Ramadan: Fasting beyond a charitable cause

It’s that time of the year for us to recognize the holidays and celebrations each of us partakes in whether it is part of our religion or culture. An example of a religious event which I like to observe is called Ramadan. It is the blessed month of the Islamic calendar during which Muslims aim to enhance their faith. In the Holy Qur’an it states, “The month of Ramadan is that in which the Qur’an was sent down as a guidance for mankind with clear proofs of guidance and discrimination. Therefore, whosoever of you is present at home in this month, let him fast therein. But whoso is sick or is on a journey, shall fast the same number of other days. God desires to give you facility and He desires not hardship for you, and that you may complete the number, and that you may exalt God for His having guided you and that you may be grateful” (2:186). This enables us to recognize the important benefits of fasting during these 30 days of Ramadan from dawn to sunset.
Fasting brings about change in one’s life. Abstaining from food from dawn to sunset help us to sympathize with spiritual duties such as, developing empathy for the less fortunate, offering the five daily Prayers with regularity, reciting the Holy Qur’an and reflecting upon its teachings. In a sermon on September 14th, 2007, the fifth caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad mentioned, “The Promised Messiah (the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) said that fasting is about forsaking one kind of nourishment (food) to seek the other kind of nourishment which is for the soul.” Fasting in the month of Ramadan purifies both the body and our spiritual being.