By Najla Al Awadhi, Special to Gulf News
Published: September 12, 2007
You mean you can't even drink water?" a friend asked me this question with a bewildered look on her face, she couldn't believe that fasting during the month of Ramadan meant I would not drink or eat from sunrise to sunset for an entire month.
As my friend stood there looking bewildered, I thought, is it really that hard to believe that Muslims refrain from food and drink during the fast? We fast the whole day knowing that we will be ending our fast with the setting of the sun, and in the context of a world where many live in poverty, where hunger and thirst for many become a way of life, our fasting really is a simple duty. This is the spirit of Ramadan, it is about understanding the feeling of hunger, it is about building empathy, self-restraint and piousness.
For myself, and for all devout Muslims, Ramadan holds such deep teachings; it is not a month about food, or about socialising in the evenings in Ramadan tents, or watching Ramadan shows on TV, Ramadan is about learning compassion, it's about "cultivating our piety".
The fast of Ramadan is not about physical deprivation, it is meant to be deeply spiritual experience. In the holy Quran it is stated that the purpose of the fast is to develop a quality which in Arabic we call taqwa.
Taqwa can be defined as, "worshipping God as if you see Him, because if you don't, He sees you". Taqwa is about cultivating an awareness that God is always watching. For example, when I fast nobody but God knows if I actually have observed the entire fast or if I secretly cheated. So in order to resist the temptation to cheat during the fast, I must remember that God is always watching and will see any lapse.
This sense of taqwa is carried over into other areas of our lives, hence by fasting we foster a habit of piousness, self-restraint, and an inner-balance. For devout Muslims Ramadan is a month of worship; prayer and recitation of the Quran during this month are pivotal, and it is common practice during this month to provide food/iftar to others especially the poor on a daily basis.
Whether you will be fasting or not, I hope that the lessons that Ramadan teaches of taqwa, compassion, piousness and charity will remain with you, and not just during this holy month, but I hope that you will carry these lessons with you every day of your life.
The month of Ramadan has come up on us again. For some it would be the first time they would be venturing into and exercising their Ramadan duties. During this blessed month, Muslims all over the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours; but Ramadan is much more than that.
Ramadan is not just about holding off food and drink. Beyond such physical restraints, it is also a time to purify one’s being, refocus attention on God, and practice patience and self-sacrifice.
During Ramadan, every part of the body must be restrained. The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must not touch or take anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or obscene words. The feet must refrain from going to sinful places. In such a way, every part of one’s body submits to the conditions of the fast.
Spiritually, we are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate our lives in light of Islamic guidance. We are to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits — essentially to clean up our lives, our thoughts, and our feelings. This month is also a means of making some of us understand the trials and tribulations of the less fortunate who suffer from lack of food and drink not just during this month.
“Siyam”, the Arabic word for “fasting” literally means, “to refrain”. That restriction does not apply only to food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words.
Therefore, fasting is not merely physical, but is rather the total commitment of the person’s body and soul to the spirit of the fast. Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul of impurities and refocus one’s self on the worship of God.
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