The Meaning And Purpose Of Fasting

 Fasting, then, is actually a deep principle of life. In the world, a businessman must guard against extravagance. A student must guard his time from being wasted. A laborer must guard against laziness and dishonesty. In this way, a life of balance and discipline is the key to success in this present world. If a person does not protect himself from laziness, wastefulness, indulgence, and misuse of time, he cannot succeed in this world—a world designed as a test. The same is true for the Hereafter. According to Islam, success in the Hereafter depends on living a fasting-like way of life. A person must adopt a pure and disciplined lifestyle before death to secure success in the life to come. He must guard himself against things that could ruin his eternal life. Living in this protected way—avoiding those things which may lead to loss in the Hereafter—is the very lesson for which fasting has been made obligatory. There is another aspect to fasting as well. A person who fasts all day feels the joy of food more deeply at sunset. In the same way, the one who abstains from what God has forbidden in this world will be the one to enjoy the true pleasures of the Hereafter. The fast of the day symbolizes the trials and struggles of worldly life. The evening meal symbolizes the joys and rewards of the life to come.