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8. FASTING IN RAMADAN (1)

The month of Ramdan is a holy month where Muslims
are ordered to fast. The Prophets grand-father Abd al-
Mualib who was a anf1 (a true believer) glorified this month
with giving charities, feeding the needy, did taannuth
(withdrew in seclusion, performing work of devotion) in the
cave of ir. It is said that Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl the uncle
and half-brother of Umar ibn al-Khab did the same thing.
As a anf Hishm ibn Urwah from his father on the
authority of his mother Asm bint Ab Bakr said that she saw
Zayd ibn Amr as a very old man leaning his back on the Kabah
and saying, O Quraysh, By Him in whose hand is the soul of
Zayd, not one of you follows the religion of Abraham but I.
Then he said: O Allah, if I knew how you wished to be
worshipped I would so worship you; but I do not know. Then
he prostrated himself on the palms of his hands.
Ab Usmah narrated from Hishm that Zayd ibn Amr
said: My God is the God of Abraham and said to a person
who wanted to bury his infant daughter alive, Do not kill her,
give her to me, and when she grows up, either you take her
back or give her to me. (Reported by al-Nas)
It was through the influence of Abd al- Mualib the
Arabs in pre-Islamic Arabia also honored this month of
Ramdan. They almost avoided war in this month like the four
months (Rajab, Dhl-Qidah, Dh l-ijjah, and Muarram)
where war was prohibited.2 Following the practice of his uncle,
the Prophet ( )also used to go to the cave ir doing the
taannuth until the Archangel Gabriel came to him with the
first revelation.
1
66 - - .
2
12 - . The term al-
anfiyyah ) (literally means ( inclination), technically means
attachment to the truth, namely the true religion of
Abraham a.s.
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As mentioned in the Qurn the injunction of fasting is not

new, as it has been enjoined earlier to people. Allah says:


)38: (

O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you
as it was prescribed for those before you, that
you may become the pious (Q. 2:183)
Here the term those before you means the people of
the Book, namely, the Jews and the Christians.
According to al-Shab and Qatdah the fasting was
prescribed to the Jews and the Christians but they changed it.
Their bishops made extra ten days, and when some of them
became sick they made a vow that if Allah healed them they
would increase ten days of fasting, so that it became fifty days.
As they felt that it was too hard to fast in summer, they change
it into spring. However, the right view according to al-abar, is
that the Jews and the Christians should have fasted the same as
Muslims did, following the religion of Abraham.
Fasting according to various religions is as follows:
1. Islam. In Islam it is, as we know, abstention from food, drink,
smoking, profane language, and sexual intercourse from
before the break of dawn until sunset for the entire month
of Ramadan. Muslims are recommended to fast six days
after the first of Shawwal after Ramadan, on the day of
Arafah, on every Monday and Thursday as practiced by the
Prophet ().
2. Christianity. In Christianity, it is as a kind of worship but
without any particular time, although according to their
Church tradition, it is forty days before Easter celebration.
Then it is extended to become six weeks and called the
Greatest (Major) Fasting. There is nothing of it confirmed
in the Bible. Basically, in this fasting it is prohibited from
eating meat and its derivatives, such as milk, but this rule is
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up to the church. Russian Orthodox Church prohibits eating

meat and fish, whereas the Orthodox Church of England
allows its followers to eat meat and fish during fasting,
except on special days, such on Wednesday, on Friday, and
the Holy Thursday. In Coptic Orthodox Church its followers
fast in many days and are prohibited from eating meat, milk
and its derivatives, and now it is allowed to eat fish. For
Eastern Orthodox Church fasting strengthens resistance to
gluttony and helps open a person to God's grace.
3. Judaism. In Judaism, its followers fast based on special days
and occasions expressing asking forgiveness from sins more
than its being based on special time. The well-known days
where the Jews fast is the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur,
namely, 25 hour fasting. It starts about a quarter of an hour
before sunset and ends on the Day of Atonement a quarter
of an hour after sunset. They also fast in memory of the
destruction of Solomon Temple, on the day of the death of
Prophet Moses, three week fasting as condolence of the
time where the Romans destroyed the Temple and the fall
of Jerusalem, from 17 of July till 9 of August; they also fast
one day before fighting in the battle field, and the
bridegroom and the bride on their wedding day; they also
fast on the day their parent passed away. For the Jewish
people fasting is atonement for sins and or special requests
to God.
4. Hinduism. In Hinduism, its followers have various rituals in
fasting, depending on the god they follow. In Southern India
they fast from sunrise to sunset, and they are allowed to
drink liquid. In Northern India they are only allowed fruit
and milk. They also have season fasting, where they fast
from sunset to the sunrise for nine days starting from the
beginning of the season which is a rather strange ritual.
There is also fasting according to the god they worship.
Those who worship Shiva fast on Monday, whereas those
who worship Vishnu fast on Thursday. In general, they avoid
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meat. It is a way to enhance concentration during

meditation or worship, a means to purify the system, and
sometimes considered a sacrifice.
5. Buddhism. In Buddhism fasting is based on lunar calendar,
where the Buddhists fast four days at the beginning of the
month. They are also fast from working besides food, and
the food has to be prepared before sunrise to be consumed
at sunset. They usually fast on full-moon days and other
holidays. Their fasting usually means abstaining from solid
food, but some liquids are permitted. It is a method of
purification. For Theravadin and Tendai Buddhist monks it is
a means of freeing the mind. For some Tibetan Buddhist
monks it is to aid yogic feats, like generating inner heat.
6. Sabian. There are two sects of Sabian: anf Sabean and
Polytheist Sabean. (a) anf Sabeans had been in Yemen
before the time of Prophet Ibhm a.s. and they did not
follow any Prophet ( )and therefore had no holy book.
Their status was like following the original Torah of the Jews
and the Injl (Gospel) of the Christians, and believed in the
Oneness of Allah, worshiped Him Alone, enjoining good and
prohibiting evil, such as wrong-doing. (b) Pagan Sabian, they
worshiped the angels, read Psalms, and worshiped Divine
Spiritualties. Therefore, those who followed the religion of
ahl al-kitb (the Jews and the Christians), they would be
attached to them, whereas those who did not, like those
who worshiped the stars, like those who had lived in al-
arrn when Islam came to them. It is said that the Sabian
of arrn fasted thirty or twenty-nine days, starting from
the appearance of the crescent ending with the appearance
of the crescent of the following months. They also
celebrated the end of the fasting with d al-Fir celebration,
similar to Muslims practice. They also prayed the funeral
prayer without bowing and prostration. The view of the
historian and geographer Ab l-Fid (671-731/1273-1331)
that the abian of arrn fasted one month ending with d
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al-Fir celebration was shared by Ibn al-Nadm (d. 835/995),

as well as the Iraqi thinker and historian Dr. Jawd Al
(1325-1407/1907-1987), and confirmed by Muammad
Abd al-amd al-amd.3 The Sabian of Harran did not exist
any longer. They had had some different belief with the
present Mandaean Sabian. Mandaean Sabian still exists till
today. It is a Judeo-Christian gnostic sect in Mesopotania in
South Iraq and Iran. They consider Prophet Yay (John the
Baptist) a.s. as their prophet, and their main characteristics
are facing towards the North star in their prayer, and
baptizing at running water. Most of Muslim scholars allowed
taking jizah (head tax) from them like the Jews and the
Christians. They pray three times a day, and fast 36 days a
year.
7. Pharaohs. They fast to become near to the god. They fast
for the Nile river as the source of goodness and gift. They
also fast on meaningful days, such as fasting on harvest
days. For people in general they fast three days every
month, and four days at the beginning of the year, apart
from another kind of fasting where it was prohibited to
consume anything except water and vegetables for seventy
days. There was also a special fasting for the priests of
temples, and in order to be associated with the temple, the
servant of the temple has to fast avoiding water for seven
days. There various kinds of fasting for the priests which had
connection with the sun-god (Ra or Re) starting from sunrise
to sunset, avoiding food and contact with women which
could last for forty days. There was also another obligation
for the Pharaohs, namely, fasting thirty days, starting from
dawn to sunset, after which they had celebration.

3
The source of this information is derived from Arab historians:
;823 ; - 65 -
- ; -
55 -
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8. Mormon. It is a member of a religious sect called The

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founded by
Joseph Smith in 1830 in the U.S. Its followers fast on the
first Sunday of each month. Individuals and families may
hold other fasts at will. They abstain from food and drink for
two consecutive meals and donate food or money to the
needy. After the fast, church members participate in a "fast
and testimony meeting." They fast to be close to God, to
concentrate on God and religion. It is held to petition for a
specific cause, such as healing from sickness or help with
making a difficult decision.
Fasting is not new in Islam. It has been prescribed in
previous revealed religions, such as Judaism and Christianity,
and practice in many other religions and cultures for various
reasons.
(CIVIC, 19 May, 2017)

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http://www.ahewar.org/debat/show.art.asp?aid=235330
http://www.saaid.net/feraq/mthahb/78.htm
https://www.rferl.org/a/1053864.html
http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2001/02/Fasting-Chart.aspx
http://www.inthenameofallah.org/Zayd%20ibn%20'Amr%20ibn
%20Nufayl.html
https://ar.wikisource.org/wiki/_/_
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