FASTING IN ISLAM

Fasting in Islam
Dr. Arafat El-Ashi (Director) 
Muslim World League Canada Office

Fasting is another unique moral and spiritual characteristic of Islam. Literally defined,
fasting means to abstain "completely" from foods, drinks, intimate intercourse and
smoking, before the break of the dawn till sunset, during the entire month of
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year. But if we restrict the meaning of the
Islamic Fasting to this literal sense, we would be sadly mistaken.

When Islam introduced this matchless institution, it planted an ever-growing tree of

infinite virtue and invaluable products. Here is an explanation of the spiritual meaning
of the Islamic Fasting:

1. It teaches man the principle of sincere Love: because when he observes Fasting
he does it out of deep love for God. And the man who loves God truly is a man
who really knows what love is.
2. It equips man with a creative sense of hope and an optimistic outlook on life;
because when he fasts he is hoping to please God and is seeking His Grace.
3. It imbues in man the genuine virtue of effective devotion, honest dedication
and closeness to God; because when he fasts he does so for God and for His
sake alone.
4. It cultivates in man a vigilant and sound conscience; because the fasting person
keeps his fast in secret as well as in public. In fasting, especially, there is no
mundane authority to check man's behavior or compel him to observe fasting.
He keeps it to please God and satisfy his own conscience by being faithful in
secret and in public. There is no better way to cultivate a sound conscience in
man.
5. It indoctrinates man in patience and selflessness, as through fasting, he feels the
pains of deprivation but he endures them patiently.
6. It is an effective lesson in applied moderation and willpower.
 7. Fasting also provides man with a transparent soul, a clear mind and a light
body.
8. It shows man a new way of wise savings and sound budgeting.
9. It enables man to master the art of Mature Adaptability. We can easily
understand the point once we realize that fasting makes man change the entire
course of his daily life.
10.It grounds man in discipline and healthy survival.
11.It originates in man the real spirit of social belonging, unity and brotherhood, of
equality before God as well as before the law.
12.It is a Godly prescription for self-reassurance and self-control.

Now, someone may be tempted to raise the objection: If this is the case with the
Islamic institution of fasting, and if this is the picture of Islam in this aspect, why are
the Muslims not living in a utopia? To such an objection we can only say that
Muslims have lived in and enjoyed a utopia in a certain epoch of their history. The
realization of that utopia was a phenomenon of a unique achievement in the history of
man. We say unique, because no religion or social system other than Islam has ever
been able to realize its ideals in reality.

The reason why the Islamic utopia is not being established nowadays is manifold and
easily explicable. But to restrict our discussion to the institution of fasting we may say
that some Muslims, unfortunately for them, do not observe the fast or, at best, adopt
the attitude of indifference. On the other hand, some of those who observe it do not
realize its true meaning and, as a result, derive very little benefit out of it or, in fact,
no benefit at all. That is why some Muslims today, do not enjoy the real privileges of
fasting.

It has already been indicated that the period of obligatory fasting is the month of
Ramadan. The daily period of observance starts before the break of the dawn and ends
immediately after sunset. Normally there are accurate calendars to toll the exact time,
but in the absence of such facilities one should consult one's watch and the sun's
positions, together with the local newspapers, weather bureau, etc.

Fasting Ramadan is obligatory on every responsible and fit Muslim. But there are
other times when it is recommended to make voluntary fasting, after the Traditions of
Prophet Muhammad. Among these times are Mondays and Thursdays of every week,
a few days of each month in the two months heralding the coming of Ramadan, i.e.,
Rajab and Sha'ban, six days after Ramadan following the 'Eid-ul-Fitr Day. Besides, it
is always compensating to fast any day of any month of the year, except the 'Eid Days
and Fridays when no Muslim should fast.
However, we may repeat that the only obligatory fasting is that of Ramadan - which
may be 29 or 30 days, depending on the moon's positions. This is a pillar of Islam,
and any failure to observe it without reasonable excuses is a grave sin in the sight of
God. 

Who Must Fast?

Fasting Ramadan is compulsory upon every Muslim, male or

female, who has these qualifications:
1. To be mentally and physically fit, which means to be sane
and able.
2. To be of full age, the age of puberty and discretion, which
is normally about fourteen. Children under this age should
be encouraged to start this good practice on easy levels, so
when they reach the age of puberty they will be mentally
and physically prepared to observe fasting.
3. To be present at one's permanent settlement, your home
town, one's farm, and one's business premises, etc. This
means not to be on a journey of about fifty miles or more.
4. To be fairly certain that fasting is unlikely to cause you any
harm, physical or mental, other than the normal reactions to
hunger, thirst, etc.

Exemption From Fasting:

These said qualifications exclude the following categories:
1. Children under the age of puberty and discretion.
2. Insane people who are unaccountable for their deeds.
People of these two categories are exempted from the duty
 of fist, and no compensation or any other substitute is
enjoined on them.
3. Men and women who are too old and feeble to undertake
the obligation of fast and bear its hardships. Such people
are exempted from this duty, but they must offer, at least,
one needy poor Muslim an average full meal or its value
per person per day.
4. Sick people whose health is likely to be severely affected
by the observance of fast. They may postpone the fast, as
long as they are sick, to a later date and make up for it, a
day for a day.
5. Travelers may break the fast temporarily during their travel
only and make up for it in later days, a day for a day
6. Pregnant women and women breast-feeding their children
may also break the fast, if its observance is likely to
endanger their own health or that of their infants. But they
must make up for the fast at a delayed time, a day for a day.
7. Women in the -period of menstruation (of a maximum of
ten days or of confinement (of a maximum of forty days).;
They must postpone the fast till recovery and then make up
for it, a day for a day.
It should be understood that here, like in all other Islamic
undertakings, the intention must be made clear that this action is
undertaken in obedience to God, in response to His command
and out of love of Him.
The fast of any day of Ramadan becomes void by intentional
eating or drinking or smoking or indulgence in any intimate
intercourse, and by allowing anything to enter through the
mouth into the interior parts of the body. And if this is done
deliberately without any lawful reason, this is a major sin which
only renewed repentance can expiate.
If anyone, through forgetfulness, does something that would
ordinarily break the fast, 0a observance is not nullified, and his
fast stands valid, provided he stops doing that thing the moment
he realizes what he is doing.
On completion of the fast of Ramadan, the special charity
known as Sadagat-ul-Fitr (charity of ' Fast-breaking) must be
distributed before 'Eid-ul-Fitr (approximately), seven dollars per
head.

General Recommendations:

It is strongly recommended by Prophet Muhammad to observe

these practices especially during Ramadan:
1. To have a light meal before the break of the dawn, known
as Suhoor.
2. To eat a few dates or start breaking the fast by plain water
right after sunset, saying this prayer Allah humma laka
sumna, wa 'ala rizqika aftarna. (O God! for Your sake have
we fasted and now we break the fast with the food You
have given us).
3. To make your meals as light as possible because, as the
Prophet put it, the worst thing man can fill is his stomach.
4. To observe the supererogatory prayer known as Taraweeh.
5. To exchange social visits and intensify humanitarian
services.
 6. To increase the study and recitation of the Qur'an.
7. To exert the utmost in patience and humbleness.
8. To be extraordinarily cautious in using one's senses, one's
mind and, especially, the tongue; to abstain from careless
gossip and avoid all suspicious motions.
 

Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to

Mecca, explained for non-
Muslims
It’s like Burning Man, but for Muslims. Okay, it’s nothing like Burning
Man.
By Jennifer Williams@jenn_ruthjennifer@vox.com  Updated Aug 20, 2018, 12:50pm EDT
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Muslim pilgrims on hajj perform the final walk (Tawaf al-Wadaa) around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi holy
city of Mecca on November 30, 2009. MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images
At this moment in mid-August, 1.5 million people from dozens of countries around the world are in
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to perform the hajj, the Islamic religious pilgrimage.

It’s a huge event — in terms of both its significance in Islam and the massive logistical challenge of
having that many people from all walks of life and every corner of the globe descend on one
relatively small place all at once.

But what actually goes on at the hajj? What is its religious and political significance? How do they
handle all those people? And what is inside that big black box?

We've got you covered: Here are the most basic answers to the most basic questions about the hajj.

What is the hajj?

The hajj — Arabic for “pilgrimage” — is a five-day religious pilgrimage to Mecca and nearby holy
sites in Saudi Arabia that all Muslims who are physically and financially able must perform at least
once in their lives. It is one of the five pillars, or duties, of Islam, along with the profession of faith in
the one God and Mohammed as his prophet, prayer, charitable giving, and fasting during the holy
month of Ramadan.

The hajj takes place only once a year, in the 12th and final month of the Islamic lunar calendar;
pilgrimages to Mecca made at other times in the year are encouraged but do not count as the hajj.
Because the Islamic lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the 365 days of the standard
Gregorian calendar, the timing of the hajj moves backward each year.

Over the five days of the hajj, pilgrims perform a series of rituals meant to symbolize their unity with
other believers and to pay tribute to God. On the last three days of the hajj, pilgrims — as well as all
other Muslims around the world — celebrate Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice. This is one of
the two major religious holidays Muslims celebrate every year. (The other is Eid al-Fitr, which
comes at the end of Ramadan.)

At the end of the hajj, pilgrims return home and are often given the honorific “hajji,” meaning one
who has performed the hajj. (One interesting note here: During the Iraq War, US troops frequently
used the term “hajji” as a derogatory term for any Iraqi, Arab, or other person of Middle Eastern or
South Asian descent. So although they certainly didn’t mean it this way, and it almost certainly
wasn’t taken this way by the person on the receiving end of the slur, US troops were inadvertently
applying a term of respect and honor to these individuals.)

What is the religious significance of the hajj?

People may be surprised to learn that the hajj has very little to do with the Prophet Mohammed.
Rather, it mostly commemorates events in the life of the Prophet Ibrahim — that is, Abraham.
Yes, that Abraham.

If you’re from a non-Abrahamic faith tradition or if it’s just been a while since Sunday school,
Abraham is a venerated patriarchal figure in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baha’i faith. He is
perhaps best known for being willing to personally kill his beloved son when God commanded him
to do so. At the last minute, so the story goes, God stepped in and told Abraham to sacrifice an
animal instead, rewarding Abraham’s unwavering faith.

In the Judeo-Christian narrative, the son Abraham almost sacrifices is Isaac. In Islam, however, it’s
Abraham’s other son, Ismail (Ishmael), who is almost sacrificed. Muslims consider both Abraham
and Ismail to be prophets of God, and Mohammed’s ancestry is said to be traced back to Ismail.

There is another event involving Ismail and his mother, Hagar, that looms large in the hajj. The story
goes like this: God commanded Abraham, as a test of faith, to take Hagar and the infant Ismail out to
a barren desert area located between the two hills of Safa and Marwah in Mecca, and leave them
there alone with only basic provisions. Eventually the water ran out, and the increasingly frantic
Hagar ran back and forth from hill to hill seven times searching for water for her parched child.

Then a miracle occurred: A well, later called the Zamzam well, sprang from the ground, saving both
of them. The story of how the well was discovered differs: Some accounts say it was the baby
Ismail’s distressed kicking of his feet that scratched away the dirt and revealed the water source.
Other accounts hold that the angel Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic) tipped his wing into the dirt to reveal the
well.

Abraham and Ismail later went on to build the Kaaba, the black cuboid structure in Mecca that
Muslims face when they pray, together, as a place of worship of the one God. (Abraham eventually
came back and retrieved his family from the desert, evidently.)

Soon after they built the Kaaba, tradition holds, God commanded Abraham to proclaim a pilgrimage
to the site — in other words, the hajj — to all mankind (well, all monotheists) so that they can come
together in one place to show their devotion to God.

Okay, seriously, what’s the deal with the big black cube?

Muslims around the world face the direction of the Kaaba — Arabic for “cube” — when they pray,
but they don’t worship the Kaaba (or the Black Stone). Rather, it is a place of worship of the one
God. It is also a focusing mechanism, a central point on the globe toward which all Muslims, in a
symbol of unity, direct their thoughts and prayers to God.

According to Islamic tradition, the site of the Kaaba was originally a sacred place where angels
would worship God in the days before man was created. Later, Adam (yes, that Adam, partner to
Eve) built a shrine to God on that spot, but it too was destroyed by the ravages of time. When
Abraham came along, he and his son Ismail rebuilt the Kaaba on the foundations of Adam’s earlier
shrine as a place of worship of the one God.

The structure consists of four walls and a roof, all made from stone from the hills surrounding
Mecca. The four corners roughly face the four points of the compass. The building is often referred
to as a “cube” (that’s where “Kaaba” comes from, after all), but this is not technically correct. To be
a true geometric cube, all its edges must have the same length, and every corner in the cube must
have an angle of 90 degrees.

The Kaaba’s edges are not all the same length, so therefore it is best described as a “cuboid,” not a
“cube.” It is covered by a black silk cloth decorated with verses of the Quran in gold-embroidered
Arabic calligraphy. This cloth is known as the kiswah, and it is replaced yearly, on the second day of
the hajj.

While Abraham was building the Kaaba, so the legend goes, the angel Gabriel came down and gave
Abraham the famous Black Stone, which he placed in the eastern corner of the structure.

There is another squarish stone on the ground a few feet away from the Kaaba with what look like
two footprints in it. This is known as the Station of Abraham and is said to be the stone where
Abraham stood while watching over the construction of the Kaaba. Today it is encased in a
beautifully ornate golden glass-and-metal structure.

There is a famous story in Islam about Mohammed and the Black Stone. By Mohammed’s time, the
Kaaba had again been damaged and was being repaired (it has been damaged or destroyed and rebuilt
or repaired numerous times over the centuries). The story goes that when construction was finished
and it came time to place the Black Stone back in the eastern corner, the final step, the tribes of
Mecca argued fiercely over who would get to do the honors.

They decided to ask the next man who walked by to decide for them, and that man happened to be
Mohammed. His solution was to put the stone on a large cloth and have each of the leaders of the
four tribes hold a corner of the cloth and carry the stone to its place. Mohammed himself then placed
the stone into its final position.

This was back before Mohammed had received his first revelation from God. The next time
Mohammed was involved with the Kaaba, though, would prove to be much less ... harmonious.

Islamic tradition holds that although Abraham built the Kaaba to worship the one God, over time the
Kaaba had been more or less co-opted by the various pagan tribes in the area, all of whom had placed
idols to their preferred deity inside the Kaaba, thereby “corrupting” it.

One particularly popular idol was a figure of Hubal, a moon deity worshipped by many in Mecca at
the time. Access to the Kaaba (and thus the idol) was controlled by the powerful Quraysh tribe, of
which Mohammed was a member, and they basically capitalized on this to get rich, charging fees and
selling wares to pilgrims coming to worship the idol.

When Mohammed began receiving revelations from God (he received his first one about five years
after the incident with the Black Stone) and preaching his message of monotheism, the rich Qurayshi
merchants started getting a little antsy. Worried that the growing popularity of his decidedly anti-idol
worshiping message could potentially hurt business, they ran Mohammed and his small band of
followers out of town.

Ten years later, Mohammed and his now much larger and more powerful army of followers defeated
the Quraysh tribe and took control of Mecca. One of Mohammed’s first acts upon taking control of
the city was to go into the Kaaba and smash the idol of Hubal and the hundreds of other idols to
pieces, rededicating the shrine as a place of worship of the one God.

Today, the Kaaba is kept closed during the hajj because of the overwhelming number of people, but
those who visit the Kaaba during other times of the year are sometimes allowed to go inside. It’s
quite beautiful: The walls are white marble on the lower half and green cloth on the upper half. There
is very little inside it, though — just three tall stone pillars, a small table, some hanging lamp–
looking things, and a staircase to the roof.

Oh, and aliens.

These aren’t the aliens.

They’re just Arabs on cellphones. Inside the Kaaba. British Hajj Travel on Instagram (@bhtofficial)

Just kidding.

What are the main rituals performed during the hajj?

The most well-known ritual is the tawaf (literally “circumambulation”), during which pilgrims circle
the Kaaba counterclockwise seven times at both the very beginning and the very end of the hajj.
Although it’s not entirely clear exactly why it’s seven specifically, many believe it has to do with the
motion of celestial bodies. Seven is also a prominent number associated with the divine in many
religions, including Christianity and Judaism.

Other rituals include a ceremony where pilgrims throw small pebbles at three large stone walls,
called jamarat, to symbolize the stoning the devil that tempted Abraham to defy God, and the
slaughtering of an animal (usually a sheep) to honor the animal Abraham slaughtered instead of his
son.
The meat is then given to feed the poor and needy. These days, pilgrims frequently elect to purchase
tokens to have an animal slaughtered for them.
Muslim pilgrims perform the ritual stoning of the devil in Mina near the holy city of Mecca on November 27, 2009. MAHMUD
HAMS/AFP/Getty Images
There is also a ritual called Sa’ee, in which pilgrims walk back and forth between the two hills of
Safa and Marwah seven times to commemorate Hagar’s frantic search for water for her infant son.

Today, both hills are enclosed within the Masjid al-Haram (Sacred Mosque) complex (which also
houses the Kaaba), and the path between the hills is a long, beautiful indoor gallery with marble
floors and air conditioning. Many also drink from the Zamzam well located there.

The only ritual that is solely related to Mohammed is the climbing of Mount Arafat, which is where
Mohammed preached his last sermon. On the second day of hajj, pilgrims wake at dawn and walk a
short distance to Mount Arafat, where they spend the remainder of the day on or near the mountain in
quiet worship and contemplation of God.

Can non-Muslims do the hajj?

No. Although Christians and Jews believe in the God of Abraham, they are not allowed to perform
the hajj. Indeed, the government of Saudi Arabia forbids all non-Muslims from entering the holy city
of Mecca at all.
A highway sign on the road to Mecca points out mandatory directions away from the city for all non-Muslims. Reza/Getty
Images
The Saudi government takes this very seriously, so the odds that a non-Muslim would be able to slip
in unnoticed among the throngs of pilgrims undetected or pretend to be Muslim and get in that way
are extremely small. It’s not completely impossible — it has happened a handful of times over the
centuries — but given the millions who attend every single year, the rate of success is miniscule. The
Saudis have been doing this for a long time, and they’re not idiots.

Legal entry into the country is extremely tightly controlled, and the paperwork required to get a hajj
visa is incredibly detailed. Pilgrims must book their hajj trip through a Saudi government–approved
hajj travel agent. For a Western Muslim convert to be allowed to go on hajj, he or she must present
documentation from an imam (Muslim religious leader). The imam must testify in writing that he
knows the person in question and that the person is a true convert.

Trying to come in on a regular tourist visa and then stealthily making your way to Mecca is also a
nonstarter. Getting a tourist visa as a Westerner is notoriously hard, and the likelihood of you being
able to just slip away from your Saudi government minder and travel undetected all the way from the
capital Riyadh to Mecca — more than 500 miles away, on the other side of a vast desert — is
basically laughable.

The only way for a non-Muslim to get in is essentially to play the long con, pretending to convert to
Islam seemingly sincerely enough to convince the local imam that you’re for real. That has happened
before: In 2015, WND published a three-part series written pseudonymously by someone who
claimed to be a white British non-Muslim man who successfully fake-converted to Islam and went on
hajj.

So it’s not impossible. But you have to really, really, really want to go to all that trouble and risk
potentially being deported and banned from the country (not to mention causing a major international
incident and pissing off just about every Muslim on the planet) just to get into a city to see some sites
that aren’t even of religious significance to you.

What about women and children?

Parents may choose to bring even their very young children with them, but the hajj won’t “count”
toward fulfilling the child’s personal religious obligation, as that requires the child to be mature
enough intellectually and spiritually to understand the significance of the hajj.

Women are also allowed — indeed, required, just like every other physically and financially able
Muslim is — to perform the hajj. However, they have to be accompanied by an appropriate male
guardian (called a mahram). Here are the rules, per the US State Department:

Women below the age of 45 must be accompanied by a “mahram” (e.g. close adult, male relative
such as a husband, son, father, or brother) for Hajj. Women must be met by their sponsor upon
arrival. Women who are traveling alone and not met by sponsors have experienced delays before
being allowed to enter the country or to continue on other flights.

Women over 45 may travel without a mahram in an organized group, provided they submit a
notarized letter of no objection from the husband, son, or brother, authorizing travel for Hajj with the
named group. Violators face deportation.
Women who are members of the minority Shia sect of Islam (the majority of the world’s Muslims are
Sunni), on the other hand, are not required by Saudi authorities to have a mahram when attending
hajj and are allowed to travel alone. This is likely because Shia scholars have, unlike Sunni
scholars, ruled that a woman may travel alone on hajj if she feels that she will be safe.

And since it’s basically impossible to talk about women in Islam these days without someone
bringing up the issue of how much clothing they’re required (or not required) to wear, here’s a fun
fact: Although women must cover their hair with a scarf, the face veil, known as a niqab, and the
burqa, the garment that covers from head to toe with only a mesh-like panel through which to see, are
not allowed during hajj.

Yes, you read that right: The two pieces of clothing that are the most controversial and are seen by
many anti-Islam critics as symbols of the pervasive and pernicious cultural intrusion of Islam and its
inherent oppression of women, are not allowed during one of Islam’s most sacred rituals, even
though men and women mix freely during it.

Some women still wear them, though, despite the prohibition, and it doesn’t seem to be something
that’s actually enforced. Some have also come up with rather creative workarounds, such as wearing
large, darkly tinted sunglasses and those paper face masks doctors wear.

So why the prohibition? The reason is basically that while Mohammed’s various statements
regarding women’s dress are hotly debated among Muslim scholars (Mohammed lived a long time,
after all, and he said a lot of things over the course of his life), his statement on women not covering
their faces (or hands) during hajj is crystal clear: A woman in the state of ritual purity for
hajj “should not cover her face or wear gloves.” Not a whole lot of room for debate there (though,
of course, people still do debate it, because humans).

Men also wear special clothing during hajj. Male pilgrims wear two pieces of clean, unstitched cloth
(usually plain white) — one wrapped around their waist and one wrapped around their torso — and
plain sandals. The purpose of making all men dress in this same simple garb is to strip away all
indications of wealth and status so that all pilgrims are seen as equal, as they are in the eyes of God.

How in the world does Saudi Arabia handle such a massive number of
people each year?

The Five Pillars of Islam

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Almost as soon as the Arab armies of Islam conquered new lands, they began erecting
mosques and palaces and commissioning other works of art as expressions of their faith and
culture. Many aspects of religious practice in Islam also emerged and were codified. The
religious practice of Islam, which literally means "to submit to God", is based on tenets that
are known as the Five Pillars, arkan, to which all members of the Islamic
community, Umma, should adhere.

Shahada, photo: mus

Shahada, photo: mus

1. The Profession of Faith—The Shahada

The Profession of Faith, the shahada, is the most fundamental expression of Islamic beliefs.
It simply states that “There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet.” It
underscores the monotheistic nature of Islam. It is an extremely popular phrase in Arabic
calligraphy and appears in numerous manuscripts and religious buildings.

2. Daily Prayers—Salat
Muslims are expected to pray five times a day. This does not mean that they need to attend a
mosque to pray; rather, the salat, or the daily prayer, should be recited five times a day.
Muslims can pray anywhere; however, they are meant to pray towards Mecca. The
faithful pray by bowing several times while standing and then kneeling and touching the
ground or prayer mat with their foreheads, as a symbol of their reverence and submission to
Allah. On Friday, many Muslims attend a mosque near midday to pray and to listen to a
sermon, khutba.

3. Alms-Giving—Zakat
The giving of alms is the third pillar. Although not defined in the Qu’ran, Muslims believe
that they are meant to share their wealth with those less fortunate in their community of
believers.

4. Fasting during Ramadan—Saum

During the holy month of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, Muslims are
expected to fast from dawn to dusk. While there are exceptions made for the sick, elderly,
and pregnant, all are expected to refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours.

Hundreds throng around the Kaaba at the start of Hajj (photo: Al Jazeera English, CC BY-SA
2.0)
Hundreds throng around the Kaaba at the start of Hajj (photo: Al Jazeera English, CC BY-SA 2.0)

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca—Hajj
All Muslims who are able are required to make the pilgrimage to Mecca and the surrounding
holy sites at least once in their lives. Pilgrimage focuses on visiting the Kaaba and walking
around it seven times. Pilgrimage occurs in the 12th month of the Islamic Calendar.

Essay by Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis