Spiritual benefits of Ramzan
Mehmet Ozalp :
The Ramzan for 2023 will start on Thursday March 23 and go for about 30 days. It is then followed by the three-day celebration of Eid. Intermittent fasting is now becoming popular, with many promised health benefits. But Muslims have been practising fasting in the lunar month of Ramzan for centuries.
Prior to becoming a messenger of Allah, Muhammad (Sm) used to withdraw to the Hira mountain top cave. He would meditate in solitude, away from the polytheistic culture of tribal Mecca for the whole month of Ramzan. We are not sure if this retreat involved fasting at the time.
In 610, when he was 40, he again went to the same mountain top to meditate. Several weeks into the retreat, he experienced an angelic form appearing before him, commanding him to read. He replied he did not know how to read. The angelic form squeezed him tight and repeated the command to read. This continued three times, after which the first five verses of the holy Qur’an was revealed:
‘Read in the name of your Lord who created humans from a piece of flesh. Read, for your Lord is Most Generous. Who taught humans with the pen? Who taught humans what they do not know?’
Muhammad (Sm) still was not able to read in a conventional way, but he understood that he was being asked to read the book of the universe and learn from it, and also understand that it points to its creator. This incident marked the beginning of Islam, revelation of the Qur’an and the prophetic mission of Prophet Muhammad (Sm).
In 624, when Muslims migrated to Medina to escape persecution, the month of Ramzan was declared holy by virtue of the start of the mission of the Prophet (Sm) and revelation of the Qur’an. Fasting was instituted in this month as one of the five pillars of Islam as a way for believers to show their thanks to Allah and reflect on the teachings of the Qur’an and its importance for believers.
The Ramzan fasting involves stopping eating, drinking and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset. Practitioners can engage in all these acts once fasting is broken and restart fasting the next dawn. The cycle continues for a whole month.
Ramzan fasting is one of the most observed of all the pillars of Islam, with 70-80 per cent of Muslims practising it. It is obligatory for all Muslims, men and women, from the age of puberty. Parents encourage their children to fast for half a day from the age of ten to condition them to fasting.
There are exemptions. Travellers, elderly, sick, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are exempt from fasting on the condition they make up missing days at a suitable time after Ramzan. The elderly and chronically ill compensate for days not fasted by making a small donation to charity for each day, if they can afford it.
A fasting person physically feels the value of, and their need for, basic sustenance when they experience the pangs of hunger and thirst. Since a believer fasts for the sake of Allah, they acknowledge the sustenance, which may be taken for granted, actually comes from Allah. Therefore, fasting in the Islamic tradition is the best way to show a true and sincere thanksgiving.
Fasting tames the desires. The constant exercise of willpower not to eat, drink or have sexual relations sends a strong message it is the human will, hence the spirit, that is in control.
Fasting is not just about staying hungry or thirsty, it is also to struggle to contain other harmful behaviours. Prophet Muhammad (Sm) remarked: ‘Whoever doesn’t give up lying and acting on lies during fasting, then Allah has no need for him to give up food and drink’. Therefore, the fundamental spiritual benefit of fasting is to exercise the will-power and attain self-control, essential for success in every part of life.
Fasting has other personal and social benefits. Through fasting, the rich know what it means to be hungry. Hence, the rich will be more inclined to give charity when they fast. The annual Islamic alms (zakat) are usually paid in Ramzan.
Muslims often invite friends and family members to join in the celebration of the break-fast dinners (iftar). The rich organise dinners for the poor. In the past few decades, Muslim minorities in western countries have started to invite their non-Muslim friends to iftar dinners. Muslim organisations have annual iftar dinners for their associates and supporters. Ramzan has become a cultural event for everyone.
Ramzan culminates in a three-day celebration (Eid al-Fitr), where Muslims offer a special morning prayer, then visit family and friends. Charity, called fitr, is given to the poor to ensure no one is left out of the celebrations and the joy of success that comes with fasting.
(The writer is Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University. From Internet).
