RENAISSANCE MAY 2019

43 Monthly Renaissance May 2019 Reflections The Long Journey from not Eating to Fasting Dr Farhad Shafti For some, the month of Rama ḍā n is a month of refraining from eating and drinking between dawn and sunset. For some, it is the month of reading more of the Qur’ ā n and saying more prayers and supplications plus the above. For a few, it is the month of gaining a sustaining and higher level of God-consciousness ( taqw ā ) plus the above to help with the purification of the soul ( tazkiyah ). According to the Qur’ ā n, only the latter group is aiming for what is really the goal of fasting in the month of Rama ḍā n (2:183). Here is a collection of some practical points that might help us getting closer to the latter group. 1. Having a plan We are living in a very busy world where we can easily find ourselves engaged in work all day and are quite tired during the night. In this busy life the month of Rama ḍā n passes very fast and before we know it we reach the day of Eid. It is very wise to have some plans to determine and decide what special things we want to and can do during this month and how best we can accommodate them in our busy life schedule. 2. Does not matter if you cannot fast Many people might not be strong enough or healthy enough to fast especially if they are living where the summer daytime is extremely long. There are also those who might be travelling during all or part of the month of Rama ḍā n. Sometimes people think that if they do not fast, then the month of Rama ḍā n is not for them and they cannot get any benefit from it. This is wrong. One who has a genuine excuse for not fasting can still benefit