Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

i want to know how to convince someone to keep roza  

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

How to convince somebody to fast

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Dear and beloved sister in Islam, although we could provide you enough material from the Quran and the Sunnah which relate to the significance, virtues, and rewards of fasting in Islam…..we assure you that these by itself would not be enough to convince someone who does not fear Allah and the Last Day to observe the fasts!

Thus, in our humble opinion, it would be best, if the person is not a believer to invite him/her to recognize their Lord Creator and His Rights due from His creation; and if the person is a believer, to invite him/her to fear their Lord and His Day of Accounting.

If is only when a person truly recognizes Who exactly is his Lord Creator, and what guidance and commands He has laid upon those who wish to enter Paradise….that the person will whole-heartedly and willingly submit to the guidance and teachings and requirements that will enable him to enter the promised Paradise of their Lord Most High.

Once the person is absolutely convinced regarding the Reality and Truth of his Lord Creator and His Day of Accounting, leave alone observing fasts, this person will willingly submit his life to earn the Pleasure and Good Will of his Lord Most High!

But if a person neither recognizes his Creator, nor believes in the Day of Judgment, nor does he fear his Lord’s Wrath and Anger, nor does he wish to do deeds to enter the Magnificent Gardens promised by the Lord to those who submit their wills to Him….no amount of incentives will convince the person to willingly remain hungry and thirsty for even a couple of hours, leave alone a full month!

Thus my beloved sister, in our humble opinion, a better and more beneficial way to start with such a person is not to invite him to fast or pray…but to strive to make him recognize and believe in his Lord Creator and the concept of the Truth of the Hereafter. Once you have convinced the person to recognize the Lord Who Created Him and the concept of His Paradise and Hell Fire….he will, Insha Allah, be well on his way towards being an obedient and subservient slave of the Lord Most Merciful.

Anyways sister, if you still believe that the person will be convinced to fast if the rewards and punishments for those who keep and those who intentionally leave their fasts are listed from the Quran and the Sunnah, please do let us know and we would be more than happy to provide you with the evidence regarding the observing of fasts from the Quran and the Sunnah, Insha Allah.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan