Blindspot!
From Issue: 595 [Read full issue]
The Desire for More
A disease that has spread throughout the world today is "the desire for more." Advertising and other aspects have made humans believe that many things are necessities today that one cannot live without. Through the fast, the believer is able to put quite a different perspective on the abundance of goods, including food and drink, that he surrounds himself with.
It is interesting to note that the fast of Ramadan was not made obligatory until the second year after the Hijrah. Sulaiman Nadwi notes that this may be significant in the fact that during the Makkan stage, in which time the Muslims were very poor and faced starvation on occasion, Allah did not require them to fast. It was only after the obstacles were removed and the material situation of the Muslims began to steadily improve, when worldly luxuries could become available to them, that Allah obliged the Muslims to fast the month of Ramadan. If this fact is admitted, it should once again cause one to consider the situation in which many Muslims of today are living. Indeed, the luxuries are there and readily available to them. Unfortunately, many Muslims have succumbed to the diseases of wallowing in these luxuries. This era is perhaps an especially important time to reflect on the importance of the fast and the many lessons it has to offer for the purification of the soul.
Compiled From:
"Purification of the Soul: Concept, Process and Means" - Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, pp. 247, 248