According to Islamic teachings, there are five pillars of Islam. One of these pillars is fasting during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every pillar of Islam, iman, salat, zakat, saum and hajj has spirit and not just form. For instance, the spirit of salat or prayer is humility. The spirit of zakat, almsgiving, is social service. The spirit of hajj is unity, and the spirit of fasting is abstinence.

In Arabic, fasting is known as ‘Saum’ meaning abstinence. Abstaining from food and drink during the month of Ramadan is aimed to awaken the ‘sawm spirit’ of the believer. When he is consumed by hunger and thirst, he sees how weak he really is; he realizes how much he is in need of the succour of God. It is when man experiences this helplessness, ijz made manifest during the times when he feels hunger and thirst, that his true self meets God.

When one fasts one discovers God Almighty as the real benefactor. Along with bringing immense pleasure and satisfaction, this experience makes him aware of his duties as God’s humble servant. This feeling leads to caution in life.

Then in the evening, when he eats and drinks, he sees how God has made complete provision for his needs. His heart is filled with gratitude. He praises God and offers thanks to Him. The temporary deprivation of food and water stresses the importance of these things as divine blessings. It reminds man that all he has is from God, who is the supreme and all-powerful and one day all would be taken away from him.

Man is here for a test. Breaking one’s arrogance and stubbornness, fasting makes man realize his helplessness. Man is cut to size. It makes man realize how dependent on God he is. Then he prays truly from the heart, connecting him with the Almighty.

One who fasts in all sincerity takes care to cast his entire life in the one consistent mould. In all of his affairs, he applies the constraints laid down by God. He checks himself from abusing others, stays his hand from persecution and halts in his steps towards injustice. As the Prophet said, “Such a man can be likened to a tied-up horse which can go only as far as its rope permits: in that way, he cannot transgress.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 11335)

Source: Ramadan: A Month of Purification