# Pillar 4: What is the Purpose of Fasting? | Convert Resources **Author:** Sh. Abdullah Oduro **Series:** 5 Pillars Made Plain **Published:** 2020-10-14 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/kFoxEaDo6rw **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-what-is-the-purpose-of-fasting **Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia ## Description Hidden in the linguistic meaning of the word “Ramadan” is a beautiful reminder of why we abstain from food, drink and physical intimacy during the holy month. The Qur’an teaches us that fasting is an act of worship that has been prescribed upon mankind since the dawn of time, but the way we fast... ## Transcript **[0:00]** Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all. I'm Abdullah Oduro and welcome back. What is fasting? **[0:16]** Fasting is defined as voluntary deprivation for spiritual conditioning. You voluntarily deprive yourself of eating, drinking, and intimacy with the opposite gender from sunup to sundown for means of coming closer **[0:32]** to Allah the Exalted. This has been defined in the Qur'an in chapter number two, verse number 178, where Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la the Exalted says, "'O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it was prescribed upon the people before you. **[0:48]** Perhaps you may become of those who are the righteous.'" So here, the prescription of fasting is something before the advent of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. It was here from the beginning of time. It was a practice to deprive oneself **[1:05]** to focus on God and his bounties. As we see, this was a practice that we see Christians even practice with Lent. It is a means of depriving themselves to remember a sacrifice of someone else and to remember the greatness of God upon them. So when looking at this month of Ramadan, **[1:21]** the prescription of it is particularly in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is the month of Ramadan. Now, linguistically, scholars even mentioned the word Ramadan comes from Ramadan, which means to burn or heat or fire. **[1:37]** And that's used as a symbolization of burning off the sins, burning off the sins. The sins that we have, these actions of fasting and of good deeds, burn them and relinquish them. It's also been mentioned that this month is a month **[1:52]** that is a hot month, therefore being called Ramadan. At any rate, this is the ninth month that the Muslims should fast from sunup to sundown. And with this, we understand fasting in this beautiful month of Ramadan is a blessed, blessed month, **[2:08]** as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has talked about. And as Allah has mentioned at the very end of the verse that was mentioned, perhaps we will become of the righteous. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la allow us in embarking upon this means that he has obliged upon us **[2:25]** for the only reason of making us principled individuals to be closer to him and be more mindful of him and his greatness. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Thank you. ## Other Episodes in "5 Pillars Made Plain" - [Pillar 5: Who Can Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-who-can-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Where do Muslims Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-where-do-muslims-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: When do Muslims Go On Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-when-do-muslims-go-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Why do Muslims Perform Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-why-do-muslims-perform-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: What is Hajj (Pilgrimage)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-what-is-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 5: Introduction to Hajj (Pilgrimage)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-5-introduction-to-hajj-pilgrimage.md) - [Pillar 4: Where Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-where-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: Why Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-why-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: When Do Muslims Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-when-do-muslims-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: Who Should Fast? | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-who-should-fast.md) - [Pillar 4: Intro to Fasting | Convert Resources](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-4-intro-to-fasting.md) - [Pillar 3: Zakat Al-Fitr](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-zakat-al-fitr.md) - [Pillar 3: Where Should We Give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-where-should-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Who receives Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-who-receives-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: When do we give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-when-do-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Why do we give Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-why-do-we-give-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: What is Zakat (Almsgiving)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-what-is-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 3: Intro to Zakat (Almsgiving)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-3-intro-to-zakat-almsgiving.md) - [Pillar 2: Where Can Muslims Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-where-can-muslims-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: When Do We Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-when-do-we-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: Who Should Pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-who-should-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: Why do we pray?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-why-do-we-pray.md) - [Pillar 2: What is Prayer?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-2-what-is-prayer.md) - [Intro to Pillar 2: Prayer](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/intro-to-pillar-2-prayer.md) - [Pillar 1: Why Do We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-why-do-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: Where Should We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-where-should-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: When Should We Make the Shahada (Testimony of Faith)?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/when-should-we-make-the-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md) - [Pillar 1: Who is the Shahada (Testimony of Faith) For?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/pillar-1-who-is-the-shahada-the-testimony-of-faith-for.md) - [Intro to Pillar 1: Shahada (Testimony of Faith)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/five-pillars-of-islam/intro-to-pillar-1-shahada-testimony-of-faith.md)