Today's Ayat for Friday, 2018-05-18 / 03 Ramadan 1439
You who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may be mindful of God.
-- al-Baqarah 2:183 as rendered by Abdel Haleem
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
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Study http://www.islamawakened.com/quran/2/183/
Go deeper http://www.islamawakened.com/quran/2/183/w4wcv.html
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Now that we have passed all the possible starting days of Ramadan, based on the various methods, etc., etc., etc., it is safe to say Ramadan Mubarak! to all of our readers.
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IslamAwakened has been asked to add commentary to our Today's Ayat
This is today's (somewhat extendend) comment:
Here are the main verses about fasting found in the Qur'an
- 2:183 fasting is prescribed, as it was... (see above)
- 2:184 fixed no of days, unless on a journey
- 2:185 fast month of Ramadan
- 2:187 spousal relations are permitted at night; white thread / black thread
Note the missing 2:186? We'll get back to that.
First let's expand on "...as it was prescribed for those before you"
What do we find when we examine the fasting-related teachings of those before us?
In Christianity, we find
- Acts 13:3, 14:23 fast before important decisions
- Luke 2:37, 5:33 fasting linked with prayer
- 1 Corinth 7:1 - 7:5 giving up anything for God can be a fast
- Matthew 6:16 - 6:18 dont be obvious about fasting
- Isaiah 58 "the fast" is a long-term lifestyle
- And the first fast in the Christian story is Jesus’ forty days in the desert, the basis for Lent
And in Judaism we see
- Leviticus 23:26 - 23:32 the basis for Yom Kippur
Now, remember that missing 2:186? In the middle of verses about fasting?
This is the verse wherein Allah says "if My servants ask you about Me, tell them I am near, I respond to those who call Me"
The common thread we see in all the books: fasting is associated with prayer, with calling on our Creator.
Notice, too, that in earlier traditions, fasting is understood as "abstaining from something for the sake of Allah",
with that understanding, let's remember the very first fast: not eating from that one tree.
We didn't do so well on that one, did we?
May all your fasts go well this year!
Remember, this is an opinion.
We must always read the verse(s) for ourselves!