THE RESTORATION OF ORIGINAL VIRTUE THROUGH FASTING.
Oleh: Nuim Khaiyath
Delivered at Monash 11-09-09
Melb. 18-09-09
Brothers in Islam: May Allah (swt) Be Pleased with Us on this auspicious day and in this holy month of Ramadhan and forgive us our sins. Amiin.
It is narrated that during The Prophet Muhammad’s (saw) night journey or al Israa’ and ascension, Jibril (as) brought him a glass of wine and a glass of milk and asked the Prophet to choose.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) chose milk, though at the time wine and other alcoholic beverages had not been proscribed or declared haraam..
Jibril (as) remarked “You have chosen Fitra.”
Common definitions of Fitra, according to David Barker, writing in Islamicity website, include “innate predisposition” or “primordial nature.” So choosing Fitra is conformity to an inclination toward right action we have prior to instruction. It is also interesting to note, of course, that milk is the first food we have as infants.
So we know that part of choosing Fitra is preserving and trusting our earliest preferences.
This is why to some scholars Fitra can also be defined as “Original Virtue.”
Why begin a Ramadhan khutbah with the definition of Fitra?
In a hadits The Prophet Muhammad (saw) says:
*Syahru Ramadhaana
Syahru kataballahu ‘alaikum shiaamahu
Wasanantu lakum qiyaamahu
Faman shaamahu waqaamahu Imaanan wahtisaaban
KHARAJA MIN DZUNUUBIHI
KAYAUMIN WALADATHU UMMUH.*
In the meaning that after performing the shiaam (fasting) and all other related rituals during the month of Ramadhan, a Muslim “has been restored to a clean slate.”
The word used by the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is “as if he has been delivered again from his mother’s womb - BORN AGAIN” a term first used by Muslims since 1430 years ago, but has now been more readily associated with Christians who repent, such as former President George Bush.
So, after having fasted a Muslim is returned to his “clean slate status - his Fitra.
The Islamic concept of Fitra, says David Barker, is that Allah has engraved upon a human soul an inborn tendency toward goodness, and a primordial sense in monotheism. That all humans are born in a natural state of spiritual purity.
So in this respect Islam is the diametric opposite of Christianity which subscribes to the doctrine of “Original Sin” - a sin bequeathed by every human because of Adam’s disobedience to God. Whereas in Islam Adam and Eve (may Allah be pleased with them) were forgiven for their transgressions. So in this respect the Islamic God - Allah - is most forgiving, while the Christian God, be it the Father, The Son or the Holy Ghost, is vengeful.
This is made amply clear in the last verse of Al Baqarah when Allah (swt) says:
*Lahaa maa kasabat
Wa ‘alaihaa maktasabat.*
In the approximate meaning:
(It gets every good that it earns and it suffers every bad that it earns; or as Brother Muhammad Asad so beautifully puts it: In his favour shall be whatever good he does, and against him whatever evil he does.
And this is made much more clear in Surah Al-Israa’ (27) verse 15:
*Wa laa taziru waaziratuw
Wizra ukhraa.*
(No one shall shoulder the sins of another.)
This means each and every individual has to be responsible for what he does - it is grossly unjust to hold me responsible for what you did and vice versa to hold you responsible for what I did.
So fasting is actually a process of purification - to develop the potential of ihtisaban which is a potential to always undertake internal correction of one-self.
In his article titled “Muslims welcome holy month of Ramadhan” published in The Middle East Online recently, John L. Esposito, University Professor and Founding Director of the Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding and co-author of “Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think”, says:
“For Muslims the month-long daytime fast of Ramadan, is a special time set aside to remember God through physical and spiritual discipline: abstinence, devoting more time and attention to prayer and reflection on human frailty and dependence on God, performing good works for the poor and less fortunate.” Unquote
This reminds us of what Reza Aslan in his book “There is No God but God” says.
According to the young Muslim intellectual, the Jahiliyah opposition to Islam was not necessarily that Islam forbade and forbids the worship of idols, but more so because Islam demanded and demands social justice, the sharing of wealth.
In Adz-Dzaariyaat (51) verse19, Allah (swt) reminds humankind:
*Wa fii amwaalihim
Haqqul lis saa-ili wal mahrum.*
In the approximate meaning:
(And in their wealth and possessions the right of him who asked and him who was prevented from asking.)
It is in this respect that Professor John L. Esposito says:
“Social justice, a concern for the poor, orphans, widows and family members is a major Koranic theme. The Koran specifically condemns those who say people are meant to be poor and should be left to their own fate because Allah wills it.” Unquote.
He further says that:
“Ramadan then is not only the beginning of a month-long fast but of a special spiritual cycle of months within which those who participate have an opportunity to draw closer to God, family and community.” Unquote.
Professor Emeritus of Human Nutrition and Foods at West Virginia University, Zafar Nomani, in an article titled “Better Health Through Fasting” says:
“What I and other researchers have discovered is that fasting has clear spiritual, physical, psychological and social benefits, derived from what is termed as ‘restricted energy intake’.”
We know the physical benefits of a “restricted energy intake” - helping avoid obesity, diabetes and some such. Spiritually, of course there is no doubt about it for us Muslims - as it is inscribed in the Qur’an; socially it is the realization of the necessity to share with others.
Now psychologically?
According to Professor Zafar Nomani:
“Researchers in Jordan found a significant reduction of parasuicidal cases during the month of Ramadan. In the United Kingdom, the Ramadan model has been used by various health agencies to reduce cigarette smoking, especially among Africans and Asians.” Unquote.
Hammudah Abdalati, in Islam in Focus, says:
“Fasting in Ramadan develops in a person the real spirit of social belonging, of unity and brotherhood, and of equality before God. This spirit is the natural product of the fact that when people fast they feel that they are joining the whole Muslim society (which makes up more than one fifth of world’s population) in observing the same duty, in the same manner, at the same time, for the same motives, and for the same end.
No sociologist or historian can say that there has been at any period of history anything comparable to this powerful institution of Islam: Fasting in the month of Ramadan. People have been crying throughout the ages for acceptable ‘belonging’, for unity, for brotherhood, for equality, but how echoless their voices have been, and how very little success they have met…”. Unquote.
Two Muslim brothers, Taha Ghayyur and Taha Ghaznavi, from the University of Toronto, say:
The reasons to fast are:
1. Fasting is an institution for the improvement of moral and spiritual character of human being. The purpose of the fast is to help develop self-restraint, self-purification, God-consciousness, compassion, the spirit of caring and sharing, the love of humanity and the love of God. Fasting is a universal custom and is advocated by all the religions of the world, with more restrictions in some than in others. The Islamic Fast, as opposed to mere starvation or self-denial, is an act of worship and obedience to God, thanksgiving, forgiveness, spiritual training, and self-examination.
2. Ramadan gives us a break and provides us with a rare opportunity to think about our own selves, our future, and our families. It is a time to give ourselves a mental break and to temporarily forget about the hundreds of worries and stresses we are constantly bombarded with. In hectic times, such as ours, and in places like the West, this valuable time to think about our lives, on individual basis, is a luxury and is desperately needed! It is a unique month of self-analysis, and of taking stock of one’s moral and spiritual ‘assets and liabilities’.
3. Fasting indoctrinates us in patience, unselfishness, and gratitude. When we fast we feel the pains of deprivation and hunger, and learn how to endure it patiently. The meaning of this powerful experience in a social and humanitarian context is that we are much quicker than anybody else in sympathizing with the oppressed and needy around the world, and responding to their needs.
“It is the month to visit the poor, the sick, and the needy to share their sorrows. It is the month where the food, sustenance and the earnings of a believing Muslim increases and they are blessed,” says the Final Prophet of God, Muhammad (peace be upon him), a man who was known for his noble humanitarian causes, for social justice, and for being the first to respond to other’s needs, despite the fact that he himself lived a very simple and humble life. It is only during such a trying time as Ramadan that we can reflect on the condition of those in this world who may not be as fortunate as us.
4. Fasting in Ramadan enables us to master the art of mature adaptability and Time-Management. We can easily understand this point when we realize that fasting makes people change the entire course of their daily life. When they make the change, they naturally adapt themselves to a new system and schedule, and move along to satisfy the rules. This, in the long run, develops in them a wise sense of adaptability and self-created power to overcome the unpredictable hardships of life! A person who values constructive adaptability, time-management, and courage will appreciate the effects of Fasting in this respect as well.
5. It cultivates in us the principle of sincere Love, because when we observe Fasting, we do it out of deep love for God. And a person, who loves God, truly is a person who knows what love is and why everyone on this Earth should be loved and treated justly, for the sake of God.” Unquote.
Brothers in Islam: May Allah (swt) Be Pleased with Us on this auspicious day – in this holy month of Ramadhan.
In essence fasting the Islamic way is actually a cyclical retraining of how to really command – to command oneself to deny those that are natural to humans.
There is a story in the West about how the Prophet of Islam (saw) commanded his beloved horses to to obey him completely.
It is related that the horses together with the Prophet (saw) had been on a very long and tiring journey in a very hot condition. Finally the group arrived at an oases and the horses unable to control their thirst immediately galloped as fast as they could to the water.
The Prophet (saw) immediately issued an order understood by the horses to halt, and they did abruptly – though tormented by thirst and seduced by water which was only centimetres away.
Only when the Prophet (saw) gave them permission to approach the oases did they do so and quenched their thirst.
In a way the exercise and discipline of fasting is similar to the great restraint shown by the horses – during the daylight period we are so hungry, thirsty – but we don’t eat nor drink; we are aroused sexually by our wife, but we curb our desire; we are angry, frustrated, upset, livid, engulfed by resentment and indignation at others, but hold our peace.
That is fasting the Islamic way. It is the great teacher and discipliner. How lucky we are that Allah (swt) has granted us another opportunity to perform and undertake this wonderful ritual, for which we can only say “Alhamdulillah, stumma Alhamdulillah.”
Marhaban Ya Ramadhan Kariim – kullu ‘am wa antum bekhair – taqaballah minna wa minkum, taqabbal ya Kariim.# - Barakallah li wala kum fil Qur’an al Aziim.