The wisdom behind the prescription of fasting in Ramadan.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : O my brothers: We must speak about fasting. What is meant by fasting? Or what is the wisdom in making fasting obligatory? Allah, Mighty and Majestic, mentioned the wisdom in His saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:183]. This wisdom is: meaning: that you fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic. It came in the authentic hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): Bulugh al-Maram 5:14 meaning: that Allah does not want us to merely leave off food and drink. Rather, He wants us to do what? To leave off speaking falsehood, acting upon falsehood, and ignorance. Speaking falsehood includes every forbidden utterance, such as backbiting, talebearing, cursing, and insulting, and the like. It is obligatory for the one who is fasting to leave that, and it is more emphasized in his case.
Acting upon falsehood: forbidden actions, such as deception, betrayal, and consuming usury or interest, and the like. Otherwise, the person has not truly fasted. Ignorance: aggression against others, because ignorance in the Arabic language means aggression against others, as in the saying of the poet:
"Let no one be ignorant toward us, *** For we will be ignorant beyond the ignorance of the ignorant ones".
This is the wisdom of fasting.
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَPerhaps you will become mindful of Allah
لعلكم تتقونWhoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions and does not abandon foolishness, Allah is not in need of his leaving food and drink
من لم يدع قول الزور والعمل به والجهل، فليس لله حاجة في أن يدع طعامه وشرابهActing upon falsehood: forbidden actions, such as deception, betrayal, and consuming usury or interest, and the like. Otherwise, the person has not truly fasted. Ignorance: aggression against others, because ignorance in the Arabic language means aggression against others, as in the saying of the poet:
"Let no one be ignorant toward us, *** For we will be ignorant beyond the ignorance of the ignorant ones".
This is the wisdom of fasting.