Fast - purposes of

Purposes of the Fast

(for its general benefit, see section on Fast - bounties of)

1. For meditation and prayer (A)
2. Spiritual recuperation and refreshment (A, F)
3. The cause of awakening and mindfulness (E, I)
4. Conducive to protection and preservation from tests (E)
5. Self-improvement (A, D)
   1. To increase one's love (of God), and, with joy and radiance, arise to perform worthy deeds (C, D, H)
   2. Purification (F)
6. Reminder (and symbol) of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires (and from beholding whatever is forbidden) (A, B, D (cf. to OPF II:26), I, J, OPF I:12, OPF I:17, OPF II:26, K
7. To remember and identify to some degree with the difficulties of the Manifestation of God in needing to minimize their food while revealing verses (I)
8. For those of means to remember the woes and sufferings of the destitute (B)
9. To benefit the souls of His servants (G; see also the section on Fast - bounties of)

A. "It {the fasting period} is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, January 10, 1936 ; quoted in Lights of Guidance, no. 775 and in Directives from the Guardian, pp. 27-29)

B. "All praise be unto God, Who hath revealed the law of obligatory prayer as a reminder to His servants, and enjoined on them the Fast that those possessed of means may become apprised of the woes and sufferings of the destitute."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, sec. 1, no. 2)

C. "These are the days of the Fast. Blessed is the one who through the heat generated by the Fast increaseth his love, and who, with joy and radiance, ariseth to perform worthy deeds. Verily, He guideth whomsoever He willeth to the straight path."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, sec. 1, no. 15)

D. "Ye had written of the fasting month. Fortunate are ye to have obeyed the commandment of God, and kept this fast during the holy season. For this material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, section 35, pp. 69-70)

Compare with:

"Well is it with you, as you have followed the Law of God and arisen to observe the Fast during these blessed days, for this physical fast is a symbol of the spiritual fast. This Fast leadeth to the cleansing of the soul from all selfish desires, the acquisition of spiritual attributes, attraction to the breezes of the All-Merciful, and enkindlement with the fire of divine love."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, sec. 2, no. 26)

E. "Moreover, obligatory prayer and fasting produce awareness and awakening in man, and are conducive to his protection and preservation from tests."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, sec. 2, no. 7)

Compare with:

"Beside all this, prayer and fasting is the cause of awakening and mindfulness and conducive to protection and preservation from tests."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 684)

F. "They {fasting and obligatory prayers} act as stimulants to the soul, strengthen, revive and purify it, and thus insure its steady development."

((On behalf of?) Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 27)

G. "We, verily, have commanded all to observe the Fast in these days as a bounty on Our part, but the people remain unaware, except for those who have attained unto the purpose of God as revealed in His laws and have comprehended His wisdom that pervadeth all things visible and invisible. Say: By God! His Law is a fortress unto you, could ye but understand. Verily, He hath no purpose therein save to benefit the souls of His servants, but, alas, the generality of mankind remain heedless thereof. Cling ye to the cord of God's laws, and follow not those who have turned away from the Book, for verily they have opposed God, the Mighty, the Beloved."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, sec. 1, no. 14)

H. "In the realm of worship, fasting and obligatory prayer constitute the two mightiest pillars of God's holy Law. Neglecting them is in no wise permitted, and falling short in their performance is of a certainty not acceptable. In the Tablet of Visitation He saith: "I beseech God, by Thee and by them whose faces have been illumined with the splendours of the light of Thy countenance, and who, for love of Thee, have observed all whereunto they were bidden." 2 He declareth that observance of the commands of God deriveth from love for the beauty of the Best-Beloved. The seeker, when immersed in the ocean of the love of God, will be moved by intense longing and will arise to carry out the laws of God. Thus, it is impossible that a heart which containeth the fragrance of God's love should yet fail to worship Him, except under conditions when such an action would agitate the enemies and stir up dissension and mischief. Otherwise, a lover of the Abhá Beauty will assuredly and continually demonstrate perseverance in the worship of the Lord."

2. "I beseech God ... were bidden," translated by Shoghi Effendi; see Prayers and Meditations by Bahá'u'lláh, CLXXX

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, sec. 2, no. 2)

I. "Question: What is the divine wisdom of fasting?

"Answer: There is many a divine wisdom in fasting. Among them is this: that, in the days when He Who is the Dayspring of the Sun of Truth engages, through divine inspiration, in revealing the verses of God, in establishing His religion, and in setting forth His teachings, He is so enraptured and enkindled as to find no time for food or drink. For example, when Moses went up to Mount Sinai to establish the religion of God, He fasted for forty days; and fasting was therefore enjoined upon the Israelites to awaken and admonish them. Likewise Christ, at the beginning of the foundation of His divine religion, the establishment of His teachings, and the formulation of His admonitions, disregarded for forty days all physical necessities and refrained from food and drink. The Apostles and early Christian believers also fasted, but this fast was changed by the Church Councils to abstinence from certain foods. Similarly, the Qur’án was revealed during the month of Ramaḍán4 and therefore the fast was enjoined during that period. In the same way, in the beginning of His manifestation, the Báb would be so overcome with emotion at the revelation of the divine verses that for days He would confine himself to drinking tea. Likewise, in the days when He was instituting the divine teachings, and when the divine verses would be sent down continuously, Bahá’u’lláh would be so overwhelmed with the intensity of their influence and the emotions surging within His heart that He would take but little food.

"Our meaning is that it has been enjoined upon the generality of the people to fast likewise for a few days, that they might follow the example of the divine Manifestations and call to mind Their state and condition. As history records, the Christians would in the early days observe a complete fast. For every sincere soul who has a beloved aspires to whatever condition his beloved is experiencing: If the beloved were sad he would wish for sorrow, and if joyous he would aspire to joy; if the beloved were at ease he would seek comfort, and if troubled he would desire the same. Now, since in those days the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh would abstain from food and drink, or would partake of only the least amount, it became incumbent upon Their loved ones to follow their example. Even as it is said in the Tablet of Visitation: “... who, for love of Thee, have observed all whereunto they were bidden”.5 This is but one of the wisdoms of fasting.

"The second wisdom is that fasting is conducive to spiritual awareness. One’s heart grows more tender, one’s spirituality is increased, and as a result one’s thoughts become purely focused on the remembrance of God. Such awareness and awakening leads inexorably to spiritual progress.

"The third wisdom is this. There are two kinds of fast: material and spiritual. The material fast consists in abstaining from food and drink, that is, refraining from satisfying the physical appetites. But the true and spiritual fast is for man to forsake covetous desires, heedlessness, and evil and animalistic attributes. The material fast is therefore a symbol of that spiritual fast. It is like saying: “O Divine Providence! As I am abstaining from bodily desires and from all occupation with food and drink, even so purify and sanctify my heart from the love of anyone save Thyself, and shield and protect my soul from corrupt inclinations and satanic qualities, that my spirit may commune with the breaths of holiness and fast from the mention of all else besides Thee.”"

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Twelve table talks given by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá in ‘Akká, "The Wisdom of Fasting", previously published in Table Talks by Abdu'l-Baha, by Mrs. Corinne True: Star of the West, Vol. IV, No. 18, p. 305, in Lights of Guidance, no. 779)

J. "Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust. Physical fasting is a symbol of that abstinence, and is a reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from physical appetites, he is to abstain from self-appetites and self-desires. But mere abstention from food has no effect on the spirit. It is only a symbol, a reminder. Otherwise it is of no importance. Fasting for this purpose does not mean entire abstinence from food. The golden rule as to food is, do not take too much or too little. Moderation is necessary. There is a sect in India who practice extreme abstinence, and gradually reduce their food until they exist on almost nothing. But their intelligence suffers. A man is not fit to do service for God with brain or body if he is weakened by lack of food. He cannot see clearly. (quoted by Miss E. S. Stevens in Fortnightly Review, June 1911)."

(Attributed to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, quoted in Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, p. 184)

K. "Christ said, "Fast, so that you may not fall into temptation.""

(Attributed to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Daily Lessons Received at Akka, p. 88)

To-dos for this page

• Incorporate text starting from Star of the West, vol. 4, issue 18, p. 305 which is not yet included above.