002:184

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                        002:184

  يٰٓـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا كُتِبَ عَلَيۡکُمُ الصِّيَامُ کَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُوۡنَۙ‏

Yaa-auy-yo-hul-la-zee-na-aa-ma-noo                                                                                         Ko-tay-ba-alai-ko-moos-say-yaa-mo                                                                                             Ka-maa-ko-tay-ba-aa-lul-la-zee-na-min-qub-lay-koom                                                               La-ul-la-koom-tuut-ta-qoo-n.

Listen, you all who have believed!                                                                                          Made binding on you is the Fasting                                                                                     Like it was prescribed for those before you                                                                     So that you can become pious.

The Holy Qor-aan has used the Phrase Yaa-auy-yo-hul-la-zee-na-aa-ma-noo many times

• يٰۤ — Yaa — Listen (= Be attentive; hearken; pay attention; O!)
• اَيُّهَا — Auy-yo-ha(ul) — You all (= All addressees; entire audience; whole lot of listeners)
• ٱلَّذِينَ — Ul-la-zee-na — Those who (= pl., m, 3^rd person. Those articles, things or persons
• اٰمَنُوۡۤ — Aa-ma-noo — They Believed (= v., past., pl., 3^rd person. Believed in the Holy Qor-aan; became Moslems. Accepted, acknowledged, admitted or witnessed their entry in Iss-laam. See Commentaries like Islam – 101, Phrase Aa-ma-noo-wa-aa-may-loos … and Believe and Disbelieve that floodlight other aspects how the Holy Qor-aan has used this word)
• كُتِبَ — Ko-tay-ba — Made binding(= v., passive. 1. Authentic penned down material in black   and white that is decreed to be a part of a religion.   2.  The part of the divine Commands and Prohibitions, directions, rules and regulations revealed, sanctioned, codified, written and added to a Spiritual Code.   3. Allowed, approved, authorized, bid, bounded to follow, commanded, conveyed, decreed, directed, enjoined, eternalized, laid down, legalized, made binding, made obligatory; mandated, ordered, ordained, permitted, prescribed or recorded as the Do’s and Don’ts that hold good eternally and made operative  universally as the Rules of Universal Application for the entire Mankind)
• عَلَيۡ — Alai — On (= Above; against; before; for; on top of; over; upon)
• کُمُ — Ko-mo…(os) — You (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person.   You.   The Holy Qor-aan states this way when addressing both men and women jointly)
• الصِّيَامُ — Say-yaa-mo — Fasting  *   (= One of the worships to willingly forego many of the otherwise lawful activities like eating, drinking, etc.)
• كَ — Ka — Like (= Identical to; resembling; similar to)
• مَا — Maa– That (= All that; because of’, ‘due to’, ‘for the reason’; what)
• كُتِبَ — Ko-tay-ba — Prescribed (= Mandated, ordered, prescribed. See  كُتِبَ above)
• عَلَى — Aa-la…(ul) — On / For (= Above; against; before; for; on; on top of; over; upon)
• ٱلَّذِينَ — La-zee-na — Who (= pl., in 3^rd person. ‘All those men’, masculine gender’)
• مِنۡ — Min — From (= Among, from or out of the class, category, count, kind of several articles, things, persons or phenomenon)
• قَبۡلِ — Qub-lay — Before (= Ahead of; antecedent; earlier than; former  or older times; occurred in prior period; previously; times gone by)
• کُمۡ —  Koom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person.   You.   The Holy Qor-aan states this way when addressing both men and women jointly)
• لَعَلَّ — La-ul-la — So that (= Gave chance; haply; hopefully; perchance; possibly;  hope and wish that it becomes; wishing a result to be)
• کُمۡ — Koom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person.  You.  The Holy Qor-aan states this way when addressing both men and women jointly)
• تَتَّقُوۡنَ — Tut-ta-qoo-n –You be pious   (= v., Avoid angering Allah, ‘act piously and righteously’, ‘become God-fearing, and righteous,’ ‘clean inner self, ‘develop self-restraint,’ ‘do duty to God’, ‘guard against or ward off evil.’’protect, rescue or save yourself,’ ‘ward off evil.’ ‘To safeguard against moral and spiritual ills.’ See our Commentary The Righteous)

* Note 002:184.   Fasting is one of the 5 Acts of Worships of Islam.    Fasting is a worship that was practiced before Islaam by Hindus, Jews, Christians and others.    Fasting as a physical activity is covered by the rules detailed in the verses 002:184 to 002:188.    Fasting is meant to be a month-long period for the real earnest worship of the Almighty God.    Fasting is to voluntarily leave the lawful acts of interest in opposite sex, eating and drinking.    Fasting is a worship which  increases self-restraint and boosts spiritual and temporal benefits.

All spiritual and temporal advantages quoted by saints and scholars really pale against a the words of the Almighty God that He Himself is the reward of one who fasts.

Translations have stated how fasting is not ‘self-torture’ [A Yusuf Ali].    Medical world has recorded health benefits of a prolonged under-eating for one month in a year.    Nations have built varying customs around their loud talks and sermons about this holy period.     Economists and social services applaud the benefits of generously donated charities this month.    Clergy has devoted this month to generate great income part which is spent in real good causes.    Moslems the world over, after fasting for a whole month, celebrate one holiday of great festivity.    Known as the Eid, it has set up traditions of biggest annual joy, new clothes and gift exchanges.    Sadly I recall a cartoon of a poor girl ask, “Mother, why does the Eid come to only rich kids?”