What is the aim of fasting in the month of Ramadan? The aim of course is to attain Taqwa.
In the Holy Quran the prescription for Fasting and its aim is mentioned in the same verse. It says:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ١٨٣
“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you: As it was prescribed to those before you that you may (Learn) Taqwa (Self-control). [Quran 2:183]
In this verse, Fasting is like a vehicle and the aimed destination is Taqwa. Taqwa is avoiding sinful thoughts, feelings, manners, dealings, and actions for the fear of Allah’s punishment.
During fast, a believer abstains from foods, drinks, and sexual intimacy to avoid sins to avoid disobedience of Allah. This practice is to extend in every area of life is the aim of fasting.
As a result, through fasting practices, a believer will learn self-control to become a righteous servant of Allah with best moral character to receive blessings, mercy, forgiveness and Paradise from Allah.
What is aimless fasting then?
It means, fasting as merely a ritual without learning Taqwa (Self-control). The aim of fasting is to learn to control one’s sinful evil desires, anger-rage, hatred, lying, corruption, greed, jealousy-envy, disbelief, laziness about worship, cruelty, selfishness, bad tongue with backbiting-abuse-cursing, private part, hands, and manners etc.
If a believer fasts without targeting to control the sinful actions, then that is called aimless fasting. Can a Muslim afford to neglect the aim of fasting when Allah has prescribed it? Therefore, aim of fasting must not be ignored by believers. They must focus on the rituals as well as the aim of fasting to achieve the success in both lives.
Therefore, for believers, they should make a list of their aim in their fasting. Such as, love for Allah, fear for Allah, love for worship, anger control, tongue control, evil desire control, hands control, manner control, unfairness control, human rights violation control, domestic violence control, oppression control and bad character control etc.
Then, they should check with the list how much they are learning to control those traits as fasting month proceeds and ends. That way, they can self-assess the degree of self-control they have achieved to reach to the aim of fasting. If they find short in high degree, they can work on it more. But without the awareness of aim of Fasting, the month will come and go, but they cannot learn the aim of fasting.
Learning self-control through Taqwa is the aim of fasting in the month of Ramadan. A believer’s target must be to achieve the goal (aim) of fasting to gain ultimate success. For an example:
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَنَهَى ٱلنَّفْسَ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰ ٤٠ فَإِنَّ ٱلْجَنَّةَ هِىَ ٱلْمَأْوَىٰ ٤١
“And for those who had felt the fear of standing before their Lord and had restrained (their) souls from lowly desires, their home will be the Paradise.” [Quran 79:40-41]
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