ভূমিকা
Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A Short Treatise on The Divine Invitation The General Fast The general fast is the fast that is obligatory on every one who meets the conditions of fasting. Basically it is to refrain from eating, drinking, copulation, and all those things mentioned by the esteemed jurists in their books of Divine law.
To abstain from some of the basic necessities is really a challenge, but its result is so rewarding that it can determine the eternal salvation of the human being. There is a universal law Almighty Allāh mentions in the Qur’ān which despite its brevity reveals a world of meaning.
After excusing the traveler and ailing one from fasting in this holy month and allowing them to fast after the holy month, He says: يُرِيدُ اللٌّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ “…God desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you… ”[^1] Although this clause is brought after a particular case, it should be known that it applies in every dimension of human life.
The ambiguity that remains however is that ‘what is the definition of ‘ yusr ’ (ease), and whether ‘one who is healthy’ does not feel the pangs of hunger and thirst. To respond to this query, we should look at the following verse: فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا. إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا “For indeed ease accompanies hardship; Indeed ease accompanies hardship.
” [^2] Most commentators, appreciating the lexical intricacy involved in the verse say that ‘difficulty’ is interlinked with two kinds of ease- ease in this world and ease in the Hereafter.