What is Fasting in Islam?

 Fasting in Islam :

             Fasting is also a fundamental part of Islam. For this, the word "Sumu" has been used in the Qur'an and Hadith, which means to stop oneself. Fasting in Shari'ah refers to worshiping Allah and abstaining from food and drink for the sake of Allah's pleasure from dawn till sunset. Which is permissible at times other than fasting. According to the statement of the Holy Qur'an, fasting has been obligatory even on the first nations.

Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Qur'an:

Surah Al-Baqarah verse 183

Translation:

               O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may be pious.

From the above-mentioned verse, where it is proved that fasting is a duty, then the duty wisdom of doing it is also known and that is piety. Attainment of piety! By which is meant altruism and fear of Allah Almighty, and it is the name of the state of the heart, which prevents a person from evil and attracts him to good deeds.

Self-control:

The main thing that stops a person from the path of goodness and puts him on the path of evil is desire. Desires, if they are subject to the guidance of Allah Ta'ala, lead to the development of individual and collective qualities of man. But when these desires are not subservient to divine guidance, they make man fall from the animal level. The main purpose of fasting is to make a person pious by subordinating his desires to the commands of God. A person who successfully completes the practice of controlling his basic desires for the sake of the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala for a whole month every year, then he gets the power of self-control with which he can easily resist all the temptations of Satan.

When a person controls his eating, drinking and sensual desires during the entire month of Ramadan and spends most of his time in worship and good deeds while avoiding other moral evils, then his nature develops a taste for goodness and he dislikes  evil.

Fasting is an effective treatment for self-love as well as training to control emotional desires. When a person cannot eat or drink anything in spite of hunger and thirst in the state of fasting, then he feels the feeling of his helplessness in front of Allah and when this feeling takes a permanent state, every action in a person that Shariat is against  this condition creates the ability to stop it. 

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "All past sins are forgiven by fasts kept with faith and accountability." And the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) also said : "There are some fasting people who get nothing from fasting except hunger and thirst. "

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) further stated that:

Translation:

If a person does not avoid lies and wrongdoing even by fasting, then Allah is not interested in redeeming his food.

Reward of fasting:

Those who fast according to the saying of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) mean with faith and accountability, their reward can be estimated from this hadith.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

Translation:

 The reward of every action of a human being (in the sight of Allah) is from ten times to seven hundred times (but fasting is something else) says Allah. But fasting is special for me. So I will reward whoever (as much as I want).

Collective Benefits of Fasting:

 Thus, fasting is an individual act of worship, but it also has many collective benefits.

(1) By being hungry and thirsty for a month, a person feels the hunger and thirst of others and a feeling of compassion for the needy arises in the heart.

 (2) The habit of satisfying oneself with minimal food creates the qualities of contentment and selflessness in a person.

(3) At the same time, the entire Islamic nation being engaged in one worship causes the development of mutual unity.

(4) Keeping the stomach empty for a large part of the day for a month is beneficial for physical health.