IOK Ramadan 2025: A True Fast | Sh Furhan Zubairi

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3

Transcript

 All thanks and praise are due to Allah ﷻ and may His peace and blessings be upon His last and final Messenger, His family, His companions, and those who follow them until the end of times. Ramadan is the month of fasting. Allah  tells us:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامِ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا

O you who have believed, O people of iman, O you who believe in Allah, His Messenger, in the last day. This is Allah speaking to us. He is addressing you and I.

Ibn Abbas would say, whenever you come across this expression in the Qur’an, you should pay very close attention. Because Allah is speaking to you directly. And He’s going to either command something that’s beneficial for you, or He’s going to prohibit something that’s harmful for you.

كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامِ 

Fasting has been made an obligation for you. Fasting has been made obligatory upon you. كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ Just as it was made obligatory on those who came before you. لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ So that you may become people of taqwa. So that you may become a person who is mindful, conscious, and aware of Allah. In this verse, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, instructs us, informs us, that fasting is an obligation. It’s fard. It’s something that we are required to do.

The word for fast in Arabic is صَوْمٌ It comes from the verb صَامَ يَصُومُ صُمْ صَوْمً Which we translate as, to fast. Linguistically, it means الْإِمْسَاكُ مُطْلَقًا It means to withhold from something in the absolute sense of the word. To refrain, to withhold. So if I refrain from speaking, if I refrain from eating, if I refrain from drinking, if I refrain from writing, if I refrain from reading, linguistically, that’s صَوْمٌ That’s إِمْسَاكٌ

Technically, as an act of worship, within the framework of Islam, it’s defined as الْإِمْسَاكُ عَنِ الْأَكْلِ وَالشُّرْبِ وَالْجِمَاعِ نَهَارًا مَعَ النِّيَّةِ It is to refrain from eating, drinking, intimacy during the day with the intention. That is the physical act of worship. That is the ritual devotional practice of fasting. That I refrain from eating, drinking, intimacy with my spouse during the day, which is from true dawn until sunset, with the intention of fasting. That is the physical act of worship. That is the devotional ritual practice.

But this devotional ritual practice has a deeper meaning behind it. It has a higher aim, a higher objective, a higher goal. لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ Which is to nurture and develop taqwa. One of the goals, one of the objectives of fasting throughout the month of Ramadan for these 29-30 days is to nurture and develop God Consciousness. So that I become a person of taqwa. I become more mindful of my Lord and Creator. So that I’m more mindful about my speech, my tongue, the words I speak, what I say and how I say it. So I become more mindful with my eyes. I become more mindful with my behavior, with my conduct.

The scholars, they have described taqwa in several different ways. One of the most common definitions actually is the definition of the result of taqwa, of the consequence of being God Conscious. And they say, التقوى امتثال أوامر الله واجتناب نواهيه Taqwa is to obey the commands of Allah and stay away from His prohibitions. That is the result of taqwa. So this entire month, one of the objectives behind fasting is to nurture and develop this quality. And there’s a link, there’s an intrinsic link between the act of fasting and nurturing and developing taqwa. Because when I’m fasting, I am intentionally staying away from food, drink, and intimacy with my spouse. These are three things that feed my most base desires. And these are three things that are usually permissible.

Normally, I’m allowed to eat, as long as it’s something lawful and wholesome. I’m allowed to drink, as long as it’s something lawful and wholesome. I’m allowed to engage in acts of intimacy with my spouse, as long as it’s lawful and wholesome. If I can avoid these things intentionally, that means I have the willpower, I have the ability, I have the capacity to avoid sin. And there’s also something unique about fasting where it suppresses our desires. And that is why the Prophet, he advised a group of young companions that if they don’t have the ability to get married, they should fast. Because fasting will serve as a protection. It will serve as a shield. So as I’m fasting during this blessed month, I should try my best to make my fast more meaningful.

So as I’m fasting from food, drink and intimacy, I should also be fasting with my tongue. Now that doesn’t mean I don’t engage in conversations, I don’t speak to my friends and my family and my co-workers. What it means is I become extra careful on how I use my tongue. That I’m going to try my best to not curse during the month of Ramadan – to not use any sort of foul, obscene language. I’m going to try my best to avoid lying. I’m going to try my best to avoid backbiting, which is very difficult for a lot of people. I’m going to try my best to avoid slandering. I’m going to try my best to avoid using a tone of voice that may hurt someone else. I’m going to be fasting with my eyes.

I’m going to try extra hard to lower my gaze and not look at things I’m not supposed to look at. I’m going to try my best to control and suppress my anger, to control my temper. I am going to be fasting in a manner, in a way that’s pleasing to Allah and that is accepted by Him.

As the Prophet said, مَنْ لَمْ يَدْعَ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ وَنْ عَمَلَ بِهِ فَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ حَاجَةً أَنْ يَضَعَ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابًا That whoever doesn’t abandon Qawla al-Zur.

Qawla al-Zur, it can be explained in several different ways. One of them is to bear false testimony, but another can be more general, obscene speech. Cursing, lying, backbiting, slandering. Whoever does not abandon obscene speech وَنْ عَمَلَ بِهِ and obscene behavior, then Allah has no need for that person to abandon his food and drink. That they might have fulfilled the obligation but there’s no meaning behind it. They’re not gaining anything from it. There’s another hadith attributed to the Prophet ﷺ that there are some individuals who spend the entire night in prayer and the only benefit they derive from it is lack of sleep. There are some individuals who fast and the only benefit they derive from it is being hungry and thirsty.

We want to avoid that. We want to fast in a manner that is pleasing to Allah and accepted by Him, and that allows us to reach the main goal, the main objective, which is to nurture and develop taqwa. May Allah ﷻ give all of us the ability to do so. May Allah make us among those that through our fasting, we become more mindful and cautious of Allah, more mindful and conscious of Allah. And may Allah bless our Master, our Prophet, and our Lord Muhammad and his family and companions. May Allah reward you with goodness. May peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.