The Metaphysics
of Fasting

Three Purposes of Fasting

Humans have both animalistic and angelic traits. When animalistic traits dominate, they struggle to reach their full potential. By nurturing their angelic side, individuals realise true fulfilment comes from overcoming animal instincts. They learn to moderate urges like hunger and thirst, display self-discipline in sexuality, and manage emotions and behaviours. These practices help transcend animalistic tendencies. Achieving the angelic state requires guidance from a wise source, like a Prophet, who teaches the transformative benefits for the afterlife.

Fasting can be summarised into three key reasons.

1. It connects our nature to reason. Our inherent tendencies require training, and demanding activities such as fasting cultivate discipline until the intended results are achieved. Reason and discipline cleanse the self of animalistic urges.
2. Secondly, fasting protects against sin, hence its connection to atonement. When someone sins, they might fast for a few challenging days to deter themselves from repeating those behaviours.
3. Ultimately, fasting serves as a solution. For example, a person may want to marry a woman but feels unready for the responsibilities and challenges of marriage. As a result, they might control their desires by fasting. This reflects the Prophet’s (ﷺ)saying: “Fasting is a shield for him.”

The Six Benefits of Fasting

In addition, there are six benefits of fasting:

1. Fasting is a significant virtue that boosts our angelic attributes while reducing our animalistic urges. It is unparalleled in its power to cleanse the soul and moderate our base instincts. As a result, Allah the Almighty declares: “Fasting is for Me, and I will reward it.”This is because every action can potentially be performed for show, except for fasting, which remains a private act.
2. It absolves sins as basic instincts diminish. The Prophet (ﷺ)illustrated this by saying, “Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeks rewards, their past sins will be pardoned. In the same way, whoever prays during the Night of Decree with faith and seeks rewards will also have their previous sins forgiven.”
3. Through fasting, individuals cultivate an extraordinary resemblance (tashbīḥ) to angels, who accordingly develop a fondness for them. This affection emerges from a decrease in animalistic tendencies. This aligns with the Prophet’s (ﷺ)saying: “The breath of the fasting person is more fragrant to Allah than musk.”
4. As Islam emphasises social welfare and the advancement of civilisation, fasting protects against the detrimental effects of other practices when adopted on a large scale. This is highlighted in the sayings of the Prophet (ﷺ): “When one of you wakes up in the morning for fasting, he should not use obscene language or behave foolishly. If anyone abuses or fights with him, he should say twice: Indeed, I am fasting.”
5. When individuals fast together at a specific time, evil forces are restrained, the doors to paradise open, and the gates of hell close. This illustrates that fulfilling individual responsibilities collectively yields favourable outcomes. The Prophet (ﷺ)stated: “As the month of Ramadan begins, heaven’s gates open, hell’s gates close, and devils are chained.” This highlights that fasting during Ramadan strongly encourages believers to enhance their dedication to actions that lead to Paradise, which is accessible when its gates are open. Simultaneously, they are shielded from disobedience since hell is closed, and their desires are controlled, as evidenced by the devils being bound.
6. Fasting allows the soul to rise to the celestial realm once freed from worldly limits. This captures the essence of the Prophet’s (ﷺ)saying: “Fasting is for Me, and I will reward it.”

One could say that fasting is a right (ḥaqq) of Allah, which is fulfilled by restrictions which work on three levels of ḥuqūq:

1. Ḥaqq Allah: restriction in secular/worldly time by awareness of sacred time by increasing worship, 2.
2. Ḥaqq al-Nafs: awareness of personal etiquette which affects the fasting person directly, i.e., restriction in food
3. Ḥaqq al-ʿibād: awareness of social etiquette which affects secondary persons by restrictions in expressions of anger or selfish behaviour

¹ Found in Bukhārī and Muslim.
2 Found in Bukhārī and Muslim.
3 Found in Bukhārī and Muslim.
4 Found in Bukhārī and Muslim.
5 Found in Bukhārī and Muslim.
6 Found in Bukhārī and Muslim.

Below is a translation from the relevant section from the Ḥujjah al-Bālighah of Shāh Walī Allāh: