In a Divine Hadith found in Sunan An Nasai, number 2219, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, advised that all righteous deeds people perform are for themselves except for fasting, as this is for Allah, the Exalted, and He shall reward it directly.
This Hadith indicates the uniqueness of fasting. One of the reasons it is described in this manner is because all other righteous deeds are visible to people, such as the prayer, or they are between people, such as secret charity. Whereas, fasting is a unique righteous deed, as others cannot know someone is fasting by only observing them.
In addition, fasting is a righteous deed which puts a lock on every aspect of oneself. Meaning, a person who fasts correctly will be prevented from committing verbal and physical sins, such as looking at and hearing unlawful things. This is also achieved through the prayer but the prayer is only performed for a short time and is visible to others whereas, fasting occurs throughout the day and is invisible to others. Chapter 29 Al Ankabut, verse 45:
“…Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing…”
It is clear from the following verse a person who does not complete the obligatory fasts without a valid reason will not be a true believer, as the two have been directly connected. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 183:
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous”
In fact, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, has warned in a Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 723, that if a muslim does not complete a single obligatory fast without a valid reason they cannot make up for the reward and blessings lost, even if they fasted every day for their entire life.
In addition, as indicated by the verse quoted earlier, fasting correctly leads to piety. Meaning, simply starving during the day does not lead to piety but paying extra attention to abstaining from sins and performing righteous deeds during the fast will lead to piety. It is why a Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 707, warns that a fast will not be significant if one does not abstain from speaking and acting on falsehood. A similar Hadith found in Sunan Ibn Majah, number 1690, warns that some fasting people obtain nothing except hunger. When one becomes more aware and careful in obeying Allah, the Exalted, while they are fasting, this habit will eventually affect them so they behave in a similar way even when they are not fasting. This is in fact true piety.
The righteousness mentioned in the verse quoted earlier is connected to fasting, as fasting reduces one’s evil desires and passions. It prevents pride and the encouragement of sins. This is because fasting hinders the appetite of the stomach and one’s carnal desires. These two things lead to many sins. In addition, the desire for these two things is greater than the desire for other unlawful things. So whoever controls them through fasting will find it easier to control the weaker evil desires. This leads to true righteousness.
As briefly indicated earlier, there are different levels of fasting. The first and lowest level of fasting is when one abstains from the things which will break their fast, such as food. The next level is abstaining from sins which damage one’s fast thereby reducing the reward of their fast, such as lying. This has been indicated in a Hadith found in Sunan An Nasai, number 2235. Fasting which involves each member of the body is the next level. This is when each body part fasts from sins for example, the eyes from looking at the unlawful, the ears from listening to the unlawful and so on. The next level is when one behaves in this manner even when they are not fasting. Finally, the highest level of fasting is abstaining from all things which are not connected to Allah, the Exalted, meaning, one avoids using the blessings they have been granted, such as their time, in ways which are sinful or vain.
A muslim should also fast inwardly as their body fasts outwardly by abstaining from sinful or vain thoughts. They should fast from persisting on their own plans in respect to their desires and try to concentrate on fulfilling their duties and responsibilities. In addition, they should fast from inwardly challenging the decree of Allah, the Exalted, and instead except destiny and whatever it brings knowing Allah, the Exalted, only chooses the best for His servants, even if they do not understand the wisdom behind these choices. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 216:
“…But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.”
Finally, a muslim should aim for the highest reward by keeping their fast a secret and not inform others if it is avoidable, as informing others unnecessarily leads to a loss of reward as it is an aspect of showing off.
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