The [true] fasting person is the one whose limbs abstain from sins; his
tongue abstains from lying, vulgarity and falsehood; his stomach abstains from
food and drink and his private part abstains from illegal sexual intercourse.
If he talks, he does not say what will affect his fast; if he does something;
he does not do what will nullify his fast. So all the speech he utters will be
beneficial and righteous and the same applies to his actions. It is like a
fragrance in which the one sitting by the side of a bearer of musk smells.
Similarly, whoever sits with a fasting person will benefit from sitting with
him and be safe from falsehood, lie, wickedness and oppression. This is the
legislated form of fasting and not merely abstaining from food and drink.
According to an authentic hadeeth, the Prophet said: “Whoever
does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allaah is not in need of his
leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allaah will not accept his fasting.)”[1]
Another hadeeth stated: “A fasting person
may gain nothing from his fasting except hunger and taste.”[2] Therefore, true fasting is the abstinence of
the limbs from sins and abstinence of the stomach from food and drink. Just as
food and drink nullifies fasting and invalidates it, so also, sins nullify its
reward and ruin its benefit and make a person similar to one who did not fast.
Source: Al-Waabil as-Sayyib min al-Kalim
at-Tayyib, pp. 39-40 by Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
No comments:
Post a Comment