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wishes, attain spiritual upliftment, return to spirituality, and renounce contemptible habits to which he became addicted and which led him to perdition. Divinely revealed creeds have equally been familiar with fast. Muslims, Jews and Christians observe certain types of fast. Moses, peace be upon him, observed fasting for forty days at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:8) During that period he was granted the heavy responsibilities embedded in the Ten Commandments. Jews used to (and some still do) fast during times of grief and mourning and when exposed to danger. Jesus, peace be upon him, and his disciples fasted the forty days observed by Moses before him (Mathew 4:2) This set the precedence for the pre-Easter fast and other forms of fast among some Christians.

Fasting in Islam
Islam gives so much importance to fasting that it is considered to be a pillar of faith. Man in Islam must purge those traits of character which are detrimental to his perfection and dignity so that he may foster constructive and pure habits attain the maturity necessary to be better man and gain proximity to God. Pursuant to that man must take stock of his inner self. A strong will, accompanied by correct attitude and surging enthusiasm are necessary to make and implement a resolute decision. Islam holds that self-consciousness and a strong will play an important role in self reform. In this respect Islam has extensive teachings which are related to all the aspects of human life and cover all human needs, whether material or spiritual, individual or social, cultural or economic and so on. The sum total of these teachings constitutes the programme of Islamic Fasting in the month of Ramadan.
The month of Ramadan has been aptly named the spring of the Qur’an. During this month, which is brought about by the lunar calendar of Islam, Muslims set aside more time than usual, to understand the word of Allah, to learn and ponder over its verses. The month is dubbed the season of the Quran as the desire to learn and understand the word of Allah blooms and flourishes, just as the natural world blossoms in the spring.The fasting time lasts from dawn to dusk.
To a Muslim, Ramadan fasting is not just refraining from eating and drinking but carries the added significance of worship, psychological comfort, morality and legislation. It is neither the irrational motionless ‘Imsak’ of pre-Islamic Arabs nor the mere abstaining from eating and drinking, but is, in fact, the building of one’s character, control over desires, and an inspiration towards social and scientific creativity.
God has commanded this sanctified duty and enjoined it on the Muslims, as He had enjoined it on the believing nations before. ‘Fasting is (exclusively) for Me and I will reward it.’ He assigned the blessed month, the month of Ramadan, for every adult and healthy Muslim as a period of fasting. Hence, fasting is one of the pillars of Islam and a religious duty for all those who believe in monotheism.
A Muslim’s abstaining from food, drink, sexual intercourse, etc., during the prescribed hours is the very manifestation of obedience to the Creator’s will. This self-deprivation represents a state of self-control and of overcoming carnal pleasure, desire, and enjoyment, for the blissful love of God, His proximity, and the eagerness to desires. Traditions (hadith) of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, succinctly explain this fact: “A fasting person is in a state of worship, even when (asleep) in bed, except when he backbites another person.”
The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, described the sleep of a fasting Muslim, even the very breathing, as acts of worship, because they emanate from a body regarded as being in a state of continual worship through abstaining from tasting delicious and lawful things, solely out of obedience to the Creator. He Himself extols fasting and attributes it as a special blessing for mankind.

Virtues of Fasting
The practices of Islamic fasting are designed to divert human mind towards righteousness through a process of self-denials. Fasting constitutes a process of self-purification, self-righteousness, and spiritual development of one self. The spiritual, social, economic, political and psychological benefits of fast are intertwined, each affecting the other. A combination of fast, prayers, and meditation is considered as the best dose for any and all psychological, financial, and spiritual ills from which one may be suffering.
The month of Ramadan inculcates among Muslims, the ability to curb their desires and check them against transgression, extravagance, and the yielding to lower desires, all of which generate man and bring him to the pit of self-destruction and annihilation. Fast fosters a strong will, teaches patience and self discipline, the ability to bear hardship and tolerate hunger and thirst i.e victory over illicit desires and selfish impulses. Fasting trains the body to submit to spiritual impulses and help safeguard the body’s health by protecting it against extravagance.
Fasting in Islam is considered a moral education and nourishment of supreme virtues. It teaches the believer to abandon vices, to control emotions and instincts, to curb the tongue against saying what is wrong or inappropriate and the conscience against contemplating upon wrongdoing or subversion.
Fasting enhances the spirit of unity among members of the fasting community, teaches them humility and humbleness and instills in them a feeling of equality before God. The rich have to observe fast as well as the poor, the women as well as the men, the influential and powerful as well as the weak and downtrodden. Imam Ja’afar may Allah be pleased with him, is reported to have said: ‘Allah made fasting incumbent upon every Muslim to hold equity between the rich and the poor. A rich man does not feel the pains of hunger to have mercy for the poor, since he is able to obtain whatever he likes. By enjoining fasting, Allah wanted to put His creatures on an equal fooling by making the rich taste the pain of hunger, so that he may pity the weak and have mercy on the hungry…’ Thus through fasting, a person acquires the virtues of empathy and sympathy for others.
Fasting promotes the spirit of charity and compassion towards the poor and the needy, and it reminds each believer of the needs of other believers. Muslims share with each other God’s blessing unto them. The month of Ramadan is considered as the month of giving. It is the month of productive social inter-activity. Feeding the hungry or giving to the needy is considered an act of great reward during this month. Everyone desires to do good to everyone and passions and ill-feelings are subjugated to a certain extent. Such is the fascinating effect of the month of Ramadan on Muslims that it leaves its positive imprints on even the souls of the poorest and most oppressed people.
Head of Culture Centre of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.