons for fasting in Islam, which are evident in the following:
Feeling for Others and Helping Them
Fasting makes us feel what the poor and needy feel of hunger, thirst, and deprivation. Therefore, a large number of Muslims seek to pay Zakat in this blessed month. They also increase their charity, donations, and banquets that include various forms of food. They also make many meals and deliver them to the poor in their homes.
This is one of the great acts of goodness that characterizes the holy month. Muslims do this because they have a firm belief that charity purifies and increases wealth, and because Allah compensates them with a lot of sustenance and blessings because of this. It also helps strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and love between Muslims.
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Taqwa and Reward
It refers to strengthening the relationship with Allah SWT by adhering to His commands and increasing acts of obedience because fasting the month of Ramadan in particular works as an intensive course of worship and represents a gift from Allah SWT because He gives you a great opportunity to repent and forgive sins.
The devils are chained in this month and the rewards and good deeds are multiplied. Likewise, the punishment for sin becomes more severe, because the Muslim’s resistance and his will become stronger as his relationship with Allah improves through continuous reading of the Quran, and obtaining fear, reverence, love, and hope through knowing Allah and finding comfort in Him.
Fasting saves you from Hell and opens the doors of Paradise for you, as it has a night greater than all the nights of the world, which is Laylat al-Qadr, which is equivalent to a thousand months or more in reward.
Health Benefits
Fasting helps us reduce excess fat and maintain the health of the body by avoiding harmful substances such as smoking. It also improves blood pressure and blood circulation, reduces excess weight, and works to strengthen immunity and purify the body of toxins.
Acquiring Good Morals
Fasting helps us purify hearts from hatred, resentment, envy, and hypocrisy by purifying the soul. It also teaches us humility and knowing our true position, that Allah is our Creator and Provider, and that all people are equal. There is no difference between Arab and non-Arab, white and black, except in Taqwa and good deeds.
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The Wisdom of Fasting for Muslims
The wisdom of fasting lies in many things, including that the Muslim becomes stronger in facing desires, sins, challenges, problems, and pressures, and realizes the dimensions of his true ability, because before the month of Ramadan he was lazy and did not perform many acts of worship.
So fasting comes and teaches him that he is capable of much more than that when he seeks help from Allah SWT and increases Du’a. It also gives him self-discipline, so whoever can fast from food and drink, which are essential things in ordinary days, can stay away from everything that Allah has forbidden.
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How Does Fasting Help Us Appreciate Allah’s Blessings?
Fasting helps us thank Allah SWT for His blessings because man forgets to thank Allah because of the habit of blessings, so fasting comes to remind him that all this is from Allah and not from himself. Thanksgiving is by remembering the poor and helping them, contemplating Allah’s creation, and increasing remembrance of Him, glorifying Him, and praising Him for His many blessings.
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Why Is Fasting Considered One of the Greatest Acts of Worship in Islam?
Fasting is considered one of the greatest acts of worship because it achieves humility, intimacy with Allah, and dependence on Him, in addition to being the month of the Quran, which gives you the opportunity to ponder, learn, and apply it. It also establishes the principle of sincerity (Ikhlas) because the intention in it is for the sake of Allah SWT, as no one can force you to fast, but rather you do so seeking the pleasure of Allah. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah SWT:
كل عمل ابن آدم له إلا الصيام فإنه لي وأنا أجزي به.
“Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting; it is for Me and I shall reward it.”
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Why Did Allah Prescribe Fasting for Previous Nations?
Fasting is the greatest act of worship through which Taqwa of Allah SWT is achieved, as one stays away from all sins and distractions and turns to the worship of Allah, the One and Only. Therefore, prescribing fasting was a necessity, whether for previous nations such as the nation of our Prophet Ibrahim, the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims.
Fasting is the most important means of feeling for others, learning the art of self-control, achieving Taqwa, and strengthening your relationship with Allah SWT. It is also one of the reasons for entering Paradise and salvation from Hell, and this explains the answer to this question: why do we fast in islam?
