The Wisdom Of Fasting In Ramadan

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The Wisdom Of Fasting In Ramadan

Fasting is abstention from eating, drinking, smoking,
and intimacy from dawn to sunset, during the entire
month of Ramadan.
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims make an
extra effort to strengthen their spirituality through
fasting. But how can depriving oneself of food and
drink help one’s spiritual progress?
The fi ve points presented below explain the
rationale and wisdom behind the annual ritual of
Ramadan fasting.
First Point:
God Almighty has scattered innumerable
bounties over the face of the earth, all of which show
His boundless mercy and compassion. In return,
He wishes thanks as a price for those bounties.
In order to thank Him properly, one fi rst needs to
recognize that the bounties come directly from Him,
to appreciate their value, and to be aware of his
countless needs that God alone can satisfy.
Most people who enjoy abundance throughout
the year do not realize the value of these bounties
since they do not experience real hunger. But during
the month of Ramadan, people realize and respond
to the vast compassion and universal mercy. When
it is time to break the fast at sunset, their sense of
taste testifi es that even a piece of dry bread is a
most valuable and most enjoyable Divine bounty.
During Ramadan, everyone, wealthy or needy,
expresses gratitude in proportion to their
understanding of the value of those bounties. Thus,
fasting in this sense is gratitude, which is one of the
most fundamental duties of mankind towards God.
Second Point:
God Almighty invites the rich to
assist the poor. Through hunger experienced during
fasting, the rich can truly understand the pains
and hunger suffered by the poor. If there were
no fasting, many of the rich would be unable to
comprehend the hardships of the poor and the
hungry, and the degree of compassion they are in
need of. This is the epoch during which the rich gain
fi rst-hand knowledge of what it is like to be poor by
experience.
Compassion towards fellow human beings is an
essential element of true thankfulness. We are
enjoined to be compassionate towards those less
fortunate than ourselves. By enabling us to feel
real hunger, Ramadan enables to develop an
understanding of the plight of those worse off than
ourselves, and in so doing, to develop a sense of
empathy and compassion.
Third Point:
Man’s desirous soul considers itself to be
self-suffi cient, self-ruling, and independent. It does
not wish to admit that it is being generously cared
for and sustained by encountering innumerable
bounties. Thus during Ramadan, the instinctual soul
of every fasting person, from the richest one to the
poorest, may understand that it does not own itself
and that it is not left unattended.
Fourth Point:
The soul easily forgets its true nature.
It neither admits nor wants to admit its inherent
impotence and neediness. It refuses to acknowledge
that its body is made up of fragile fl esh and bones,
which quickly decline and eventually disintegrate
into nothingness.
Instead, it views the world as though it is undying
and eternal. It is obsessed by what appears to be
profi table and pleasurable. Furthermore, it forgets
the Creator Who sustains it with perfect compassion,
and it does not think of the results of its life as
well as its life in the hereafter. However, fasting
in the month of Ramadan instigates even the most
heedless and stubborn to realize their weakness
and need for kindness and compassion.
Fifth Point:
Another of the many instances of
wisdom in fasting is that fasting puts people on a
physical and spiritual diet of the most important
kind. From both medical and spiritual points of view,
uncontrolled eating and drinking is harmful. Many
ailments originate from indulging and indigestion.
When we fast, we are barred from eat-ing too much
and thus kept away from associated problems. And
by fasting, we strengthen our willpower to resist
temptations for wrong doings which may harm our
physical and spiritual life.
Developing patience and endurance requires
acquiring self-restraint through hunger and
willpower. Fasting in Ramadan provides such as
platform for a period that lasts up to fi fteen hours.
Fasting is a form of self-discipline, a cure for
impatience, and a remedy for lack of endurance.
Fasting in Ramadan constantly reminds us that
we are not sent to this world merely to satisfy the
needs of our stomachs. Through fasting, people
experience varying degrees of spiritual pleasures
and enlightenment rather than receiving physical
pleasures.


Fasting in Ramadan develops peoples’ hearts,
raises their spirits and sharpens their minds. Even
if the stomach objects, these lofty senses rejoice.
It is a form of training for the body and the soul,
a purifi cation of life, and a revitalization for the
spirit of sharing and giving.
The spiritual wisdom of fasting is not limited to
thirst and hunger, although experiencing thirst and
hunger for God’s sake alone is a worthy blessing
and source of grace.
Fasting is part of all Abrahamic traditions, and the
Qur’an revealed to prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) confi rms and reiterates this pillar in the
verse 2:183 by stating “Fasting is prescribed for
you as it was prescribed for those before you.”
These are some of the reasons why fasting is
enjoined. We ask God to help us realize them and
to worship Him properly in sincerity.
This brochure was based on The Second Section of
The Twenty-Ninth Letter; part of the Risale-i Nur
Collection; an interpretation of the Qur’an written
by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi; an Islamic scholar of
the present age (1877 – 1960).
The collection, which mainly comprises of four
books; The Words, The Rays, The Flashes and The
Letters, proves the truths of belief in God.
All the chapters of the Risale-i Nur collection are
about the truths of belief. You can read the whole
collection on the internet at these addresses:
www.saidnur.com,
www.nur.gen.tr/en.html
The Risale-i Nur is available in English, Turkish,
Arabic and many other languages


You can download pdf : http://www.kadder.org.tr/yayinlar/RAMADAN.pdf
 
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