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relevance of fasting to the Quran, because of which the month in
which the Quran was revealed has been decreed a month of fasting.
Some think that the most important thing about fasting is the
breaking of it, so the whole day is spent in arranging for a variety
of dishes and drinks. Others consider it to mean staying hungry
all day, and reciting the whole of the Quran each day without
stopping to ponder over its meanings. But such acts only serve
to turn a purely Islamic kind of worship into a form of Christian
monasticism. As for what is mistakenly called
dhikr bil Jahr
(loud
remembrance of God)—repetitive recitation of this contradicts
the very purpose of fasting, which is spiritual seclusion. The true
aim of fasting is withdrawal from everything except essential
subsistence and vital responsibilities. During this period, one
should reduce conversation, social life, and all kinds of worldly
activity to a minimum. For a certain time, one should lead a life of
quiet devotion, reading the Quran and pondering over its meaning.
Abstinence from food symbolizes not only the eschewing of
those forbidden things which a believer should give up for his entire
life, but also the renunciation of lawful things for the duration of
the fast. In seeking nearness to God, the believer must cut himself
off from all worldliness.
Although fasting, in its specific and definite form, is prescribed
just once a year, the fasting engaged in for this one month should
be a continuous, permanent stage, if it is to be done in the correct
spirit. Fasting is cutting oneself off from the world and turning
to God not in a physical sense, but in one’s consciousness, one’s
spirituality. The supreme state of faith is for one’s heart and mind
to be continually directed towards God, whatever one’s bodily
activity. Spiritually, one’s whole life should be a form of retreat
at all times. Through not understanding this reality, people have
fled to mountains and jungles in order to perfect their faith. But
the perfection of faith results from one fulfilling one’s obligations
in the turmoil of the world, while remaining in a state of inward
“retreat” and remembrance of God. Abdullah ibn Masud, one of
