SPIRIT OF ISLAM MAY 2O18

12 Spirit of Islam Issue 65 May 2018 During the month of Ramazan he should become more of a student of the Quran and do serious study and discover those principles by which he may develop his personality and become a positive thinker and a spiritual person in the full sense. According to Islamic ideology, a believer is a man of mission. A man of mission is a unique person. He has little time for anything other than his mission. He eschews all such activities as are irrelevant to his mission, and fasting symbolizes this very spirit. The Arabic equivalent of fasting is sawm , which means abstinence. Abstinence is the gist of fasting. When one involves himself in a mission he abstains from all diversions. He has no time, except for fulfilling his bare necessities. This is the mission culture. Abstaining from food and water for a limited period is a symbolic training. This practice prepares one to lead a life of dedication to one’s mission. The mission is to be a spiritual person and to share this spirituality with others. Fasting during the month of Ramazan reminds a faithful person that if the acts of abstinence were to reach the extent of refraining from food and water for a temporary period, then he would be ready to do so for a higher purpose. Although this training is for a temporary period, it enables him to lead his whole life in accordance with this spirit. For a faithful person, living for the divine cause is his mission. All other things become secondary for him. This kind of focused life is a great source of spirituality. A person, who controls his material life and devotes himself for a higher cause, also inculcates in himself what is called spirituality. In terms of external form, he refrains from material things, but in terms of inner content, he inculcates spirituality in his personality. o A man of mission is a unique person. He has little time for anything other than his mission. He eschews all such activities as are irrelevant to his mission, and fasting symbolizes this very spirit. Preparation of the Mind Preparation means to engage in self-training on positive lines.