What is the meaning of fasting (ṣawm)?
Al-Ghazali distinguished three fasts: the fast of the ordinary, of the elect, and of the elect of the elect. Each is harder than the last. Each is a door.
2 passages from 2 books in the library
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 2 books by Imam al-Ghazali and Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
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"Abu Musa relayed, I said, O Messenger of God, a person loves those who pray but does not pray, and loves those who fast but does not fast, listing many things."
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
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"In this mosque, I met a virtuous jurist from Mogadishu named Saeed, who was of good demeanor and manner and continuously observed fasting."
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