Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 80
80 all religions, but the form in which Islam has prescribed it is different from that recognized or prescribed by other religions. Islam enjoins upon every adult Muslim the duty of keeping fasts during one month in every year. Those suffering from a temporary illness and those who are on a journey during the month of fasting are permitted to substitute an equal number of days during some other part of the year. Those who are suffering from some permanent disorder or are too old or too weak to be able to keep fasts are exempted altogether. Those who fast must abstain from food and drink of every description, and from marital intercourse from the hour of dawn till sunset. It is desirable that some break- fast should be taken before dawn, so that the body should be saved from unnecessary suffering. Moreover a continuous fast of twenty four hours, without break- fast before dawn, is not approved of by Islam. The Holy Quran describes the object of fasting as, 'That you may exalt the greatness of Allah for having guided you, and that you may learn to be grateful. ' 43 In other words, one object in view is that, being relieved from the necessity of preparing and eating food and having more time to spare, men should pay greater attention to spiritual matters and should remember God oftener. Another object is that the pangs of hunger and thirst should help men to realize the true value of the 43 Al-Baqarah, 2:186