Living The Quran
From Issue: 948 [Read full issue]
True Consciousness
Al Baqara (The Cow) Sura 2: Verse 188 (partial)
"Do not consume each other's wealth in falsehood."
Fasting requires one to abstain from eating, which would necessarily be eating what is legal. Right after the passage on fasting and its purpose, we are told not to eat, in a general sense, that which is illegal, or acquired through corrupt means. The Quran repeatedly condemns corruption of all kinds. The fast is a physical and spiritual discipline to control one's desires. It is a device not just for coming closer to God but also for learning the importance and true meaning of God consciousness. When the fast is over, the spiritual renewal moves on to the next challenge: to control one's passion for vanities, for greed and illegal possession.
We are not to think of fasting in a narrow perspective. The task of following the right path is extensive and all inclusive: it touches all aspects of human life. As so often, the Quran indicates the integrative and inclusive aspect of its underlying principles by such switches of subject matter. The technique presents a challenge: to reason with the shifts of subject matter to find the connection of underlying and unifying principle. Balance and equity apply across the whole range of human life. The insight and lessons of spiritual discipline apply to and operate in all the mundane aspects of our human nature and daily life.
Compiled From:
"Reading the Qur'an: The Contemporary Relevance of the Sacred Text of Islam" - Ziauddin Sardar, pp. 130-134