Source:
Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, Page 573
Question:
What is the most comprehensive program for self-purification (tazkiyah al-nafs) and moral refinement (tarbiyat al-akhlāq)?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
The fasts of Ramaḍān al-Mubārak are the most perfect system of moral and spiritual training ever prescribed by the Sharīʿah.
Experts in ethics and spiritual mentors — the scholars of character and the people of Allah — are unanimously agreed that the purification of the soul (tazkiyah) and the elevation of the spirit (tarbiyat al-rūḥ) require four essential disciplines:
① Moderate Eating (قِلَّةُ الأكل)
◈ Eating less keeps the soul alive, alert, and strong.
◈ Overeating breeds laziness and lethargy.
② Moderate Speech (قِلَّةُ الكلام)
◈ Restraining speech cultivates seriousness, maturity, and responsibility.
◈ Excessive talk deadens the heart and wastes time.
③ Limited Social Interaction (قِلَّةُ المخالطة)
◈ Minimizing unnecessary social contact protects a person from frivolities and sins.
◈ Excessive socializing leads to moral corruption and spiritual weakness.
◈ According to the masters of ethics, most of the moral and social ills in the world arise from unnecessary mingling.
④ Reduced Sleep (قِلَّةُ النوم)
◈ Sleeping less awakens the spirit and illuminates the heart.
◈ Excessive sleep veils the heart and clouds spiritual insight.
How Fasting Encompasses All These Disciplines
The act of fasting (ṣawm) beautifully combines all four of these spiritual exercises in a single divine program:
✿ Discipline of Eating (قِلَّةُ الأكل)
From dawn (ṣubḥ ṣādiq) to sunset, a fasting person abstains not only from food and drink but also from comfort, luxury, and indulgence.
✿ Discipline of Sleeping (قِلَّةُ النوم)
Fasting naturally trains a person to sleep less and remain alert:
- He spends a portion of the night in Taraweeh prayers, and
- Wakes early for Suḥūr (pre-dawn meal).
This routine instills the habit of spiritual wakefulness and controlled rest.
✿ Discipline of Speech (قِلَّةُ الكلام)
A fasting person guards his tongue from vain and sinful talk, mindful that any wrong word could harm his fast.
Instead, his speech is filled with acts of remembrance and devotion:
- Recitation of the Holy Qur’an
- Voluntary prayers (nafl)
- Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and contemplation.
✿ Discipline of Social Withdrawal (قِلَّةُ المخالطة)
In the last ten days of Ramaḍān, iʿtikāf (spiritual retreat) provides the perfect environment for solitude and spiritual focus, limiting social interaction and allowing deep reflection and worship.
Conclusion
Thus, fasting (ṣawm) serves as a comprehensive and divine curriculum for:
- Purification of the soul (tazkiyah al-nafs)
- Moral discipline (tarbiyat al-akhlāq)
- Spiritual elevation and self-control
Through fasting, a believer learns moderation in all aspects of life — food, speech, sleep, and social contact — thereby attaining spiritual purity and nearness to Allah.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
This is what I hold to be correct, and Allah knows best what is right.
