By

Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Hamdy Zakzouq

The President of Al-Azhar Center for Interfaith Dialogue

Edited by

Dr. Kamal Boraiqa Abdelsalam Hassan

Al-Azhar Magazine (Ramadan, 1440 A.H. May, 2019.)

     Fasting during the month of Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam. The Qur'an states that observing the ritual of fasting is not peculiar to Muslims as it was observed by the nations that preceded Islam. Allah says, "You who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may be mindful of God" (Al-Baqarah: 183).

     Other religions still follow this religious observance until today, but there is a difference between fasting in Islam and fasting in other religions since fasting in Islam is prescribed during a certain month in the lunar year, namely the month of Ramadan which is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. Fasting begins at dawn and ends at sunset, and between dawn and sunset one must refrain from eating, drinking, and desires of the body. This means that the Muslim works during the hours that he is fasting and that is why some people imagine that fasting restricts the Muslim's ability to perform his work well.

     Fasting is not to be blamed on this account, for fasting has the undeniable effect of charging people with spiritual energy, thus enabling them to work more energetically than when they are not fasting. The Battle of Badr was fought and won by the Muslims while they were fasting in the month of Ramadan. Egyptian troops fought while they were fasting in the 6th of October 1973 war and were victorious. This is proof that fasting does not restrict one's activity or ability to perform one's duty. On the contrary, it increases the spiritual energy in the body.

     The lack of activity and decrease in productivity in some Muslim countries during the month of fasting is not due to fasting but to other factors. People are in the habit of staying up all night and they are naturally exhausted on the following day and are unable to make the effort needed to work and they put the blame on fasting. Had fasting been the cause, they would have felt exhausted at the end of the day and not at the beginning of the day.

     It has been proved that fasting has many medical, spiritual, social, and educational benefits. It is considered an annual opportunity for one to contemplate one's actions and conduct, to meditate one's previous behaviour, and to judge oneself objectively in order to avoid the recurrence of any errors one might have made and also to do one's best to rid one's community of any social problems that might exist.