The Qur'an...

The Qur'an, with the same tone of emphasis that was applied for the previous verses, says: "O' you who have Faith! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you... " Then, immediately after this, it refers to the philosophy of this humanizing worship and, in a short but meaningful sentence, says: “…so that you may guard yourselves (against evil)," According to what the Late Kolayni says in his famous book (Al-Kafi), piety is rendered into one's restriction from sin.

Most sins originate from wrath and lust. Fasting brings the extravagance of this instinct under control, which, consequently, decreases corruption and increases piety. [^1] Yes, fasting is a great effective factor in the process of training the spirit of piety in all dimensions of every field; this will be addressed in detail later.

Since this worship is accompanied with deprivation from some material pleasures and one must suffer some troubles especially when it is in summer, there are different particular meanings used in the above verse to make the mind of believers ready for the acceptance of this decree.

To attract the attentions and to make the subject an interesting one for the addressees, it begins with the phrase: "O' you who have Faith!" Then, it refers to the statement of the fact that fasting is not appointed only for Muslim Ummah but it had been practiced by the former nations, too. Finally, the philosophy of fasting, and that the fruitful results of this Divinely ordered duty return totally to you, is stated.

A tradition narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (as) says: "The pleasure found in (the phrase: ' O' you who have Faith! ' is so that) it has removed the tiredness of this worship and effort." [^2] ****************** In the next verse, again, in order to reduce the hardship of fasting, it states a few other commands regarding this.

It initiates the subject thus: "(Fast for) a certain number of days...." It is not so that you be obliged to fast all the year through or a considerable part of it, but fasting is for only a small section of the year.

Another matter is that: "..But whoever among you is sick or on a journey, then (he shall fast) the same number of other days..." Then there comes the third group, those who are absolutely unable to fast, such as elderly men, elderly women, the constant patients with chronic diseases, where it says: "...