What Does It Mean To Fast?

The above quote by Bahá’u’lláh alludes to the fact that true fasting is a spiritual discipline whose hourly significance transcends merely abstaining from food and drink. According to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

“Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust. Physical fasting is a symbol of that abstinence, and is reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from physical appetites, he is to abstain from self-appetites and self-desires. But mere abstention from food has no effect on the spirit. It is only a symbol. Otherwise, it is of no importance.”

While abstaining from food and drink is an essential element of the fast, it doesn’t define the fast. Rather, it is a practice that assists us in achieving fasting’s spiritual purpose.

“Material fasting is a token of our spiritual detachment. The physical fast is simply restraint from eating physical food: physical detachment. The greater detachment is the spiritual fast: detachment from all desires of the self. This latter is our goal and the harder to attain. Still, we have the material fast to remind us and help us on our way towards real detachment. The Guardian assures us that prayer and fasting will help us in this struggle. He said they “act as stimulants to the soul, strengthen, revive and purify it, and thus ensure its steady development” The fasting time, he said, is “essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation”. He did not say it was a time of hunger, so the incidental hunger is of no consequence. It is not important. The significance and purpose of the fast is “fundamentally spiritual in character.”

This essentially puts into question some commonly held perceptions of the fast such as:

• • Occupying oneself with work or other daily chores with the primary focus of getting through the day easier.
  • Catching a few extra hours of sleep, rather than waking up at dawn for prayers, meditation, reflection, and breakfast.
  • Simply focusing on dietary abstention as an end and ultimate measure of obedience and success.

We’ve all been there. However, our challenge is to move beyond by being more spiritually mindful in our approach, using the Writings as our guide.

The Guardian teaches that “The fasting period… is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul.” This explicitly directs our attention during the fast beyond mere dietary abstinence to more spiritual matters. One, then, is left with the question of what He meant exactly by the “readjustments” must we “strive to make?”

Reflecting on my personal experience, the following quote from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá grabbed my attention, as I studied the Writings with the intent of answering this very question:

“fasting is the supreme remedy and the most great healing for the disease of self and passion.”

This, then, lead me to the next question: What did ‘Abdu’l-Bahá mean by “self and passion.” Afterall, it seemed logical to me that if it was the “most great healing” for a “disease” that he refers to as “self and passion,” it seemed logical that this was most certainly related to the “readjustments” that the Guardian was referring to.

The Writings suggest that “self” has many facets, ramifications and dimensions, that pervade every person’s life. However, I found it useful to focus on a few aspects of “self” and its associated manifestations which are more personally pertinent to me. Once I have identified these, I pray and meditate on how to go about intentionally addressing them during the fast and beyond.

For example, I reflected on how a few aspects of “self” manifests in my daily interactions with family, neighbors, friends, colleagues, etc.; how my private emotions are influenced by self; and the consequences of self in my life and how I would benefit if I did a better job of recognizing and subduing it. The fact is, like any challenge, understanding the nature of self and learning to recognize it better equips me to more effectively address it. I use fasting period as a time to pray, meditate, reflect, and act with the purpose of subduing this very insidious and potentially dangerous aspect of human nature.

There are many other ways to approach the fast; one only needs to use prayer and personal reflection based on the Writings as a starting point to plan an approach.

Along the way, it is always important to keep in mind that spiritual progress requires purposeful action and is dependent, like most other activities, on the extent of our efforts Bahá’u’lláh writes that “Success or failure, gain or loss, must, therefore depend upon man’s own exertions. The more he striveth, the greater will be his progress.”

Spiritual progress also requires patience, both with ourselves and with others. Unless Bahá’u’lláh wills it, we shouldn’t expect obvious change overnight. It’s a gradual and infinite process that requires a lifetime of cultivation with yearly fasts being one essential element, as the following Vignette of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá suggests:

“when some one expressed discouragement to Him, saying they could not possibly acquire all the qualities and virtues that Bahá’ís are directed to possess, and the Master replied, “Kam Kam. Ruz bih ruz” little by little; day by day.’

—Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Spirituality