The essence of fasting in Ramadan and its goal, is summed up in the Qur’an in one word: taqwa. “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may attain taqwa.”(2:183)
But what is taqwa? And how does it relate to the physical act of fasting? Taqwa is a recurring theme in the Qur’an and paramount Qur’anic value. Taqwa is both an attitude of the human toward the divine that denotes love, devotion and fear.
Love to the source of good and beauty that makes life worth living; devotion to God’s boundless wisdom and majesty; and fear of misunderstanding the divine intent or failing in maintaining the appropriate posture and relationship.
The attitude of taqwa cannot and does not stay in the confines of the human spirit, but is ultimately revealed in expression and action. The attitude of taqwa is ultimately revealed in, and in turn reveals, the true character it nurtures: the commitment to sublime values stressed by divine revelations of courage, generosity, compassion, honesty, steadfastness, and cooperation in pursuing what is right and true.
As Ramadan helps us to develop our moral discipline, it also reminds us of the plight of those who live in constant hunger and deprivation. We are reminded time and again that religiosity is meaningless and pointless if it does not lead people to care and share.
Fasting in Ramadan, like other religious practices in Islam, is an occasion for pursuing moral excellence that can also be translated into excellence in social organization and interaction. Nothing does empower a community more than the development of the moral character of its members. By embodying the moral values of revelation, people can have a higher social life, one that is based on mutual respect and help, as it is based on honest and fair dealings, and a sense of duty that encourages people to observe the principles of right and justice as they pursue their varying and competing interests.
The theme that moral life based on the notion of taqwa leads to societal strength and prosperity is an oft repeated theme in the Qur’an: "Whoever has taqwa of God, He (ever) prepares a way out, and He provides them from sources they never could imagine."(Qur’an 65:2-3) And again: “Verily the earth is God’s to give as heritage to such of his servants as He pleases; and the end is best for the God conscious.”(7:128)
Fasting is not simply a time during which people deprive themselves from physical pleasures, but is an occasion to exercise moral restrain and experience spiritual growth. Ramadan is a time of remembrance of God and renewal of commitment to the high and noble values He revealed to mankind. And nothing would give us the sense of spiritual fulfillment than a state of taqwa, of God-consciousness, that Ramadan helps us to realize.
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