A Time to Know Your Inner Self
by Irshad Hussain
"And what can convey to you what Laylatul Qadr is? That night is better than a thousand months...." (Qur'an 97:2-3)
"The angels and the spirit (ruh) descend in it, by the command of their Lord with every decree...." (Qur'an 97:4)
"(That night is) Peace till the breaking of the dawn." (Qur'an 97:5)
"And in yourselves - what do you not see?" (Qur'an 51:21)
Fasting (Sawm) carries a two-fold meaning - two seemingly opposing definitions combined into a single word. And sawm, as described in the Qur'an and the Hadith, simultaneously fulfills both of these definitions.The primary meaning is to hold back, to refrain from, to abstain - the further meaning is to rise beyond, to move past former limits.
The month of Ramadan is a time in which we hold our bodily compulsions and instincts under strict control, together with our thoughts and our mental states, our moods and desires.