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In this video, I discuss origins & evolution of Fasting & Prayer ritual in Early Islam, with emphasis on how Quranic guidance on ritual practice was evolving & in conversation with pre-Islamic & Jewish practices, & while adjusting to ground realities.
As per secondary scholarship I relate in here, Islamic fasting practices evolved through 2 or 3 different forms. There was pre Islamic fasting on certain days / months and also the Jewish fasting for 40 days culminating on Yom Kippur.
Ramadan fasting appears to be modeled on the 40 day Jewish fast & emerges after the qibla change in Medina. Yet the Quran repurposes fasting from being an expression of compensation for wrongdoing to an expression of gratitude to God.
Both the qibla change & Ramadan fasting reflect an evolving & emergence of distinct communal identity for Muhammad’s followers vis a vis the Medinan Jews. Qibla change was a test to see who truly follows Muhammad, not because God dwells in one house over another.
Ramadan fasting by all appearances was modified after its introduction. Originally sex with spouses was not permitted at night; if you fell asleep fasting in day you had to continue all night. Quran verses modify this to make it easier for everyone. Rituals adjust to circumstance
Drawing on this data & other facts, I proposed that the Quranic modus operandi (sunnat) is one of constantly self-updating & evolving divine guidance that is adjusting to changing circumstances - this adjusting to new contexts included worship rituals, not just worldly matters
In certain respects, the dominant idea behind most Fiqh - that the worship rituals commanded in the Quran don’t evolve or change and that the law is to be derived from Quranic text - “freezes” the dynamic spirit of the quranic revelation. This freeze isn’t total but still partial
Major source for data presented in the video is The Development of Islamic Ritual Edited By Gerald Hawting.
In the last section of the video I discuss & contrast two Quranic revelation/ Fiqh paradigms - the broadly Sunni views and the Ismaili view. Basically how you interpret Islam in legal/ritual context in post-quranic era flows from your revelation & succession models.
