The Meaning And Purpose Of Fasting

The reason for this is that fasting is a form of training in self-control (nafs-kashi), and this discipline has always been considered important in every religion. The kind of human being religion aims to shape is one who lives with his self under the control of his reason. Fasting prepares a person for precisely this. A human being is made up of two parts—body and soul. The body is material and dense; the soul is non-material and subtle. When we constantly fulfil every desire of the body without restriction, the body begins to dominate and suppress the soul. Fasting is a way of putting boundaries on this freedom. It keeps the body in check and enables the soul to take charge. Both of the other speakers expressed this same idea, each in their own way. What the writer said was that fasting is not only about its outer form. That is, it is not enough for a person to merely abstain from food and drink from morning to evening and consider the purpose of fasting fulfilled. The external form is just a symbol—it represents a deeper kind of spiritual and moral training. The lesson is that a person must learn, while living in this world, to distinguish between what is right and wrong, lawful and unlawful. He must choose what is right and lawful and keep away from what is wrong and unlawful. This is what ultimately brings success in the everlasting life of the Hereafter.