FASTING AS A FORM OF WORSHIP

God does not accept the fast of one who does not desist from lying and dishonest practices. Abstaining from food and drink during the month of Ramazan is aimed to awaken the ‘sawm spirit’ of the believer. Sawm means abstinence. Food and drink are two of man’s basic necessities. These are the last things one should be asked to abstain from. Asking a person to abstain from them is like giving a strong and powerful message that you have to abstain from all the things God has forbidden you, much as this may go against your wishes. There are many Ahadith (plural of Hadith—words of the Prophet) highlighting the importance of the spirit of fasting. According to a Hadith, God does not accept the fast of one who does not desist from lying and dishonest practices. A fast which is devoid of the sawm spirit will not be acceptable to God or be rewarded. Another Hadith tells us that, ‘The fasting person if abused or provoked should not retaliate. True fasting acts as a shield for evils. God will shield such a person from hellfire’. This Hadith tells us that fasting saves us from negative psychology, inculcates positive thinking and enables one to stay calm even when provoked. Faced with evil, one should return good for evil. One of the special features of Ramazan is the ‘Lailatul Qadr’. It means the ‘Night of Decisions’. God takes decisions on this night. This night falls on one of the last ten nights of Ramazan. Great importance is attached to this night and the Quran calls it ‘better than a thousand months’. Flocks of angels descend on the earth on this night, producing a heightened spiritual atmosphere. This enhances the spirituality of the people and adds more value to their worship. Once Aisha (the wife of the Prophet), asked the Prophet as to how she should pray during Lailatul Qadr. The Prophet gave this prayer: “O God, You are the forgiver, You love to forgive Your servants, so You forgive me”. The greatest thing to ask God is forgiveness. It is forgiveness which leads one to eternal Paradise. This in essence, is the spirit of Ramazan. o