Fasting is a prescription for universal, historical, and human ailment. It is prescribed for the believers of today as it was prescribed for the believers of old.
In making fasting obligatory upon us, Allah mentions that this was also the case for the people who preceded us in faith. All humans suffer from the disease of greed and weakness of faith. Fasting strengthens our faiths and curbs our excesses. It worked for them; it will work for us. We are not alone in this trial; the obligation is not peculiar to us alone.
Allah ties us to the community before us. We are a continuity in the chain of believers. Similar acts of worship were instituted for the earlier communities of the past prophets. This should serve as a motivation for us. People before us fasted, perhaps their fasts were even more stringent.
The reference to other communities should provide psychological comfort to the Muslims. Whatever is performed by a large multitude would appear common, normal, and bearable. So, we are a part of a bigger picture, from Adam to Jesus (peace be upon them all), all the prophets and their faithful followers fasted, we are proud to be part of the institution.
Although our fast is not exactly identical with the fast of the previous generations, there are differences in the number of fasting days and the timings of the fasts etc., the impact in attaining the fasting objective is the same – to attain taqwah, often translated as piety or God consciousness or God mindfulness.
So, fast but bear in mind that you are following an age-old practice of all our fathers in faith. You are undertaking the practice of Adam, Ibrahim, Nuh, Musa, Dawud, Isa, Muhammad, etc peacebe upon them all and upon you too as you follow in their footsteps.
- Contributed by Shamsideen AbuSuad, UK. 2021
Email: MuslimMessage@gmail.com
Online: https://ramadanmessage.blogspot.com/
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