Fasting

“Observing the fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become pious.” (Al-Baqarah/ The Cow [2] 183)

(In 2009 I self-published a book based on my years of research on islam and the environment (‘199 ways to please God, how to [re-]align your daily life with duty of care to Creation’ [out of print now; ISBN-10: 184426629X; ISBN-13: 978–1844266296]) … with an update in mind, am here going to first share the ‘old’ version* bit by bit.)

Fasting is divided into two kinds: the obligatory fast, and any non-obligatory fast. The obligatory fast is categorised as three kinds: (1) fasting the month of Ramadan; (2) fasting to expiate for religious offences; (3) fasting to fulfil a vow. Of the three, fasting the month of Ramadan is the most important. The elements of fasting are two: to worship God by abstaining from fastbreakers, combined with intention.

Key to this notion of a God-fearing life is the idea of tazim — reverence; veneration; respect. In this age of irreverence, Ramadan is a call to renew our reverence and love of God by venerating the divine commands and respecting their limits (our free will, for which we have to account on Day of Judgment). In the UK, we could be more respectful with each person generating half a tonne on average of domestic waste per year. Between 1990 and 2005, GDP grew in real terms by 43 per cent. GDP increased steadily from the early 1990s, with a 17 per cent rise between 1999 and 2005. GDP per head increased by 36 per cent between 1990 and 2005 and 14 per cent from 1999 to 2005. But with all this ‘progress’ as Muzammal Hussain, initiator of London Islamic Network for the Environment (LINE, www.lineonweb.org.uk, serving as example for MINE and ShINE — Midlands and Sheffield Islamic Network for the Environment) muses: “Is nature backwards, or are we? […] As society succeeds in producing ever more complex products, its failure to deal wisely with what we no longer use, becomes increasingly problematic. Nature, it appears is far ahead. For unlike in ‘modern’ human societies, nature recycles everything it produces.”

Fasting is one of the best acts of worship. It is mandated by God to purify the soul along with the practice of good deeds. Thus the faster ought to be aware of acts or behaviours that may spoil his fast so that he or she will attain the highest benefit physically and spiritually. Fasting is a state of mind that transcends the physical restraint. We like to fast, as it pleases God…other good deeds, like planting a tree, are rewarded at least 10 times: Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of God said, “By the One in Whose hand my self is, the smell of the breath of a man fasting is better with God than the scent of musk.’ He leaves his desires and his food and drink for My sake. Fasting is for Me and I reward it. Every good action is rewarded by ten times its kind, up to seven hundred times, except fasting, which is for Me, and I reward it.’ “

The virtues of fasting are great indeed: God has chosen fasting for Himself, and He will reward it and multiply the reward without measure, as He says in a hadeeth: “Except for fasting which is only for My sake, and I will reward him for it.” If a person’s stomach is hungry, this will keep many of his other faculties from feeling hunger or desires; but if his stomach is satisfied, his tongue, eye, hand and private parts will start to feel hungry. Fasting leads to the defeat of Devil; it controls desires and protects one’s faculties. When the fasting person feels the pangs of hunger, he experiences how the poor feel, so he has compassion towards them and gives them something to ward off their hunger. Hearing about them is not the same as sharing their suffering, just as a rider does not understand the hardship of walking unless he gets down and walks. Fasting trains the will to avoid desires and keep away from sin; it helps a person to overcome his own nature and to wean himself away from his habits. It also trains a person to get used to being organised and punctual, which will solve the problem that many people have of being disorganised, if only they realised. The person who is fasting should avoid all kinds of forbidden (haram) actions, such as backbiting, obscenity and lies, otherwise his reward may all be lost. According to Ibn Maajah the Prophet said: “It may be that a fasting person gets nothing from his fast except hunger.”

Examples of action

1. Hold an Earth fast. The late David Brower (Founder of Earth Island Institute), said in 2000, “Many environmentalists hail new efficient and ‘green’ energy sources, while forgetting that our greatest untapped source of energy is still the energy we can conserve by not using so much of it. Earth Day Energy Fast is the kind of idea that we need right now to put ‘conservation’ back in the conservation movement. To all those who are concerned about climate change, air pollution, species extinction, and the other costs to the earth of making energy, it’s time to take action. Give the Earth a break it can feel by going on an Earth Day Energy Fast.” — www.earthdayenergyfast.org: Find out how many barrels of oil or equivalent you have leaking out of your house, then see what you can do stop the spill. There is now also a ‘Fasting for the Planet’, initiated by the London Islamic Network for the Environment (LINE) and St Ethelburga’s, which “aims to facilitate two kinds of movements. A movement towards, and a movement away from. Through participating, people will be expressing an intention to move away from submission to: i) corporate domination; ii) consumerism; iii) the dominant, interest- based and fictitious monetary-system; iv) a dependence on fossil fuels. Simultaneously, by fasting participants hope to i) strengthen their inner resources, with an associated intention to move towards: ii) simplicity, sharing and community building; iii) economic systems that are nurturing to life, soul and community; iv) non-polluting energy, and sustainable use of the earth’s resources.”, www.fastfortheplanet.net
2. Take the Green Ribbon Pledge: while the red ribbon stands for AIDS awareness, the pink ribbon for breastcancer awareness, the green ribbon stands not only for environmental awareness but also means the person wearing it has taken the pledge to conserve. Join people worldwide who have taken the green ribbon pledge to conserve energy for a secure future. There are hundreds of things you can do every day to reduce energy consumption. The result will be that you have saved energy and money, increased our national security, improved our air and water quality, lessened threats posed by global warming, and benefited the health of all humans. Take the green ribbon pledge and follow it. Be a part of the world movement and do what you can to conserve energy, www.greenribbonpledge.org.
3. Fulfil your needs, but hold a regular fast on your wants, because as English author G.K. Chesterton (1874- 1936 CE) states: “there are two ways to have enough. One is to have more. The other is to need less.”

*Where I am copying the text verbatim, some references may no longer work.