In the month of Ramadan, the Muslims around the world abstain from food, drink, and worldly pleasures from the dawn to dusk. Ramadan might appear as an austere test of physical endurance to the casual observer. It is a grinding regimen of self-introspection and revitalization. Fasting is also a transformative philosophy for those who observe it or become part of it. A transformation that inculcates mindfulness of those who suffer poverty, homelessness and displacement. It is a process that makes one understand the situation that a distressed person from conflict, exploitation and economic deprivation goes through in their life. Ramadan is not a month of hardship but a month to understand empathy, mercy and compassion. It is a time to reconnect with humankind, feel the sufferings and adopt consciousness to help every other being.
The Arabic word for fasting is Sawm, which literally translates to ‘to refrain.’ It encompasses all human actions, including thoughts and feelings. The physical abstention from nourishment is its apparent component. In theology, fasting is not merely depriving the stomach while leaving the heart and mind unchanged. The true spirit of fasting extends to refraining from anger, gossip, falsehoods, envy and malice. It is a rigorous training of the human ego. It forces individuals to confront their own vulnerabilities and dependencies.
The cultivation of Taqwa’- God Consciousness is a central element of fasting, but if a fasting person does not become conscious of their social actions or the sufferings of others, that person has not lived up to the expectation of the prophet. The Prophet encouraged Muslims to maximize their opportunities of salvation, encouraging the acts of worship, charity and compassionate behaviour with others. The Prophet
commanded us to be generous and increase the generosity even more during Ramadan, acting faster in resolving the distress of those in need. The Prophet warned Muslims that “Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e., Allah will not accept his fasting.)”. On another occasion, the beloved Prophet instructed fasting Muslims that when any one of you gets up in the morning in the state of fasting, he should neither use obscene language nor do any act of ignorance and if anyone slanders him or quarrels with him, he should say, ” I am fasting, I am fasting.”
Allah grants Mercy (Rahmah) as a divine favor, a light instilled in the hearts of his servants to guide their interactions with all creation. As the Most Compassionate and Most Merciful, Allah cherishes those who reflect this quality, and Ramadan is the ideal training ground for cultivating genuine mercy. The mercy cannot be confined to the individual self. It must radiate outwards by acting as a powerful social equalizer. The foundation of Islamic ethics is built upon the principle that “Allah will have mercy on his servants who show mercy to others.” This divine attribute might evaporate and harden our hearts. The Quran tells that when the heart hardens, the capacity for empathy, gentleness, and compassion evaporates. Ramadan, therefore, arrives as a yearly intervention to soften what has become rigid and to polish what has become stained.
Fasting was prescribed precisely to crush the unruliness. For example, the experience of hunger and the dryness of thirst start a natural transformation in the fasting person. They no longer need to be told what hunger and poverty feel like. The scope of mercy in Ramadan extends beyond the individual to every structure of society. Ramadan strengthens the bonds between people. It teaches patience and self-control. These qualities build strong communities. Exclusionary do the opposite. They isolate individuals. They replace community with anger. They replace mercy with vengeance. A person who is truly fasting seeks closeness to Allah. They seek peace with their neighbours. They seek forgiveness for themselves and others. Ramadan is your reminder that you belong to a faith of mercy.
As the month of Ramadan progresses, the spiritual empathy gained through fasting must translate into tangible humanitarian action. Every Muslim is commanded, “O you who fast and cause hunger to your stomach, there are thousands of stomachs more awaiting a meal. Will there not arise from amongst you those who would feed them?”. The true spirit of fasting will be realized when the person who has experienced thirst seeks to quench the thirst of others and the person who has felt the vulnerability of the human condition seeks to clothe and protect the needy, impoverished, and displaced. Therefore, Ramadan is not merely a month of not eating; it is a month of becoming a vessel of mercy on earth.
