Restraint

Fasting as a practical form of expressing surrender to God

goes back a very long way,

through Christian and Jewish traditions,

and fasting of some sort or another

was associated with Ramadhan by many Arabs before the time of the Messenger,

with traditions leading back to Ibrahim and Ismail,

but corrupted by a new association with the clan idols at the Ka'aba.

And it was during a Ramadhan fast before the Revelation

that the Messenger received the Reading,

In a short passage in Sura 2.183-187,

the Qur'an makes clear the requirement for making the Saum,

but strips away the idol-worshippers' corruptions,

and clarifies its purpose,

namely Taqwa,

being Mindful of the One and Only God.

But then in a way that is typical of the Ever-Merciful,

no sooner has the Saum been prescribed

than the Qur'an is describing reasons for relief of any immediate obligation.

So days when the fasting would be too stressful

can be put off until later,

and in the worst case scenario

missing the fast can be compensated for

by feeding the poor.

But that, of course does advantage those who can afford it,

so it is made clear that it is better to make the Saum.

And then again immediately

repeating reasons for relief,

stressing that God wants us to have ease, not hardship,

and so to praise God and be thankful.

The Messenger warned against excessive fasting,

when some of the community began fasting every day,

thinking as so many people often do,

that more of what is good must inevitably be better.

But it is said that the Messenger told his Companions

that we have a responsibility to our bodies

that makes such extreme behaviour, unacceptable,

and that no-one should do more than the Fast of David,

fasting for every other day.

Compared to that

the fasting of Ramadhan has fairly minimal requirements,

but in much the same way as the Sala,

the precise obligations of the Saum

are not defined in the Qur'an.

Yet it is clearly assumed that those present will know the details

from the words and example of the Messenger.

And what he was told to tell them and us

is that God is near.

This is God in the first person singular,

not the royal 'We'.

This is personal,

and God tells us that if we call,

we will be answered.

So the exact demands are not defined,

but the Qur'an does deal with the other great appetite,

much of the time even stronger than the urge for food and drink.

The Qur'an makes clear that sexual relations are permissible

outwith the hours of fasting.

Sex is not something shameful,

and the Qur'an describes the relationship beautifully,

likening it to each being a garment for the other.

Like garments, partners provide each other with protection,

comfort, pleasure and beautification.

And through the night we can feel forgiveness for prior dishonesty,

and eat and drink

until the white thread shows clearly at the dawn,

a matter of much discussion over the centuries and still ongoing,

as to whether that thread is made of cotton

or is the thread of light along the horizon.

But God makes clear what must be made so,

and we are told that those wishing to

seclude themselves in the mosque for the last ten days,

in the manner of the Messenger,

are not permitted to have sexual relations during that time.

We are told that by staying within God's limits

we enable ourselves to see God's Signs to humankind more clearly,

and that way stay Mindful of God.

And for muslims God's Signs can be found in the Wonderful Reading,

which was sent down during Ramadhan

in what the Qur'an calls a Night of Power,

a night which has Sura 97 named after it.

And scholars like to discuss whether the entire Qur'an came down on this night,

or just the first half of Sura 96.

And all this may be debatable,

but what is clear is that on the Night of Power

there was an experiential connection

between this world of time and eternity.

It is hard for humans to get a grip on a time

when a night is better than a thousand months,

a night when the Angels and God's Holy Spirit came down

to be with us through all the Ramadhans that followed,

a night in which those who worship

can find peace until the coming of the dawn.