Why Do Muslims Fast in Ramadan?

By • Mar 29th, 2023 • Category: Islam, Lectures

Practicing Muslims fast for 30 days in the holy month of Ramadan. Yet, their motivations and expectations vary. Ordinary Muslims fast primarily to discharge a religious obligation; the more spiritually-minded Muslims fast in hopes of spiritual transformation / rejuvenation. Imam Muhammad al-Ghazali, the preeminent Islamic scholar, identifies three categories / degrees of fast: ordinary, extra-ordinary and perfect fast. Ordinary fast involves curbing the appetite of the stomach and the appetite of sex. Extra-ordinary fast involves the tongue, eyes, ears, hands and feet. The perfect fast involves the heart. In this presentation, we will explore the spiritual dimension of the Ramadan fast using al-Ghazali’s classifications.

Standard Podcast Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Comments are closed.