Calls of Faith in the Qur'an 5: Fasting Is Prescribed for You, and Training the Soul in Voluntary Abstention

Occasion: Transcription of an Isha khatira delivered at the American Imams Academy on 12 April 2026 Source: A transcription of a video khatira by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

Dr. Ahmed began his talk with a supplication: «O Allah, set right for us our religion, our worldly life and our Hereafter, prepare for us right guidance in our affair, bless us in what You have provided us, protect us from the punishment of the Fire, and turn away from us the causes of punishment in this world and the Hereafter, through a mercy from You, Your pleasure and Your generosity, O Lord of the worlds.» Then he said that tonight's talk is about the fifth call in the Noble Qur'an to the people of faith.

The Fifth Call: Fasting Is Prescribed for You

It is the saying of the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ﴾ (O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become mindful of Allah).^[1] As we are accustomed, the first thing we look at is the general meaning of the blessed verses, in which our Lord, glory be to Him, appeals to us to perform fasting in the manner He explains.

His saying ﴿كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ﴾ (as it was prescribed for those before you) is a reminder to the Muslim ummah that Allah has a law that was prescribed for those before us in various forms and diverse verses, and the obligation of fasting came to this ummah in the manner that the Lord of the worlds dictated to us, and that His Messenger ﷺ carried out among us in practice and teaching. And the address came with «O you who believe» to the believers to the exclusion of the rest of creation, because this is a charge that many people do not reach, and none arrives at this level of commitment except one whom Allah has chosen so that he is among the people of faith.

Between the Call to the People and the Call to the Believers

In the previous session we distinguished between two successive calls: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُوا مِمَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا﴾ (O people, eat from whatever is on earth that is lawful and good), then immediately after it ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ﴾ (O you who believe, eat of the good things We have provided for you).^[2] Both are a command to eat; this one is lawful eating and that one is good eating, the first addressed to people as a whole, and the second addressed specifically to the people of faith. And we explained that there is a difference between the general laws that regulate the movement of the whole society, which no individual of the nations can do without, Muslims and non-Muslims, for they are among the rules that organize the movement of humanity, and the particular calls with which Allah charges His servants, who do them out of a sense that this application realizes for them the meaning of belonging to the Lord of Might.

Hence charges have levels, and in responding to them there is speed and slowness. So up to now we are before five charges according to their order in the surah: the first ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقُولُوا رَاعِنَا وَقُولُوا انظُرْنَا﴾ (O you who believe, do not say "Rāʿinā" but say "Unẓurnā"), the second ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ﴾ (O you who believe, seek help through patience and prayer; indeed Allah is with the patient), the third ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ﴾ (O you who believe, eat of the good things We have provided for you), the fourth ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِصَاصُ فِي الْقَتْلَى﴾ (O you who believe, retaliation is prescribed for you in cases of the slain), and the fifth ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ﴾ (O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you).^[3] And all of this is talk about the calls of faith.

The Chain Linking the Calls

We mentioned that the first charge is to teach the ummah the station of the source of authority within it, so that this authority is not transgressed against by interpretation: ﴿لَا تَقُولُوا رَاعِنَا وَقُولُوا انظُرْنَا وَاسْمَعُوا وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾ (Do not say "Rāʿinā" but say "Unẓurnā," and listen; and for the disbelievers is a painful punishment). And when we speak again about explaining the meanings of words we ask: is this really its station? Was the matter merely a changing of words, with Allah having set a painful punishment for the disbelievers in it? It is as though the changing of words here points to the gravity of the matter; for not holding sacred the total source of authority of the legislation of Islam from the station of the Lord of Might, glory be to Him, or not holding sacred the prophetic revelation as a revelation from the Lord of the worlds, is a rejection of the constants and foundations on which we rely in our call, so it is as though it were a kind of disbelief, we seek refuge in Allah.^[4]

Then regard for this source of authority requires overcoming the appetites that move in the souls, and hence the matter required patience, and this patience is sought for help, by it and against it, so Allah said: ﴿اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ﴾ (Seek help through patience and prayer; indeed Allah is with the patient), and after it, glory be to Him, He mentioned to us the kinds of trials we may face, and how the real challenge lies in making faith firm in these creatures.

So we understood that there is a source of authority that we respect, and we hold sacred what comes to us from Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, and we will be patient in that. And the first thing we should be patient about is the lawfulness of food, because for us it is the first path to appetite, and the first thing over which people fight in their worldly lives. Then when we have crossed this area and seen that food in itself, and earning money, may bring us to the point of killing one another, after the fourth call (retaliation) came the fifth call: how do we train ourselves in voluntary abstention? So He says: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ﴾ (O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you). And I say it a second time, for the link, in great simplicity, is: respect for the source of authority, and patience upon it, and the first thing to be patient about is the lawfulness of food, and the matter may reach the stage of retaliation when we transgress and overstep, then comes the stage of upbringing in voluntary abstention, so the command of Allah comes: ﴿كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ﴾ (Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become mindful of Allah).

That You May Become Mindful of Allah

And in Sūrat al-Baqarah our Lord points to the matter of taqwā as the first aim since the beginning of the surah: ﴿هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ۝ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ﴾ (a guidance for the mindful of Allah; those who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend from what We have provided for them),^[5] and here He says: ﴿لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ﴾ (that you may become mindful of Allah). And one who traces the word taqwā with its derivations sees that it occurs in Sūrat al-Baqarah alone perhaps more than thirty times. Imagine this enormous number of mentions of taqwā and references to it in a single surah! It comes to realize the true aim behind the existence of this surah.

Fasting as a Celebration of the Descent of the Qur'an

We have mentioned previously that fasting came as a kind of celebration of the descent of the Noble Qur'an, so Allah the Exalted said: ﴿شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ﴾ (The month of Ramaḍān in which the Qur'an was revealed), and the Lord of the worlds shows us the system of legal obligations tied to fasting, from the break of dawn ﴿حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ …﴾ (until the thread becomes clear to you …),^[6] which are the matters that regulate the movement of the day and night in the lives of those who fast. But what is the lesson in this call?

The lesson is that the verses of fasting began with «O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you», and ended with the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted: ﴿وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا فَرِيقًا مِنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ﴾ (And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, nor offer it as bribes to the rulers in order to consume a portion of the people's wealth sinfully while you know).^[7] So what is the significance of this? Its significance is that the one who refrains from the lawful that is available in his hands will not overstep his limits to the consuming of what is forbidden, and the consuming of what is forbidden may lead the servant to transgress against people, to bear false witness against them, and to consume people's wealth unjustly, even before the courts. And we have seen one who takes you to court while claiming against you and knowing that he is unjust, and swears before the judge that he says nothing but the truth! What kind of wickedness took place inside this human self? It has not learned the reality of commitment to what the Lord of the worlds commanded when He said: ﴿كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ﴾ (Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you).

Allah's Way in Training for Abstention

And the indication in His saying ﴿كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ﴾ is an indication that it is a permanent way of Allah with His creation, that He trains them in abstention. For the appetite that is realized inside the human self only wants to obtain things. Therefore our Lord, glory be to Him, teaches us that as He is the Expander, He is the Constrictor, and as He is the Exalter, He is the Abaser, and as He is the Bestower of honor, He is the Humbler, glory be to Him; He raises and lowers, constricts and expands, honors and humbles, gives and withholds. So there is what is called granting and what is called withholding, and both are training from the Lord of the worlds for the ummah. And we always say that every state that comes to you is a state of good, for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, never brings evil to His servants. But there is a difference between a person who has been brought up and trained in withholding and constriction and lowering, who respects that from the Lord of the worlds and values it, and a person who is surprised to find he has been denied.

Therefore you see the Qur'anic pattern when our Lord, glory be to Him, tells us: ﴿فَأَمَّا الْإِنسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ ۝ وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ ۝ كَلَّا بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ الْيَتِيمَ﴾ (As for man, when his Lord tries him and honors him and favors him, he says, "My Lord has honored me." But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me." No! Rather, you do not honor the orphan).^[8] We have a common factor, which is the trial in both cases. The first person knows the meaning of trial and its significance but is deluded by the giving in itself, because he looks at the amount that came into his hand. And the second says: My Lord has humiliated me, and Allah says to him: No, the matter is not on this pattern. So what is the pattern then? ﴿كَلَّا بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ الْيَتِيمَ﴾ (No! Rather, you do not honor the orphan).

And I ask: in the first verses, ﴿فَأَمَّا الْإِنسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ﴾ (As for man, when his Lord tries him and honors him and favors him), is the human being here a receiver or a giver? A receiver. And ﴿وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ﴾ (But when He tries him and restricts his provision), is the human being here still a receiver or a giver? Still a receiver. So the Lord of the worlds says to him: ﴿كَلَّا بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ﴾ (No! Rather, you do not honor), is this giving or receiving? Giving. So it is as though the Qur'anic system is saying that the lesson is not in what you receive, but in what you give. It is an upbringing of the human self in voluntary abstention, so that when the servant is weaned from the blessing, it is in gradual steps and training, and its possibility of occurring was anticipated, and he is accustomed to this, so the matter is not strange to him.

Live Rough

And the speaker said that the Prophet ﷺ used to tell his Companions, in what amounts to, to live a rough life because blessing does not last.^[9] And he mentioned a report that the Prophet ﷺ used to command going barefoot at times, that is, that a person walk without sandals now and then.^[10] And this, if the report is sound, is as though he commands them not to let their feet rest on soft touch, because if they grow accustomed to that they will object after a while to the rough and the harsh, and will not be able to step well in the way of Allah, Blessed and Exalted. And it is as though I am before an educational method when the Lord of the worlds tells me: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ﴾ (O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become mindful of Allah).

The Conclusion

I will not go on at length for you, and the sum of the matter is that Allah, Blessed and Exalted, commanded us to make our first source of authority the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and to be patient in that, and that the first thing we are patient about is obtaining food, clothing and financial gains, and that these ambitions may bring us to the stage of retaliation one day, and that voluntary abstention is the beginning of the educational method so that we grow accustomed to our lives as they are, and always thank our Lord for what we are in, and for the provisions we have obtained, little or much, for it is only the apportionment of the Lord of the worlds with which we are content. And the lesson is in giving, not in taking. And Allah, Blessed and Exalted, is the Most High and the Most Knowing.

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: Sūrat al-Baqarah, verse 183. (The verse numbers in this article were added by the editor, and the speaker did not utter them.) ^[2]: Editor's documentation: Al-Baqarah: 168, then 172. Verse 168 is given as far as the speaker mentioned it, and its completion is: ﴿وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ﴾. ^[3]: Editor's documentation: The five calls according to their order: Al-Baqarah 104, then 153, then 172, then 178, then 183. The completion of verse 104 is ﴿وَاسْمَعُوا ۗ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾, which is what the speaker cited in the following paragraph. ^[4]: Editor's documentation: The speaker mentioned this in the form of a comparison («as though it were»), as a warning against being lax about the station of the source of authority, and it should not be understood from it as a ruling declaring anyone a disbeliever. This is something that requires listening to the clip and Dr. Ahmed's approval before publication. ^[5]: Editor's documentation: Al-Baqarah: 2–3. The phrase that preceded the verse in the transcript is garbled, so no additional meaning was constructed from it. ^[6]: Editor's documentation: Al-Baqarah: 185, then 187 (and the completion of the verse is: ﴿الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ﴾), and it has been confined to as much as the speaker uttered. ^[7]: Editor's documentation: Al-Baqarah: 188. The speaker's tongue slipped with «O you who believe» before the verse, and there is no call in it, so the verse has been given without it. ^[8]: Editor's documentation: Al-Fajr: 15–17. ^[9]: Editor's documentation: The speaker conveyed the meaning («in what amounts to») and did not attribute it to a book, and the editor has not verified that it is established as a statement of the Prophet; what is transmitted, in what is related from ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allah be pleased with him, is something like «اخشوشنوا وتمعددوا». So it should not be ascribed to the Prophet ﷺ in a quoted wording before it is documented. ^[10]: Editor's documentation: The speaker said «if this report is sound» and did not attribute it, so his reservation has been kept. In its meaning is what Abū Dāwūd narrated from the ḥadīth of Faḍālah ibn ʿUbayd, may Allah be pleased with him, on the command to go barefoot at times, and its documentation should be checked before publication.