Bahá’ís and fasting
A spiritual fast
Bahá’ís practise fasting as a discipline for the soul; they see abstaining from food as an outer symbol of a spiritual fast.
By this they mean the practice of self-restraint in order to distance oneself from all the appetites of the body and so concentrate on oneself as a spiritual being and get closer to God.
Abstaining from food is not an end in itself but a symbol, and if it doesn’t result in improvements in character and concern for others then it has not been undertaken in the right spirit.
Fasting was practiced by all the prophets revered by Bahá’ís.
