The Inner Dimensions of Fasting

Ibn al-Jawzi, the great 14th-century scholar, wrote—when speaking about the importance of reading the lives of the Salaf (the early Muslims), that they:

لأنهم تناولوا مقصود النقل، وخرجوا عن صور الأفعال المأمور بها إلى ذوق معانيها والمراد بها
“Because they grasped the true objective of transmitted teachings and moved beyond the outward forms of commanded actions to tasting their meanings and intended purposes.”
(Ṣayd al-Khāṭir)

The acts of worship we do as Muslims should have an effect on our behavior. For example, prayer is supposed to prevent us from ḥarām:

{ ٱتۡلُ مَاۤ أُوحِیَ إِلَیۡكَ مِنَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَۖ إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ تَنۡهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلۡفَحۡشَاۤءِ وَٱلۡمُنكَرِۗ وَلَذِكۡرُ ٱللَّهِ أَكۡبَرُۗ وَٱللَّهُ یَعۡلَمُ مَا تَصۡنَعُونَ }
“Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer restrains from immorality and wrongdoing. And the remembrance of Allah is greater, and Allah knows what you do.”
(Surah al-ʿAnkabūt 29:45)

Likewise, fasting, especially Ramaḍān, should have a direct transformative impact on us.

Allah tells us many times that Shayṭān is an enemy to us. There is a reason for that. Allah even mentioned that we should treat and take him as an enemy:

{ إِنَّ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنَ لَكُمۡ عَدُوّ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّاۚ إِنَّمَا یَدۡعُوا۟ حِزۡبَهُۥ لِیَكُونُوا۟ مِنۡ أَصۡحَـٰبِ ٱلسَّعِیرِ }
“Indeed, Shayṭān is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy. He only invites his followers so that they may become among the companions of the Blaze.”

Thus, this life is a battlefield, and losing this war leads to the eternal Fire. In warfare and combat, they always speak about the importance of knowing your enemy, to the point that the famous strategist Sun Tzu wrote: “Know yourself, know your enemy—one thousand battles, one thousand victories.”

Based on this, we all need to seriously ask ourselves: what are the tactics and tools Shayṭān uses to lead us astray? This is a long discussion in itself, and scholars like Ibn al-Jawzi wrote entire books on it (Talbīs Iblīs).

Yet for brevity, we can look at the pathways Shayṭān uses to reach us and attack us:

Shayṭān enticed Adam using this:

{ فَوَسۡوَسَ إِلَیۡهِ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنُ قَالَ یَـٰۤـَٔادَمُ هَلۡ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَةِ ٱلۡخُلۡدِ وَمُلۡك لَّا یَبۡلَىٰ }
“Then Shayṭān whispered to him, saying: O Adam, shall I guide you to the tree of eternity and a kingdom that will never perish?”
(Surah Ṭā-Hā 20:120)

Shayṭān tricked Adam, making him think he was a sincere adviser:

{ وَقَاسَمَهُمَاۤ إِنِّی لَكُمَا لَمِنَ ٱلنَّـٰصِحِینَ }
“And he swore to them: Indeed, I am to you both a sincere adviser.”
(Surah al-Aʿrāf 7:21)

The primary goal of fasting itself is to lessen one of these pathways. Hence, the Prophet ﷺ said:

كنا مع رسول اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم شبًابًا ليس لنا شيء فقال : يا معشر الشبًاب من استطاع منكم البًاءة فليتزوج فإنه أغض للبصر وأحصن للفرج ومن لم يستطع فعليه بًالصوم فإن الصوم له وجاء
“O young people, whoever among you is able to marry should marry, for it lowers the gaze and guards chastity. Whoever is unable should fast, for fasting is a shield for him.”

Hence why Allah says:

{ یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَیۡكُمُ ٱلصِّیَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ }
“O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you so that you may attain taqwā.”
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:183)

One of the major obstacles to achieving taqwā is our desires if they are not controlled. In fact, when we think of why we sin, we quickly realize that it is usually not due to a lack of knowledge, but rather a preference given to our desires over Allah and His Messenger. As Ibn Rajab mentioned:

جميع المعاصي إنما تنشأ من تقديم محبة هوى النفوس على محبة الله و رسوله
“All sins arise from preferring the desires of the soul over the love of Allah and His Messenger.”

This is why scholars speak about the angelic self versus the animalistic self. Angels have intellect but no desires, while animals possess desires but no intellect. The human being stands in the middle, possessing both intellect and desire. By fasting, we are able to achieve a higher spiritual state and weaken the base desires that tie us to this world.

One cannot achieve the pleasures of the Hereafter except by sacrificing some of the pleasures of this life. The proofs for this are too numerous to count. The Prophet ﷺ put it simply when he said:

استحيوا من اللهِ تعالى حقَّ الحياءِ ، من اسْتحيا من اللهِ حقَّ الحياءِ فلْيحفظِ الرأسَ وما وعى ، ولْيحفظِ البطنَ وما حوى ، ولْيذكرِ الموتَ والبِلا ، ومن أراد الآخرةَ ترك زينةَ الحياةِ الدنيا ، فمن فعل ذلك فقد استحيا من اللهِ حق الحياءِ
“Be truly shy before Allah. Whoever is truly shy before Allah should guard his head and what it contains, guard his stomach and what it holds, remember death and decay, and whoever desires the Hereafter abandons the adornment of worldly life. Whoever does that has truly shown modesty before Allah.”

Fasting teaches us to do this on a daily basis, because our entire life as Muslims requires it. As the poet said:

وقد صُمت عن لذات دهري كلها ويوم لقاكم ذاك فِطْرُ صيامي
“I have fasted from the pleasures of my entire lifetime, and the day I meet you—that will be the breaking of my fast.”

The abode of Paradise is for those who are patient in leaving this dunya, not entirely, but enough to stay away from the ḥarām:

{ وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِینَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلۡعِلۡمَ وَیۡلَكُمۡ ثَوَابُ ٱللَّهِ خَیۡر لِّمَنۡ ءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحاۚ وَلَا یُلَقَّىٰهَاۤ إِلَّا ٱلصَّـٰبِرُونَ }
“The reward of Allah is better for those who believe and do righteous deeds, and none are granted it except the patient.”
(Surah al-Qaṣaṣ 28:80)

When you are alone in Ramaḍān, why don’t you simply break your fast? Because you know Allah is watching. The awareness of Allah is what should always prevent us from sinning,to feel shy before Allah when He sees us transgressing His boundaries. The Prophet ﷺ said:

أُوصيكَ أنْ تَسْتَحِيَ مِنَ اللهِ عزَّ وجلَّ كما تَسْتَحِي رجلًا من صالِحِي قَوْمِكَ
“I advise you to be shy before Allah just as you would be shy before a righteous man among your people.”

By doing this, we learn sincerity, that our actions should always be directed to Allah and done for Him regardless of circumstance. Fasting is one of the best acts that teaches us this. Allah says in the ḥadīth qudsī:

يقولُ اللهُ عزَّ وجلَّ كلُّ عمَلِ ابنِ آدمَ له إلا الصيامَ فهو لِي وأنا أجزِي بِهِ إنَّمَا يتْرُكُ طعامَهَ وشَرَابَهُ مِن أجْلِي فصيامُهُ لَه وأنا أجزِي بِه كلُّ حسنةٍ بعشرِ أمثالِهَا إلى سبعمائِةِ ضعفٍ إلا الصيامَ فهو لِي وأنا أجزِي بِهِ
“Allah, the Exalted, says: Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting; it is for Me, and I alone reward it. He leaves his food and drink for My sake. Every good deed is multiplied ten to seven hundred times—except fasting, for it is for Me, and I reward it.”

Many scholars have mentioned that the reason for this special reward for fasting is due to the intrinsic nature of sincerity it contains.

We ask Allah to guide us to that which is best.