In Islam, prayers are essentially performed by the heart while the bodily actions reflect what goes on in the heart. Every prayer or act of worship has spiritual and physical levels or inner and outer dimensions, writes Recep Senturk*.
In five daily prayers, the body turns to the physical qibla which is the Kaaba but the qibla of the heart is Allah. Therefore, while the body turns to the Kaaba, the heart must turn to Allah. A misalignment between the body and the heart or between the inner and the outer dimensions of devotional actions may jeopardise the whole prayer and turn into soulless physical actions. Same applies to fasting, charity and pilgrimage. What fasts is the heart; what sacrifices is the heart, and what performs pilgrimage is the heart. Without heart, physical actions alone would not count in as acceptable devotions in the sight of Allah.
There are different levels of fasting: fasting by the stomach, fasting the body, and fasting by the soul. Common people have a limited understanding of fasting which is restricted only to abstaining from eating. This is fasting by stomach which is the lowest level of fasting. A higher level of fasting is with the whole body by keeping the body away completely from all unlawful, immoral, and doubtful actions. For instance, the fasting of tongue is to abstain from making improper speeches such as lying, cursing, and quarrelling. The fasting of the eyes is to abstain from looking at what is haram. The fasting of the feet is to abstain from walking to haram. The fasting of the hands is to abstain from touching or holding something which is haram. Yet this is not the highest level of fasting. Fasting of the heart or the soul is the highest level of fasting which means keeping the heart away from all attachments and spiritual connections other than Allah. Fasting by the heart goes beyond sheerly refraining from erroneous physical actions to refraining from even allowing such an idea to come to the heart and thinking of performing such an action. A fasting heart does not allow improper ideas to emerge in it; instead, it constantly and completely focuses on the remembrance of Allah. These levels of fasting depend on the spiritual state of people.
The different levels of liberation
Fasting is liberation from addictions, attachments, and dependencies. Similar to the levels of fasting, liberation also has levels. Different levels of fasting correspond to different levels of liberation. Fasting by stomach frees people from food addictions which is the first level of liberation. Fasting by the physical body frees people from all kinds of misbehaviour and deeply rooted bad habits if there are any. This second level of liberation comes from fasting with the whole body which emancipates a person from all improper physical actions and habits. Yet the highest level of liberation comes from fasting with the heart, which is the inner freedom from connections to, and dependencies on, the mortal and temporary creation through exclusive spiritual attachment to the eternal Creator, the Almighty Allah.
All these different levels of fasting and liberation depend on the existence of a sharp will against the opposite stimuli and desires. At the level fasting by stomach, one must use his will to fight against the desire to eat by curbing it during the day. At the level of fasting with the whole body, one must use his will to exercise complete control over his body and physical limbs to refrain from anything improper. This struggle can be successful only if there is an extremely resilient will. Yet an intense struggle takes place inside the heart when one tries to clean his heart from mundane attachments and passions to turn it completely to Allah the Almighty. The mundane addictions, attachments and passions function like iron chains to keep a person captive from proceeding towards Allah.
Therefore, it could be said that Ramadan is a period of spiritual training and struggle to sharpen the will. This inner struggle comes with its rewards in this world as a spiritual joy and tranquility and in the hereafter as provision in paradise. The reward of hunger in this world as a devotion for the sake of Allah is the most enjoyable food of paradise. Allah will address the people who fast in this world as follows: ‘Eat and drink because you have given them up for my sake during the days of your previous life’.
*The writer is the dean, College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
