THE GOAL OF RAMAZAN

Spirituality and Mission

ACCORDING to Islamic teachings, Ramazan—the ninth month of the lunar calendar—is the month of fasting. In this month, believers refrain from food and drink for a limited period each day—from dawn till sunset. They can eat and drink during the night. This practice continues for one month.

It is very important to know that the Quran began to be revealed during this month. The Quran makes a special mention of this:

The month of Ramazan is the month when the Quran was sent down as guidance for mankind with clear proofs of guidance and the criterion by which to distinguish right from wrong. (2: 185)


Believers are exhorted to read the Quran more in this month so that they may reflect upon it, understand its deeper meaning and make it a guiding force in their lives.

Therefore the believers are exhorted to read the Quran more in this month so that they may reflect upon it, understand its deeper meaning and make it a guiding force in their lives. Fasting prepares a person for the study of the Quran by making him sincere. When a person studies the Quran with a well-prepared mind, he can understand the teachings of the Quran in greater depth and their call towards spirituality.

The equivalent of spirituality in the Quran is Rabbaniyat, that is, a God-oriented life. This expresses what the Quran means when it refers to spirituality. Spirituality, according to the Quran, is that mental state in which God-oriented thinking develops in the individual. Such thinking reflects in his overall personality; his behaviour with others becomes infused with divine hues. Thus Ramazan provides a framework within which devotees may improve themselves. Ramazan then becomes a month of spiritual activism.

The fasting person repeatedly reads in the Quran that God is the Sustainer, that is, while man is the taker, God is the giver. Everything that a person receives in this world, right from his existence and the oxygen he inhales for respiration to the sunlight necessary for his survival, everything is God’s gift. When a person starts to think in this way, he experiences a tremendous change within. He begins living in society as a giver-member. He becomes a creative member of society.

During the month of Ramazan he should become more of a student of the Quran and do serious study and discover those principles by which he may develop his personality and become a positive thinker and a spiritual person in the full sense.


A man of mission is a unique person. He has little time for anything other than his mission. He eschews all such activities as are irrelevant to his mission, and fasting symbolizes this very spirit.

According to Islamic ideology, a believer is a man of mission. A man of mission is a unique person. He has little time for anything other than his mission. He eschews all such activities as are irrelevant to his mission, and fasting symbolizes this very spirit.

The Arabic equivalent of fasting is sawm, which means abstinence. Abstinence is the gist of fasting. When one involves himself in a mission he abstains from all diversions. He has no time, except for fulfilling his bare necessities. This is the mission culture.

Abstaining from food and water for a limited period is a symbolic training. This practice prepares one to lead a life of dedication to one’s mission. The mission is to be a spiritual person and to share this spirituality with others. Fasting during the month of Ramazan reminds a faithful person that if the acts of abstinence were to reach the extent of refraining from food and water for a temporary period, then he would be ready to do so for a higher purpose. Although this training is for a temporary period, it enables him to lead his whole life in accordance with this spirit.

For a faithful person, living for the divine cause is his mission. All other things become secondary for him. This kind of focused life is a great source of spirituality. A person, who controls his material life and devotes himself for a higher cause, also inculcates in himself what is called spirituality. In terms of external form, he refrains from material things, but in terms of inner content, he inculcates spirituality in his personality.

Preparation of the Mind
Preparation means to engage in
self-training on positive lines.