Sacred Fasting
Matthew 4:1-2
“Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.'”
Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16:29)
“This shall be a statute to you forever: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall deny yourselves, and shall do no work, whether the citizen or the alien who resides among you; for on this day atonement shall be made for you.”
Quran 2:183-185 (Ramadan)
“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become righteous. For a fixed number of days. But whoever among you is ill or on a journey should make up for this by fasting later. Those who find it hard to fast can feed the poor instead.”
Mahabharata 13:107
“Fasting purifies the body and mind, controlling the senses and directing the spirit toward the divine. Through discipline and restraint, one transcends worldly desires and attains spiritual elevation.”
Uttaradhyayana Sutra
“The ascetic monk or nun practices fasting as a spiritual discipline. Through fasting and restraint, one weakens the bonds of karma and progresses toward liberation from the cycle of rebirth.”
Guru Granth Sahib (Roza in Sikh tradition)
“While Sikhism does not emphasize formal fasting, spiritual discipline and restraint are valued. The true fast is to refrain from falsehood and attachment, and to remain devoted to God.”