Restraint

Now you remember we said that in the month of Ramadhan

muslims fast each day from dawn to sunset?

Well, as you might imagine,

there's quite a lot to think about when we try to work out what that means.

What exactly do we mean by fasting,

and does everybody have to do it?

And as you might expect,

muslim scholars have argued over definitions

ever since the death of the Messenger.

Going without food and drink sounds quite straightforward,

but what if something goes into the mouth and isn't swallowed,

in the way that some people will suck a stone to keep the mouth moist?

And if that's OK what about chewing gum?

Or a toothbrush?

And what about inhaling things through the mouth

or nose?

Most people seem to agree that it is not OK to smoke tobacco,

but using our sense of smell for food or perfume

would seem to be generally considered acceptable.

So what's the difference?

And what do we think about vaping?

Well, perhaps there's a difference because our sense of smell,

like our other senses,

is something that's hard to turn off,

because it was put there for a reason,

whereas smoking and vaping

are just using the nose and mouth as gateways to the lungs,

from where their chemicals enter the blood

to be carried around the body.

And what about things taken in through veins,

such as drugs or blood,

in or out of a hospital?

Certainly everyone is agreed that certain people are not expected to fast,

those who are sick or whose health will be damaged,

and many would say that it is ungrateful to refuse God's mercy in that situation.

But what if

the patient wants to fast?

Is it possible

for diabetics needing injections through the day

to join in with the Saum, in a meaningful way?

Well, I suppose for that

we would have to consider what we mean by meaningful.

Now of course, nothing we can do can make God greater in any way,

or increase God in any way,

so it is the one who fasts who receives any benefit.

And of course the greatest benefit must come from following God's will for us,

so clearly we need to try to work out just what God's will is.

And that way we get to understand the limits of our behaviour,

the rules we need to follow if we choose to be muslim.

For Islam is always a choice.

The Saum must be a choice,

an act of free will,

the choice to be muslim.

You have to want to do it.

And discovering your reason for wanting to do it

is what makes the act meaningful.

And because that reason is personal,

between each one of us and our Maker,

and because our lives change,

that personal reason for wanting to join the Ramadhan fast

can change and become more meaningful year upon year.

We get to understand why we do things,

our intentions.

And we need the rules,

but we also need to understand why we do the things we do,

and sometimes that is the most important thing

because the usual rules sometimes break down,

as when the earth reaches a point in relation to the sun

that gives us the little matter of the Scottish night sky,

a sky which in summer has no 'Isha and no Fajr,

and any recommendation can only be opinion.

We have to study our motives,

our intention,

whether we are trying to avoid the Saum,

do the minimum and change nothing else about us,

or whether we are trying to follow

even the lesser recommendations for fasting,

such as refraining from questionable deeds

and vain speech.

Saum is not just going without food and drink.

It is also about spending a bit less time thinking about the material world,

and a bit more time thinking about our souls,

a bit less playing

and a bit more praying.

And God is the One

Who guides and provides.