Essentials of Ramadan: The fasting month by Tajuddin B. Shu’aib

Whenever the orbit turns and another month of Ramadan approaches, happiness and joy return to the Ummah (Nation), for with it come two of the greatest gifts of Allah, namely the fasting month of Ramadan and the celebration of the revelation of Al Qur’an.

Fasting is an eloquent expression of Allah, leading this Ummah to fates of His mercy, a key unlocking the mysteries of his nearness. While humanity is divided on the basic elements of the notion of the Creator, a Muslim is far ahead of the rest of the world in this field and travelling at the speed of the light to the neighborhood of the Throne of the Creator, Where else would you find a discipline that provides direct communication between the servant the served? Where else would you have an act of ‘Ebadah (Worship) that enriches self-worth, self-strength, self-rebuilding, self discipline and control? Where else would one find discipline that moves the believer from unauthentic to authentic as the institution of fasting? Where else would you find a discipline that enriches the vital needs of human being, both physical and spiritual? Praise be to Allah!

The institution of Fasting is a unique form of worship prescribed as part of an overall system of Islam. Its uniqueness mirrors the uniqueness of the human being, a creature of physical and spiritual parts whose excellence depends on the right proportion of these two parts. Too much of the physical material will ruin man, and too much of the spiritual will too fasting orients the observer to the art of balancing the spiritual essentials with physical needs, a vivid proof that there is in all of us the will power, a pivotal element that controls our actions. This will be needed to help up curb the animalistic tendencies originating from the stomach, in full; it makes us forget about beginning, it awakens the mind and kindles clear thinking and consciousness of Allah. Fasting is the sobering of a mind and reconstruction of our spiritual faculties.