Hawzah News Agency – There are many reasons for the success of prophets including:
1. Their purity and clean history and the fire, passion and sincerity they had.
2. Reasoning and logic they have, not dictatorship and bullying.
3. They practiced what they preached, they had presence in what they did and perseverance till their last breath.
4. Amplitude of their thoughts and their immaculate behaviour.
5. Their laws and regulations are in accordance with our nature and Divine Promises.
6. The comprehensive nature of their laws extending to everything including individual, societal, familial, psychological, political, economic, hygiene, worship and others…
7. The easy and pleasant manifestation of the laws given.
An ill child may be afraid of a needle that a doctor is about to inject him with… but the doctor may prepare the child by saying such things as:
1. My dear, my child, I love you.
2. All of the children that were ill that came before you have had this ampoule.
3. The injection is only for a few moments, please bear with me so you can get better.
4. If you can’t tolerate a needle I’ll have to prescribe other medicines for you.
Allah SWT that wants to impose the law of fasting uses the same concept.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا,
Allah tells the believers, “O believers” those who have a relationship with Me and love Me… God speaks with his worshippers in a loving, sincere way and with respect in order to prepare them. Then He says:
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“Fasting for you is prescribed just like it was prescribed for those before you so that you may be God conscious.”
God is reminding his believers of those before them that benefited from fasting with piety and god consciousness, and so will they. Then he states that this is for days numbered, no more:
أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ
Then He states:
فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ
“And if any of you be sick, or if he be on a journey, then a number of other days.”2
Reminding us that there is an alternative for those who are unable to fast due to illness or travel.
Allah SWT eases the law unto us, like the expression and method used by a doctor to prepare a child for the injection, that is the symbol of success of the prophets, peace be upon them.
1. Baqarah 2:183
2. Baqarah 2:184
Taken from "Parables: Important questions & Simple answers" written by Muhsin Qara'ati