Fasting for True Freedom and Divine Interaction
By Rasheed Rabbi
Jan/Feb 2025
For over 1,400 years, Muslims across the world have been observing Ramadan – a sacred month of fasting and spiritual renewal, a timeless journey of faith that rekindles the soul and strengthens the bond with God.
Growing up Muslim, I embraced Ramadan rituals wholeheartedly: fasting from dawn to dusk, engaging in extra (tarawee) prayers, and cherishing the warmth of community gatherings. Yet, one encounter forever changed how I experienced this holy month. That moment marked the beginning of a new relationship with Ramadan – one not merely observed but truly lived.
It was a Friday afternoon and I had just stepped out of the Jummah prayer at the mosque when I bumped into a community member. His was a very familiar face, but his radiant smile and sparkling eyes betrayed an uncontainable excitement. Before we could even exchange pleasantries, he leaned in and, with the intensity of someone sharing a secret, asked, “Are you ready for your Ramadan revelation?”
I dismissed his question initially as overzealous enthusiasm and responded casually, referencing pre-Ramadan programs in our mosque and that day’s khutbah. Yet, as I walked away, his glowing demeanor lingered in my mind. A pang of guilt began to creep in – why didn’t I feel the same anticipation? What was I missing?
Determined to understand, I turned back to him and asked, “What excites you the most about Ramadan?”
Instantaneously with a mysterious smile, he replied, “Can you guess?” I rattled off a few well-known blessings of Ramadan. “Is it because Satan will be chained? Or that our good deeds will be multiplied seventy times?”
He nodded his head. “More than that!”
I added, “Is it the arrival of endless blessings? Or the opening of Paradise and the closing of hellfire for an entire month?” His silence and unwavering smile made me more intrigued, and I continued, “Is it that, every night of Ramadan, a number of people will be freed from hellfire unconditionally out of God’s Mercy?”
Yet his unchanged expression prompted me to press on, quoting familiar verses from the Quran to emphasize my point. It must be “the arrival of Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Decree, greater than a thousand months (Quran 97:1-3)?” Or the de-facto Ramadan verses quoted in all sermons (Khutbas),“O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain taqwa” (2:183).
God-Consciousness and the Ramadan Revelation
He nodded his head slowly, saying, “Close, but not quite there!” He went on to explain that from verses 2:40 to 182, God explicitly called out the Children of Israel, recounting the countless blessings He had bestowed upon them despite their repeatedly refusal of His commands. As a final mercy, fasting was prescribed for them as a tool to purify their hearts and cultivate God-consciousness (2:183). The following verse describes a period of fasting of “a few days” (2:184) indicating that this fast is not Ramadan fasting for a whole month. Still, the Children of Israel struggled to embrace this process, failing to grasp the transformative potential of fasting.
Then, with a deliberate shift, God moves from ancient narratives to offer the timeless decree: “Ramadan is the month for the Qur’an revelation as guidance for humanity and clear proofs of guidance and criterion” (2:185). My friend paused, his eyes glinting with meaning. “This verse,” he continued, “is the very heart of Ramadan, if you take a moment to reflect on it.”
A flicker of pride sparked within me, and I couldn’t resist sharing, “I know this verse.” I said, perhaps too quickly, “It’s the only verse in the Quran that explicitly mentions Ramadan.”
His lips broke into an encouraging smile. “It’s neither merely a historical reference point for the Qur’an’s first revelation nor about competing to complete the Qur’an for extra barakah during the month,” he replied. “It’s about preparing yourself to let the Quran descend upon you anew.”
His words gave me pause. Before I could dismiss them as overly abstract, he continued with clarity and conviction: all the attributes of Ramadan – 70+ fold rewards, the closure of hellfire, the opening of paradise – are merely teasers. They set the stage to settle our hearts and harvest the greater goal of fasting: achieving God-consciousness (taqwa) and with it, a free heart that can receive revelation from God.
Fasting is the Gateway to True Freedom
My friend went on to remind me that the word for fasting, sawm, literally means “to make oneself free.” This freedom is not limited to abstaining from food or drink; it’s a liberation from the baggage that binds our souls. It’s a freedom from sensory appetites, freedom from errors and sins, and freedom to attain a state of lasting liberation for our heart and inner self.
Today the idea of freedom is used to easily beguile us into misconceptions of self-indulgence. We frequently mistake freedom for our unchecked pursuit of desires. While seeking freedom, our indulgences – food, drink, distractions, fears, and countless other habits – become invisible bondages that keep us tethered to a false sense of liberty.
True freedom, however, lies in breaking these bonds. Abstinence from food and drink frees our bodies from overindulgence, aiming to clear the haze that clouds our inner vision. As Satan is restrained during Ramadan, and fasting quietens the clamor of our sensory whispers (114:4), our souls rise above the dominion of the carnal self and attune to its pure essence, the fitra – our original state of being (30:30).. So, fasting is not mere deprivation; it’s an act of releasing the sensory appetite while preparing the soul for its divine commune.
The link between fasting and freedom began to resonate me, but the idea of revelation still felt elusive. Sensing my confusion, my friend urged me to think beyond the narrow interpretations of divine revelation exclusive to prophets through the Angel Gabriel.
He continued, “And it is not for a man that God should speak to him except by direct revelation, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger to reveal by His command what He pleases. Surely, He is Mighty, Wise. And thus, have We revealed to thee the Word by Our command. Thou didst not know what the Book was, nor what was the faith. But We have made the revelation a light, whereby We guide such of Our servants as We please. And truly thou dost guide mankind to the right path” (42:52-53).
This verse demonstrates that the current context and form of our revelation are indeed different, but the essence is the same. Revelation is a light (42:53) to gain Godly insight into life and it takes place within the human heart (26:192), not just through the ears or mind. Fasting enforces the required setting to liberate our hearts where the light can descend from the Light (24:35), to let us look through His signs (ayat) beyond the letters.
The Quran is not a destination, but a direction (2:2, 3:4) to look through the essence of God that animates everything in existence, every parable of life (18:54; 30:58). Revelation, whether Quran [2:185, 25:1], Torah [2:53; 21:48], or personal inspiration (42:51), is Furqan, a criterion (2:53, 185; 25:1), that distinguishes right from wrong. Such a righteous way of life ensures glad tidings (10:64). Thus, receiving personal revelation during Ramadan means nurturing a lasting inspiration within our hearts to elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary, the mundane to the divine.
Fasting across Faiths and Eras
All prophets and leaders across almost all major religions, embrace fasting as a primary spiritual practice. Hinduism(est. 5000 BCE), has neither a founder nor any one sacred scripture, yet fasting is prescribed to achieve the Hindu Trinity of purity, passion, and inertia.Judaism (est.1500 to 1350 BCE) holds that Moses (‘alayi as salam) the great Prophet, fasted for 40 days before he received his prophethood. Jainism (600 BCE) teaches that Mahavira attained nirvana while he was fasting. Around the same period, in 550 BCE, Buddhism emerged and Buddha fasted for 49 days and nights to attain enlightenment.
Confucius, the founder of Confucianismfasted, and encouraged mass fasting for purification within the Chinese empire. Similarly, Shintoism, an ancient Japanese religion that emerged around 500 BCE stressed purification through fasting. In Christianity (est. 1-33 CE), Jesus (‘alayhi as salam) received scripture after fasting for 40 days. His example established the practice of the Lenten Fast. Finally, in 570-632 CE, Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) received his Revelation while meditating on Mount Hira to proclaim the foundations of Islam.
All these leaders fasted not only for self-discipline but to receive individual revelation, whether in formal scripture or informal inspiration and to transcend the ordinary in their lives. For it’s not the poison of the devil that ruins our longing for the divine, but it’s the dribble of plain water that we drink in routine. It’s not the banquet of the wicked that diverts us from being noble, but the endless nibbling at our dining table. It’s not the toxin of Satan that turns us away, but the indulgence into the gracious gifts of God, that lead us astray from His love. Such mundane serfdom can successfully be liberated by mindful fasting.
“Allah intends for you ease, not burden” (2:185) with Ramadan, which is not a test of endurance but a divine invitation for a month-long transformation of our hearts to receive divine light and lasting insights that will alter our lives forever. With this sacred season on the horizon, may we rise to meet its universal call to open ourselves to the illuminating light of God’s timeless revelation.
Rasheed Rabbi is an IT professional who earned an MA in Religious Studies from Hartford Seminary. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry from Boston University and is also the founder of e-Dawah (www.edawah.net) and secretary of the Association of Muslim Scientists, Engineers & Technology Professionals. He serves as a khateeb and Friday prayer leader at the ADAMS Center and is a certified Muslim chaplain.