Fasting is one of the pillars of Islam. During this sacred month, the devout abstain from food and water from the crack of dawn until dusk. It is a month of piety, introspection and tafakkur, reflection. In controlling your desires, you learn patience; in feeling the pangs of hunger and thirst, you learn empathy for the poor; and when at sunset, during Iftar, you take the first sip of water, you learn gratitude. Self-discipline, self- control and anger management are practised. Special prayers are offered during this month in the night. Believers are also required to give in charity an amount equivalent to 2½% of their savings. Thus, the month encourages self- reflection and contemplation of values that are central to humanity – empathy, love and kindness. The month of Ramzan culminates in Eid-ul-Fitr.
It has been said that there is an element of recklessness in faith – first, you leap; then, you grow wings. At the end of this month, we are, indeed, ready to soar – having shed excess, both of body and soul.
