By Shazad
‘O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.’
The Holy Quran 2:184
For observant Muslims, Ramadhan has started a few days ago and this means fasting during daylight hours for the entire lunar month. Like fasting in other cultures and traditions, there are some key lessons we can understand from this experience and I’d like to share a few of these with you. They have the power to transform lives and change the world for the better.
The first is Patience through delayed gratification. By postponing eating and drinking during daylight hours, Muslims truly appreciate what it means to be waiting for something you truly want. Not rushing to do or have something leads to better decision-making and fewer issues when it comes to relationships also. A patient person is less likely to get angry and also more understanding towards others. A related lesson of Ramadhan that we learn is Mindset. We have to convince ourselves that we can endure the temporary abstinence from consuming food and drink and this means we need this to stop ourselves from indulging in a piece of cake or a cup of coffee whenever we feel like it. The personal choice to observe fasting for our own sake and realize that it’s beneficial for us makes it mentally possible to continue when it starts to become challenging. By developing a strong mindset for the task you are doing, you can develop more clarity about your life’s purpose and path. This trains our minds to become stronger while our bodies become more resilient to stress.
The third key lesson we learn from fasting is Compassion for those who get to eat a little or no food each day for many days in a row. We can get a sense of what that is like and what hardships they must be facing every day of the week, all year long. This compassion should drive us to be more generous and caring towards them so we can eliminate food shortages in our community. Perhaps we can help with the growing of certain foods or the distribution to the neediest. By connecting with the suffering of others, we can appreciate what they struggle with and work with them to find meaningful solutions that make society better.
There are other ways we can learn the valuable lessons that Patience, Mindset, and Compassion have to teach us but perhaps there is no better ‘class room’ than the month of Ramadhan for a believer. We also learn other important lessons and gain more self awareness in this holy month which makes it more compelling for a practicing Muslim. I pray that we all become better human beings through the various lessons of Ramadhan and life in general. May we all practice goodness every month so that we can improve humanity with each passing year.
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