The True Wisdom Behind Fasting in Islam

Regarding this fasting that Allah ﷻ commanded, scholars mentioned that it carries wisdoms.

Among these wisdoms...

...is that it is a trial from Allah ﷻ. He says to you: "Do not eat, do not drink,

do not have relations, do not do such-and-such." He set for you a list of fast-breakers.

"Do not do any of that. No eating, no drinking, no relations, no induced vomiting,

nothing equivalent to food and drink." In short, a list of fast-breakers.

He told you: "Beware of doing them! From dawn to sunset, these are forbidden."

Then He observes whether you comply or not.

Then He added to these: "Whoever does not refrain from false speech, foolishness, and acting upon it,

Allah has no need for him to leave his food and drink."

He meant that even false speech, lying, and acting upon it—refrain from them as well.

Then comes the other hadith: "When it is a day of fasting for one of you, let him not commit obscenity nor act foolishly,

and if someone insults or abuses him, let him say: 'I am a fasting person.'"

Likewise, refrain from this; even if someone insults or abuses you, say: "I am a fasting person."

Here, true faith is distinguished from otherwise. A true believer adheres to all of this.

This is a trial—a test from Allah ﷻ to test you: Will you obey or will you not obey?

Will you respond to Allah's command or will you not?

No food, no drink, no fast-breakers.

abstaining from things that impair your fast.

Will you respond or will you not?

This is where the true believer stands out.

“Alif, Lām, Meem.”

“Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried?” (Quran 29:1-2)

One is tempted: will you obey or disobey? Tested: will you obey or disobey?

"Blessed...

“Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent -”

“[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving -” (Quran 67:1-2)

This is one wisdom.

The second wisdom of fasting,

especially some people today:

Today someone called me or sent me a message,

saying, "We are currently..."—I won't name the country so he doesn't get offended—

from a European country, saying,

"We are in Europe now, fasting 15 hours.

Can we break our fast and make it up in Kuwait when we return?"

I replied: "We fast 16 hours in Kuwait's heat, which you know,

so why complain about 15 hours in Europe?

Here in Kuwait it's 16 hours in this July heat, so how can you complain in Europe?"

I told him: "We fast 16 hours in peak summer heat, and you know Kuwait's weather."

So that a person remembers, when abstaining from food and drink

during this period, especially in this intense heat—

and praise be to Allah ﷻ in all circumstances—

you fast for a whole month, breaking fast at sunset under air conditioning,

remember others who live like this all year, unable to find food!

Remember the rich should remember the poor!

You complain after half a day of fasting,

what about those who are hungry every day, all 365 days of the year,

all year long, hungry all year, finding nothing to

eat—besides the emotional toll, especially for a mother or father,

seeing their children before them crying out from hunger and thirst,

and even more so during severe heat or severe cold.

Thus, the rich remember the plight of the poor—this is a wisdom.

Then one says, "Alhamdulillah, I am blessed;

I felt some hunger, but they feel it daily."

So your charity increases in Ramadan and after Ramadan when you remember the poor.

Also, among the wisdoms of fasting is that Allah ﷻ wants to honor you;

He ﷻ wants to bestow good deeds upon you,

so He designated this month for you to multiply your ranks.

Allah ﷻ says: "Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting, for it is for Me,

and I shall reward for it." He wants you to fast so He may reward you,

for Allah is in no need of your fasting.

Allah ﷻ does not benefit from any act of obedience.

"If the first and last of you, humans and jinn, were as pious as the most pious heart among you,

it would not add anything to My kingdom."

Thus says our Lord ﷻ: "You can never reach benefiting Me so as to benefit Me."

So He enjoined fasting upon us for our benefit—so that we may benefit.

"I want to raise your ranks and grant you good deeds, so fast."

Thus, Allah ﷻ prescribed fasting to bestow His rewards upon us.

So this is a door of goodness from Allah ﷻ.