Questions and Answers

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Fasting prepares a believer for God’s mission. Giving zakat and spending one’s wealth for the sake of God is a way to fulfil this high purpose, making one eligible for a high reward. Besides God’s rewards in the Hereafter what are some benefits of fasting in this world? The immediate benefit a fasting person receives is that he is enlisted by angels as a grateful servant of God. According to a teaching of the Prophet God says: “O people, all of you are hungry except the one whom I feed.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2577) This is indeed a reality because if the food we eat does not grow and be nourished by soil, we humans cannot gain it for consumption by any other means. That is why if a person keeps fasts in the month of Ramadan and is thankful for God’s blessings, he proves himself deserving of receiving the food grown in the soil for the rest of the year as well. Otherwise, he will be deemed a usurper. How can the benefits I receive while fasting continue throughout the year? To receive the benefits of fasting throughout the year one must fast in the month of Ramadan in terms of form but must adhere to its spirit through the whole of the year. The spirit of fasting is to be grateful to God (The Quran, 2:185). The spirit of fasting is that a person must continuously acknowledge the food, drink and other life-sustaining commodities that he draws from nature created by God. He must discover this fact and sincerely acknowledge the Creator for His innumerable bounties not only for the year but also for the whole of his life. This is the way to keep alive the benefits and training gained during the month of Ramadan.