Remain true to the spirit of Ramadan

Muslims, fasting

 Muslims break their fast on the fourth day of the holy Ramadan at the Istiqlal mosque on March 26, 2023.


Photo credit: Adek Berry | AFP

The holy month of Ramadan is a special season of intensive fasting (saum) and immersion into other related acts of worship such as recitation of Quran, performing obligatory and optional prayers and charity in what aggregately functions as a mechanism to attain greater closeness and more subservience to the Almighty God, Allah.

As a cardinal pillar of Islam, fasting is also designed to be an annual spiritual training programme in which the lessons and virtues learnt during Ramadan can be extended and maintained as part and parcel of a Muslim’s character in the other 11 months of the Islamic calendar. One prophetic narration says: “The most beloved deeds to Allah are those which are done continuously, even if they are small. [Bukhari].

It is also noteworthy that fasting in Islam goes beyond mere abstinence from food from dawn to dusk.

Worldly desires

Its scope includes fasting from carnality, vain talks and all acts of disobedience to God in an effort to arrest prohibitions, distractions and worldly desires to give way to God-consciousness, which is the ultimate goal of Ramadan as stated in the holy Quran chapter 2 verse 183:  “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may develop God-consciousness.”

In that respect, Prophet Muhammad said: “Whoever does not give up lying and false conduct, Allah has no need in him giving up his food and his drink” [Bukhari].

Similarly, he said, “Fasting is a shield (from the Hell-fire), as long as one does not damage it.”  In another narration, he added, “by lying or backbiting” [Sunan an- nasa’i].

I, therefore, urge my fellow Muslims to seek spiritual goodness and aid the poor and the weak during these tough times of ravaging drought and runaway inflation.

Mr Mohamed is a communication specialist based in Garissa; [email protected]