Part 7

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we do not seek out such as are ignorant [of the meaning of right and wrong]”’ (28:55).

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How does the stomach fast?

Lawful and unlawful food both affect the life, behaviour and character of man. Hence Allah has ordered: ‘O you apostles! Partake of the good things of life, and do righteous deeds’ (23:51).

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Similarly, He says to the believers: ‘O you who have attained faith! Partake of the good things which We have provided for you as sustenance, and render thanks unto God, if it is [truly] Him that you worship’ (2:172).

The good are those things which Allah Almighty has made lawful for His servants through His Prophet &. He says: ‘[The Prophet] makes lawful to them the good things of life

and forbids them the bad things’ (7:157).

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The fasting of the stomach implies its avoidance of unlawful things. Apart from the abstinence from food, drink and all that invalidates the fase during the days of Ramadan, it also requires avoidance of the prohibited things after the breaking of the fast. Thus he does not eat from the proceeds of interest, for if he does so he will earn the anger of his Lord Most High. Allah says: ‘O you who attained faith! Do not gorge yourselves on usury, doubling and redoubling it’ (3:130).

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And: ‘God has made buying and selling lawful and usury unlawful’ (2:275).

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Concerning this matter the Prophet # declared: ‘God has cursed the one who eats the proceeds of interest, the one who gives it, the one who writes it, and the witness thereof; they are all the same.’

In reality, the one who eats from interest is actually fooling himself. For by filling his stomach with unlawful gain, he has effectively closed the doors for the acceptance of his prayers, no matter how much he may call upon Allah. The Prophet & mentioned to his companions the case of a man who, having journeyed far, is dishevelled and has dusty hair. He spread his hands out to the sky asking his Lord while his food and drink were unlawful, so how can his prayers be answered. This man was, indeed, very religious. He worshipped a great deal. But he sinned concerning his food, not fearing Allah in what he ate or drank.

How can the stomach be considered fasting when it eats from unlawful food gained from the wealth of orphans, interest, cheating and force? Surely by Allah, the taste would be spoiled when the food and drink is contaminated. The hearts would be hardened when the food and drink is filthy. And the light will go out when lawful sustenance is lost. It was reported that Abu Bakr al Siddiq was eating one day when he questioned his servant about the origin of the food. The servant said from soothsaying, a practice he used to engage in prior to Islam. Abu Bakr became angry and vomited all that was in his stomach. Allah thereafter purified and accepted all that he gave in charity.

On the whole, food stays in the stomach of the one who consumed it. Its traces remain with the flesh and blood. Thus any body that is nourished by unlawful food will find its destiny in the fire of hell. The righteous predecessors knew from where they were eating. Their tastes were pure and, as a result, their bodies became healthy and their hearts were enlightened. When the food and drink of their

successors were defiled, the signals of guidance in their hearts were extinguished. The Prophet & said: ‘A servant has never eaten better food than what he earned with his hand.’ And, that the Prophet David used to eat the food that he earned with his hand. Indeed, while David was a known to be an ironmonger, Zakariya was himself a carpenter and Muhammad # and the other prophets were shepherds.

Islam thus encourages the seeking and earning of sustenance from lawful means. As Allah says in the Quran: ‘And do not touch the substance of an orphan, save to improve it’ (17:34).

And: ‘Behold, those who sinfully devour the possessions of orphans but fill their bellies with fire: for Jin the life to come] they will have to endure a blazing flame!’ (4:10).

“And devour not one another’s possessions wrongfully, and neither employ legal artifices with a view to devouring sinfully, and knowingly, anything that by right belongs to

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‘Those who gorge themselves on usury behave but as he might behave whom Satan has confounded with his touch’

In an authentic hadith, the Prophet & said: ‘Allah has cursed the one who bribes and the one who accepts bribes.’ The Quran itself condemns the corruption of the Christians and the Jews: ‘And thou canst see many of them vie with one another in sinning and tyrannical conduct and in their swallowing of all that is evil’ (5:62).

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Ibn al Jawzi narrates in Sayd al Khatir that he once ate something that was questionable and his heart changed and became darkened for a period thereafter. Such was the consciousness of our forebears that they felt the changes in their hearts as they strove to purify them. As for many of our folk today, they eat as they like without sensing any changes in their hearts. That is because whoever desires disgrace, the way to accomplish that would be made easy for him. Some of them consume alcohol and other forms of illegal intoxicants, thereby denying themselves the delight of worship and sweetness of obedience. Thus they live submerged in anxiety and forbidden from happiness and an hour when their prayers would be accepted.

O you who fast! Know that there is a fast of the stomach. Who does not observe it, it is as if he did not fast.

Are there not some who would refrain from the unlawful and strictly observe their food and drink in order to enter the Paradise? O Allah, make us among those who sanction the lawful things endorsed by the Islamic Shariah and make us prevent those things which are unlawful.

Mistakes made by those who fast

Many of those who fast make mistakes because they do not understand Allah’s religion, including matters relating to fasting. They, accordingly, do not know what are the things that invalidate, impair or harm the fast. Neither have they any knowledge of the things they ought do while fasting, what is allowed, what is obligatory and what is forbidden. The Prophet # said: ‘Whoever Allah wishes good, He grants understanding in religion.’ Thus, it appears that the one who does not understand or ask about his religion is such a person whom Allah does not wish well.

Additionally, Allah Almighty says: ‘And [even] before thy time, [O Muhammad, ] We never sent [as Our apostles] any but [mortal] men, whom We inspired: and if you have not [yet] realized this, ask those who possess the message’

Those who possess the message here are the scholars. Thus

it is only fitting that the Muslim who really wants to worship Allah faithfully should ask about the matters he does not know about his religion. He should, furthermore, seek knowledge and try to understand his faith.

Some people who fast commit great sins that nullify their fast. Foremost among these is backbiting. Some of these, which were mentioned in the lesson of ‘How does the tongue fast?’ include slander, indecent conversation, derision, swearing and others.

Among the other mistakes is the wasting of money on meals both at the beginning and the breaking of the fast in Ramadan. They prepare food enough for a crowd of people consisting of numerous dishes, cheap and expensive with drinks that are sweet, sour and even salted. Then, at the end of alf this, they eat only a little and throw the remainder into the refuse, This, no doubt, is contrary to the great teachings of Islam. Allah Almighty says: ‘And eat and drink [freely], but do not waste: verily, He does not love the wasteful!’ (7:31).

Everything that exceeds man’s needs is considered an abominable waste. Allah the Lord of those who fast does not like extravagance. This is illustrated in His words: ‘Do not squander [thy substance] senselessly. Behold, the squanderers are, indeed, of the ilk of the satans - in as much as Satan has indeed proved most ungrateful to his Sustainer’ (17:26~7).

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Likewise He commends: ‘Those who, whenever they spend on others, are neither wasteful nor niggardly but [remember that] there is always a just mean between those [two extremes]’ (25:67).

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During Ramadan our market places are filled with buyers, all of them carrying enough food and drink to feed tens of families. Yet, there are families dying from hunger because they cannot find a piece of bread. They sleep under the open skies making their beds upon the dirt while families here are afflicted with indigestion caused by their extravagance and showing off. One of the purposes of fasting is to empty the stomach of all contaminated material by reducing the intake of food. But, how can those who indulge in excessive eating and drinking, and waste much more, realize this?

Many people spend their fasting hours sleeping. As a result it seems as if they did not fast. Of these, they are some who only awake to pray and then return to sleep. They, as it were, pass their days in neglect and their nights awake. Neither their long sleep nor their staying up at night will increase or reduce their age. The wisdom of fasting, therefore, is that the one who fasts should experience the pangs of hunger and savour thirst in order to gain the pleasure of Allah. The one who devotes his entire day to sleep will not attain this.

Among the fasting people are those who play games that are, at the very least, regarded as despicable in the Islamic law. They kill their valuable time in futile games which they claim help them to relax. Allah says: ‘Did you, then think that We created you in mere idle play, and that you would not have to return to Us?’ (23:115).