Al-Baqarah 2:183–212

The main aim of fasting is to reduce man’s dependence on material things and strengthen his spiritual resolve, so that he may enter the higher realms of faith and piety. In this way, fasting during Ramadan is a unique opportunity to concentrate on doing good and abstaining from evil. The heart of the believer is thus gladdened and his mind is set at rest. Although the fast is prescribed for just one month every year, the spirit of fasting is far more enduring. It brings man closer to God by showing him how to withdraw from the world while still being a part of it. It shows man the way to fulfil his spiritual obligations in the turmoil of the materialistic world. In that sense, fasting during Ramadan is a way of attaining peace of mind. Ramadan is the month of heightened God-consciousness, of attaining piety and training ourselves to be the best possible human beings. Instead of indulging in gossiping, lying, slandering and generally exhibiting all other traits of bad character, one is focused on improving one’s character by cultivating good habits. In doing so the believer’s inner self inches closer day by day towards a state of righteousness, worshipfulness, devotion and piety, which elevates the soul to a condition of superior spiritual bliss. It is a path which the Prophet Muhammad himself had laid down. During Ramadan he would engage himself in prayer and praise the Almighty throughout the day, especially while breaking the fast at sunset. Just before sunset, when the fast reaches its climax, the believer experiences closeness to his Creator. Perhaps for this reason, the Prophet Muhammad included the fasting person at the time of breaking his fast in the five kinds of people whose supplications were never turned down by God. (The others were a just ruler, an oppressed person, a parent who prays for his children and one who travels for the sake of God.)

Fasting serves as training for two things at the same time—inculcating the spirit of thanksgiving and instilling the fear of God in the heart of the believer. Food and water are great blessings of God, yet man is incapable of attaching due importance to them. While fasting, he goes hungry and thirsty the whole day, then at sunset, in a state of extreme hunger and thirst, he eats and drinks to his fill. He then realizes through his own experience how great are the blessings of God which are present in the form of food and water. This experience produces boundless feelings of gratitude towards his Lord. On the other hand, fasting also serves as a form of training for a God-fearing life, which entails abstaining from all kinds of sins and evil deeds, which God has forbidden. A total abstention from food and drink from dawn until sunset is an exercise in making God one’s guardian. The entire life of the believer is a life of fasting. During the month of Ramadan he receives his training by temporarily, abstaining from certain things, so that for the rest of his life he may permanently renounce all those things of which God disapproves. The Quran is a great blessing of God to man. It is through fasting that man enables himself to be truly thankful to God, and to lead a godly life in accordance with the teachings enshrined in the Quran.

Fasting by its very nature is an act of patience, and patience involves putting up with all kinds of difficulties in order to carry out God’s commandments. This helps man to attain that state of mind which brings him closer to God. Only those find God who surrender themselves totally to Him, only the words of those reach God whose ‘wavelength’ matches that of God. The command to fast is followed by the command, ‘Do not consume one another’s property by unjust means’ (see 2. 188 ). This shows the essence of fasting. The real aim of fasting is to create such a feeling of subservience that when God commands us to abstain from anything, we must do so forthwith. The lesson fasting gives us is that even if God wants us to stay away from lawful things, we must show no hesitation in obeying His command. Thus one who abstains from lawful things if God wants him to do so, will have no difficulty in abstaining from unlawful things if God so commands.

Thus the life of a believer is one of renunciation. For his entire life he has to keep himself away from certain things. The month of Ramadan serves as training for this. A life of restraint during the month of fasting gives us the lesson that the true servant of God is one who worships God at the level of taqwa, and lives a life of piety and fear of God. God will answer the call only of those who bring themselves closer to Him by living a life of sacrifice.

The waxing and waning of the moon are meant to serve only as measures of time. The superstitious believe that the days when the moon is waxing are auspicious while the days of the moon’s waning are inauspicious. The moon, in fact, is an almanac of nature appearing in the sky so that people may plan the timings of their worldly affairs as well as their worship. But there are many people who have come to regard mere outward observance as religiosity.

The fighting (qital) mentioned here refers to that which took place during the life of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet’s Makkan opponents, not content with just expelling the Prophet and his companions from Makkah, their hometown, also prevented them from living and working peacefully in the neighbouring town of Yathrib (Madinah) where they had gone to settle. Without any provocation, they repeatedly attacked the Muslims who then had to fight in self-defence. When aggression has already been committed by opponents, believers are obliged to defend themselves. Initiating hostilities is not permitted for Muslims. Only defensive war is permitted in Islam. Even defensive war has to be openly declared by an established state.

The Quranic exhortation to do battle against religious persecution (fitnah) has been explained by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, a senior companion of the Prophet. He said that this verse referred to the coercive religious system that prevailed in the ancient world. (Fathul Bari, vol. 8, p. 60). Temporary in nature, the war against fitnah was thus one of limited duration, meant to be engaged in only until its specific purpose had been served. In the wake of the Islamic revolution, religious persecution was replaced by intellectual freedom. As ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said, they had already put an end to fitnah, therefore, except in cases where self-defence had become inevitable, the Quran did not give permission for violence.

Fighting during the sacred months (Muharram, Rajab, Dhu’l-Qada, Dhu’l-Hijjah) or fighting within the precincts of Makkah is forbidden. But if opponents commit aggression in these months, believers may fight back in self-defence. But while fighting, believers must abstain from all atrocities, they should not transgress any bounds set by God—if they truly fear God—even at times of great provocation as in a state of war.

More than anything else, the struggle for the cause of God demands the expenditure of money. It is the sacrifice of wealth, which man finds most difficult. That is why the Quran enjoins us to regard the cause of God as our own cause and to spend generously for the cause of religion. If we fail to do so, we are inviting our own destruction in this world as well as in the next. If man does not surrender all that he has to God, why should God give what He has to him? Man thinks that the best use of his wealth is to spend it on himself or his family. But the Quran calls this the way to destruction. The proper use of wealth is to spend generously for the cause of religion. This will make man deserving of God’s blessings. He will receive divine succour in this world and will be rewarded with paradise in the hereafter.

The Hajj pilgrimage takes place once a year, in the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah, whereas ‘umrah (the minor pilgrimage) may be performed at any time. Be it Hajj or ‘umrah, any worship, when performed purely for God, is valuable in the eyes of God. When the true worshipper of God undertakes a religious duty like Hajj, he spiritually experiences in its rites worship a surrender to a Being whom he loves and fears more than anything else. The greatest concern of such a worshipper is to escape God’s punishment in the Hereafter. Thus a believer is one who lives not for the satisfaction of his desires, but for a worthy goal. His goal is to completely abstain from all that God has forbidden. He must refrain from all kinds of misdeeds and quarrels with his fellow men. The Hajj pilgrimage successfully serves the purpose of this moral training. That is why the believers are especially enjoined to undertake it. The pilgrims take provisions with them to meet their requirements during the journey. However, we are reminded that the best provision for a believer is to live in fear of God. Going in fear of God (taqwa) relates to the intellect. It has nothing to do with the observance of certain outward forms. It is, in fact, a state of heightened consciousness. When man finds his Lord at the level of the keenest awareness, his mind is filled with God’s greatness and beauty. Then at the spiritual level, that state which may be described as God-fearing (taqwa, or God consciousness) is produced.

Fear of God is the basic element of worship. As long as one remains in this frame of mind, it does not matter if the order of a rite is changed by mistake in performing the rites of pilgrimage, or if one attends to some private business while in the holy land. What is important is that one should enter into the spirit of pilgrimage—fear of God, remembrance of Him, prayerfulness, thanksgiving and wholehearted submission to God. While on a pilgrimage, one should make sure not to do anything which runs counter to this spirit. There should be no feeling of superiority over fellow pilgrims, that is, one should ‘press on from where the pilgrims stream forth.’ Making too much of one’s forefathers, praising their great deeds, is also against the spirit of pilgrimage: pilgrimage is for the glory of God, not for praise of the self. What place can such attitudes and activities have in Hajj, the very lesson of which is the equality of man before one, supreme God. If one does not assimilate this lesson during the pilgrimage, what chance is there of one applying it throughout the rest of one’s life?

Prayers, especially those offered during the pilgrimage, are an outward manifestation of an inward state. Whatever one cherishes in one’s heart, one expresses in prayer. One who has set his mind on worldly riches and grandeur will concentrate on little else when he prays to God, whereas one who seeks the next world, with its infinite happiness and blessings, will make this the central theme of his devotions. This prayer on the part of the believer is not a request for worldly riches. Material gain and worldly wealth are only parts of a ‘test paper’. And no one would like to pray to increase the difficulty of his ‘test paper’. This prayer is more like asking God to give him what is best for man in the eyes of God in this world and what is best for man in the eyes of God in the Hereafter. Therefore, the best prayer for man is to say to his Lord, ‘O my God, give me in this world whatever You see is good for this world, and give me in the next life whatever You see is good for that world and save me from eternal doom.’

‘You shall be gathered before Him’ is the greatest lesson of pilgrimage, given in the plains of Arafat where millions of pilgrims gather annually. This gathering symbolizes the final gathering of all human beings on Doomsday. Practical results are always produced by actions, not by words.

Those who have adopted opportunism as their religion are always able to impress people with words. Why? Because it is in their own selfish interest to do so. For them it is not right or wrong that matters; there is no set standard guiding them. They just go by what is calculated to make a favourable impression on the listener. They have no problem in painting a glowing picture on the outside, despite the fact that in their heart of hearts they are bereft of the warmth of true sincerity; they owe no loyalty to truth; they are loyal only to their own interests. Why is it that judged by his words a person appears to be a great reformer, while his actions result only in corruption in the land. It can all be traced to the contradiction in himself. He may have an array of words to demonstrate his love for truth, but in practice he belies his words, and acts out of self-interest. So there is bound to be a dichotomy between his words and his actions. He can convey a sense of idealism in speech, but when he gets down to actually doing things, he is drawn by the force of his self-interest to feather his own nest at the expense of others. The one who spoke of peace and reconciliation acts in a manner that leads to strife and conflict. He plays on people’s emotions, saying things which will make him popular, with no regard for the real situation. Such are they who have sold themselves for the world. Even when the truth is made plain to them, they do not follow it. They see no benefit for themselves, no furtherance of their own interests, in following truth. Only when there is sufficient gain to be had do they uphold the truth; otherwise they deny it. Behind an obsequious exterior they hide a proud ego. That is why they can never acknowledge truth if it comes from a preacher whom they consider inferior to them. There are others who sell their lives, not for themselves, but for God; it is to find favour with Him that they strive. They do no accept the demands of their own selves, but the commands of God. At any cost to themselves, they give what they have in the divine cause. It is God’s true faith that they seek, so they leave conventional, ancestral religion by the wayside; even though such a move will make them lose in popularity. Their guideline is truth, and they stick to it, despite the fury of the people which pours on them from all sides.

There are two ways of adopting Islam as one’s religion. One is to do so without any consideration for one’s own interests and reservations; to do what Islam enjoins on one and refrain from what it forbids. This is to enter Islam wholeheartedly. The other way is to take up Islam, only to the extent that it does not clash with one’s everyday life; and only so long as it serves, or at least does not harm one’s own interests. One who adopts the latter course does not let Islam undermine the habits he is accustomed to, the creeds he cherishes, the profits he craves, the honour he thrives on or the leadership he seeks to preserve and consolidate. His initial enthusiasm for Islam cools when it requires him to make radical changes in his pattern of thought, or forgo personal preferences and desires. He slides back, adhering to Islam in name alone, without letting it harm his interests, or interfere with his life in any way. If it is arguments that he seeks to make him truly believe in the message of Islam, then arguments have been provided in full measure. If it is miracles he is looking for, he has God’s entire universe before him. But those who cannot bring themselves to accept clear arguments will not be won over by miracles of this nature. What else is the doubter waiting for, but that God Himself should appear, along with all the angels? When that happens, a sudden surge of belief will not benefit anyone, for that will be a time when fates are sealed, not forged. The whole point of man’s being tested in this world is that he should believe in God, without having seen Him and solely by virtue of His arguments. It is believing without seeing that will profit man, not seeing and believing. Those who put their own interests first and Islam second, and those who unconditionally enter into Islam are people of very different mettle. It is usually the former who accumulate all the worldly splendours in this life, while the latter remain bereft of things of worldly importance. The mere possession of material resources makes the former group feel justified in assuming an air of superiority. They may look down upon the true believers, but this state of affairs is quite short-lived. The world will end, to give way to a new and finer system in which they will be brought low, and the great will be cut down to size, and those who had been considered lowly will occupy high places in the heavenly world.