'Nafs': Body Rights in Islam

 

Fulfilling the Rights of Fellow Muslims (Part 5)

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, I continue today the series of sermons on the rights of fellow Muslims, and today I will talk about the rights of one’s own self [Nafs].

 

Life on earth is a God-given temporary trust [i.e. Amanat] to the human race. We are all the property of Allah (twt) and all that we are belong exclusively to Allah. And while belonging to Allah, contrary to His other creatures, He has bestowed upon us freewill and rights that we have to both respect and implement.

 

So, it is therefore incumbent for us to use and guard this trust according to the Divine command. Among the rights incumbent on us in respect of our lives are:

 

1.     The protection of its health and strength.

    2.     The guarding of its peace.

 

This means to refrain from any such activity which unnecessarily imposes strain and frustration. Neglect in these rights results in interference with one’s Deen. Peace of mind and courage are destroyed and in consequence one will fail to render service to others. At times, due to the frustration and weakness, one’s condition aggravates to the degree where one’s very faith [i.e. Iman ] is in danger of elimination. This grievous state is manifested due to the impatience and ingratitude fostered by frustration and depression which overtakes man who has failed in fulfilling the rights of his own body and soul.

The Virtues of Ramadan Fasting

Why Fasting ? 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ۝

“O you who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.” (Al-Baqara 2 :184)

Each year, for a month, more than a billion Muslim believers around the world fast between dawn and dusk. During these fasting hours, they are strictly prohibited from consuming any food, drink, or having intimate relationships between spouses, among other deprivations. Why?

First, what Ramadan fasting is not: it does not have the character of penance, as in other religions.

From the Muslim perspective, it enjoys with God an unparalleled grace with other acts of piety. It is an abstinence which concerns the body and the spirit and/or mind. Indeed, God has given us a brain, a marvellous mind in wonder; our body itself is a perpetual miracle. Our body, our ideas, our decisions are led by our spirit. The better the food of the spirit, the better our faculties and capacities of judgement, of evaluation, the better will be our initiatives. Fasting is thus perceived as total submission to God.