Food and water are basic necessities
for human life. It is no surprise that after only a few hours of not
eating and drinking, the fasting person feels physically weak. This
feeling is not supposed to make this person complain. Instead, it is a
chance to remember what he really is: a creature who is completely
dependant on what the Creator provides for him on a daily basis.
When it’s time to break his fast, the
believer quenches his thirst, eats his meal, and regains his energy.
Comparing his state before breaking his fast and after, his heart should
become overwhelmed with intense feelings of gratitude to his Maker.
Sadly, many of us belittle the importance of such feelings as if they
don’t fit in with our modern day and age.
One of the fruits of fasting is the
strengthening of self-discipline for the believer. One who is able to
control his appetite for food and water for one month in a year should
find it easier to control his lustful and egocentric appetite for the
remaining eleven months. One who continues to behave arrogantly towards
other people is effectively rejecting the divine reward that was
prepared for him in the afterlife. To put it short, one whose month of
fasting does not make him a better human being for the rest of the year
is only making himself suffer by not eating and drinking.
