Three Levels Of Fasting

Though the apparent precondition of fast is to abstain from deliberately eating, drinking and intercourse, there are also some manners of fasting which we must get to know so that we can succeed in acquiring all the blessings of fasting. There are three degrees of fasting:

1. Fast of common people:

The literal meaning of fast is ‘to abstain’ while by Shari’ah, it implies to abstain from deliberately eating, drinking and intercourse from dawn (Subh-e-Sadiq) to sunset. This is called the fast of the common people.

2. Fast of the pious:

In addition to abstaining from eating, drinking and intercourse avoiding all types of evils is the fast of the pious people.

3. Fast of the ascetic:

To refrain from all the worldly activities and devote oneself completely to the worship of Allah is the fast of the ascetic.

[Kashf al-Mahjub, Page 353-354]