Ramadan: A Month of Reflection, Awaking, and Renewal-II (original) (raw)

He argues that to understand the spirit of Islam, it is essential to comprehend "devotional religious experience and behavior" together. To understand the spirit of the Qur'anic message to humanity, fasting in Ramadan is a good example. Although Muslims observe fasting as a religious obligation ordained by Allah, we do believe that there are numerous purposes and wisdom in the fasting. Ramadan thus has far-reaching meanings and lessons for all of us. I will try to summarize some of these major wisdoms of fasting. In doing so, I primarily consulted and benefited from Said Nursi's treatise on Ramadan. Nursi is one of probably the most influential Muslim thinkers in Turkey in the 20th Century. Nursi underlines that fasting in Ramadan is one of Islam's foremost pillars and greatest symbols. Many of its purposes relate to God's Lordship and giving thanks for His bounties, as well as to humanity's individual and collective life, self-training, and self-discipline. Then, he delineates the wisdom of Ramadan as follows: First, the noble Qur'an, the word of God, was revealed to humanity in the month of Ramadan (the Qur'an, 2:185). Accordingly, to shun the lower demands of the ego and trivialities and to resemble the angelic state by abstaining from food and drink in order to greet that heavenly address in the best manner is to attain a holy state.