VIRTUES OF FASTING

💓1. Objectives of Fasting : To Attain Taqwa: Consciousness and Fear of Allah

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you – just as it has been prescribed to the people before you : so that you may attain taqwa” (Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 183)

Among some of the aspects of how fasting develops one’s Taqwa, is by:

✅ Training oneself to refrain from his/her desires – even when it comes to refraining things which are “normally halal” such as food, drink and sexual intercourse with one’s spouse
✅ Being motivated to perform other good deeds throughout this blessed month of Ramadhan
✅ Developing thankfulness (shukr) of the blessings He has granted us when we deprive ourselves of food and drink for a portion of a day – and empathizing for those who have been deprived of many of the blessings we enjoy every day
✅ Training us in generosity and spending for His Sake

🛡️2. Fasting is a Shield : that protects from Other Sins, and from the Punishment/Wrath of Allah

قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلاَّ الصِّيَامَ فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ وَالصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ فَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلاَ يَرْفُثْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلاَ يَسْخَبْ فَإِنْ سَابَّهُ أَحَدٌ أَوْ قَاتَلَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ صَائِمٌ ‏.‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَخُلُوفُ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ وَلِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ يَفْرَحُهُمَا إِذَا أَفْطَرَ فَرِحَ بِفِطْرِهِ وَإِذَا لَقِيَ رَبَّهُ فَرِحَ بِصَوْمِهِ
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
Allah the Exalted and Majestic said: Every act of the son of Adam is for him, except fasting. It is (exclusively) meant for Me and I (alone) will reward it.
Fasting is a shield. When any one of you is fasting on a day, he should neither indulge in obscene language, nor raise the voice; or if anyone reviles him or tries to quarrel with him he should say: I am a person fasting.
By Him, in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, the breath of the one who is fasting is sweeter to Allah on the Day of judgment than the fragrance of musk.
The one who fasts has two (occasions) of joy, one when he breaks the fast he is glad with the breaking of (the fast) and one when he meets his Lord he is Pleased with his fast.
(Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

“The Wisdom and Benefits behind Fasting (as a shield)” – Ibn Al-Qayyim

The objective behind fasting is to restrain the soul from (its) desires and to prevent it from those things, which are beloved to it. And its purpose is to control the soul’s strength, so that it can be prepared to attain what is found in it (the fast) from success and joy for the soul. Through the fast, one curbs his hunger and thirst and is reminded of the condition of the hungry stomachs of needy people.

Through fasting, one narrows the passages the Shaytan has inside the servant (of Allah) by narrowing the passages of food and drink. Also, it prevents the forces of the limbs from getting too accustomed to things that are harmful to it in this world and the hereafter. And each of the soul’s body limbs and energies can cease their rebellious nature (against Allah) and be harnessed by (the benefits of) its reins/bridle (that bind it).
So therefore, the fast is (like that of) the reins of those who fear and obey Allah and the shield of those wage war (against desires). And it is a garden for the righteous and devoted servants of Allah. And it is for the Lord of the worlds, over all other actions (done to please Allah). This is because, the person who fasts, in fact does nothing. He only abandons his desire and his food for the sake of the One whom he worships.

So fasting is an abandonment of those things that the soul loves and desires, preferring instead Allah’s love and contentment. And it is a secret kept between the servant and his Lord – no one else is aware of it.
Fasting has an amazing effect in preserving one’s outer limbs and inner capacities as well as protecting the soul from being overtaken by destructive components, which can ruin and destroy it. And it has a remarkable effect in causing all the harmful things that prevent the soul from being healthy to be emptied out. So fasting guards and protects the health of the person’s heart and body limbs. And it returns the soul all that the hands of the desires has taken from it. So it is from the greatest ways of improving one’s Taqwaa, as Allah says:

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you in order that you attain Taqwaa.” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 183]

The Prophet ﷺ said: “وَالصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ” (“Fasting is a shield.”) And he commanded those who had intense desires for marriage but were not able to marry, to observe fasting, making it a shield against those desires (of marriage).

When the benefits of fasting are born witness to by sensible minds and upright intuitions, one will come to realize that Allah prescribed it as a mercy for mankind, goodness to them and a protection and shield for them. The Prophet’s ﷺ guidance concerning it was the most perfect of guidance, and the best for reaching the desired objective and the easiest on the soul.

(“Zaad al-Ma’aad” by Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah)

🤑 3. Rewards Beyond Imagination

Allah has not just prescribed fasting to us as an “obligation” – but He has also Guaranteed a whole myriad of abundant rewards and for those who fast as a motivation for the believers. Which is why the Prophet ﷺ said,

مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
“Whomsoever fasts in Ramadhan out of iman (faith) and in the hope of reward (from Allah), will be forgiven his previous sins” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

He also said:

كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ يُضَاعَفُ الْحَسَنَةُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلاَّ الصَّوْمَ فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ يَدَعُ شَهْوَتَهُ وَطَعَامَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ فَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ فِطْرِهِ وَفَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ لِقَاءِ رَبِّهِ ‏.‏ وَلَخُلُوفُ فِيهِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ
Every (good) deed of the son of Adam would be multiplied, a good deed receiving a tenfold to seven hundred-fold (multiplied) in reward.
Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has said: “Except for fasting: for it is done for Me and I will give a reward for it, for one abandons his desires and food for My Sake.
There are two occasions of joy for one who fasts, joy when he breaks it, and joy when he meets his Lord, and the breath (of the one who is fasting) is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk.”
(Muslim)

🤝 4. The Deeds of Fasting Will Perform Intercession (Syafa’ah) on the Day of Judgment

أنَّ رسولَ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّمَ … [قال: الصيامُ والقُرآنُ يَشفَعانِ للعَبدِ؛ يقولُ الصيامُ: ربِّ، إنِّي منَعْتُه الطعامَ والشَّهَواتِ بالنَّهارِ فشَفِّعْني فيه، ويقولُ القُرآنُ: منَعْتُه النومَ باللَّيلِ فيُشَفَّعانِ].

The Messenger of Allah said, “The deeds of Fasting and Qur’an will come as two intercessors for a slave.
The deed of fasting will say : “My Lord, verily, I have prevented him (i.e. this slave) from food and desires in the day – so make me an intercessor for him!”
The Qur’an will say, “I have prevented him from sleep at night” – so they both will intercede (for the slave)”
(Narrated by Abu Nu’aim, Al-Munziri. Al-Hakim commented on this hadith saying that “it is authentic in accordance to the conditions of Imam Muslim, but he did not narrate it”, and Adz-Dzahabi agreed with him)

👍🏼 5. Fasting Is Among the Best of Deeds in Islam

عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَىُّ الْعَمَلِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ ‏”عَلَيْكَ بِالصَّوْمِ فَإِنَّهُ لاَ عِدْلَ لَهُ”‏
It was narrated from Abu Umamah that he asked the Messenger of Allah:
“Which deed is best?” he said:
“Upon you is to fast, for there is nothing equal to it.”
(Narrated by An-Nasa’ee, graded hasan)

🌈6. A Special VIP Gate to Paradise Awaits: Ar-Rayyan

إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ بَابًا يُقَالُ لَهُ الرَّيَّانُ يَدْخُلُ مِنْهُ الصَّائِمُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لاَ يَدْخُلُ مَعَهُمْ أَحَدٌ غَيْرُهُمْ يُقَالُ أَيْنَ الصَّائِمُونَ فَيَدْخُلُونَ مِنْهُ فَإِذَا دَخَلَ آخِرُهُمْ أُغْلِقَ فَلَمْ يَدْخُلْ مِنْهُ أَحَدٌ
“In Paradise there is a gate which is called Rayyan through which only the people who fast would enter on the Day on Resurrection. None else would enter along with them.
It would be proclaimed: ‘Where are the people who fast that they should be admitted into it?’
And when the last of them would enter, it would be closed and no one would enter it”
(Al-Bukhari, Muslim)