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The word roza is a Persian for the Arabic saum. The primary significance of saum is abstaining in an absolute sense (al-imsaku ani-l fi’l), and includes abstaining from eating or speaking or moving about; thus a horse that abstains from moving about, or from fodder, is said to be sa’im, and wind is said to be saum when it abates, and the day when it reaches the midpoint. On two occasions in the Koran (9:112 and 66:5), those who fast are called sa’ih (from saha meaning he travelled) or spiritual wayfarers. In the sense of abstaining from speech, the word is used in the Koran in an early Meccan revelation: “Say, I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent God, so I shall not speak to any man today” (19:26). This however appears to be a fast (siyam) to keep silent and not to talk with any person; a similar fast of silence is spoken of in the case of Zacharias: “Thy sign is that thou should not speak to men for three days except by signs, and remember thy Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and the morning” (3:4). It indicates that the object of the fast of silence was the remembrance of God.

During the advent of Islam, the condition of the Arabs was worst. For instance, their manner of eating was immethodical and barbarous. It is said that one family could eat one camel daily. They were quite fatty and lazy. When the Prophet migrated from Mecca to Medina, a series of battle started. In order to respond hovering challenge, the Prophet acutely needed brave and alert soldiers to withstand the Meccan inroads.

The Prophet himself led a life of balance, moderation and had an extremely nutritious diet. He needed that the new Muslim’s army must begin practice of eating in regulated way to decrease, maintain, or increase body weight and prevent disease. The most common objective of dieting was decrease of excess body weight. According to Tirmizi and Ibn Maja, the Prophet told them, “Nothing is worse than a person who fills his stomach. It should be: one third for his food, one third for his liquids, and one third for his breath.” He also told, “Eat less, you will be healthier.”

On those days, the Koranic verse also revealed, “Eat and drink, but not be prodigal; surely He does not love the prodigals” (7:31). It is related that Hazrat Ali had trained over 300 Muslims and made them capable to face the Meccan onslaughts. Finally the trained Muslims soldiers boldly fought with the Meccans on March 13, 624 in the battle of Badr, then Uhud and Ditch.

The fasting was prescribed for overcoming lust and desires, and according to the Koran, “As for him who fears to stand before his Lord and restrains himself from low desires.” (79:40-41). Here, the restraining from low desire is the chief source of the spiritual growth of the faithful.

The fast of the Ramazan was ordained in Islam in two years after the migration of the Prophet in Medina. God said, “O’ believers! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil.” (2:183). The word tataqun means you may guard, which is rooted from itiqa means guarding of a thing from what harms or injures or a self against that of which the evil consequence is feared. Again the word mutaqi also comes from it. God is the friend of the mutaqeen (45:19). God loves the mutaqeen (3:75) and God is with the mutaqeen (2:194) etc.

In the technical language of the Islamic law, saum and siyam signify fasting or abstaining from food and drink from dawn till sunset. The word saum occurs 13 times in the Koran. Fasting commences with the new moon of Ramazan and ends on the appearance of the new moon of Shawal. What has been said hitherto relates only to the external side of the fast, but its essence is moral and spiritual value. While laying down a practice, the Prophet primarily considered value and spirit of the action and not the form of the action. The Prophet said, “Whoever does not give up lying and acting falsely, God does not stand in need of his giving up food and drink” (Bukhari, 30:8).

Abstinence involves not only keeping the belly without food and drink, but needs guarding eyes from lustful looks and ear from listening evil speech and tongue from vain or foul words, and the body from inclination of the worldly charm. One who acts in this manner is truly keeping his fast, for the Prophet said to a certain person, “When you fast, let your ear fast and your eye and your tongue and your hand and every limb;” and he also said, “Many a one has no good of his fasting except hunger and thirst” (Kash al-Mahjub by Hujwiri, tr. Nicholson, London, 1967, p. 321). “To abstain only from food and drinks is child’s play.

One must abstain from idle pleasures and unlawful acts, not from eating lawful food. I marvel at those who say that they are keeping a voluntary fast and yet fail to perform an obligatory duty. Not to commit sin is obligatory, whereas continual fasting is an apostolic custom. When a man is divinely protected from sin all his circumstances are a fast” (Ibid., p. 322). “The spirit of man gains strength when he tries to obey God’s orders and to restrain himself from those things that are prohibited by God. Unless he does so, physical abstentions alone cannot be counted as fasting” (Encyclopedia of Islamic Spirituality, Lahore, 2000, 1:118).

Pir Shams mentioned ten esoteric fasting in M’n Samajamanni Motti as under:-
Das roza batuni kahiye’n, awal roza seer ka kahiye’n.
“There are ten esoteric fasts, the first is fast of the head.”
Duja roza chasham daari, trija roza naak’no vaari.
“The second fast is of the eyes, the third fast is to control nose.”
Chotha roza mukh’ku deeje’, panchma roza jaban kije’,
“The fourth fast is of the mouth, and fifth fast is of the tongue.”
Chhatha roza kaan’na kahiye’n, saatma roza deel’na kahiye’n,
“The sixth fast is of the ear, the seventh fast is of the heart.”
Aath’ma roza nafs’ka janno, navma roza haath pichhano.
“The eighth fast is of the nafs al-ammarah (nafs or self, impelling towards evil), the ninth be known of the hands.”
Dasma roza pa’nuka dhariye’, seer thi pa’nu roza kariye’.
“The tenth fast is of the legs, keep fasting from head to legs.”
Essa roza karo tame’ jai, tab moman kilaye’ (314: 3-16)
“You follow such fasting, then will be called the believer.”
The esoteric interpretations of above ten fasting are also elaborated by the Pir Shams as under:-
Apana seer jamin par niche dhare’, chashm halal par nigah kare’,
“Downcast your head on soil, and the look of the eyes be lawful.”
Naak’ku sugandh badi na dhare’, mukh ma’n halal lukama lave’,
“Don’t cast nose on base fragrance, and take lawful morsel in mouth.”
Jibhan’ku su’n hari naam na visare’, sarvann apana ginan rakhe’,
“Don’t forget Lord’s name by tongue, and focus your ears on the ginans.”

Dil mahen’thi kaher kadhi nakhe, nafs harmi nigah darad,
“Bring out poison from heart, control nafs al-ammara from unlawful sights.”
Aaskara gusal bashad, haath harami par na dharva.
“Kick out physical bath, and don’t put hands on unlawfulness.”
Pau’n bad thekane’ na bharva. (315: 6-16)
“Don’t put legs on evil places.”
The prime means for taming the nafs are the three elements in Sufi conduct, i.e., little food (qillat at-ta’am), little sleep (qillat al-manam) and little talk (qillat al-kalam). These important performances are mainly exhorted in the Ismaili tariqah in daily routine of life throughout the year.

When one sleeps at night, suppose for 8 hours; he is in the state of fasting because he does not eat or drink during 8 hours. When he awakes in morning, he takes light food, means he breaks fasting of 8 hours and that is why the morning light food is called the Break-Fast” (a meal to break night’s fasting). During 8 hours’ sleep, he also does not commit sin. If he remains away from sins in day time too, he is a haqiqi momin. It implies that the whole day he passes in fasting, and likewise, the haqiqi momin keeps fast in the whole year, and not only in the month of Ramazan. This is a haqiqi fast.

Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah said, “The haqiqi momin does not keep fast exclusively in the month of Ramazan, but he has always 360 days for the fast. It is then a fast not a single base work is committed during 360 days. It is a fast not to inflict injury to other. It is however not a fasting to shut mouth and don’t eat and do other immoral works of the sin, and this is an imaginary fast. Always think with care, and think in such a way that no evil thought may create in your heart as well as no thought comes in heart of committing jealousy for other.” (Rajkot, 21st October, 1903) and also, “The fasts of 360 days of the entire year are obligatory upon the haqiqis, and these fasts are: 1) don’t lie, (2) don’t commit fraud and (3) don’t commit slander for others. The 360 haqiqi fasts of such type are obligatory upon the Ismailis.” (Mombasa, 2nd November, 1905)

Jo nafsaniyat ku’n nakh’e, sab roz’e ramzan’ke rakh’e. (ginan)
“If covets carnal desires, he is regarded as having kept fasting of whole Ramazan”

Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah said, “Offering the Namaz, Roza etc., the external practices and don’t observe the internal (batini) aspects, which is most necessary, then what is the use of the Namaz, Roza etc. It is not worthy to a little extent. It is profitable to observe esoteric dimensions before offering Namaz, Roza, Bandagi, etc. What are the esoteric dimensions?
1. Don’t lie.
2. Never cast evil eyes on others women.
3. Never desire for others material.
4. Eat lawful sustenance after giving mal’e wajibat.
5. Don’t have more than one wife.
6. Don’t commit slander and calumny.
7. Never marry with the maid-servant.

These all are the esoteric dimensions, and then the observer’s Ibadat will be accepted.” (Zanzibar, 5th July, 1899)
The Imam also said, “The animal can also assume the (practice of the) physical religion. If the mouth of an animal is tied and given no food and water to drink, then it is its fast. If the human may also twiddle alike, then what is its gain?” (Manjewadi, 5th November, 1903).

Nasir al-Din Tusi writes in his Rawda-yi Taslim (tr. S.J. Badakhchani, London, 2005, p. 149) that, “The aim of fasting (ruza) is to break the power of the carnal appetite. For the human soul, in the initial stages of its corporeal existence, inclines towards the pleasure, the sensual passions and the manners of this world, and consequently is cast downwards, head over foot, into the chasm of abasement, plunging into a lower degree of existence. Nothing can cure this except restraining the soul from its (base) inclinations. (Therefore), fasting, which similarly restrains the soul from its inclinations, was introduced so that for thirty days a year, and every day (from dawn) until night (falls), one closes one’s mouth to food and drink, and avoids and denies oneself appetizing things to which one’s taste is accustomed and which are agreeable to one’s nature.

One should be steadfast in this self-control and self-denial in this so that gradually and by degrees, a form will become imprinted in the soul unto such a point that all one’s limbs and faculties, whether internal or external, become restrained from (pursuit of) improper things. In face of all worldly pleasures and lusts, one then chooses to exercise self-restraint, considering it necessary to refrain from every thought, word and deed which does not conform to reason and is not permitted by the intellect, that is to say, not bound to the command of the truthful matter.”

Imam Mustansir billah II said, “The whole year you must fast, just as ordinary Muslims fast one month. The meaning of this fast is austerity. Control yourselves, keep yourselves away from bad qualities, evil and indecent actions and devilish acts, so that the mirror of your hearts may be gradually polished….Here we specify the parts of the fast of the inner self: the fast of the head means to treat one’s own head with the same humility as the feet of other people, casting out from one’s head the lust for superiority, greatness and pride, because greatness and superiority are only suitable to the all-great substances of the Truth (haq), who is eternal, and the King of Authority. The fasting of the eyes means that one must keep away coveting looks from the women who are not lawful to one. The fasting of the ear means that one should abstain from listening to slander. The fasting of the tongue means that one should keep one’s tongue from uttering abuse or slander. The fasting of the heart means to keep the heart free from doubt. The fasting of the foot is to hold one’s foot back from a wrong step. The fasting of the hand is to keep all one’s limbs away from treachery, so that they may not do evil.” (Pandiyat-i Jawanmardi, Holland, 1953, tr. by W. Ivanow, pp. 59-60).

In sum, without following inner dimension of the fasting not only in the month of Ramazan, but whole year, the abstaining of food and drink make no importance. And if one fasts in the month of Ramzan, there is no command for its restriction, but he should also continue to fast esoterically whole year, which is better than the zaheri fasting. As quoted above, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah said, “The haqiqi momin does not keep fast exclusively in the month of Ramazan, but he has always 360 days for the fast.” It evinces that the Ismailis keep fasting in the month of Ramazan and continue to keep esoteric fasting whole year.

It is most important to keep in mind that the Ismailis are not exempted from the fast of the Ramazan, and if one goes to Mecca for Haj (pilgrimage) or Umra (miner pilgrimage), he can perform as our Imam has never discouraged us. If one intends to fast, he can do, but Ismailism emphasizes to follow its esoteric dimension too.

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Karachi: March, 2022