The Relation between Contemplation and Fasting

04/03/2025| IslamWeb

Abdullah ibn Omar (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah () said “Fasting and the Quran intercede for a man. Fasting says, ‘O my Lord, I have kept him away from his food and his passions by day, so accept my intercession for him.’ The Quran says, ‘I have kept him away from sleep by night, so accept my intercession for him.’ Then their intercession is accepted.” (Reported by Ahmad in the Musnad, classified as Sahih [authentic] by Sheikh Ahmad Shakir, and Al-Hakim stated in Al-Mustadrak: The Hadith is Sahih according to the criteria laid down by Muslim)

Combining fasting with Qiyam (mid-night prayer) in the Hadith, as well as the legality of fasting during the daytime of Ramadan and offering Qiyam indicate the strong relation between them. One of the greatest and most important reasons for the legality of fasting during the daytime of Ramadan is to prepare the heart to reflect on the Quran when reciting it during Qiyam. It is noticed that many people miss this great opportunity when they have too much food and drink at the time of Iftar (breaking the fast) and at night.

Modern medicine and alternative medicine have proven the importance of fasting for the purity and sereneness of the heart and for carrying out the heart’s physical and moral functions. This fact was emphasized by many books; to name but a few, “As-Sawm was-Sihhah” by Najib Al-Kilani, “Dirasah ‘Ilmiyyah Lifawa’id As-Sawm” by Sheikh Sa‘eed Al-Ahmari, “‘Alij Nafsaka Bis-Siyam” by Sheikh Muhyi Ad-Din Abd-ul-Hamid. Allah the Almighty’s saying: “But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.”(Quran 2:184) is sufficient in this regard.

It is a message from Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, which conveys a great deal of guidance and directives. Allah, the Almighty, stresses a great rule: fasting is good for us, a fact which was proved by lab and scientists’ experiments. They stress the importance of the relation between fasting, contemplation, understanding, and thinking deeply. No book will be sufficient to include evidence on the soundness of this fact, sayings and conditions of different Muslim and non-Muslim scientists who experienced fasting and contemplation. In addition, much more sayings of different people were not mentioned, as few of them stated their experience and status, and many other people had a rich experience but did not state it.

If you really want to reflect on the Quran and get affected by it, you should take advantage of a wonderful solution: fasting, especially in Ramadan. You should fast in a proper manner in which the fasting person adheres to the instructions stated in the Hadith reported from Al-Miqdam ibn Ma‘di Karb, who said that he heard the Messenger of Allah () say “No man fills a utensil worse than his stomach. A few morsels that keep his back upright are sufficient for a man. If eating is necessary, he should fill one-third with food, one-third with drink, and leave one-third for easy breathing.” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah; At-Tirmidhi said that the Hadith is good and authentic)

This Hadith is the source that combines all basics of medicine. It was reported that when the physician Ibn Abu Masawaih read this Hadith, he said, “If people take advantage of these words, they will be safe from all diseases and ailments, and all hospitals and pharmacies will come to a standstill.”

* The article’s material is quoted from the book: “Mafatih Tadabbur Al-Quran and An-Najah fil Hayah” by Khalid ibn Abd-ul-Karim Al-Lahim