Levels of Fasting in Ramadan
If one who fasts is to be cleansed of impurities of the soul and get away from all sins by thirty days of fasting, he or she cannot reach this goal without Muraqabah (watching over their conduct).
Generally speaking, fasting is a religious obligation in which a Muslim refuses to eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset. Such a person is one who fasts and his action is called fasting.
But in Islamic teachings fasting is much more than not eating and drinking and it has been emphasized that one who fasts needs to do more Muraqabah.
Allameh Mojtahedi Tehrani (1923-2013), who was a prominent ethics and philosophy scholar and teacher in Iran, believed that fasting has three levels: general fasting, special fasting, and ‘more special’ fasting.
The first level is the fasting in which one tries to stay away from eating and drinking. It is the fasting that all Muslims are required to observe. They just abstain from eating and drinking but do not watch over their behavior.
The second level is a special fasting. At this level, not only one abstains from foods and drinks but also his entire body fasts: his eyes, ears, tongue, hands, feet and other parts of the body stay away from sins. He tries to close his eyes to sin and his ears to sinful remarks. He tries not to speak bad words and not to commit sin with his hands and feet.
The third level is more special. This type of fasting is accompanied with the remembrance of God and one does not allow anything but God to enter his heart. At this level, one who fasts sheds tears in his prayer from Khawf (fear) and Raja (hope). His prayer is full of love of God and he impatiently waits for saying prayer and talking to God.
Translated by Mohammad Ali Haqshenas
