IMAM GHAZALI (رحمة الله عليه) – THE MYSTERIES OF FASTING AND ITS INWARD CONDITIONS – Part 1

IMAM GHAZALI (رحمة الله عليه) ON THE MYSTERIES OF FASTING AND ITS INWARD CONDITIONS

Know that fasting is of three [successive] grades, namely, the fasting of the general public (sawm al-‘umum) and the fasting of the elite among the select few {sawm Khusus al-khusus).

The fasting of the general public involves refraining from satisfying the appetite of the stomach and the appetite of the sax, as has already been discussed.

The fasting of the select few is to keep the ears, the eyes, the tongue, and hands, and the feet as well as the other senses free from sin.

The fasting of the elite among the select few is the fast of the heart from mean thoughts and worldly worries and its complete unconcern with anything but Allah. Such a fast is broken by thinking on anything other than Allah and the last day, as well as by concern over this world, except in so far as it promotes religion which belongs to the hereafter. Thus, those whose hearts are sanctified have said, “He who spends his day worrying over what he will have for breaking his fast, sins.” This is because he has little confidence in the bounty of Allah and little faith that the livelihood promised unto him will be received. In this rank stand the Ambiyaa, the Auliyaa and the favourites of Allah the Most High. We shall not dwell very long on the verbal description of the kind of fasting but shall define it through its active operation.

It is to seek Allah with all of one’s strength and to turn away from all, other things besides Him. In short, it is to embody the words of Allah when He said, “Say ‘Allah, then leave them in their pastime of cavillings.” (Surah An’aam, Verse 91)

The fasting of the select few, which is the fasting of the virtuous men, is to keep the senses free from sin and is accomplished through six things:

The first is to refrain from looking at anything blameworthy and disapproved, or anything which occupies the person and diverts him from remembering Allah. Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said, “The coveting glance is one of the poisoned arrows of the devil. He who for fear of Allah abstains therefrom will receive from Him a belief (Imaan), the sweetness of which will fill his heart .”

Jabir related on the authority of Anas Radiallahu Anhu that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam once said, “Five things break the fast: the telling of lies, backbiting, tale-bearing, perjury, and the casting of coveting and lustful eyes.”

The second is to keep the tongue free from raving, lying, backbiting, tale-bearing, obscenity, abusive speech, wrangling, and hypocrisy, and to impose silence upon it.

Furthermore, it should be employed in the remembrance and glorification of Allah and engaged in reading of the Qur’an. Of such is the fasting of the tongue. We have it on the authority of Bishr ibn-al-Harith that Sufyan [al-Thawri] once said, “Backbiting renders fasting of no effect” Quoting Mujahid, Layth once said, ‘Two traits render fasting of no effect: backbiting and lying.”

Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said, “Verily, fasting is like unto a shield; therefore whenever one of you fasteth, let him not speak unseemly or act foolishly. If anyone disputeth with him or sweareth at him, let him say, ‘I am fasting, verily I am fasting’.” (Bukhaari)

In another tradition we read about women who lived during the lifetime of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam. As they were fasting one day pangs of hunger and the darts of thirst proved too much for them to endure, and they almost collapsed. Consequently, they sent to Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam asking him permission to break their fast. In reply he sent them a cup Saying, “Vomit into this cup what ye have eaten.”

To the amazement of all present the one filled half die cup with pure blood and tender flesh and the other filled up the second half of the cup with the same thing. Hereupon Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said, “These two women have fasted from that which Allah hath made lawful unto them and have broken their fast by doing that which He hath made unlawful unto them. They sat down and engaged in backbiting. The flesh and blood which they vomited is the flesh and blood of those people whom they have traduced.”

The third to close the ears to every reprehensible thing because everything which is unlawful to utter is also unlawful to hear. For this reason, Allah regarded the listener and the ‘sharks (devourers)’ of unlawful trade alike when He said, “Listeners to falsehood, ‘sharks’ of the unlawful trade.” (Surah 5, V46) And again, “Had not the masters and the ‘divines’ forbidden their uttering wickedness and devouring unlawful trade, bad indeed would have been their deeds .” (Surah 5, V68)

Silence therefore, in the face of backbiting is unlawful. Said Allah, ‘Ye are, then, like unto them .” (Surah 4, V139)

Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam also said, “The backbiter and he who listens unto him are partners in sin .”

The fourth is constraining the rest of the senses from sins, restraining the hand from reaching evil, and curbing the foot from pursuing wickedness, as well as avoiding questionable foods at the break of the fast. Otherwise, if the fast is going to be abstinence from lawful things, it will have no significance at all. Such a fasting man is like one who builds a cabin but destroys a capital (city).

For lawful food is harmful not because of its quality but because of its quantity and fasting is designed to induce moderation. Similarly, the person who, for fear of the bad effect of an excessive dose of medicine, resorts to taking a dose of poison, is indeed foolish. The unlawful is poison detrimental to religion while the lawful is like a medicine a little of which is beneficial but the excess of which is harmful. The purpose of fasting is to induce moderation therein. Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said, “Many a man gets nothing out of his fast accept hunger and thirst .” (Ibn Majah)

In explanation of this it has been said that he [Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam] meant the person who breaks his fast on unlawful tilings. Others said that he meant the person who abstains from lawful food and breaks his fast on the flesh of men through backbiting which is unlawful. Still others said that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam meant the person who does not keep his senses free from sin.

To be continued InshaAllah…