Bilal Philips – Fasting – Part 01

			Oh,
		

			see?
		

			Salam Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
		

			I'd like to welcome you, dear viewers, to another in our series, the best in Islam, where we're
looking at what Islam considers to be the best in our lives, whether it is in the mundane aspects of
our lives, which may not seem to be connected to religion, or whether it is from the religious acts
themselves, are those related to the religion?
		

			There is in Islam, general guidance for what is in fact best. So that is what we're looking at what
a law said in the Quran. But Prophet Mohammed, may God's peace and blessings be upon him said
probably sooner. This provides for us a platform from which we would understand what's best in our
lives.
		

			The texts of the Quran and the Sunnah,
		

			which speak about what is best were compiled into a single compilation, which I published
		

			back in the 90s. Currently it is being published in India and in Malaysia. And you can follow all of
the Hadees that we speak about here and the verses of the Quran in that text. Anyway, we are moving
on now to another theme, and the theme here is that of fasting, what's best with regards to it?
		

			First and foremost, it was referred to as the best of deeds. We have a narration from Abu Mama, in
which he reported that he asked the Messenger of Allah I ulama Lee, have done which deed is best for
call, he replied, I like to be sold for in the hula ad Lala, he replied, fasting, for there is
nothing equal to it. Fasting, because there is nothing equal to it. The prophet may God's peace and
blessings be upon him here described the best deed
		

			as fasting. We've had other narrations in which he described the best deed as being, saying that
there is no god worthy of worship Allah.
		

			The best deed in some narrations, for those who asked was not to get angry, the best deed
		

			and other circumstances, he gave other answers. So, from it, we understood that the best deed may
vary from person to person, there is an ultimate best which is the declaration of faith. But that
under the general umbrella
		

			of the best of deeds
		

			are things which are relevant to different individuals.
		

			So one person who had a difficulty in managing his anger,
		

			he told him the best did for you is control your anger.
		

			this other person, abou Mama, one of his companions, asked him what he does best. And he told him
fasting, because there's nothing equal to it. other occasions he told other people, so
		

			his wisdom led him to give what was best
		

			suited to the person who was asking, but on other occasions, he would speak of the best in general.
		

			So in this case, probably Mama. He prescribed fasting. He also prescribed fasting for young people
who couldn't get married, who had the desire to get married, but they didn't have the means to get
married.
		

			Then
		

			fast after that fast, because for them, he went on to explain, it reduces the desires, the physical
desires, which may cause people to develop bad habits in Islam were advised to fast. Fasting is the
solution for cooling out desires for those who desire to be married, sexual desires, and are unable
to fulfill those desires. So
		

			in the case of Abu Mama, Allah knows best, whether that was what was behind his circumstance that
the Prophet gave him that advice, or whether it was just general advice anyway, we can take that
Hadees on its general implication, that fasting, there is no equivalent to it. The goals of fasting
are fundamentally to achieve God consciousness, because that's what the law described, the fastest
producing Lala contatto own in order that you may become God conscious. That's the actual phrase
that God uses in the Quran, to describe purpose of fasting, to develop that God consciousness, of
course, we all need it. That's not something special to some people and not to others, we all need
		

			God consciousness. So fasting is one of the best ways of developing that God consciousness. Because
who knows that you fast, who knows that you're fasting, you may appear like everybody else to be
fasting. During the month of Ramadan, you're not eating and drinking publicly. But when nobody's
around, you could be eating and drinking. Even in the workplace, you could step into the bathroom,
you have your Snickers bar in your pocket and take a bite and come back out. You look like everybody
else. Fasting, but you're not. So this is something between you and God.
		

			What stops you from doing that? biting your Snickers bar, what stops you is
		

			that this was a command from God. God knows what you're doing. You can hide from the people going in
the bathroom, but you can't hide from God. So that awareness of God which causes you to fulfill the
requirements of the fast, that is what we want to heighten and to develop during fasting. Because
the more that we can be conscious of God, the better people we become. Ultimately, this is where the
best lies, taqwa
		

			in our chroma komenda lie at Qualcomm, indeed, the most noble of all human beings in the sight of
Allah
		

			is the one most conscious of God, not the one with the most money,
		

			from the highest caste, from the most powerful family
		

			are the other areas that people tend to think the power lies,
		

			fame, what is most important to God, what God judges or uses as the basis of judging who is in fact,
the best of people is consciousness of God. So fasting heightens that consciousness.
		

			And that's why there's nothing equivalent to it, nothing else equal to it. In other narrations, the
prophet may God's peace and blessings be upon him and said that a law said, all other deeds are done
for ourselves. Human beings do them for themselves, they take direct benefit from it. whereas in the
case of fasting, it is done purely for Allah. Allah said, and I would personally reward for it
especial, he gives the special reward. That's what's your reward is expressed in the gate in
Paradise, Orion, a gate in Paradise, specially for those who fast
		

			Allah has set it aside, specifically for those who fast. So, fasting has a very important role to
play in human life. So much so that all of the prophets fasting, Allah prescribed fasting for all of
the nations before. That's why in the Quran when Allah talks about the fast of Ramadan, he speaks
about the people who came before doing
		

			Similar thing,
		

			different time in the year, the month is named by a different name. But basically it's the same
principle that this was prescribed for human beings because they need. Human beings need to develop
a consciousness of a law, a heightened consciousness of a law.
		

			So, the prophet may God's peace and blessings be upon him, told abou Mama, to stick to fasting. I
like to be so fast.
		

			Make it a part of your life. Make it a regular part of your life, because there's nothing equal to
it. And that's why the prophet may God's peace and blessings be upon him also recommended fasting on
Mondays and Thursdays of every week. So that we don't think of fasting has only been confined to one
month in the year, the month of Ramadan. It is a month of fasting truly, we fast the whole month, no
other month in the year are we allowed to fast the complete month Ramadan. However, we are
encouraged in every month, every week, to fast Mondays and Thursdays. These are recommended days of
fasting. They're good for us. We should try to keep them introduce them into our lives. Our whole
		

			family fast together, breaks our fast together. It's a great unifier.
		

			And it's a great purifier. In coming episodes we will look in more depth in fasting. But for now.
We're going to take a break and come back to look further into the greatness the best qualities of
fasting. I'll see you after the break.
		

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