8. FASTING IN RAMADAN (1)

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8. FASTING IN RAMADAN (1) The month of Ramdan is a holy month where Muslims are ordered to fast. The Prophet’s grand-father ‘Abd alMuṭṭalib who was a ḥanīf1 (a true believer) glorified this month with giving charities, feeding the needy, did taḥannuth (withdrew in seclusion, performing work of devotion) in the cave of Ḥirā’. It is said that Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl the uncle and half-brother of ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb did the same thing.

As a ḥanīf Hishām ibn ‘Urwah from his father on the authority of his mother Asmā’ bint Abū Bakr said that she saw Zayd ibn ‘Amr as a very old man leaning his back on the Ka‘bah 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.

Abū Usāmah narrated from Hishām 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-Nasā’ī) It was through the influence of ‘Abd al- Muṭṭalib the Arabs in pre-Islamic Arabia also honored this month of Ramdan. They almost avoided war in this month like the four months (Rajab, Dhū‘l-Qi‘dah, Dhū ‘l-Ḥijjah, and Muḥarram) where war was prohibited.2 Following the practice of his uncle, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬also used to go to the cave Ḥirā’ doing the taḥannuth until the Archangel Gabriel came to him with the first revelation.

66 ‫ ص‬- ‫ الحزب الهاشمي‬- ‫ الدكتور سيد القمني‬.

12 ‫ الجذور التاريخية للشريعة اإلسالمية – ص‬- ‫ خليل عبد الكريم‬. The term alḥanīfiyyah )‫ (الحنيفية‬literally means ‫( ال َميْل‬inclination), technically means ‫“ ال َميْل إلَى ْال َح ِّق‬attachment to the truth”, namely the true religion of Abraham a.s.

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As mentioned in the Qur’ān the injunction of fasting is not new, as it has been enjoined earlier to people. Allah says: ‫ِب َع َلى‬ ِّ ‫ِب َع َل ْي ُك ُم ال‬ َ ‫ص َيا ُم َك َما ُكت‬ َ ‫ِين آ َم ُنوا ُكت‬ َ ‫َيا أَ ُّي َها الَّذ‬ )38:‫ون (البقرة‬ َ ُ‫ِين مِنْ َق ْبلِ ُك ْم لَ َعلَّ ُك ْم َت َّتق‬ َ ‫الَّذ‬ 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-Sha‘bī and Qatādah 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-Ṭabarī, 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 (‫)ﷺ‬.

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: Ḥanīf Sabean and Polytheist Sabean. (a) Ḥanīf Sabeans had been in Yemen before the time of Prophet Ibāhīm a.s. and they did not follow any Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬and therefore had no holy book.

Their status was like following the original Torah of the Jews and the Injīl (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-kitāb (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 alḤarrān when Islam came to them. It is said that the Sabian of Ḥarrān 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 ‘Īd al-Fiṭr celebration, similar to Muslims’ practice. They also prayed the funeral prayer without bowing and prostration. The view of the historian and geographer Abū ‘l-Fidā’ (671-731/1273-1331) that the Ṣabian of Ḥarrān fasted one month ending with ‘Īd

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al-Fiṭr celebration was shared by Ibn al-Nadīm (d. 835/995), as well as the ‘Iraqi thinker and historian Dr. Jawād ‘Alī (1325-1407/1907-1987), and confirmed by Muḥammad ‘Abd al-Ḥamīd al-Ḥamd.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 Yaḥyā (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.

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The source of this information is derived from Arab historians: ، ‫ابو الفداء‬ ;823 ‫; ابن النديم – الفهرست – ص‬- 65 ‫ صفحة‬، ‫ الجزء االول‬، -‫المختصر في تاريخ البشر‬ - ‫ المفصل في تاريخ العرب قبل اإلسالم ; محمد عبد الحميد الحمد‬- ‫الدكتور الباحث جواد علي‬ 55 ‫ ص‬- ‫صابئة حران وإخوان الصفا‬

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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) :‫المراجع‬ ‫المكتبة الشاملة‬ (311/823 .‫تفسير الطبري (ت‬ (‫ م‬2158 - 2121 / ‫ هـ‬652 - 622( ‫تفسير القرطبى‬ (2858 /551 .‫تفسير ابن كثير (ت‬ https://www.ts3a.com/?p=7313 https://www.ts3a.com/‫الديانات‬-‫عند‬-‫الصوم‬-‫الديانات‬-‫في‬-‫الصيام‬/ 25 / 22 / 1323 - 8236 :‫العدد‬- ‫الحوار المتمدن‬- ‫محمد وجدي‬ 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/‫الجزء_الثاني‬/‫البداية_والنهاية‬

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