ANOTHER RAMADAN: FASTING OR FEASTING
By Sheikh Alie Kallay
Fasting in Islam has three degrees:
Ordinary Fasting
Abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations during the daylight hours.
Extraordinary Fasting
Going beyond the physical, by guarding all senses and limbs from sin. This includes keeping the eyes, ears, tongue, hands, and feet free from anything displeasing to Allah.
Perfect Fasting
Fasting of the heart and mind, focusing entirely on Allah and avoiding all worldly distractions, except for matters that serve religious purposes. This highest level is exemplified by Prophets, saints, and the close servants of Allah. It requires complete trust in Allah’s provision and dedication to spiritual life.
Inward and Spiritual Requirements
Special fasting is about purity of the heart and actions. Six key principles guide this:
Guard the Eyes
Avoid looking at anything blameworthy or distracting from Allah’s remembrance.
Guard the Tongue
Avoid lying, gossip, backbiting, and idle or harmful speech. Fasting protects the tongue and encourages remembrance of Allah and recitation of the Qur’an.
Guard the Ears
Avoid listening to falsehood, gossip, or anything sinful. Silence in the face of wrongdoing is also considered complicity.
Guard the Limbs
Keep hands, feet, and other body parts from committing sins. Avoid unlawful actions or food at iftar.
Moderation in Food
Do not overeat when breaking the fast. Excessive indulgence diminishes the purpose of fasting, which is to experience hunger, control desire, and strengthen the soul.
Control Desires
Fasting is meant to weaken Satan’s influence, reduce worldly cravings, and prepare the heart for spiritual devotion.
The Spiritual Secret of Fasting
Fasting is more than physical abstinence; it is about discipline, reflection, and purification.
The body is weakened deliberately so that the heart and mind can focus on worship, night prayers (tahajjud), and remembrance of Allah.
Overindulgence after fasting undermines these benefits and distracts from spiritual growth.
Laylatul Qadr (Night of Power)
This night represents divine revelation and spiritual blessings. To benefit from it, one must keep the heart free from worldly attachments. Mere physical fasting is not enough; the mind must also be devoted to Allah.
Balancing Fear and Hope
After fasting, the believer’s heart should swing between fear and hope – hoping that Allah accepts their fast, but fearing rejection. Ramadan is likened to a spiritual race: some succeed in pleasing Allah, while others fall short. The truly successful devote themselves fully to worship and self-reflection, leaving no room for frivolity or idle laughter.
Fasting is ultimately about obedience, moderation, and devotion, preparing the believer to strengthen their relationship with Allah and achieve spiritual purification.
This summary is based on the translation of Imam Al-Ghazali’s Ihya Ulumuddin by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
