Fasting Month of Ramadhan

[YALASH]

Peace be on you.
The Ramadhan is very near. The basic aim of this worship is to attain righteousness which lead to nearness of Allah the Exalted. Holy Quran says:

[ch2:v184] O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.

[ch2:v187] And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: ‘I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.’

"Fasting in Islam begins everywhere at the first appearance of dawn, and ends with sunset. During this period one is expected to abstain from all food and drink completely. It is not just physical hunger and thirst that constitute the Muslim fast, but the nights prior to the beginning of the fast acquire a far more important character and play a central role in the institution of fasting. The Muslims wake up many hours before dawn for individual prayer and the remembrance of God. Also the Holy Quran is recited in every Muslim house much more than in ordinary days.....................................The institution of fasting is extremely important because it cultivates the believer in almost every area of his spiritual life."
Reference: https://www.alislam.org/books/study-...m/fasting.html

[saralynn]

Peace be on you.
The Ramadhan is very near. The basic aim of this worship is to attain righteousness which lead to nearness of Allah the Exalted. Holy Quran says:

[ch2:v184] O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.

[ch2:v187] And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: ‘I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.’

"Fasting in Islam begins everywhere at the first appearance of dawn, and ends with sunset. During this period one is expected to abstain from all food and drink completely. It is not just physical hunger and thirst that constitute the Muslim fast, but the nights prior to the beginning of the fast acquire a far more important character and play a central role in the institution of fasting. The Muslims wake up many hours before dawn for individual prayer and the remembrance of God. Also the Holy Quran is recited in every Muslim house much more than in ordinary days.....................................The institution of fasting is extremely important because it cultivates the believer in almost every area of his spiritual life."
Reference: https://www.alislam.org/books/study-...m/fasting.html

I am a private tutor and I have a Muslim student who goes to bed at 4AM, so that he can sleep during most of the time he is fasting.

He is a teenager, though, so I think he is being, not so much rebellious, as teenager-ish.

This is very challenging for his parents. They worry that he is becoming Americanized, in the worst sense of the word.

Anyway, I hope you have a blessed Ramadan.

[YALASH]

I am a private tutor and I have a Muslim student who goes to bed at 4AM, so that he can sleep during most of the time he is fasting.

Peace be on you.
Ramadhan fasting does not require all day sleeping.

He is a teenager, though, so I think he is being, not so much rebellious, as teenager-ish.

He is learning.

This is very challenging for his parents. They worry that he is becoming Americanized, in the worst sense of the word.

Do you mean he do not follow religion? Personally I would present them to study Ahmadiyya Jama'at (ahmadiyya.us) , their understanding of Islam teaches them to be best peaceful citizen of the country of residence; there is auxiliary for boys (7--15) among other auxiliaries.

Anyway, I hope you have a blessed Ramadan.

Thanks you very much for good wishes, all prayers for you and I humbly hope you would find time to study peaceful Islam under Khilafat at Ahmadiyya Muslims, who know your next student comes from them!

[cacian]

what is the meaning of fasting?
why does one need to stop eating and drinking to prove something else?
I thought doing is not towards oneself but towards others?
how does one who is dying from hunger benefits from those who fast all day for a month?

[saralynn]

I am sure Valish will provide a more thorough answer, but I think it is a way of demonstrating....mostly to ourselves....that we have free will. Only those who resist temptation know how powerful a drive it is. One part of you says, "I want", another part says, "No". Saying "No" is the essence of freedom, don't you think?

You seem to be a very practical fellow, cacian. You may never become a saint, but you might make a very good social worker.

[cacian]

I am sure Valish will provide a more thorough answer, but I think it is a way of demonstrating....mostly to ourselves....that we have free will.

I thought Ramadan was not free will. one abstains from nourishing oneself because one is being told not do.
free will is the opposite. it is to do. one does because one is free.

Only those who resist temptation know how powerful a drive it is. One part of you says, "I want", another part says, "No". Saying "No" is the essence of freedom, don't you think?

temptation I understand it to be different.
hunger is a natural process it does not involve temptation it is the body needing nourishment to keep up with life.
temptation is to do something against ourselves that we may not believe in. it is usually associated with something not comfortable.
the essence of freedom is to go with your instinct and do what we believe is right for us.
freedom is taking our own decisions and learning to become independent of what others dictate us to do.
yes and no is a dilemma which often results in confusion. stress related confusion.

You seem to be a very practical fellow, cacian. You may never become a saint, but you might make a very good social worker.

LOL this made me laugh.

[saralynn]

Well, I have never been a Muslim, but I have been devout in my own idiosyncratic way (borrow from this and that) and I never performed any rituals because I was told to do so. For instance, when I was enthusiastic about Patanjali, I abstained, to a reasonable extent, from using the word "I" for about two weeks. This discipline taught me two things. One, was how often I talked in reference to myself. (not surprising, I suppose, but revealing nonetheless) The second thing it taught me was to recognize how unconscious I was most of the time.

I've never fasted, but I assume there are lessons to be learned as a result of this spiritual discipline. In addition to this, there is the symbolic meaning attached to the process. One is sacrificing for one's beloved, who is usually a reflection of one's highest ideals. It can be an act of love and the act itself increases one's devotion. This may be hard to understand if you are not religiously inclined, but it is real. It is sort of like how waving a flag makes you feel more patriotic

Of course, you are right....many fast because they are told to do so. Many read Shakespeare for the same reason. This does not reflect on Shakespeare, it demonstrates how his work is approached by different people at varying levels of intellectual/emotional maturity. It's the same with sacred literature and the rituals associated with various religious traditions.

I am glad you chuckled at the social worker comment. A few minutes after I posted, I worried that I may be seen as tactless, or, as my mother used to say when she reprimanded me, "Stop acting like a little snot!"

[kev67]

Difficult month for it this year with the days being so long.

[cacian]

Difficult month for it this year with the days being so long.

hard is not a word but one has to do one has to do and others do just as they please life goes on so long as one does not begrudge it it did not warn.
life is funny like that.

[YesNo]

Peace be on you.
The Ramadhan is very near. The basic aim of this worship is to attain righteousness which lead to nearness of Allah the Exalted. Holy Quran says:

[ch2:v184] O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.

[ch2:v187] And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: ‘I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.’

Becoming righteous seems like a good reason to fast. Outside of dieting fasting is not something I have usually done and dieting probably doesn't count. Some say prayers before they eat. Others pay attention as they eat as a form of meditation.

[YALASH]

what is the meaning of fasting?
why does one need to stop eating and drinking to prove something else?
I thought doing is not towards oneself but towards others?
how does one who is dying from hunger benefits from those who fast all day for a month?

Peace be on you.
"The truth is one cannot talk about a place that one does not go to and is not aware about. Fasting is not merely staying hungry and thirsty; rather its reality and its impact can only be gained through experience...."
=Less eating and focused remembrance of God enhances spiritual capacities, patience and understanding of suffering who has less.
=Saying 'yes' to God shows how much you practically cares the Call.
=Ramdhan fasting glows one from inside and the light of good thoughts and prayers radiates to external world.
=When one Fasts for the sake of God, one knows by practice how it feels when:
i.... there is no water, no food
ii....there is water and food in sight but one is not allowed to get
Then a courage develops for those who lack necessities.
=Ramadhan Fasting gives a faithful time-less journey. If one lives in Developed word, one may never know How hunger is felt? This Fasting will surely take them to Under-developed world by practice, not through news/media pictures.
== Ramadhan fasting connects one to Allah and help one to have practical feeling for His creation, even for a sparrow looking for seed and water.

[YALASH]

Difficult month for it this year with the days being so long.

Peace be on you...True but more reward too.

[YALASH]

Well, I have never been a Muslim, .................................................. .. One is sacrificing for one's beloved, who is usually a reflection of one's highest ideals. It can be an act of love and the act itself increases one's devotion. This may be hard to understand if you are not religiously inclined, but it is real. It is sort of like how waving a flag makes you feel more patriotic

.....................................

Peace be on you...Very nice explanation.

[YALASH]

Becoming righteous seems like a good reason to fast. Outside of dieting fasting is not something I have usually done and dieting probably doesn't count. Some say prayers before they eat. Others pay attention as they eat as a form of meditation.

Peace be on you. Thank you.

[saralynn]

hard is not a word but one has to do one has to do and others do just as they please life goes on so long as one does not begrudge it it did not warn.
life is funny like that.

Is this a line from a song or a poem or are you just trying to annoy me because you have found out that I occasionally do proofreading? (Occasionally! Please don't stalk me, looking for errors in my posts.)