The Month Of Warfare: Ramadan And The War Against Ourselves

By Adam Misbah’ul Haqq

Ramadan is usually seen as the most personal and spiritual of the pillars of Islam. This is so because it is God alone who sees whether or not a person is taking the discipline seriously or not. It is impossible that someone is watching you every moment of everyday to ensure that you are not sneaking a sip of water and nibbling on a falafel. Ibn al-Qayyim has said, “People may see that a person is not eating in front of them, but in truth they are abandoning food and desire for the sake of God, and this is a thing which no one can monitor. This is the essence of fasting.” Though Ramadan has its powerful social dimensions and the breaking of the fast is charged with happiness and festivities, the primary purpose of the discipline is not only to test our sincerity, but to strengthen our own mastery over our appetites. It is through this mastery that the intention of the practice is purified.

The fast itself is a complete renunciation of those appetites commonly associated with the lower nature of man, and it is this discipline which serves as the foundation of spiritual warfare (jihad al-nafs) in the context of the Islamic tradition. The significance of the inner and outer disciplines commanded during the month of Ramadan lie in the return of man to his primordial nature (fitra). This primordial nature represents and constitutes the ideal state of spiritual perfection where man theomorphically becomes the perfected slave, containing an absolute and unshakable certitude of belief, and operating essentially as an instrument through which God distributes His sustaining mercy (rahma). The primordial nature then is a state of inner-balance. It is a state of constant mindfulness where God, occupying the epicenter of the individual’s being, uses this refined instrument for divine purposes as opposed to man becoming what the Qur’an calls the “plaything of Satan.”

Unfortunately for us these realities are easier to articulate that they are to actualize. We can talk ad infinitum about the transforming of the self as such, and we can speculate as to how these states are realized, but the realization of them is something more rare and consequently more valuable. There is one thing the enlightened masters of all religious traditions stressed when dealing with the rigors of spiritual discipline. That is that man cannot last long in religious discipline relying merely on his willpower. They compared man’s willpower with a muscle when flexed. If we flex a muscle we can only sustain it for a short time and then we have to relax that muscle. In the same way if man relies merely on his willpower he will start off with a zealous practice and end in humiliating defeat.

These enlightened masters instead taught that discernment is the key to the religious discipline. By discernment it is meant that man must obtain the essential knowledge related to the purpose of the discipline and the reality of what they are protecting themselves from by means of the discipline. That is to say that discernment empowers the discipline to fulfill its intended purpose. Discernment then consists of knowing the purpose behind the discipline and understanding the reality of that which the discipline is built to defend against. For instance the Prophet, may God be pleased with him, once informed his companions about the reality of Satan while instructing them on how to subdue him by stating, “Satan flows through the body of man just as blood flows through the veins, so make his passage difficult through hunger.” Here hunger is not limited to the appetites of the stomach but to all carnal appetites which, if left to wander, become extravagant and harmful to oneself and others.

We have all experienced the zeal and excitement of the approaching of the month of Ramadan. A time to reflect, a time to clean and make amends for previous sins. We embrace the fast of Ramadan full of passion and glowing with anticipation. Then, after the first week or two we start counting the days and watching the clocks. The crowd at the iftar gets smaller and we begin anticipating the end of Ramadan more than we anticipated its coming. The primary reason why the glow dissipates and frustration increases is because we are relying on our willpower instead of discernment. Discernment allows for the reordering and reconstruction of man’s reality to be in keeping with the primordial truth established in his original nature (fitra).

When these masters stressed discernment they meant that man must constantly distinguish the true nature of things by discriminating their form verses their matter, the form representing the reality of a thing and the matter being the manifestation--on the level of creation--of that reality. The Sufis, the spiritual luminaries of the Islamic tradition, then were seeking the reality (haqiqa) of the world around them through their outward manifestation or sign (aya). It was as if they were reading the creation of God as a great Qur’an, the reference for their reading of the signs of God being the revelation which descended upon the heart of the Prophet. Thus discernment was the cutting away of any falsehood taken as absolute Reality and the realignment of one’s vision to see the phenomenal world as transparent, and through this transparency one’s vision beholds Reality as it truly exists, utterly transcendent and totally Real.

In the contemporary age man has become a victim of the inherently flawed doctrine of relativism, a doctrine which resulted from the failures of many of the social doctrines that were cooked up during the modern age. Relativism basically touts that there is for all practical purposes no objective truth and that all endeavors to try and understand it are foolhardy and vain. The destruction of metaphysics, a science which sought to define--on however intangible the terms--the objective truth through self-evident truths and commonly shared understandings, brought about a deep void in the psychology of modern man. Unfortunately it is this psychology, overlaid with a superficial understanding of Islamic terminologies and ideas, which many Muslims approach their religious disciplines and beliefs through. One only needs to look at the publications of late with regard to religious disciplines in the Islamic context to see how divorced we are from the metaphysical sciences which aided us in the past in understanding this religion (din) and distinguishing Reality from self-projected illusion.

Having overcome the absurdities of the modern philosophical crisis many Muslims are seeking to reclaim their metaphysical traditions to safeguard their religion from what they see as an “imposter Islam.” With regards to Ramadan, the heart of Islamic disciplines, it is important to understand what our Prophet, may God be pleased with him, said about the spiritual disciplines of Islam and how we aught to approach them. Then we can seek further clarification from whatever luminaries we find authoritative in terms of spiritual mastery.

Because Ramadan contains within it a stress upon all of the ideals of behavior, Ramadan is also a refuge where character is developed and virtues enhanced. Seeking knowledge, reciting the Qur’an, prayer and reflection, remembrance of God, and abstaining from frivolity and entertainment, all of these are all understood to be an integral part of the entire discipline which is Ramadan. The Prophet is reported to have said, “Five things break the fast of the one fasting - that is lying, backbiting, slander, ungodly oaths, and the lustful gaze.” Here the Prophet, may God be pleased with him, widens the scope of what “hunger” entails in the discipline of fasting (sawm). Again the Prophet has said, “God has no need of the fasting from food and drink on the part of one who does not also fast from speaking falsely and acting foolishly.”

To maintain the fast then requires mindfulness and serious caution. It becomes evident that by passing Ramadan watching television we feel within ourselves the rejection of our fast because the conditioning which the fast encourages never goes beyond a pain in the stomach. The Prophet is also reported to have said, “Some of those who fast will get nothing out of it except the pangs of hunger.” It is implied that the discipline of Ramadan is more than abstaining from food and drink during the daylight hours. It is even more than starving oneself for the sake of a religious tradition. It is about the end, of which the religious tradition is a means. The Prophet has said concerning this end, “Renunciation is not found in wearing coarse clothing or eating stale bread, it is found in subduing your appetites.” He also said, “Illuminate your hearts through hunger, strive to conquer yourselves by means of hunger and thirst and continue to knock at the gates of Paradise through that hunger.” Here again we are led to the fact that these disciplines are a means of reaching the end. Paradise, that transcendent reality, must be intricately related to our primordial nature (fitra) as alluded to in the parables of Adam in Paradise.

Here we are discerning purpose from practice. The reason fasting is stressed as a discipline in Islam, and for that matter every other religious tradition, is because a full stomach is synonymous with each and every other vice which binds the being of man to damnation. That is, the full stomach grows accustomed to being full, which translates into other sensual appetites being activated. Though our sensual appetites can be expressed in ways that are permissible, they become extravagant and unmanageable without disciplining them. This gives way to heedlessness and spiritual apathy, and thus the appetites are strengthened even further. These appetites necessitate sustenance, so in order to appease our new masters we must seek out the means of satisfying this ever growing hunger (Little Shop of Horrors ring a bell?). Greed for wealth occurs because these hungers are naturally expensive. This demands rank and title in the world for the world’s sake, and since those hungers have uprooted the good qualities from the heart, corruption emerges as weeds. To maintain this rank and status we must render service to numerous agents; and it is through this engagement that we violate the rights of others and sow corruption through the land.

We have a vested interest in maintaining the highest standards of the fast because our very being is caught in the balance. Greatness lies in the one whom God has empowered, via the disciplines of self-governance, to control the Satan within and to compel him into submission. Ramadan then is the month where the forces of Truth (al-Haqq) clash with the forces of falsehood (al-batil). It is this inner battle, a battle which constantly wages within us, that is focused and intensified during the month of Ramadan. If you’ll forgive the minor theatrics, it is a battle for the dominance of the soul (ruh). The only difference is that through these disciplines the Satan is chained and his access to the heart is greatly reduced. This gives us greater opportunity to know ourselves and by extension know our Sustainer (ar-Rabb). It is important to note that while physical warfare is always reprehensible--the last option--during the month of Ramadan it is near-prohibited and to be avoided at all costs. This is particularly interesting because during this month all efforts must be expended on the inner war, which is ultimately of greater importance.

With regard to this war the Prophet is reported to have said, “Fasting is a shield against the appetites and a powerful fortress to dwell within.” So the fast is a fortified stronghold, a place where the being of man is un-assailed by the appetites and able to see the Reality of things with true vision. This leads us to the three dimensions of self as articulated in the Qur’anic discourse. The self which we wage war upon is the infantile “al-nafs al-ammarah”, or carnal-self. If we pacify this dimension of self by appealing to its whims and the appetites it arouses. We strengthen its manipulative power and further corrupt ourselves thereby. We can liken it to the spoiled child in Toys-R-Us who will scream and shake violently until the parent gets him what he wants. We all know this child needs a reorientation of life, or time-out as it applies, and that is exactly what must be done with the carnal-self. So by starving the beast you ultimately subdue it.

The second dimension of self is the reproaching “al-nafs al-lawwama”, or the contemplative-self. This dimension arises during the disciplinary process and remains constant upon the submission of the carnal-self. This contemplative-self then is concerned with teasing out our own inner flaws and supplanting them with virtues. The contemplative-self is also engaged in developing critical thought and furthering the discerning faculties in order that we are less likely to succumb to the whims and extravagances of our lower nature.

The third dimension mentioned in the Qur’an is the liberated “al-nafs al-mutma’inna”, or the self at peace. This of course is the self once it is realigned with the primordial nature and hence, returned to pure being. The self at peace then is the final abode for the traveler and the ultimate end unto which man toils. It is the self at peace which exists within the remembrance of God, and which operates solely upon the dictates that are transmitted through the conscience by God to the slave. The slave then acts upon these commands and through them realizes and becomes beauty (ihsan). Such a one worships God as though they see Him.

Having placed before us the end--the purpose of the discipline--and having discriminated the world around us as it pertains to this end we can engage the month of Ramadan and make full use of this time in a manner more befitting that end. Discernment takes time and requires both study and contemplation. Seeking knowledge (‘ilm) as it pertains to the Absolute is the hallmark of Islam. It represents Islam’s unique approach to the whole religious endeavor. Ramadan is a month in which the quest for knowledge is also enhanced with the heightened spirituality that the disciplines encourage. Knowledge is the key to the return and a lantern for the path. Ali ibn Abu Talib reported that the Prophet said, “Acquire knowledge, because he who acquires it in the way of God attains to piety. When such a one speaks from it they praise their Sustainer, for knowledge enables its possessor to distinguish between what is forbidden from what is not. It serves as a light on the way to Paradise; it is our friend in the desert; our companion in solitude; our beloved when bereft of friends; it guides us to lasting happiness; it sustains us in misery; it is our ornament in the company of others; and it serves as a protection against our enemies. With knowledge, the creatures of God rise to the heights of goodness and nobility. So associate with the sovereigns in this world and attain the perfection of happiness in the next.”

Because the contemplative-self emerges so strongly during the month of Ramadan the seeking of knowledge and the study of sacred sciences are of paramount importance. However, we must specify what kind of knowledge is implied here. Because Islam encompasses every dimension of both the worldly and spiritual life, knowledge also encompasses those things which pertain to the demands of the world upon us and those things which pertain to the demands of the soul (ruh). However, even with regards to worldly knowledge it is an error, according to the manner in which the ancients approached knowledge, to uproot it from the Sacred. The tendencies in the contemporary age to seek knowledge for the sake of raping and pillaging the planet or to seek knowledge to thrash and claw our way to the top of the crab barrel is not what the Prophet, may God be pleased with him, is referring to. Because of the heightened contemplative nature of the month of Ramadan it is important to seek the more important of the two dimensions of knowledge, which is why seclusion in the Mosque and the meditation on the Qur’an are so strongly encouraged.

The last ten days of Ramadan are further strengthened by this seclusion (i’tikaf) in the mosque, a practice almost abandoned in the contemporary age. There are many reasons why Muslims fail to observe this practice even though the Prophet, may God be pleased with him, observed it without fail until his worldly departure. The reasons we don’t go are many: mosque-cliques and politics, tiredness and fatigue from long hours of slaving at the machine, and for many Muslims, the distance between themselves and the Arabic language which makes the recital of the Qur’an almost irrelevant. Be that as it may, the mosque is the spiritual heart of the individual community just as the Kab’ah is the spiritual heart of the global Muslim community (umma). It represents our own hearts in the sense that the mosque is sacred space, erected for the worship and remembrance of the Sacred (al-Quddus). Just as the blood circulates through the heart and is thereby purified, the spiritual heart of the community must also function in the same way. As mentioned before, the manifestation of a thing represents or indicates the spiritual reality, and if we negate this reality we are essentially negating our primordial nature, and by extension, that self at peace. The crying need of the hour then is to repopulate our mosques during these ten days and to engage in this much needed revival of hearts.

Any discussion of the blessed month of Ramadan would be incomplete without mentioning the Night of Power (laylat ul’qadr). The Night of Power represents for the Muslim not only the descent of the revealed word but the very linchpin of the entire spiritual edifice of Islam, for it was on this night that Muhammad was awakened in the dark cave on Mount Hira by the presence of Gabriel (Gabriel here representing the arch of descent from the One (Ahad) to the world of multiplicity). Gabriel deposits the inspiration and the divine sapience originating with God into the essence of Muhammad--his heart--which eventually becomes the recited word, containing the final edicts and counsels of God to man. This night then represents the descent of the Divine Nature if you will, as it encompasses and penetrates the hearts of its devotees, filling them with the pure water of belief (iman) and washing away from them any blemish which may have accumulated in order to bring man from the word of multiplicity back to the world of transcendent unity (tawhid). The traditions speak of delegations of divine messengers (malak) surrounding the worshipers and nourishing them with the blessings (baraka) of God. The spiritual richness of this night, if we pursue the relationship encouraged through recognizing it, contains the potential of fully realizing our own connectedness with our Creator. It is this connectedness which the Qur’an and the primordial truth articulated within it came to foster and produce.

The discernment, the seeking of sacred knowledge, the disciplines of self-governance, all of these are tools with which we intensify our remembrance of God (dhikr’ullah) and by extension our God-consciousness (taqwa). The Prophet mentions the remembrance of God so often in the traditional lore that it becomes understood that this practice is the heart of Islamic spirituality and ultimately the link between Master and slave. The Prophet is reported to have said that, “Everything demands moderation except the remembrance of God.” He also said, “Let he who desires to graze in the pastures of the Garden be mindful of God at all times.” It is through this discernment-cum-mindfulness that we attain to God-consciousness (taqwa), and by extension, that self at peace. The struggle (jihad) which produces the fruit mentioned above requires sincere effort and self-evaluation. It is through these that the intention is made pure. Ramadan is a time of renewal and repentance.

There is enough in our tradition to satisfy our spiritual hunger and to aid us in our journey to submission. The blueprints for success have been explained by our Prophet, may God be pleased with him, and we must come to terms with these instructions if we really wish to see the beauty of the other side. The rules and regulations, the Sunna of the Prophet, during Ramadan and the various supplications and prayers can all be located in manuals and books, but we must have a centralized understanding of the role of Ramadan before we can make a concentrated effort to actualize this understanding. Islam is about return through submission. Returning to that primordial nature where the worship of God flows effortlessly through our thoughts and actions is the quest of the believer. We must evaluate and discern the world around us according to the Reality espoused in the Qur’an and the teachings of our Prophet. Each one of us is only responsible for our own self, and it is this “self” which serves as the battlefield whereon the cosmic wars are waged. This month of warfare and contemplation must be pursued with the end in mind and with the stick of discipline in hand. May God accept our efforts. Amin.