Ramadan: The Month of Fasting or the Month of Abstinence?
By Dr Aslam Abdullah
Fontana, CA

Should we call Ramadan the month of fasting or the month of abstinence? Well, our scholars say that "the word saum means "to abstain from something" and according to Fiqh it means abstaining from eating, drinking, sexual acts and all evil actions with the intention of pleasing Allah, from true dawn to sunset." This definition needs further explanation.

San Ramon Valley Islamic Center

1. All those who are fasting are required not to eat and drink from dawn to dusk. They can eat during night.
2. Only married couples are required not to indulge in conjugal relations during the time of fasting.
3. Physical intimacy between unmarried male and female members of the Muslim community is prohibited regardless of the month.
4. Intention to please Allah is not confined from dawn to dusk. It is a part of one's life.
5. Avoiding evil is also not confined to dawn to dusk in the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar. It is a commandment that is valid for all time and all months.
So what is so significant about this month of abstinence?
The main purpose is to empower each individual to take control of him or herself and ensure that they emerge stronger in every aspect of their life. So, Ramadan is not the peak of one's commitment to Islam. It is the beginning as it prepares those who abstain for the next 11 months as well to live a meaningful and disciplined life.
Before the season begins for National Foosball League or Baseball  or Basketball, the players go through a vigorous and rigorous training schedule to prepare them for the season. Similarly, those abstaining have a month-long training to prepare them for the rest of the year.
There are two aspects to the abstinence.
1. Physical endurance
2. Spiritual enhancement
Physical endurance is a very subjective issue. For instance, those living in Australia or South Africa had 9 to 10 hours fasting in 2015 and it was not as hard for them to abstain from food and drink as it was for people in Nordic countries. Depending on the climatic conditions one lives, physical endurance would be different for different people. So, one cannot say that fasting was primarily for the purpose of physical fitness or detoxification.

We cannot also argue that it is to help us go through the feelings of those who live in constant poverty and hunger. The fact of the matter is that despite whatever we say, we hardly care for finding a solution to poverty and hunger. Every year Muslims spend millions of dollars in serving food to those who are already fed. During the last 1,400 years we have not found any institutional solution to hunger as the gap  between the poor and the rich has been on the rise in Muslim-majority countries. If going through hunger and thirst was meant to help us identify with poverty struck people, then we did not fulfill the purpose, not only us but the very learned and very pious as well.

Let us understand the real purpose of abstinence as described by the Qur'an that reminds us that "you may act responsibly or become conscious of Allah." Being conscious of Allah means we adhere to his guidance in all aspects of life, and we respect fellow human beings as we are required to do. It means living a disciplined life in this world.
Hence, the Prophet was very clear about the purpose of abstinence. He recognized that people will abstain from food and drink and will go through the cycle of hunger and thirst and he advised that unless there is a qualitative change in behavior, attitude and action, abstinence from food or water would not be considered a valid act of worship.

Thus, the Prophet said that those who lie, who backbite, who make false oaths, who complain all the time and who lustfully look at their fellow human beings would lose the essence of abstinence as the saum would become invalid for them.

It is a simple statement that fasting is more than physical endurance. It is spiritual mainly. It is for this reason that those abstaining are advised to spend most of their time in reflecting on the message of the Qur'an. 

It is a ritual on the part of Muslims to finish reading or listening to the entire Qur'an during this month regardless of their level of understanding.  Sometime, even those who recite the Qur'an in their melodious voice do not understand what they are reciting. The guidance comes when we know what the guidance is and what it is all about. So, we need to focus on the process of understanding the Qur'an in whatever language we speak or understand in addition to our readings in Arabic language.
If we find an improvement in our behavior and attitude towards ourselves and others, and if we find ourselves a better person, the purpose of this training would be served and the reward for this would be immense in this life and the life hereafter. Otherwise, it would be just a ritual and rituals often do not produce desired results.