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Home , Fasting in Islam, Friday, Shawwal

CHAINING THE DEMONS, LIBERATING THE SOUL: IN

David D. Peck—Department of History, Geography, and Political Science

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of essays on Islam written by Brother Peck. The first in the series, “Judge Righteous Judgment: Appreciating What Islam ‘Has,’” was published in Volume 4, Number 1 (Spring 2004). The reader is encouraged to begin with that essay and read subsequent essays in order of publication.

efore presenting material on , I want readers to Bunderstand my approach to the subject of comparative religion. The essays in this series represent an effort to answer the question, “how should Latter- Saints approach the study of religions?” I am convinced that Mormons are in a position to attain what I call “a nobler estimate” of religions, including Islam. President Hinckley advocated, as indeed many other modern prophets have advocated, a uniquely LDS approach The people of the in this regard: “The people of the earth are all our Father’s children and are of many and varied religious persuasions. We must cultivate earth are all our tolerance and appreciation and respect one another. We have differences Father’s children of doctrine. This need not bring about animosity or any kind of holier- than-thou attitude.”1 Tolerance, appreciation, and respect will be forever and are of many unattainable so long as Latter-day Saints focus solely upon doctrinal and varied religious incompatibility. Without denying doctrinal differences, we must move beyond doctrinal considerations, and discover ways in which religions persuasions. contribute to overall moral and spiritual improvement of our world. This essay presents positive aspects of one such religion, Islam, in order that Saints may chose to draw informed conclusions about Muslim practice and belief, hopefully leading to tolerance, appreciation, and respect. We live in a time when tolerance, respect, and appreciation are in decreasing supply. Latter-day Saints should take the lead in reversing this trend. To this end, I adopted the following guidelines: . This is a discussion of selected principles and practices of Islam, together with necessary Islamic doctrines. This series of essays will emphasize somewhat widespread themes and practices in Islam, providing a basis for appreciation and respect.2 2. I use the name “God” to indicate either primarily Mormon doctrines and views, or instances where LDS views and Islamic teachings are essentially in agreement as to a divine purpose, activity, or intention. I use the name “” to draw attention to Islamic practices and teachings.3

08 • PERSPECTIVE 3. I strongly emphasize the positive aspects of Islam, which are indeed very many. There are enough uninformed critics of this religion. I hope to impart a different point of view that is of use to those Latter-day Saints interested in cultivating tolerance, appreciation, and respect.4 4. This is not an effort at ecumenism, a philosophy that seeks to eliminate all doctrinal differences and to create a single universal religious doctrine. Doctrinal differences exist but do not pose a serious obstacle to the cultivation of tolerance, appreciation, and respect for such aspects of Islam as are virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy.

FASTING AND RELIGIOUS DEVOTION Fasting is among the most common of religious practices. Native Americans practiced ritual fasting: Lakota braves fasted four consecutive days while wandering in the wilderness, seeking communion with Wakantanka, their Supreme Being. Roman Catholics forego meat every . fast annually on , the Day of Atonement. Fasting is not only a contemporary near-universal religious practice but also has strong historical roots. Ancient Egyptians and Babylonians fasted.5 The mystery cults of Ancient Greece, as well as the Pythagoreans fasted. Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists fast (Buddhist monks eat one small daily meal, practicing a lifelong form of fasting). Furthermore, J.A. MacCulloch identified several purposes underlying fasting rituals among the various religions: marking entrance into a new stage of life, as an act of mourning, as a rite of preparation, as a rite of formal initiation, as part of a magic ritual, as an act of penitence, and as part of a formal program of self denial, or .6 Finally, it is conceivable that millions of people around the It is conceivable globe are fasting in one way or another on any given day. It should come that millions of as little surprise then that historical and contemporary fasting practices and objectives are parallel, or at least strikingly similar, among the world’s people around the religions. Islam, like many other religions, advocates fasting as a means globe are fasting in to the attainment of virtue and spiritual enlightenment. one way or another FASTING IN ISLAM on any given day. said, “When begins, the gates of heaven open, the gates of hell are closed and the demons are chained up.”7 Muhammad suggested three areas of spiritual benefit associated with fasting. First, fasting opens the “gates of heaven.” The believing Muslim, utilizing the fast as a tool of sanctification, attempts to open the windows of revelation and spiritual enlightenment. Fasting additionally strengthens personal commitment to God’s work. It also provides access to divine grace

BEYOND OUR BORDERS • 09 and guidance. Second, the “gates of hell are closed.” The gates of hell represent in Islam the overall societal influence of sin and the effects of material deprivation manifest throughout the world. The fasting believer comes to understand the pains of hunger and want, promoting a spirit of empathetic generosity. Fasting as a community of the faithful, a Muslim practice during the of Ramadan and an LDS practice on each Fast , promotes an egalitarian spirit since all members are reduced to dependence upon God, no matter one’s station in life. Third, the demons inherent in mankind’s “animal appetites” (what Latter-day Saints call the “natural man”) are chained.8 Fasting is therefore also a time of The appetites of introspection and self-evaluation, a time for repentance. The appetites of the natural man are put off for a season in an effort to eventually master the natural man are those desires and passions that lead to sin. Muslim believers are taught put off for a season not only to temper the urges of the natural man but also are encouraged to speak well of each other and to share their material means generously. in an effort to In this way, the temptations of the flesh are gradually replaced by virtues. eventually master Selfishness and backbiting may be thus transformed into generosity and honest speech. Self-denial in Islam is coupled with spiritual satiety. those desires and Consequently, chaining one’s personal demons hopefully leads to the passions that lead liberation of one’s soul. Devout fast more frequently than perhaps any other people. to sin. (The word for fasting issawm , meaning “abstention,” or self-denial.) The annual Muslim fast, practiced during the ninth month Ramadan( ), is required of all believers and lasts through the entire month. Devout Muslims also fast at other times throughout the year, following an earlier pattern established by the Jews. The most devoted of Muslims fast over one hundred fast days annually. Any spiritual exercise requiring this level of devotion must be viewed a central practice and tenet of faith that assists in overall moral and spiritual development. Islam therefore links fasting to other spiritual practices, such as scripture reading, in order that the fast may be whole, or as the Doctrine and Covenants suggests to Latter-day Saints, that a believer’s “joy may be full.” Fasting is more than merely foregoing food and water. This is the central spiritual aspect of fasting in Islam, and in the LDS religion. Sister Sheryl Condie Kempton noted: “even though I did not eat or drink for twenty-four hours, I was not really satisfied with my effort. The day hadn’t been much different from most Sundays… it seemed to me that if fasting were important, it should make a difference. I knew that it was important, so I concluded that I must not be doing it right.” A notable commentator on the Qur’an, Ahmad bin Hanbal commented, “how many fasters there are for whom only hunger and thirst are the results of their fast.”9 Such a fast, in Islam or in Mormonism, is essentially all form, but without substance.

0 • PERSPECTIVE For those unfamiliar with the spiritual objectives inherent in both Muslim and in LDS fasts, the ritual may seem like little more than self- starvation. An examination of the traditional academic treatment of fasting illustrates this. Scholars of comparative religion classify rituals according to their assumed functions: those that “fill” (plerotic rites) and those that “empty” (kenotic rites).10 Fasting is commonly viewed as primarily kenotic, a conclusion that focuses upon ritual self-denial. Within , and Islam, however, fasting has concomitant plerotic qualities, since it is also a method of filling oneself with spiritual strength. The Islamic cycle of fasting during daylight hours, and eating a modest meal at night, combines a sense of material need with spiritual satiety. It joins meekness with profound gratitude toward the Divine Provider. Each twenty-four hour period of sincere fasting is essentially the spiritual union of plerosis and kenosis. Fasting in Islam is intended to be much more than an exercise in self-mortification. Allah decreed to Muslims that fasting is more than mastering the carnal “difficulties,” or physical obstacles, presented by abstention. Fasting is, instead, a path to spiritual realization, to reconciliation, and to genuine enlightenment, opening up a vision of God and community bound together through humble charity and generosity. Sawm is associated with repentance. It is essential to the worship of Allah. Sawm is a key element in the pursuit of personal sanctification. Sawm cultivates godliness within the believer. It engenders compassion toward the indigent. It encourages generosity, to give to others freely from what It encourages Allah has given to all. generosity, to give Sawm is also linked to the personal perfection of virtues, in addition to temperance, or self-control. Sawm is the primary means of attaining to others freely taqwaa (“piety, devoutness or godliness”). Muhammad declared: “Fasting from what Allah has is for Me (i.e., Allah) and I will grant a reward; and a virtue brings reward ten times like it.”11 The Arabic word taqwaa is taken from a given to all. verb meaning “to safeguard, shelter, or defend.” Waqin, another form of the same verb, signifies “armor.” Muhammad made the relationship between sawm and taqwaa explicit: “Fasting is an armour with which one protects oneself.”12 Sawm and taqwaa interact synergistically to produce a condition approximating godliness or piety: the beliver is emptied of the “world” while simultaneously fashioning spiritual armor as a shield against worldly influences. This armor provides spiritual fortitude, whereby the believer can withstand temptations of the flesh. Many Muslims look to the example of (‘Isa) who, practiced sawm for 40 days and nights, and was thereafter armed with pure taqwaa when tempted of the devil. Sawm should therefore be practiced in association with other spiritual activities intended to perfect taqwaa. For example, Allah prescribed the month-long fast of Ramadan in order to perfect such virtues as gratitude:

BEYOND OUR BORDERS •  “Ramadan is the month… every one of you should spend in fasting...to glorify Allah, that perchance ye may be grateful.” (Qur’an 2:85)

FORMALITIES When Muhammad recommended fasting as a spiritual exercise, his companions were so zealous to comply that regulations were soon required to prevent extreme hunger and thirst among early Muslims.13 Allah, through revelation contained in the Qur’an, limited the required fast to a Islam uses a single month, Ramadan. Islam uses a , consisting of twelve of twenty-nine days each.14 “Ramadan” is the Arabic name for lunar calendar, the ninth month. Since the lunar year is about eleven days shorter than consisting of twelve the solar year, the ninth month appears to rotate through the solar-based seasons. In 984, for example, the fast was in July, and for the year 2004 months of twenty- it begins in October. From to dusk believers abstain from food, nine days each. drink and sexual activity. In keeping with Islam’s exceedingly practical approach toward worship, dawn is customarily defined as the moment when one is able to tell the difference between a white thread set across a black thread. This tradition developed from the Qur’an’s reference to a thread of light at dawn: “Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from the black thread; then complete your fast until the night appears” (Qur’an 2:87) As soon as the distinction is made, the day’s fast begins. Religious leaders in each community determine exactly when to begin and end the fast, and the announcement is made public by various means: musicians often play joyful songs in the streets, in some places a siren may sound, whereas some cities still use harbor cannons.15 Dusk is defined as the moment when the distinction is no longer possible, and the fast ends for that day. Fasting begins well before literal sunrise, and ends well after sunset. In winter fasting lasts about fourteen hours. The daily fast is even longer in the summer, stretching from as early as three in the morning until eleven at night. Over the course of an entire month, fasting between fourteen and eighteen hours a day, day after day, requires serious spiritual commitment. Considering the list of physical sacrifices required during the entire month of Ramadan, the practice may appear extreme. This is not the case. Muhammad was commanded to teach Muslims to pray, saying: “Our Lord! Lay not on us burdens greater than we have strength to bear” (Qur’an 2:286). In keeping with this plea, the regulations governing the fast of Ramadan are flexible. There are two categories defining several exemptions from fasting. First, there are those conditions under which one may skip fast days and make them up later in the year once the debilitating condition has passed. This category includes menstruation, illness, and persons traveling for more than three consecutive days: “But if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period should be made

2 • PERSPECTIVE up… Allah does not want to put you in difficulty… He wants you to complete the prescribed period” (Qur’an 2:85).16 In practice, however, many Muslims choose to continue fasting while under these conditions in order to complete the fast with the rest of their community. Second, there are conditions that excuse fasting for all or part of Ramadan, with no requirement to make up lost days. This category includes women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, children, the aged, and the mentally ill. These rules address the unique needs of women, avoiding a burden that otherwise might prove too great to bear. Beside the month-long fast of Ramadan, other fasts are recommended. Following the example of Muhammad, devout Muslims may, at their own election, choose to fast every and , unless the day falls upon one of two required feasts. This parallels an ancient Jewish custom. President Howard W. Hunter, in a talk tracing the origins of Fast Sunday in the LDS tradition, noted the Jewish practice of fasting on the second and fifth days of the , which were the days when “Moses went up and came down from Mount Sinai.”17 Jews also observed this practice in Christ’s time. Recall the Pharisee’s prayer: “I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 8:2, emphasis added). However, such fasts are not required of all Muslims, but are recommended for those that seek additional spiritual benefit. Islam, like any organized religion, is not without pharisees and shirkers.18 Islamic doctrine teaches that Ramadan is a time for spiritual development, not merely a time to forego food and drink. The Pharisee’s insincere fasting received the Savior’s rebuke. “When ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance” (Matt 6:6). Jesus held forth against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, but did not condemn fasting twice in a week. Islam likewise frowns upon fasting for the wrong reason, such as “to be seen of men.” Unfortunately, some Muslims sleep all day and engorge themselves all night, only to sleep until the next round of feasting begins the following evening. Although this may satisfy the legalistic requirements of fasting, the sincere Muslim is encouraged to seek the spirit (ruh) of the fast more than the letter (surr). ‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘ offered a similar assessment in the form of a simile: observing the formalities of fasting without pursuing earnestly its inherent spiritual significance is “like an empty husk without the kernel.”19 In Islam, as in Christianity, In Islam, as in “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Cor. 3:6). The relationship Christianity, “the between observing the letter of the law as a means to an end and not as an end in itself applies to fasting in both LDS and Islamic tradition. letter killeth, but My own experience with Muslims indicates that many are serious the spirit giveth life” devotees and seek to satisfy the spirit of fasting as well as its letter. A few years ago, Dana Rassas, a Muslim student attending BYU-Idaho, was unable to return home to Palestine for the Christmas break. She stayed

BEYOND OUR BORDERS • 3 at our home during the holiday. Ramadan occurred in December that year. Dana woke up at four in the morning and ate a modest breakfast. She fasted until about seven o’clock that evening, eating a traditional Christmas dinner with us that evening. My children noticed the modest devotion and sincere dedication she paid to her religion (especially given the large quantity of tempting Christmas candy available). From the child’s point of view, Dana’s sacrifice was genuinely impressive, a lesson my daughters will not likely forget. That same year, my children and I visited the family of Farid-ul Islam. I met Farid at an academic conference, and we became instant friends. He invited us to his home for dinner during Ramadan. We arrived at about six in the evening. Farid and his wife entertained us with conversation, while his two children prepared the table. At about seven, the entire family went into another room to pray. They then broke their fast by drinking a glass of water. We all shared a wonderful Bangladeshi dinner. They then took turns reading from the Qur’an for about an hour. When the evening was done, I was spiritually enriched, as were my children. Farid and Dana both illustrate how spiritual vitality imbues sincere fasting, while remaining well within the letter of the law.

OPENING THE GATES OF HEAVEN Both Mormonism Both Mormonism and Islam teach adherents that the divinely appointed order for all humanity, originally ordained by Allah in the and Islam teach Garden of Eden (‘adn), was subverted through the fall of man. Prior to adherents that the the fall, Islam instructs, the Gates of Heaven were perpetually open and Allah communed with Adam and Eve. The Gates of Hell were closed: divinely appointed there was no sin, no death, and no violence in the world. The demons, order for all cast out, were chained, except for Lucifer who was allowed by God to tempt our first parents: after the fall he became , whose human humanity, originally and demonic followers attempt to subvert God’s work. The practices of ordained by Allah Ramadan teach a symbolic reversal of the post-Eden cosmic order: night becomes day. A lonely world is figuratively transformed once again into in the Garden of Eden trough denial of worldly appetites. The spiritual qualities of day Eden (‘adn), was and night are inverted: eating and drinking are prohibited in the day, required late at night and early in the morning. The customary activities subverted through of day and night are likewise reversed: day is the time of dreams, while the fall of man. sleep is reduced at night as believers eat and drink in preparation for another day of fasting. In the dark of night those who fast prepare for dawn, which is governed by the planet Venus, anciently called “Lucifer”, Latin for “Light-bearer.” During Ramadan, the morning star’s association with the coming of evil is transformed into a symbol of the coming of truth, light, and revelation.20

4 • PERSPECTIVE Muslims take literally the view that dawn in Ramadan represents the coming of light and truth. Muhammad, prior to receiving the first revelation of in 60 AD, often retired to a cave during the ninth month, seeking spiritual insight and revelation. He dreamed frequently, prior to Gabriel’s visit, and later came to view his dreams as a nascent revelation preparing him for Gabriel’s actual visit. His wife, , said: “The first revelation that was granted to the Messenger of Allah was the true dream in a state of sleep, so that he never dreamed a dream but the truth of it shone forth like the dawn of the morning.” Maulana Muhammad Ali commented, “a true dream is a kind of revelation.”21 Fasting with proper intent opens a conduit to the powers of heaven, Fasting with proper leading to spiritual enlightenment and an increase in faith. It gives the intent opens a faithful an opportunity to demonstrate their love for God, placing His commandments above physical comfort. This is a tenet of faith both in conduit to the Islam and in Mormonism. Sincere fasting imparts “a spirit of communion powers of heaven, with God. For one day a month I have an opportunity to put aside all distractions… and with ‘simplicity of intention’ try to purify my heart leading to spiritual to be one with God as I purify my body temple.”22 enlightenment and To this end, Muslims practice scripture study in connection with fasting, a custom reinforced by the teachings of Jesus, who used the fasting and an increase in faith. the word of God as a shield against temptation: “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke 4:4) This passage associates the scriptures (“it is written”) with that nourishment and fortification of the soul, which comes from denial of bodily appetites and the figurative feeding of the soul with the, living words of God. Muslims also associate the fast of Ramadan with the celebration of the receipt of quranic revelations by Muhammad. “Ramadan is the month in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear signs for guidance and judgment between right and wrong.” The first appearance of Gabriel to Muhammad, in 60 AD, is called Layla al-Qadr (the Night of Power). Tradition holds that “Gabriel met Muhammad… in every night of Ramadan and read with him the Qur’an.”23 Muslims believe that the Qur’an was revealed during the last ten days of Ramadan throughout Muhammad’s adult life: “We have indeed revealed this message in the Night of Power.” (Qur’an 97:3) During the last ten days of Ramadan, Muslims believe that the gates of heaven are again opened, and angels descend and ascend from heaven, assisting mankind irrespective of rank or wealth:

The Night of Power Is better than A thousand months. Therein came down

BEYOND OUR BORDERS • 5 By Allah’s permission To perform every errand Peace!… This Until the rise of Morn! (Qur’an 97:4-5)

Islam teaches that Muslims should themselves act as angels of mercy in celebrating the Night of Power, voluntarily and spontaneously performing charitable works. The exact night in which the Qur’an was revealed is not known, but traditionally it is an odd-numbered day, and it occurred during the last ten days of the month. Muslims therefore focus on good works for the last five odd-numbered days of the month, trying to empower the Night of Power within the heart, for the benefit of society in general. Through appropriate fasting, a night of power metaphorically becomes a day of power, through taqwaa, a sentiment shared by Jews and :

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. (Isa. 58:8-9)

CLOSING THE GATES OF HELL The gates of The gates of hell are closed during Ramadan, as the influence of the devil and his minions is diminished. Fasting and accompanying generosity hell are closed mitigates the societal effects of sin. Brotherly love increases, shrinking the during Ramadan, distance between social ranks as all members of the community jointly experience hunger and want. In order to complete the closure of Hell’s as the influence gates, fasting includes repentance. It is thereby intended to heal the social of the devil and wounds caused by sin. Fasting addresses inter-class stress through the payment of fast offerings. Muslims pay fast offerings and tithes at the end his minions is of Ramadan as part of a divinely appointed plan intended to redistribute diminished. wealth and to reduce social-economic gaps. Fasting helps us understand the pains of hunger and want.24 By repeating the fast day after day for an entire month, the believer comes to appreciate the daily want of impoverished brothers and sisters within the community at large. Empathy is thus the product of experience, not of the imagination. Experiential comprehension of the suffering of others lies at the root of charity. Muslims look to the charitable example of prophets, including Jesus. For example, Paul taught that Christ had compassion on us, not in a detached sense, or as the result of imagination.

6 • PERSPECTIVE He suffered and therefore understood our suffering, “For we have not an High which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are” (Hebrews 4:5). We can also cultivate “compassion on them that are out of the way; for that [we too] are compassed with infirmity” (Heb. 5:2). Only those who have been hungry can understand hunger pains. To all others it is conjecture or hypothesis. Fasting is ordained of God to foster empathetic compassion. Muslims are encouraged to search their souls and root out sin through repentance. For example, an oath-breaker is counseled to fast and give an offering to the poor in expiation: “He will call you to account for your oaths: for expiation, feed ten indigent persons on the scale of … your families; or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom. If that is beyond your means, fast for three days” (Qur’an 5:89). Not only must a devout Muslim pay restitution to the victim of oath-breaking. A gift to the indigent or to slaves is also required, which gift may include a three-days’ fast. Breaking an oath is an act of pride, one that calls for an act of humility, which is supplied through sincere fasting and generosity. The fast of Ramadan closes with a feast called‘eid al-fitr, celebrated on the first three days of the next month, called . Muslims put on their best clothes, visit friends and neighbors, share food and gifts, celebrating the bounty provided by God.25 The ‘eid is a time of generosity and celebration in other ways. Muslims pay their form of a “fast offering,” called the al-fitr.26 Public feasts are also common at this time. While in Tunis in 983, I witnessed the variety of ways in which Muslims pay this offering. For example, wealthy patrons set up great feasts in public areas in Tunis. Their servants personally prepared the food and served it to anyone who cared to eat, without regard for social rank. At one sitting, I dined with the rich and the poor, the learned and I dined with the the unlettered, the powerful and the weak. The sign at the entrance to the rich and the poor, feast made clear the donor’s intent: “in the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate, please share a meal, share conversation and share the learned and the spirit of joy.” Nowhere was the donor’s name mentioned. The zakat the unlettered, al-fitr, like the LDS fast offering, is designed to bring joy both to those who give, and to those who receive. The generous Muslim fulfills the the powerful and admonition of Muhammad: “He is not a good Muslim who eats his fill the weak. and leaves his neighbor hungry.”27 Likewise, from and LDS perspective, the teachings of Isaiah are fulfilled through genuine fasting:

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? (Isa. 58:6-7)

BEYOND OUR BORDERS • 7 Muhammad’s personal example set the tone for generosity in association with fasting: “The messenger of Allah was the most generous of all people, and he was most generous in Ramadan.”28

CHAINING THE DEMONS Fasting shifts our attention away from bodily needs and toward spiritual needs, reinforcing basic lessons of temperance. Fasting imparts “a spirit of self-control.”29 Fasting affords a time for spiritual introspection, an investigation that reveals one’s own weaknesses and shortcomings. Muslims seek to temper all improper conduct, lewd or lascivious, crude Particular attention or vulgar. Particular attention is given to bridling the tongue.30 The Qur’an commands believers to abandon backbiting, gossip, envy, lying, is given to bridling and quarrelling teaching the virtue of circumspection, and the fast offers the tongue. the opportunity to perfect circumspection: “O ye who believe, let not some men among you laugh at others… nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other… avoid suspicion… and spy not on each other, nor speak ill of each other.” (Qur’an 49:-2)31 Latter-day Saints are likewise instructed: “cease to find fault one with another” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:24), although Mormons do not directly associate this teaching with fasting. The doctrines expressed in the Bible, modern revelation, and Muslim tradition, are, nevertheless, in substantial agreement in this regard. The Old Testament states: “Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high,” but rather one should fast in order to “take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity” (Isa. 58:4, 9). The Savior said: “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matt. 2:36) Muhammad declared: “Let not him who fasts utter immodest or foul speech, nor let him act in an ignorant manner; and if a man quarrels with him or abuses him, he should say twice, I am fasting,”32 and, “He who does not give up uttering falsehood and acting according to it, Allah has no need of his giving up his food and drink.”33 The proper use of the fast helps uproot personal vices, such as gossiping, and attempts to replace them with virtues. Fasting builds strength of community and good feeling among neighbors. Ramadan is consequently a month for healing breaches and binding up wounds, as believers join in humble and submissive fasting, chaining their individual devils.

CONCLUSION Although the formalities may differ, fasting for both Muslims and Mormons is a powerful tool for increasing faith, purifying worship, extending generosity, humbly repenting, and casting out the devils of the

8 • PERSPECTIVE natural man. Just as Latter-day Saints join in fasting the first Sunday of each month to expand the work of God, so Muslims join in the inversion of the world’s values, tempering carnal appetites while increasing faith among their members. Many of the blessings associated with fasting apply to all those willing to make the effort, without regard to creed. Devout Muslims and devout Mormons fast for similar purposes, seeking parallel blessings:

… if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in” (Isa. 58:0-2). 

NOTES:

. Gordon B. Hinckley. “The Work Moves Forward.” Ensign, May 999, 4 (emphasis added). 2. Islam represents nearly one-fifth of the entire world population. Vartan Gregorian recently authored a book entitled Islam: A Mosaic, not a Monolith (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institute Press, 2003). The variety of subtle differences within the Islamic “mosaic” of world cultures could be, and in fact is, the subject of numerous volumes. Since the focus of the essay is not critical, but aimed at cultivating appreciation, divergence within the “mosaic” is not addressed in any significant degree. 3. I believe that I could, even under this guideline, use the name “God” throughout the essay, paralleling the ’s own practice. The church uses the name “Allah” in the place of “God the Father” in predominantly Muslim countries such as Indonesia, where the LDS sacrament prayer begins “Ya Allah… ” or “O God (the Eternal Father)…. ” The Arabic translation of the Book of Mormon uses “Allah” as well. The name “Allah” is arguably derived from the same Semitic root for “Elohim.” 4. I am confident that readers can draw their own conclusions about doctrinal differences without the need of emphasizing them myself. The prophet has not called upon Latter-day Saints to act as critics but instead to act as interested neighbors and appreciative friends. I hope to provide readers with the insight and information necessary to implement President Hinckley’s directive with reference to Islam. 5. Rosemary Rader. “Fasting.” The Encyclopedia of Religion. Mircea Eliade, ed. Vol. 5. (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 987), 286-290. 6. J. A. MacCullock. “Fasting.” Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. James Hastings, ed. Vol. 5. (New York: Charles Scribner and Sons, 955), 750-765. 7. Spencer Palmer et al. Religions of the World: A Latter-day Saint View. (Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 997), 229. Compare this quote with President Thomas S.

BEYOND OUR BORDERS • 9 Monson’s recent admonition that we “. Search inward; 2. Reach outward; and, 3. Look Heavenward.” (President Thomas S. Monson, “Finding Peace,” Ensign, March 2004, 4.) We chain the demons after searching for them in the “inward” self, we close the gates of Hell by reaching outward to our fellow humans, and we look heavenward as we open up the gates of heaven. 8. ‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali, The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an. (Beltsville, Maryland: Amana Publications, 999), 75. Unless otherwise indicated in the notes, all quotations of the Qur’an are taken from this translation, adapted by the author of this essay for readability. 9. H. A. R. Gibb et al., Concise Encyclopedia of Islam. (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, Inc., 200), 507. 0. Frederick M. Denny. An Introduction to Islam, 2nd ed. (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 994), . . Maulana Muhammad Ali, A Manual of . (Lahore: The Ishaat Islam Lahore, 200), 82. 2. Ibid. 3. Glassé, Cyril. The New Encyclopedia of Islam. (New York: Roman & Littlefield Publishers, LLC, 200), 36. 4. Because the measurement of a “day” is based upon a sub-earth rotation rather than a moon- sun cycle, the exact number of days in a lunar month differs occasionally, amounting to as many as thirty or as few and twenty-eight. 5. Glassé, 347. 6. Compare with Isaiah 58:5, “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul?” 7. Hunter, Howard W. “Fast Day,” Ensign, Nov. 985, 72. This means fasting on Mondays (called “the second” day in Arabic, and Thursday, called “the fifth.” 8. Curiously, the word “” means “apostasy” in Arabic. 9. ‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali, 74. 20. For references to Venus as “Lucifer,” see Virgil, Aeneid, book ii. For references to Christ as the Morning Star, the Day Star, or Dayspring, see Luke :76-78; 2 Pet. :9; Rev. 2:26-28; and Rev. 22:6. 2. Maulana, 3. 22. Kempton, Sheryl Condie. “Fasting: A Gift of Joy.” Ensign, January, 978, 0-3. 23. Maulana, 82. 24. Glassé, 378. 25. Encyclopedia of Islam, 56. 26. Ibid. The annual tithe, or zakat which is a fixed percentage of one’s possessions, is also customarily paid at this time. 27. Glassé, 36. 28. Maulana, 83. 29. Kempton, . 30. Compare with the entire third chapter of the Epistle of James. 3. See also, Malek Chebel, (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 997), 46. 32. Maulana, 82. 33. Maulana, 82-3.

20 • PERSPECTIVE