The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 111
III - Early Battles, Commencement of Fasting, Alteration of the Qiblah and Initial Discussion on the Battle of Badr 111 also continued throughout the early days at Madīnah as well. However, when the idolaters of Madīnah were nearly non-existent, this trial was no longer required and the injunction of the alteration of the Qiblah was revealed. There were two wisdoms in this injunction. Firstly, that the Muslims were set to their actual Qiblah. Secondly, so that the new Qiblah may serve as a trial for the Jews, just as the first Qiblah was a trial for the idolaters. Hence, the truth is not that which Mr. Muir’s pen of prejudice has crafted, rather, it is quite the opposite. Moreover, the Qur’ān, which is declared by Muir as being greater than all other testimony in terms of historical evidence, is also a witness in this respect. Fasting in Ramaḍān After Ṣalāt , the next greatest pillar in the Islāmic worship is fasting. In actuality, Islām has instituted different forms of worship taking into consideration the various types of inner purification. In other words, if Ṣalāt removes the impurities and weaknesses of a person in one aspect; and makes him able to become a beloved of God, then fasting fulfills this purpose in another manner, and Zakāt 1 is prescribed for a third aspect, and Ḥajj holds a fourth purpose, separate to the previous three. In this manner, various forms of worship fulfill varying purposes and are helpful in the reformation and progress of mankind in various respects. If one contemplates, it becomes clearly evident that the order in which the various Islāmic forms of worship were instituted, is the exact order of their significance as well. In other words, the most significant and most vast in its influence upon human morals and spirituality is that worship which was instituted first. After this a worship of lesser rank was instituted and after that a worship of lesser rank, and so on and so forth. Those people who do not offer their worship merely as a tradition and have the habit of analysing its effect upon their souls can easily understand that the first position of all worship belongs to Ṣalāt. After this is fasting, and then the other forms of worship. In any case, until then, only Ṣalāt had been ordained and then in the second year of migration at the arrival of Ramaḍān , fasting began as well. 2 In other words, the injunction was revealed that in the month of Ramaḍān , with the exception of the sick and weak, and those on journey, every adult Muslim man and woman, would abstain from all types of 1 Almsgiving in Islam [Publishers] 2 Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 3, p. 17, Dhikru Baqiyyati Mā Kāna Fis-Sanatith-Thāniyati Min Sinil-Hijrah, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002)