A LESSON IN SIMPLICITY

(The following article is taken from Maulana Wahiduddin Khan’s Diary, May 20, 1986)

TODAY (May 20, 1986) is the tenth day of the month of Ramadan. This year, the month of Ramadan falls in May-June. Before the month began, I was extremely apprehensive of how this year’s fast would pass in the hot summer season. But the ten fasts ended in such a way that it did not feel that something very unusual had happened in life.

In normal times, if you want to remain without food and water from morning to evening, it seems very harsh. It even becomes intolerable. But these days of hunger pass in such a way in the month of fasting that it is not felt when the month of fasting has come and when it has gone.

Fasting has many religious and spiritual benefits. Perhaps one of the advantages of these is that fasting is a lesson in boosting morale. Every year a person is made to experience that the difficulties encountered in practising God’s commandments should not be considered difficulties. No matter how difficult a task in God’s way may seem, if you start this work on God’s trust, God’s help will be with you. And that work will be accomplished in such a way that in the end you will not even feel that it was a difficult task.

My life is very simple. I have no interest in food and drink. I eat even the seemingly ordinary food items considering them great blessings from God. But due to my physical weakness, I am in such a situation that I cannot tolerate hunger and thirst. Therefore, before the commencement of Ramadan every year, I become apprehensive about how this month will pass. But when the month of fasting comes, it passes so quickly, as if the 30th day has arrived immediately after the first day. I think it happens with the help of God. Through fasting, the fasting person is shown that God’s help makes every difficult task easier. The only condition is that a person should start his work putting his complete trust in God.