FASTING AND SELF-PURIFICATION

Fasting is a kind of reminder to a sincere person. It reminds us that we are in the world of God, a world which has been created by God. Its owner is God, not us. Here we cannot live according to our will. Here we cannot eat according to our will. Here we cannot drink according to our will. Here we cannot speak according to our will. Here we have to live in accordance with the will of the Creator.

This is so simple matter. This kind of life is possible only when man apprehends God at the level of realization; when he discovers the reality that in this world there is no place for those who lead a permissive life. The secret of success in this world of God lies in leading a disciplined (paband) life rather than a permissive (beqait) life.

 

The month of Ramadan is, in fact, the month of purification of the soul. This month demands that man reassesses his life; that he reviews all his affairs; that he replans his religious and dawah life; that he purifies his heart and mind; that he builds a new personality within himself. In this way, he should totally overhaul himself in every religious and spiritual respect. 

This is the purification of the self and this is the real aim of Ramadan. One who spends the days and nights of Ramadan in this way is the one who has truly fasted. The true fast is that which is a source of purification of the self or the purification of one’s inner personality. Purification of the self is a continuous process in the life of the believer. But in the month of Ramadan, it is possible to perform this process of purification of the self with greater intensity.