Why do muslims fast?
Muslims fast in Ramadan because God prescribed it to develop God-consciousness, as He prescribed fasting for earlier nations too.
Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan because God commanded it in the Quran, and the verse that does so gives the reason: so that believers may attain God-consciousness. The same verse notes that fasting was prescribed for people before Islam, and Muslim writers point out that it appears in Hinduism, in the Jewish Day of Atonement, and in the practice of Moses and Jesus. For a whole month, every adult Muslim, rich or poor, goes without food, drink and marital relations from dawn to sunset. The exercise trains self-control, reminds the well-fed of the hungry, and turns attention from the body to God. Ramadan is also the month in which the Quran was first revealed, so Muslims recite it more in these days. Those who are ill or travelling may make up the days later. The articles “Why Do Muslims Fast?” and “Ramadan and Fasting” explain the spirit and the rules.
Evidence
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.
Quran 2:183Why Do Muslims Fast? Dr Bilal Philips Most of us who are fighting the battle of the bulge have experimented with some form of fasting, like an all fruit fast, a water fast or an sugar-free fast, you name it. But what many may find rather strange and intriguing is a whole nation of people;From Why Do Muslims Fast? — IslamHouse.com. Reproduced with attribution.
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