Spirit of Ramadhan (The Month of Fasting)

The nature and instincts are the halters keeping tight rein on powerful animal wants. Contrary to man who has no limit for his stomach and sex tantalize, they have the peculiarity of gaining tolerability for their want for food or sex after once it is fulfilled until its next rise after a natural interval of time. But man! His appetite, both relating to stomach as well as sex, never gets satisfied. So, instead he is left on his will to assuage his desires through every means, an arrangement was necessary for corking up his excessive lusts.

Piety and righteousness is a quality working as a bridle for intense longings and itches, which if not controlled man is more likely to lower his humanity lowest of the low. Creator’s interminable decision is to put man’s wishes under a constraint. Instead of a permanent crush of the lusts or making strictly bound of a particular season, period gaps or oppressive cools, bringing them in a discipline was the plan of the Lord for His servants. For this purpose probably with a little difference of time, number of the days and the way of observing, fasting was made obligatory for previous communities and also for the followers of the last and final Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him. Fasting is actually a remedial measure for disciplining the headstrong desires and inculcating patience, endurance and self-restraint in man. Fasting in the month of Ramadhan has been made obligatory to obtain the quality of patience and self-control:
“O you who believe! Observing the fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become pious (Al-Muttaqun). (Al-Baqarah: 183)

Before we proceed ahead in our discussion, it is pertinent to learn what actually Taqwa or piety is and what the significance it has in the moral traits taught by Islam. There are more than 350 places in the Quran, we find the term used with its root ‘waqa, wiqaya, yaqi’ which means ward off, rescue, protect from enemies or any kind of danger and if it is taken from ‘tawaqqa’ then it means ‘fear, horror, frightfulness, scariness’. ‘Waq’ is one of the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah with meaning the One Who protects and saves. The more suitable interpretation of Taqwa is to refrain from and give up all the acts, attitudes and behaviors in the face of their destructive consequences. Fearing the wrath of Allah, the Most Exalted, not even coming near to the evils and bad deeds caused by uncontrolled lusts which make Allah angry is Taqwa. As someone evades from thorny bushes, with fear of getting tainted with badness, fleeing out of the sinful environment, is Taqwa.

Taqwa makes the sleeping senses awake and conscience vigilant. Its working in the heart is like red traffic signal. While moving ahead in an easy mood on the road as soon as the yellow light appears the driver rouses from lethargy, becomes alert to control the speed of his/her vehicle and on appearance of the red light stops it at the proper point. Same is the case of Taqwa. Busy in his worldly activities, when a Muslim is about to commit a sin, ‘red light’ of Taqwa warns him to be heedful and not cross the limit of lawfulness (Halal) and not have his way into prohibitions.

We can make understanding by another example. Nowadays, in newly built buildings in the modern cities and towns, some very sensitive electric devices are installed in them. If there appears some hazardous situation the warning alarms from the sensory devices start rising. Thus a long before occurrence of the danger precautionary measures are adopted to bring the situation under control. Taqwa, in the heart of a sincere believer, is like that sensory device cautioning against any probability of slip of his tongue, lapse of his mind and confusion of his intention.

All the acts of adoration (Ibadah), as we can comprehend in the light of the verse 21 of Surah Al-Baqarah, have the objective to nurture the quality of Taqwa.
“O you people! Adore your Lord Who created you and those who came before you, that you may have the chance to learn righteousness (Taqwa).”

But the full month of Ramadhan has been prescribed for gaining Taqwa by fasting in it. Ramadhan has another significance of being the month of revelation of the Quran. The main objective of fasting, as the Quran tells us, is to gain self-restraint and develop piety and righteousness (Taqwa). Though the Quran is guidance for entire humanity yet it is conditioned by how much one is God-fearing and having the quality of piety. So we find a very close relation between the Quran and fasting of Ramadhan. Taqwa is in fact spirit and harvest of the month of Ramadhan and the guidance from the Quran depends on a particular degree of Taqwa.

The chapters (Surahs) of the Quran, revealed in Madinah have in them commandments and injunctions and also prohibitions and details of unlawful acts. In the beginning or at the end of most of the verses with the commandments or prohibitions, we find an excessive mention of Taqwa. That is because nothing else but only Taqwa has the force of motivating for abiding by the commandments of Allah and side-stepping from unlawful acts.

Taqwa has many other salient aspects of its importance. Some of them are mentioned below:

1: “And know that Allah is with Muttaqun (the pious people). (Al-Baqarah: 194)

2: “Verily, Allah loves those who are Muttaqun.” (Al-Imran: 76)

3: “(The blessed) end is for the Muttaqun.” ( Al-A’raf: 128)

4: “Allah is the Wali (Helper, Protector) of the Muttaqun.” (Al-Jathiah: 19)

5: “Verily, the most honourable of you in the sight of Allah is that who is the most pious and righteous of you.” (Al-Hujurat: 13)