6 Ramadan 1431

6 Ramadan 1431

It is reported that the Prophet (ṣ) said: “For everything there is a gate, and the gate of worship is fasting.”

In many religions fasting was performed by way of preparation. In some of the Greco-Roman cults one would fast in preparation for a revelatory dream, for food was considered a factor that would corrupt dreams and confuse them. Some Chinese religions required fasting prior to the performance of rituals, although Taoists argued that a “fast of the heart” (purification of one’s thoughts and intentions) was better than fasting from food. Some Native American tribes also held that fasting would prepare one for guidance from the Great Spirit. Fasting was also seen by the Egyptians as a preparation for delivering an oracle.

By turning away from corporeal needs, one opens oneself to the spiritual world. So, fasting is a kind of purification from the worldly that enables one to focus on the other-worldly. In worship, we seek communication with the divine. Fasting is the gate to worship, because fasting is the form of purification that prepares us for communication with the divine.

To fast is to gain freedom from the material aspects of life, freedom from the slavery of one’s appetites. It is only after one has gained this freedom that one is able to freely express oneself to God in the communication that is worship.