Fasting is a high grade that the Almighty God (Glory to Him) has enjoined to graduate believers illuminated by His Light. He has bid His Obedient followers to fast so that they may attain this elevated degree and acquire a Godly Light, which serves as a distinction showing them the good as good and the evil as evil. God says: “You who believe, fasting is degreed for you as it was degreed for those before you, so that you may see by My Light”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 2, al-Baqara (The Cow), verse 183
By fasting, the spirit forgets all its muddiness and renounce this worldly life with all its ornament, and what is more, fasting causes the relation between the spirit and the devil to be broken, this is because when the devil approaches the faster to whisper evil to their spirit or to allure it with this carnal world and its pleasures, the spirit will give no ear to him and pay no attention to his whispers as hunger and thirst have attracted it from anything else and made it forget its pleasures. Thus, it will be concerned in one direction, the matter which allows the fasting human to easily control it and direct it towards its Maker and Originator.
Then, if the spirit turns to itself it will know that it has pleased God by its fasting and its obedience, and thus it will draw close to Him by its such deed and its opposition to its desires. Once the spirit perceives this, it will mend its pace to Allah and enter into His Presence through the Nightly prayers which are performed during Ramadan month. This is because a spirit cannot approach anyone unless it is sure that it is well-doer not bad-doer, faithful and sincere to the one it wants to approach.
This is a firm rule: no change may you find for Allah’s rules.
If the spirit persists in its link with its Provider and its communication with God; if it keeps stuck to the Presence of its Maker, wholly directed towards its Creator, it will gain spiritual life, animation, repose, and closeness to the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate, the Source of generosity and charity. Consequently, it will promote and ascend high until ultimately it gets its heart’s eye open and witness realities, something which may not be attained in a month other than Ramadan as fasting is the best helpful means for spirits to attain this.
The noble Prophet informed us of the legitimacy of fasting and clarified the purpose behind this Godly Order when he (cpth) revealed the holy saying of God in which He (Glory to Him) says: “All deeds of sons of Adam are done for themselves, except fasting, it is done for Me, and therefore, it is Me who gives the reward of it”[4]
The statement “except fasting, it is done for Me” refers to the fruit of fasting and the sublime purpose behind it.
Performing the ritual ablution before prayer makes human vital and active so that they become ready to stand between God’s hands to be in communication with Him through their prayers. The aim of the Five daily prayers is to drive one’s spirit to the Source of perfection where human stands between God’s Hands in order to recognize the law descended by our Provider and which we should follow to enjoy happiness. As for fasting it helps humanity achieve the supreme purpose behind our creation.
By fasting, the faithful spirit attains the highest rank of humanity through the Nightly prayers during which it accompanies the leader (cpth) of all envoys and the master of all creation and then enters with his company into Allah’s Presence where it witnesses wide realms of His Majesty and Perfection.
By fasting, the spirit gains access to the most beloved One to it, it comes to meet the Origin of this existence and the Source of this universe. There and then, it will watch the Supreme Godly Names and witness a part of the greatest marvels of its Provider.
In a holy saying God says: “Oh sons of Adam, seek Me and you shall find Me, once you find Me, you will find everything, but if once you miss Me, you will have missed everything. To you. I am the most beloved one than everything else”[5]
This is the fruit of fasting as we understand it from the statement “except fasting, it is done for Me”
When the Almighty enjoined fasting on humanity, He but wanted to lead us to His supreme and high Honor so that we may taste His Mercy and witness scenes of His Magnificence and Beauty, the matter which enlightens our hearts with a brand of His Light to be a beacon helping us proceed straightly in this life and never stray form the right way.
Thus we can profit ourselves from this precious life as we will not commit any wrong action nor will we be remiss any good deed. Then, when our age runs out and our lifetime comes to an end, we shall be admitted to the eternal bliss and live under the Wing of our Merciful Provider, God says: “Those who strive in Our Cause We shall surely guide them to Our Own Paths. Allah is with the do-gooders”
The Holy Qur’an,
Fortress 29, al-‘Ankabut (The Spider), verse 69
Now we shall talk in some detail about the fruit of fasting Ramadan and the great benefits it entails upon the fasters who gain access to witnessing the Night of Valuation.
So, what is meant by ‘the Night of Valuation’?
In the Quranic Fortress ‘Valuation’, the Almighty says:
(In the name of God, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful)
1. “We have revealed It on the Night of Valuation.”
2. “Would that you knew what the Night of Valuation is!”
3. “Better is the Night of Valuation than a thousand months.”
4. “On It the angels and the Soul are brought down by their Provider’s permission on every errand,”
5. “Peace is it, till the rise of morn.”
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