By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | The Speaking Tree | May 17, 2020

According to Islamic teachings, the month of Ramadan is the month of fasting. Fasting means abstaining from food and water from dawn till sunset. Everything that you enjoy in this world is a blessing of God. Food and water symbolize this divine blessing. So is the case with all other blessings like sunlight, oxygen, air, etc.

In our daily life, when we take food and water without any restriction, we take it for granted; we fail to realize their real importance. When we observe fasting in the month of Ramadan, we experience thirst and hunger during the day. When we take food and water after sunset, we experience the importance of these items.

Fasting is a compulsory reminder of this divine blessing. When we discover this blessing, we also discover the other items of blessings. Thus, the practice of fasting enables us to observe a life of a shakir, that is, one who is thankful for the blessings that one receives.

Fasting is a culture. The gist of this culture is self-discipline or self-control. A faithful person is one who adopts the culture of discipline by choice. This is the real spirit of the whole Islamic life. Islamic life is a self-disciplined life. Fasting is like an annual training of this self-disciplining culture.