Reclaim Your Heart

Know why you’re fasting:
Many people fast as a ritual, without truly understanding
its meaning. Others reduce it to a simple exercise in
empathy with the poor. While this is a beautiful
consequence of fasting, it is not the main purpose defined
by Allah. Allah says in the Qur’an: “Fasting is prescribed
for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you
may attain taqwa (God-consciousness).” (Qur’an, 
2:183
)
By controlling and restraining our physical needs, we gain
strength for the greater battle: controlling and restraining
our nafs (our soul’s desire). When fasting, every hunger
pang reminds us of God—the one for whom we have made
this sacrifice. By constantly remembering Allah and
sacrificing for Him, we are made more aware of His
presence, and in that way we increase our taqwa (fear and
consciousness of Him). The same thing that prevents us
from the sin of sneaking in food while no one else is
watching trains us to avoid other sins while no one else is
watching. That is taqwa.
Don’t make fasting just hunger and thirst:
The Prophet 
has said, “Whoever does not give up
forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his
leaving his food and drink.” (Al-Bukhari) The Prophet 
also warns us: “Many people who fast get nothing
from their fast except hunger and thirst, and many people

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who pray at night get nothing from it except wakefulness.”
(Darimi) While fasting, understand the whole picture.
Remember that fasting is not just about staying away from
food. It is about striving to become a better person.
And in so striving, we are given a chance to escape the
darkness of our own isolation from God. But like the sun
that sets at the end of the day, so too will Ramadan come
and go, leaving only its mark on our heart’s sky.

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