Man stands defined as social animal. The physical drives maypromote animal like instincts, however higher sense driven by cognitiveappreciation act as a restraining influence on physical drives. Apart fromprayer ordained five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan promotescognitive approach. That it is a measure of self-restraint is enshrined inSurah Al-Baqarah (the Cow) as noted below:
”O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it wasprescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint—” (2:183)
The Holy Verse enunciates that fasting was prescribed forother groups of people: the pre-Islamic Ummahs’ though the routine of fastingmight have differed, however not the guiding principle of self-restraint. Theprinciple holds that in case of conflict between physical drives and highervalues, the values should hold. There is an additional element, fastingconditions the ones who undertake it to hard and laborious life.
Hunger and thirst may result from deprivation of means ofsustenance. It is the fate of underprivileged and downtrodden sections of the society.As and when fasting is undertaken by privileged sections of society, they standto develop an appreciation of what hunger and thirst implies. The privilegedcould thence be moved to make provision for the underprivileged. This couldpromote social equilibrium, and in turn help in resorting socio-economicbalance.
Divine Laws entail that human society should share the meansof sustenance proportionately, thus promote social welfare. Fasting forprescribed number of days during the month of Ramadan entails abstinence fromfood and drink for specified hours (dawn to dusk) as well as discipliningspecial senses. Thus the person fasting may not lend his ear to what isabhorrent, may refrain from seeing the obscene, and may not speak ill ofanyone. Responses may be moderated, and harsh reactions avoided. Moderation isa prescribed norm in Islam. Muslims have been defined as ‘Ummat-ul-Wasta’ whatan author has defined as the Ummat of ‘Golden Mien’ avoiding extreme responses.
Fasting entailswholesome disciplining of higher senses involving cognitive appreciation, aswell as disciplining special senses. Fasting could thus be called soul liftingexperience.