The Purpose Of Fasting In Ramadhan

Assalamu’alaikum!

Allah, the Most High says,

“O you who believe! Fasting has been ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you may attain Taqwa.”

[Al Qur’an 2:183]

A common question that Muslims are often asked, is ‘why do you fast?’ or ‘What do you achieve through fasting?’ Many Muslims attempt to answer these questions in a very philosophical way, explaining that fasting helps us to think about the poor and about those less privileged than us. Or that it allows us to feel the hunger and thirst that poor people around the world feel so that we may be grateful to Allah(swt) for the food that we have, or so on and so forth.

Although most of these answers maybe true, but the real answer is much simpler than that and is contained in the above verse of the Qur’an. It is that, firstly, fasting is a command from Allah(swt), and those that came before us (i.e. the nations that came before) were also commanded to fast. Secondly, the purpose for which we have been ordained to fast is so that we may attain Taqwa.

A Tabi’ee (A Companion from the generation after the Sahaabah) Talq ibn Habeeb (May Allah have mercy upon him) was asked to define Taqwa, so he said, ‘Taqwa is acting in obedience to Allah (swt), hoping for His Mercy, and Taqwa is leaving acts of disobedience to Allah out of fear of Him.’

This is the purpose behind fasting, and this is what fasting in Ramadhan should lead us to, i.e. towards attaining Taqwa. The aim is to achieve Taqwa, the means to this achievement is fasting and the result of achieving this aim is the closeness and pleasure of Allah(swt), and immense reward from Allah in this world and in the hereafter.