The Bible Dictionary states: "Fasting has been common at all times among every tribe, nation, and religion, in times of unexpected sorrow and hardship." The Bible Dictionary, p. 427, quoted from: Tafsir al-Numno, vol. 1, p. 633.
It also comes from the Torah that Moses, peace be upon him, fasted for forty days: "When I went up the mountain to take the stone tablets (the tablets of the covenant that God made with you). Then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; "I neither ate bread nor drank water." Torah, Deuteronomy, Vol. 9, No. 9, quoted by: Tafsir al-Namno, Vol. 1, p. 632.
It also comes from the Gospel of Luke that the apostles of Christ fasted. Gospel of Luke, Vol. 5, No. 3533.
Fasting is a common practice among Jews; however, it is practiced only on the day of "Kippur" (Day of Atonement). On this day, Jews fast from the evening of the previous day to the evening of this day to atone for their sins, and they abstain from eating, drinking, bathing, and working, and engage in worship and seeking forgiveness in synagogues. Hossein Towfiqi, Introduction to the Great Religions, (Tehran, Samat, Taha and the World Center for Islamic Sciences, third edition, winter 1379), p. 94.
