Taqwaa [1] is one of the greatest goals and most important reasons behind fasting. Allaah says:
“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, in order that you may attain Taqwaa.” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 183]
The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said:
“Fasting is a shield.” [2] [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]
So fasting prevents a person from committing what Allaah hates, thus protecting him from Allaah's punishment. If the person that is fasting is able to prevent himself from what is generally permissible for him – such as food, drink and sexual relations with his wife – he will be more able and likely to prevent himself from those things generally forbidden for him, such as lying, backbiting, slandering, cursing, vain passing of time [3] and bad behavior. Therefore, the one who does not understand this matter will not achieve anything from his fasting, except hunger and thirst.
The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said:
“If one of you is fasting, he should not use obscene language nor shout nor act ignorantly.[/i] [4] And if someone speaks abusively to him or wants to fight with him, he should say: 'I am fasting, I am fasting.'” [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]
And the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said:
“Whoever does not abstain from false speech and acting upon that (false speech), Allaah is not in need of him leaving his food and his drink.”[/i] [Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree]
Footnotes
[1] Editor's Note: Taqwaa means to protect oneself from doing anything that Allaah hates or is not pleased with. It is to do what Allaah has commanded and to abstain from what Allaah has forbidden. So fasting builds Taqwaa since by fasting one abstains from the forbidden things and thus protects himself from sins and from gaining Allaah's anger – and this is Taqwaa.
[2] The word used in this hadeeth “junnah” means: fortification, a shield and protection.
[3] From the prohibited types of vain passing of time is: Being obsessed with entertainment tools and musical instruments, such as the television and videos, which are used to watch what Allaah hates such as dancing, nudity, intermingling (between the sexes) and wickedness. And beware O Muslim of being deceived by something called religious films and network series (broadcasted over the TV and radio), for they are from the footsteps of the Devil, like poison in honey.
[4] Everything that Allaah and His Messenger have prohibited from vile manners, then that is from ignorance.
