Ramadan

The fourth pillar of Islam is too fast, especially in the month of Ramadan. Fasting is not new. All of the Prophets of God fasted. “Ramadan” is an Arabic word which means “heat” or “burning.” It takes its name from the kind of wrapping or protection given to man and animals in the hot desert heat. When a person is fasting, he is under the burning heat of appetite for physical food. But while he is under this burning heat, a resistance to heat is building up in him. The muscles of his will power build up under the test of the desire to satisfy his want for food and drink. The buildup of the will power is a kind of wrapping that will protect you from the heat, not only for the month of Ramadan, but for the rest of the year. There are many kinds of heat other than the temptation of food that will tempt you to break your will power and give in to the heat. If you fast properly during the month of Ramadan, you will get the resistance that you need to survive the “heat” for the rest of the year. (Imam W. Deen Mohammed, September 26, 1975 Muhammad Speaks Newspaper ‘Muslim Journal’)