The first ten days of mercy of Ramadan are very near. Those who have successfully prepared for the upcoming month may now begin to feel a new wind of energy as the first of the blessed month of Ramadan approaches. When the sun sets on the last day of Sha’ban, those who are prepared for Ramadan look to fill their time by reciting the holy Qur’an, praising Allah, and serving Allah and His creation. This month of Ramadan will be hard work — paying heed to the signs from Allah, rectifying their selves, and making tauba, these special individuals vow to change forever this time around. They are eager and anxious when the times for sahur and iftar draw close, not to fill their stomachs, but to converse with the Creator, as He promises recompense for the faster, bestowing whatever the servant desires. Allah promises His vision for the one who observes Ramadan with full respect. He promises a reward that only He can give measure to. These individuals are the blessed ones who are gaining a close relationship with their Lord and are observing and respecting this precious month, while feeling remorse that each day of Ramadan passes away so quickly. This ‘Saim’ (one who fasts) can enter Jannah through Rayyan, a door reserved for the ‘special fasters’. This is the type of fast that we should aim to perform. This time of Ramadan is very precious and limited, and one cannot be sure whether she will live to see the next Ramadan.
However, there are other types of fasters, and one must be aware not to fall into those very pitfalls that Ramadan came to help us get out of.
Consider three types of fasts:
- Average
- Special
- Extraordinary
The Average Fast
The average faster will fast along with everyone else, however, some major things will set him apart. Although this person will not eat, drink, or involve himself in relations with the spouse during fasting hours, his spiritual fast will continue to break. He may involve himself in tasks that put his fast at risk. He is consumed of thoughts about iftar and periodically checks the time remaining. Such anxiety comes from lack of trust in Allah’s bounty and lack of faith in the sustenance He has promised. He misuses his eyes, browsing the internet, spends time in front of the television, not guarding his gaze. He misuses the tongue with useless talk, leading into the dangerous territory of backbiting.
According to a tradition:
Two women were fasting during the time of Allah’s Messenger (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam). They were so fatigued toward the end of the day from hunger and thirst that they were on the verge of collapsing. They therefore sent a message to the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) requesting permission to break their fast. He sent them a bowl and said, “Tell them to vomit into it and what they have eaten”. One of them vomited and filled the bowl with fresh blood and tender meat, while the other brought up the same so that they filled the bowl between them. The onlookers were astonished. The Prophet (sallAllahu alayi wasallam) said, “These two women have been fasting from what Allah made lawful for them, and have broken their fast with what he has made unlawful for them. They sat together and indulged in backbiting, and here is the flesh of the people they maligned!”
Therefore, one must consider that this type of fasting indulges the soul in all types of impermissible acts. Ironically, the fast was supposed to guard one from evil. However, when the person is subdued by his nafs throughout the year, it is very difficult to tame it. Consequently, even though the shayateen are chained and it is easier to stay away from evil, one sees the effects of the nafs in this month.
The Special Fast
This special fast is kept with not only the stomach, but the gaze and the tongue, as well as the other limbs of the body. This type of faster is conscious of his tongue, his eyes, and his stomach, and even if sometimes he falls short, he does not give up and is aware of his mistakes. He is attentive to his desires and tries to keep them in control. When he slips into a mistake, he looks forward to the time where he can beg His Lord for forgiveness, in the early hours before dawn and right before sunset.
The Extraordinary Fast
This fast is fasting from everything that is unworthy. The heart totally disregards any and everything besides Allah, the Most High. When this person fasts, he considers his fast broken if he has thoughts of anything worldly. This high degree of fasting belongs to the Prophets (alayhimusallam) and the friends of Allah. What they see, hear, say, and think pleases Allah.
They do not glance at things that displease Allah. The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) had said that the secretive glance is a poisonous arrow of shaytan, the accursed. Whoever leaves it for the fear of Allah, Allah will grant him sweetness of faith in his heart.
This type of fast guards the tongue. Jabir (radiAllahu anhu) relates that the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said that five things break a person’s fast: lying, backbiting, gossiping, perjury, and a lustful gaze. The extraordinary faster keeps his tongue wet only for the remembrance of Allah, reciting Qur’an in abundance, speaking good words, and keeping quiet when there is nothing good to say.
Even in the hours of permissible eating, the stomach is never filled, and may consider it to be a barrier between himself and Allah. He does not want to fill himself and become blind to the signs and inspirations of Allah. The one who fills his stomach becomes blind to the revelation. Therefore, in this sacred month, when Allah made it unlawful for us to consume food, we must take a close look at the harms of overconsumption and how they draw a veil between us and our Creator.
What type of fast are we fasting? We must take a look at the grave situation that we are in if our fast is an average fast. How is it that our Sahaba (radiAllahu anhum), who followed the exact footsteps of our blessed Rasulullah (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam), would cry on Eid, wondering about the acceptance of Ramadan? Maybe we do not know how serious our condition is. After all, a cancer patient only goes for treatment when he discovers his cancer. Until he knows, he lives a life of heedlessness, going about his daily routine, unbeknownst of the dangers that lurk inside.
Ramadan is like a slippery fish in our hands; we wait for it, and it goes by. We must cherish every single moment, every night, every iftar, every sahur, and every opportunity of even the slightest chance that our ibadah and du’a are accepted. He waits for us. He is waiting to take away our sadness, our ills, our problems, while we are sleeping, eating, and showing how independent we think we are of Him. We must come back to our senses and face the realities of this fleeting time and realize how much we depend on this sacred month. We need to take advantage of this precious time where Allah promises His vision for those who fast a spiritual fast, not just a bodily fast.
When he decorates jannah for the faster, closes the doors of jahannum, locks the shayateen, commands the fish to make du’a in the deep seas, grants the gift of His vision, and offers 30 blank checks at iftar throughout the month, He may be very angry at us for not taking advantage of Ramadan. The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam), a mercy to the worlds, said “ameen” to Angel Jibreel (alayhis salaam) when he cursed the person who did not find forgiveness this month. It has been made very clear to us the only person who will be unfortunate will be the one who wastes his time and is not forgiven.
All we need is that one thought of shame over our ills, causing tears flow from our eyes, and Allah can take us far. Assume that you have broken all of your spiritual fasts when the last nights, especially, the 25th night arrives. Work hard with the time you have. He will look at your hard work and how far you wanted to get, not necessarily what you accomplished. Make grand intentions this month, as He accepts the intentions right away, regardless of whether we actually do them or not! Take advantage of this blessed time where just one moment can be enough to make you a friend of Allah!
