Fasting is very important deed in Islamic Sharia. All muslims should at least perform fasting at month of Ramadhan. There are many form of fasting that can be implemented by Muslims all around the world. And the great things about fasting are lies in it’s virtues, benefits, and also rewards. As mentioned in the following verses,
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous. (Fasting for) a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey (during them) – then an equal number of days (are to be made up). And upon those who are able (to fast, but with hardship) – a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person (each day). And whoever volunteers excess – it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.
(QS. Al-Baqarah : 183-184)
Here we would like to explain of ways on how fasting can make you more discipline? You may want to read also about law of vomit when fasting while pregnant.
1. Fasting need patience
When we perform fasting, we need not to be very patience. Just imagine when we usually eat and drink almost anytime we like, now we have to wait certain time namely breaking fasting.
First before we start to fast we need to perform suhur or suhoor or a predawn meal. A meal take at early in the morning before the adzan for dawn prayer is performed by Muslims. It is usually taken from 4.00 am.
2. Fasting help us to maintain anger
Muslims who perform fasting should keep their words and actions. They are not allowed to commit any bad deeds, since bad deeds can abort their fasting as well as the reward as written in the previous article about things that nullify fasting in Islam.
As Rasulullah SAW said in the following hadith,
“When one of you awakes in the morning for fasting, then he should not use obscene language or behave ignorantly. If anyone slanders him or tries to argue with him, he should say : indeed, i am fasting. Indeed, I am fasting.”
Narrated by Muslim
The hadith said that we should keep our anger both orally or in our action away when we perform fasting.
3. Fasting needs the power of heart
There so many temptation on performing fasting, it’s not as simply as temptation of eating and drinking. But more of it are temptation of anger and lust. Therefore we need our heart to be strong enough to perform fasting. A strong hearth will help us to stay focused in discipline. The Prophet said in the following hadith,
“Verily fasting is not only from eating and drinking. Rather, fasting is from vanity and obscenity. If someone abuses you or acts foolish againts you, then say : indeed, I am fasting.
Narrated by Ibn Hibban
From the hadith we can confirm that fasting is the basic capital to strengthen discipline. You may want to read about law of food tasting while fasting.
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4. We are trained to improve ourselves
The important of fasting is it give us chance to improve our mind and ability. We will trained to be more patient, be humble, and always maintain our attitude as well as our activity schedule. We are trained to manage time and energy simultaneously.
5. It triggered ourselves to do more worship
Worship will help people to increase their discipline in daily life. If usually we perform 5 daily prayer, in fasting we do really want to increase it. Especially during month of Ramadhan, we usually get excited of doing Tarawih prayer and other Sunnah prayer. Those prayers will increase our time management.
6. Give plenty of rewards
The rewards of Muslims who perform prayer if they commit good deeds will be multiplied. Reward indirectly will make people more excited, if they get excited they will do anything in the right pattern and time.
“Indeed, We sent the Quran down during the Night of Decree, and what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better that a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.”
QS. Al-Qadr : 1-5
Those are the verses that telling us about the important of Lailatul Qadr, a days that worth of thousand months. And those days lies in month of Ramadhan, when Muslims prescribed to perform Ramadhan fasting. There are so many rewards of fasting especially in Ramadhan.
7. Help Muslims to build their characters
Fasting really help Muslims to build the own character. Because fasting is one of the way from Allah SWT to resets all bad characters in humans.
It help us rearrange our own character, since while fasting we are asked to be more careful and introspective of our behavior. Good character will help us build strong discipline in ourselves.
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8. It controls our behavior
Believe me, that fasting are able to control our behavior. Of course we would not like if our fasting considered as invalid if we are angry or obey our passions or lust. By performing fasting we will remember that if we do it, our fasting and reward will only be vain. And Allah will give us punishment if we do something rude or evil towards others.
Whereas we know the reward and punishment when fasting can be multiplied many times. The Prophet said in the following hadith,
“O young men, if you are able to support a wife, then get married. Verily, it restrains the eyes and protects the private parts. Whoever is not able to do so, then he must fast as it is a means of control.”
Narrated by Bukhari
The explanation above is ways on how fasting can make you more discipline. Moreover discipline about keep our vision and not to involve in things that are prohibited by Islam or social norm. You may want to read also about law of abandoning fasting intentionally.
9. Change our daily activities
If Muslims perform fasting of course their daily activities at least will shifting. Hopefully, that there is no time and energy to be wasted on useless activities. Muslims will try to keep their time schedule and energy since they have to wake earlier compared to the previous day.
10. Make us become more diligent
Another ways on how fasting can make you more discipline is it help you become more diligent than usual. Wake up at dawn, perform suhur, prayer, and try to stay awake after that. Perform 5 daily prayer and sunnah prayer and doing your activity while fasting won’t be easy. But we are forced to do it, and the result is slowly it will be our routinity. Those will help us to be more discipline. You may want to read about also types of fasting in Islam.
Those are how fasting itself can build your character and make you become a discipline person. Fasting offers many good benefits for us. Remember each time you feel like giving up, try to think the reason why you’re doing this which is to be closer to Allah!