Reward for Fasting

Reward for Fasting

1991 5-6 May-June 17 Reward for Fasting (266) Fasting during the month of Ramadhan is a special form of prayer in Islam. There are several hadiths that tell us the special rewards that it has for us. In one, Abu Hurayra quotes the Prophet as saying that the reward for a good deed may be increased from 10 to 700 times, but that God says that fasting is different from other good deeds. Fasting is for Him and He shall give the reward for it. The faithful abstain from food and other desires for His sake. For the observer of the fast there are two joyous occasions. One when he breaks his fast and the other when he meets with his Creator.

The extraordinary benefits of fasting accrue from the fact that the hardship of fasting creates unusual spiritual experiences within, which manifest themselves in the prayers of a man.

During the fast, the pangs of hunger and thirst make a man feel vulnerable and he turns towards God with renewed zeal. He cries out, “God, I have obeyed your one command, there are many I could not. I kept one day’s fast, but I failed on several other occasions. I seek your special blessings.”

When sincere prayer like this is uttered, God turns His special attention to it, and the rewards are boundless.

Man prays in this world and the reward is given in the world hereafter. But fasting is one exception for which a taste of the reward is given in this world itself. Iftar (breaking the fast) gives a glimpse of the boundless rewards that await man in the world hereafter.