Through our fast during Ramadan we bear witness that we have received this Book (Quran), that we understand its message in spirit and practice.
It is commonly accepted that we fast Ramadan in order to feel for the poor.
As the argument goes, fasting from dawn to sunset gives people a taste of what it feels like to be deprived of our most basic necessities like food and water.
Indeed, many people do feel deprived while they are fasting but the vast majority knows that in a matter of a few hours they will be enjoying pretty much all the blessings that they normally have.
In reality, we can never really feel what a poor person feels. They are not going to sit to a healthy warm meal at the end of the day, nor will they enjoy the multitude of comforts in which we break our fast and live our lives.
Some might jump to suggest other benefits of fasting that extend beyond this empathy with the world’s unfortunate but then again those benefits can also be exercised at any other time of the year, e.g., fasting is healthy, it breaks bad habits, it teaches patience, etc. None of these explain why fasting is prescribed in Ramadan and why missing the Ramadan fast is so serious.Moreover, if that were the purpose of fasting during Ramadan then fasting at any time of the year would serve the same purpose. So what is the purpose of Ramadan if not for this very reason?
So let me propose what I believe to be the significance of the Ramadan fast but first let us read the verse that exhorts Muslims to fast during this month:
{Ramadan is the month in which was sent down the Quran
As a guide to mankind, and a clarification of guidance
And criterion (between right and wrong)
So those of you who witness this month should fast it
And those of you who are ill or on travels
Then a number of other days
God wishes for you ease and does not wish for you hardship
So that you may complete the prescribed period
And so that you may glorify God for that He has guided you
And so that you may give thanks.} (Al Baqarah 2: 185)
The above translation is based on my interpretation of the Arabic text. It is noteworthy that most translations and the exegetes upon which they are based do not pay heed to the significance of the word “shahida” which is to bear witness but rather understand and translate it as “those of you who are present… should fast” or “those of you who sight the crescent” and herein lies the weakness in our understanding of the significance of fasting during this month as opposed to any other month.
To bear witness implies an active responsibility for something or another. We are told that this is the month in which the Quran was revealed to guide people and to clarify right from wrong. It is only after this acknowledgment that we are commanded to fast, not because we are simply present when Ramadan rolls around but because we are bearing witness to the truth of the Quran and its impact on our lives. It is a show of gratitude to God for giving us the Quran in this blessed month.
We can also better understand those categories exempted from fasting who can expiate later. The sick and those traveling can compensate at other times because neither condition prevents them from their ability to bear witness.
However, understanding the verse in this way also creates a whole host of other individuals for whom the fast is meaningless either because they are unaware of why they are fasting or because their morality and behavior do not attest to the blessing of the Quran and the criterion between right and wrong therein.
Furthermore, acknowledging responsibility makes it incumbent on every Muslim to understand what they are witnessing, to give thanks and to ensure that it guides their lives pre, post and during Ramadan. It also clarifies why expiating for not fasting for unacceptable reasons is not possible. The uniqueness of Ramadan is precisely because it is the month in which the Quran was revealed. The verse ends by clearly stating that the fast is to give thanks for what God has given us in guidance and criterion.
To change our mindset as such shifts our fasting from a focus on deprivation whether of ourselves or others or even of being grateful for material comforts to a much higher responsibility of understanding to what exactly we are bearing witness, and to what we are giving thanks.
In essence we are celebrating a blessing that no amount of material wealth can grant. We are celebrating the revelation of a Book wherein there is no doubt, a healing and blessing for the faithful. A book of wonders for the ascetic; a book of knowledge for the scholar; a book of nature for the scientist; a book of morals for the ethicist; a book of criterion for the judge; a book of love, mercy and peace for mankind.
Through our fast during Ramadan we bear witness that we have received this Book (Quran), that we understand its message in spirit and practice, that we are infinitely grateful for the marvels that lay within and the guidance we have been given in our earthly journey to Paradise insha’ Allah.
Ramadan Kareem!
As the argument goes, fasting from dawn to sunset gives people a taste of what it feels like to be deprived of our most basic necessities like food and water.
Indeed, many people do feel deprived while they are fasting but the vast majority knows that in a matter of a few hours they will be enjoying pretty much all the blessings that they normally have.
In reality, we can never really feel what a poor person feels. They are not going to sit to a healthy warm meal at the end of the day, nor will they enjoy the multitude of comforts in which we break our fast and live our lives.
Some might jump to suggest other benefits of fasting that extend beyond this empathy with the world’s unfortunate but then again those benefits can also be exercised at any other time of the year, e.g., fasting is healthy, it breaks bad habits, it teaches patience, etc. None of these explain why fasting is prescribed in Ramadan and why missing the Ramadan fast is so serious.Moreover, if that were the purpose of fasting during Ramadan then fasting at any time of the year would serve the same purpose. So what is the purpose of Ramadan if not for this very reason?
So let me propose what I believe to be the significance of the Ramadan fast but first let us read the verse that exhorts Muslims to fast during this month:
{Ramadan is the month in which was sent down the Quran
As a guide to mankind, and a clarification of guidance
And criterion (between right and wrong)
So those of you who witness this month should fast it
And those of you who are ill or on travels
Then a number of other days
God wishes for you ease and does not wish for you hardship
So that you may complete the prescribed period
And so that you may glorify God for that He has guided you
And so that you may give thanks.} (Al Baqarah 2: 185)
| this is the month in which the Quran was revealed to guide people |
The above translation is based on my interpretation of the Arabic text. It is noteworthy that most translations and the exegetes upon which they are based do not pay heed to the significance of the word “shahida” which is to bear witness but rather understand and translate it as “those of you who are present… should fast” or “those of you who sight the crescent” and herein lies the weakness in our understanding of the significance of fasting during this month as opposed to any other month.
To bear witness implies an active responsibility for something or another. We are told that this is the month in which the Quran was revealed to guide people and to clarify right from wrong. It is only after this acknowledgment that we are commanded to fast, not because we are simply present when Ramadan rolls around but because we are bearing witness to the truth of the Quran and its impact on our lives. It is a show of gratitude to God for giving us the Quran in this blessed month.
We can also better understand those categories exempted from fasting who can expiate later. The sick and those traveling can compensate at other times because neither condition prevents them from their ability to bear witness.
However, understanding the verse in this way also creates a whole host of other individuals for whom the fast is meaningless either because they are unaware of why they are fasting or because their morality and behavior do not attest to the blessing of the Quran and the criterion between right and wrong therein.
Furthermore, acknowledging responsibility makes it incumbent on every Muslim to understand what they are witnessing, to give thanks and to ensure that it guides their lives pre, post and during Ramadan. It also clarifies why expiating for not fasting for unacceptable reasons is not possible. The uniqueness of Ramadan is precisely because it is the month in which the Quran was revealed. The verse ends by clearly stating that the fast is to give thanks for what God has given us in guidance and criterion.
To change our mindset as such shifts our fasting from a focus on deprivation whether of ourselves or others or even of being grateful for material comforts to a much higher responsibility of understanding to what exactly we are bearing witness, and to what we are giving thanks.
In essence we are celebrating a blessing that no amount of material wealth can grant. We are celebrating the revelation of a Book wherein there is no doubt, a healing and blessing for the faithful. A book of wonders for the ascetic; a book of knowledge for the scholar; a book of nature for the scientist; a book of morals for the ethicist; a book of criterion for the judge; a book of love, mercy and peace for mankind.
Through our fast during Ramadan we bear witness that we have received this Book (Quran), that we understand its message in spirit and practice, that we are infinitely grateful for the marvels that lay within and the guidance we have been given in our earthly journey to Paradise insha’ Allah.
Ramadan Kareem!
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