The Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions all enjoin fasting. The existing Torah and Bible indicate that the Jews and the Christians had fasting, too, (Math.6:16, 17; and Luke 5: 33-35).
Moses observed a fast of forty days at Mount Sinai at the time of the revelation of the Ten Commandments. Although less common now, it is Jewish tradition to fast when mourning or when in danger. Most practicing Jews still fast on the Day of Atonement and for the one-week commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem in 597 B.C.
It is also caught from the Torah that Moses (A.S) had forty days of fasting. It is cited in the Old Testament thus: “When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of covenant which the Lord made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water.”
In the Lexicon of the Bible it is cited that fasting, in general, has always been practiced among every nation and in any religion at the time of an unexpected sorrow or disaster.
As the Bible indicates, Jesus (A.S) had also forty days of fasting. Jesus of Nazareth, peace be upon him, also fasted on the Day of Atonement and the forty days of Moses’ fast to ward off Satanic temptation.
Many Christians observe a forty-day pre-Easter fast, although now it includes abstention from only certain food items rather than all food and drink.
Muslims fast the month of Ramadan and may, optionally, fast on most other days of the year. The Muslim fast of the month of Ramadan is a continuation of the long history of fasting in the Abrahamic faiths.
Thus, the Quranic sentence saying: “… as it was prescribed for those before you…” is also confirmed with many historical religious evidences existing in other divine religions.