Islamic Fasting (Sawm) Boosts One’s Willpower

By
Hossam Ed-Deen Allam

Lecturer, the Faculty of Shari’a and Law,  Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

  One of the unique moral and spiritual characteristics of Islam is the prescribed institution of Fasting (Sawm). In the literal sense, fasting means to “willingly” abstain “completely” from eating, drinking, smoking, and intimate intercourses, starting from the break of the dawn till sunset, throughout the entire month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year. Restricting the significance of Islamic Fasting to this literal sense, however, would be lamentably inaccurate.

  In addition to cultivating in the individual a sincere love and authentic devotion for Almighty Allah, the One and Only Creator, as well as equipping him/her with a genuine sense of patience and altruism, Islamic Fasting leads to boosting one’s willpower. This is because, during the days of the month of Ramadan,  there is no mundane authority to coerce the individual to observe the Fasting or examine his/her conduct and consciousness while observing it. This definitely constitutes an effective mechanism for strengthening the individual’s willpower and enhancing one’s self-control.

   Interestingly, there is a growing scientific literature that demonstrates that lack of willpower represents the most significant barrier to positive change. Moreover, it shows that as is with muscles, one’s willpower is strengthened through regular training. Thus, if the individual does not conduct systematic and rigorous wellness, his/her willpower muscles turn weak. Clearly, the opposite of willpower is addiction, which is essentially the total lack of self-control. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, having robust and durable willpower is needed nowadays more than at any previous time in the history of human existence due to the availability of an unprecedented number of alternatives and distractions. Noteworthy, recent research indicates some mechanisms, including fasting, through which willpower can as a matter of fact be reinforced with practice.

  With that in mind, when we look into the nexus between Fasting and the relevant acts of worship prescribed in the month of Ramadan on one hand, and the human willpower on the other, we can clearly see that this blessed month of Ramadan stands as an unmissable opportunity for the Muslim to develop a better character through boosting one’s willpower.

In this regard, Allah says in the Noble Qurʼān:

)يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُون) البقرة:183

(O you who believe! The Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil.) al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2:183

  Furthermore, Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,

“When any one of you is observing Saum (fasting) on a day, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor should he raise the voice; and if anyone reviles him or tries to quarrel with him he should say: ‘I am observing Fast.”‘ [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].   Evidently, the instruction of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon Him) aims to guide Muslims to fast properly. The Muslim who observes his/her Fasting in an appropriate manner is obviously an individual who has the capacity to tame his/her carnal desires, resist temptations, and place his/her self above short-term impulses in order to meet long-term goals. Such people are those on the quest for self-discipline, self-actualization, and goal accomplishment. In a word, whether your goal is to lose weight, quit a negative habit, study more, or spend less time on social media, willpower is a critical requirement to attaining that outcome. So, let’s seize the priceless opportunity of observing Fasting during the blessed month of Ramadan