Ramadan and the meaning of fasting
Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. From just before dawn until sunset, adult Muslims who are able abstain from food, drink and intimate relations — not as punishment, but as an annual training in restraint, empathy and God-consciousness.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It moves through the seasons because the lunar year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year. During Ramadan, adult Muslims fast from just before dawn (fajr) until sunset (maghrib) — no eating, drinking (including water), or intimate relations during those hours.
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.— Translation of the meaning by Sahih International
The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.— Translation of the meaning by Sahih International
The Qur'an names the purpose plainly: 'that you may become righteous' — literally, that you may develop taqwa, an active awareness of God. The daily discipline is a school. A person who trains their body to say no to food and water at dawn is being trained, in slow motion, to say no to other things at other times: gossip, dishonesty, harshness, wasted hours. That is why the Prophet ﷺ warned that if you keep the food-fast but not the character-fast, you have missed the point.
“Whoever does not give up false speech and evil actions, Allah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.”
Context: The Prophet ﷺ makes clear that fasting is about more than hunger.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari.
And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me — indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.— Translation of the meaning by Sahih International
Ramadan is also a communal month: extra night prayers (taraweeh), evening meals shared with family and neighbours (iftar), extra Qur'an reading, and heightened giving. The month ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, marked by a communal prayer, gifts, and a small obligatory charity given before the prayer so that no household is left out.
Fasting is not required of everyone. The Qur'an itself excuses the ill, the traveller, pregnant and breastfeeding women, menstruating women, and those for whom fasting would cause real harm. Many fasts are made up later; some are compensated by feeding the poor. Islam does not celebrate suffering for its own sake. If fasting endangers your health, seek qualified advice — medical and religious — and act accordingly.
If you have never fasted, and you are healthy, try one voluntary day outside Ramadan — perhaps a Monday or a Thursday, following the Prophet's ﷺ habit — just to see what it teaches you. If you are Muslim and Ramadan feels only like tiredness, add one small non-food practice this year: five minutes of Qur'an daily, a small daily sadaqah, or genuinely giving up something specific in your speech.
What in your life would benefit from a month of gentle restraint?
