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Blessed month Ramadan al Sharif has come again. For the last few years it is in summer. This means long hours of hunger and thirst in many countries. Muslims fast more than 17 hours in many regions.
The hunger we experience during Ramadan is a means of many benefits. There is great wisdom behind the hunger of this valuable worship. Here are some of them:
– Hunger teaches us that we are mortal! Many of us mistakenly suppose that the time will not come for us. We forget that we will leave this world one day. Hunger reminds us that we need sustenance to live. This makes us remember that we are not immortal. Thus, we turn our faces to hereafter.
– We understand how weak human is. Even the strongest of us understand that he is in fact powerless. His strength is all gone in just one day. We realize that the source of power does not belong to us.
– We cannot eat anything during the days of Ramadan. This reveals the truth that foods and drinks do not belong to us; they are actually given to us (even if we buy them with our own money). Although we are able to reach out for the foods in the kitchen to eat them, we cannot do that until the adhan of magrib is recited, the time when we are allowed to break our fast. We realize that the real owner of sustenance is our Lord.
– Thanks to the hunger sins lose their attraction. It lessens the desire of lower self for sins. Thus, we can keep away from them much easier during Ramadan. So, we become closer to a state of a beloved servant than to a state of poor sinner. This gives human a spiritual pleasure that cannot be described. And that helps us increase our awareness of abstaining from misdeeds.
– Hunger let us taste a pleasure of spiritual lightness. Being full all the time spoils the lower self. This strengthens the material side while weakening the spiritual side of human. Hunger, on the other hand, saves the spirit from the burden of material. It becomes free from the unending desires of the lower self. Spiritual senses of human become more dominant during Ramadan.
– Hunger makes us understand the painful conditions of the poor, homeless, war wearies, helpless and others. A person who is always full cannot really understand how a hungry person, who cannot find anything to eat for days, suffers hunger and feels pain. Especially the rich, if they are heedless most of the time, cannot even imagine it. The hunger we experience during Ramadan makes us realize the painful situations of the unfortunate and urges us to lend a helping hand to them.
– Finally, we understand how valuable the sustenance is. All the meals, fruits, vegetables, and desserts are great bounties. A single loaf of bread becomes so much valuable when we are hungry. During Ramadan the real value of the sustenance become apparent. And this leads us to thank the Giver of our sustenance.
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Some wise words about hunger:
- With hunger no bread is nasty.
- Hunger sweetens beans.
- To the hungry man everything is sweet.
- A hungry stomach seldom scorns plain food.
- Hunger is the best sauce.