| Along with salat, another
important form of worship is fasting. It is obligatory for each Muslim,
who is an adult of sane mind and physically able, to fast the holy
month of Ramazan. The Holy Quran states, “O you who believe, Observing
the fast is prescribed to you as it was prescribed for those before
you so that you may become pious.” (2:183)
Ramazan is the month of mercy, repentance, and purification, and
lasts for a period of 29 or 30 days. During the hours of fasting,
which is from dawn until sunset, food and drink and conjugal relations
between husband and wife are forbidden. Human life is dependent
on food and drink, and the continuation of the human race depends
on the marital relationship. While fasting, one refrains from them
both, as if bearing witness to God that for His pleasure man gives
up the factors (temporarily) upon which his very existence depends.
There are many lessons to be learned from fasting. We sacrifice
physical comfort to endure hunger and thirst. Fasting creates a
sense of equality between the rich and the poor. By developing an
empathic attitude toward hunger and thirst, fasting makes the wealthy
remember the needs of the poor, and impresses a feeling of compassion
in their hearts.
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