Fasting is called sawm in the Quran and Hadith. Sawm means to pause, or to abstain.

The reality of fasting is to stop yourself from unwanted things. Fasting has great importance in the Islamic way of life. The tradition of fasting began with Hazarat Adam. Adam was asked to live in Paradise, but told not to approach a certain tree. This was also an example of fasting. Everything in Paradise was open to them, but they were to refrain from going near a certain tree.

What was this? God has placed several desires in a human being. This world has been made for the purpose of test. Here many provocative situations arise. People may abuse you or make you suffer a loss. You have to face unpleasant conditions.

What must you do? God wants you to hold yourself back in these moments. You must not react, fight or immediately give a reaction. This is not the divine way.

Why? If you become entangled in unpleasant situations, you won't be able to continue the process of your advancement. The greatest task in this world is to develop yourself intellectually and spiritually. For this, saving yourself from distraction is a must. You have to stop yourself from distractions. Fasting is a training in this exercise. Fasting is a training to hold yourself back. You can say, in other words, this is a training for a self-disciplined life. You have to be disciplined. Fasting is a training in self-discipline and self-control. The greatest importance in life is of self-discipline. The gains we want in terms of spiritual and intellectual development cannot be achieved without adopting self-discipline.