Islam as a Complete Way of Life: The Role of Fasting and Taqwa

ALLAH INDICATES WHAT He wants us to achieve through fasting? He says:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

‘O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become al-Muttaqun.’ (al-Baqarah 183)

So fasting should help us to have taqwa i.e. become more mindful of Allah ﷻ.

Take the following scenario.

It would be easy to sneak into the kitchen and eat from the fridge or cupboard, but we choose not to. Even when we feel thirsty or hungry, we resist. Why? Because we are fasting for the sake of Allah. We remember that Allah ﷻ has commanded us not to eat or drink. Even if no one is watching, we know He is. Though we are alone, Allah is with us. While no one else witnesses us, Allah is our witness. Even when no one hears us, Allah hears us. Even if no one else knows, Allah knows.

How does fasting build taqwa?

Allah has linked the building of taqwa to the most basic physical need of any human being- food and water. Whilst the fast is not long enough to harm our bodies, it is (usually) long enough to trigger persistent urges of hunger and thirst. Once hunger and thirst appear, the feeling will not go away and serves as a constant urge that then needs to be controlled.

That is the taqwa training- dealing with the urge to satisfy our desires. If we can give up food and water voluntarily for the sake of Allah, both of which are generally halal, because we are mindful of Allah at that moment, then that same mindfulness should by greater reasoning allow us to give up those matters that are haram.

Taqwa in every aspect of life

The point of this taqwa is to be continuously mindful of Allah ﷻ in every aspect of our lives be it ibadah, social, political, economic, judicial, etc. Islam is, after all, a complete way of life. So, it only makes sense that we have taqwa in every aspect of life.

In fact, we can now see the clear link between fasting and the entirety of Islam. The ayah that connects Ramadhan to the Quran (that is a guidance for mankind) is placed right in the middle of the ayat of fasting.

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًۭى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ

‘The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.’ (al-Baqarah 185)

So fasting trains us to be mindful of Allah and its manifestation is being mindful of what is contained in the Qur’an. All of it. In other words, the point of attaining taqwa is to live by the Qur’an.

Indeed, if we think about it, the Islamic society ruled by Islam is the ultimate expression of taqwa. Every facet of society is a manifestation of being mindful of Allah.

Our reality today is the opposite, where society does not enhance our taqwa but actively calls us to His disobedience. This reality perhaps explains why our taqwa normally suffers so much and why many find Ramadhan a time of increased taqwa because of the increased Islamic presence felt in this month. Imagine how our taqwa would be if society was Islamic all the time?

Measuring taqwa

Taqwa is clear and objective, not based on emotions. It involves following Allah’s commands, doing what is obligatory, and avoiding what is forbidden.

Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) describes it as: ‘Taqwa does not mean spending the night in prayers and observing fast in the day, but it does mean to perform Allah’s obligations and to avoid His prohibitions; and if one acts upon additional good deeds, this will be light upon light.’

No one can say that have attained taqwa if they are missing the fard or committing the haram, no matter how much of the nafilah they do.

Finally

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

O believers! Be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves, and do not die except in (a state of full) submission (to Him). (ale-Imran 102)