Ramadan. It is that time of year again when you are checking the time more than you are checking Snapchat, where you are talking less to those around you in fear of scaring them off with your breath, and where you are receiving all sorts of questions from those around you. During this time, many of our non-Muslim friends and colleagues ask us why we fast, and the most common answer that most of us give is: to feel empathy with the less fortunate. Yes, this is true, but what does the Qur’an tell us about fasting? In the Glorious Quran, Allah (The Most High) states: “O you have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” [Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow), 2:183] This verse instructs us to fast during the month of Ramadan by way of our faith (imaan). It is teaching us that the purpose is not to lose weight or show off but to fast willingly out of the sincereness of our faith. Secondly, the verse also mentions fasting will help attain righteousness (taqwa). But what does attaining righteousness mean? When we fast, we enter a spiritual state of mind that teaches us to obey our Creator. To forbid what is wrong and engage in what is right. Think of it this way, by controlling your desire for food (something that you cannot truly live without), you are also training your mind on how to control other desires and temptations (things you can live without). This Ramadan, please take some time to ask yourself why you are fasting. Yes, fasting does help us empathize with the less fortunate. But why not spend a day with a homeless person? Yes, fasting does help us refrain from becoming angry, but why don’t we take some anger management classes? Why do we fast for a month at a certain period every single year? As you see, there are many objectives to fasting, but the number one objective is to please our Creator. May Allah (The Most High) accept all of our fasts, forgive all our sins, and increase our faith (imaan). Ameen. About the author:
Michelle Schafieh has recently launched her blog muslimgap.com. Her goal is to teach others about the beauty of Islam. She hopes to inspire and show her readers how easy it is to apply the teachings of the Muslim faith in our daily lives. Her website contains quizzes, a range of articles, challenges, interactive and advice columns for questions, discussions and special dua requests and much more!
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