Fasting for Self-Discipline

FASTING FOR SELF-DISCIPLINE of his own free will. It is only after sunset that he satisfies his hunger and quenches his thirst. Fasting helps him develop self-control. By practicing restraint for one month in a year, he is able to lead a life of self-discipline in all matters for the rest of the year. He, therefore, learns to live his life as per the creation plan of God. God has placed man in this world for the purpose of testing him. Apart from man, there are in the universe innumerable other things, all of which—having no free will of their own—adhere strictly to God’s law. God has, however, given man the freedom to choose which path he will tread. Notwithstanding this divine gift of freedom of will, it is still the desire of the Almighty that man should, by his own choice, tread the path of obedience. It is, therefore, to condition man to follow the path of restraint that the rule of fasting has been laid down. No mere annual ritual, fasting is a lesson in the permanent practice of patience and tolerance throughout one’s entire life.