By Hafsa Waseela Abbas

Ramadan is a spiritual-uplifting moment of reflection. A duration of reviving and purifying our scarred hearts as we witness the altering seasons of humans and their actions that either causes us pain or happiness on a daily basis. It is a time of unity with our loved ones, close and far remembering our Creator through dhikr, supplication, fasting, reading Quran, prayer and giving charity.

When we fast, we develop a compassion of those who are deprived of food and how to endure it patiently. Ramadan is a shared humanitarian experience and we do it out of deep sincere love for Allah the Almighty being grateful to everything he has blessed us such as food, water, health, money and shelter which we often take for granted. It ultimately elevates our awareness and dependence of Allah the most High for his mercy and justice. Fasting elevates our minds above our bodies and cultivates our souls, hearts and mind with peace, love, faith and wisdom to attain moral excellence and consolidate our realisation of our purpose in life and how we see the world around us.

“O you who Believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may develop consciousness of God” 

[Quran Surah Al Baqarah (The Cow) 2:183]

Besides its emotional and spiritual effects, it also allows us to develop a healthy lifestyle to improve our health and well-being. For instance, fasting enables our bodies to eradicate the harmful dietary toxins that are accumulated in our digestive system. It also increases the levels of the mineral called magnesium which is essential for our heart and prevents complication. It can also improve our sleep and memory.
​
The essence of the month of Ramadan ends with the celebration of Eid giving thanks to Allah for the training and blessings we were given to discipline ourselves, develop empathy for the poor and allow us to become better individuals from a physical, intellectual, emotional, social and humanitarian perspective.