Gems Of Ramadan ✔

DAY 17 - SWEETNESS IN SIYAAM

As the middle of Ramadhaan passes, some lose the flavour and pleasure of fasting. Some already lost it, some never had it, and there is few who had it and will continue to have it until the end of Ramadhaan. May Allah allow us to be among those few. There are different types of fasting and the type of fast that we want is the fast that comes with pleasure - not just any ordinary fast. We want to attain pleasure while we are fasting, we want to attain coolness of the eyes in fasting, and we want to be ecstatic that we are fasting.
Look at the verse in the Qur'an:

O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious).
(Surat al-Baqarah: 183)

O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you. Why? To achieve Taqwa. You do not see anywhere in the verse a direct order that you need to find pleasure and coolness of the eyes in fasting. You do not see that in the verse. Why? Masses of the Ummah may not attain pleasure in fasting or Salah, but it is the exceptional few who do. We want to be among the few who do.

When Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala talks about Salah, He mentions the purpose of Salah.

Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahshaa' (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc).
(Surat al-Ankaboot: 45)

The purpose of prayer is to sway one from Fahshaa' which is major sins, and Munkar which is disbelief and polytheism (Shirk). The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said that prayer was coolness of his eyes and ultimate pleasure to him.
وَجُعِلَتْ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلاةِ
What I am trying to get at is that Allah stated in the Qur'an the purpose of fasting as Taqwa, and the purpose of Salah as deterring one from sins and disbelief. Those are purposes and characteristics everyone must achieve in those worships, over the course of time. Everyone must attain Taqwa and refrain from major sins and disbelief. That is for everyone, but there is a higher level than that for the special ones. There is an internal higher level than that - it has deep meanings and goals, and it is for the super special ones.

It is just like your faith as a whole - your faith as a whole has levels. You start off with Islam, above that is Imaan, and the third category above all those is Ihsaan. The high level of fasting is when you are enjoying and having pleasure in your fast (attaining the coolness of the eyes), because it is for the sake of Allah. Only special people get this and it is a feeling only achieved when one fasts while feeling Allah is watching over him.
الإِحْسَانُ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ
Ihsaan is to worship Allah as if you see Him.

The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam goes to at-Taa'if - a mountain so difficult to climb, the Sahaabah died climbing it. When he reaches to the top of the mountain, they pelt him with stones all the way down to the valley. He bleeds (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam), he is tired and he is in deep agony, yet look at his amazing and stunning words.
إنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِكَ عَلَيَّ غَضَبٌ فَلَا أُبَالِي
O Allah, if You are not mad at me, all that happened is nothing. Basically what he is saying is like ice cold water quenching the thirst of someone very thirsty. Yaa Subhan Allah, such beautiful, eloquent brightness from the brightness of revelation (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam).

Someone is going to say, are you trying to tell me we can have pleasure while being hungry? If it is for the sake of Allah, most definitely yes. Some seek pleasure in food and only in food, and they love that. That is a characteristic that Allah said the non-believers share with the cattle.