Ramadan does not come to teach us how to eat better, healthier, or tastier.
It comes to teach us how to need Allah more.
Yet every year, the same tragedy repeats itself.
The days of fasting pass quickly.
The nights blur together.
And when the moon of Shawwal is sighted, many hearts feel unchanged.
Not because they did not fast. But because Ramadan was reduced to a schedule of meals, not a journey of the heart.
This is a reminder for us all. Ramadan was never meant to be about what we eat. It was always about who we become.
Ramadan Was Prescribed for One Reason: Taqwa
- Ibn al-Qayyim said:
وَلِلصَّوْمِ تَأْثِيرٌ عَجِيبٌ فِي حِفْظِ الْجَوَارِحِ الظَّاهِرَةِ وَالْقُوَى الْبَاطِنَةِ، وَحِمْيَتِهَا عَنِ التَّخْلِيطِ الْجَالِبِ لَهَا الْمَوَادَّ الْفَاسِدَةَ الَّتِي إِذَا اسْتَوْلَتْ عَلَيْهَا أَفْسَدَتْهَا، وَاسْتِفْرَاغِ الْمَوَادِّ الرَّدِيئَةِ الْمَانِعَةِ لَهَا مِنْ صِحَّتِهَا، فَالصَّوْمُ يَحْفَظُ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ وَالْجَوَارِحِ صِحَّتَهَا، وَيُعِيدُ إِلَيْهَا مَا اسْتَلَبَتْهُ مِنْهَا أَيْدِي الشَّهَوَاتِ، فَهُوَ مِنْ أَكْبَرِ الْعَوْنِ عَلَى التَّقْوَى، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ﴾
Fasting has a remarkable effect in preserving the outward limbs and the inward faculties, protecting them from corruption that brings about harmful substances which, when they dominate them, spoil them. It also expels the vile substances that prevent them from attaining soundness.
Thus fasting preserves the health of the heart and the limbs, and restores to them what the hands of desires have stripped away from them. For this reason, it is among the greatest means of attaining taqwa, as Allah the Exalted says:
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you so that you may attain taqwa. [Surah al-Baqarah 2:183] [Zad al-Ma'ad fi Hady Khayr al-’Ibad, Volume 2 Page 28]
Thus, whoever fastring drives them to obey Allah, fulfill obligations, and abandon prohibitions has attained the desired fruits of fasting.
- As Sheikh Ibn Baz said:
المقصود بالصيام هو طاعة الله سبحانه، وتعظيم حرماته، وجهاد النفس على مخالفة هواها في طاعة مولاها، وتعويدها الصبرعما حرم الله، وليس المقصود مجرد ترك الطعام والشرب وسائر المفطرات
What is intended by fasting is obedience to Allah, glorifying His sacred limits, striving against the soul by opposing its desires in obedience to its Master, and training it to be patient in refraining from what Allah has forbidden. It is not intended to be merely abstaining from food, drink, and the rest of the nullifiers of the fast. [Majmu‘at Fatawa wa Maqalat Mutanawwi‘ah li al-Sheikh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz, Volume 15 Page 14]
Helping at Home Is Worship, Not a Favour
One of the most neglected forms of worship in Ramadan is serving one’s family.
Many households fall into an unspoken pattern: Ramadan arrives, and the workload multiplies, often silently, on the women of the home.
Cooking. Cleaning. Preparing Suhoor. Preparing Iftar. Hosting guests. And repeating it all.
Yet the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ shatters this imbalance. Aisha رضي الله عنها was asked what the Prophet ﷺ used to do at home, and she said:
كَانَ فِي مِهْنَةِ أَهْلِهِ، فَإِذَا سَمِعَ الْأَذَانَ خَرَجَ
He used to work for his family, and when he heard the Adhan, he would go out [Sahih al-Bukhari 5363]
- And he ﷺ said:
خَيْرُكُمْ خَيْرُكُمْ لِأَهْلِهِ وَأَنَا خَيْرُكُمْ لِأَهْلِي
The best of you is he who is best to his family, and I am the best among you to my family. [Sunan al-Tirmidhi 3895]
Ramadan is not only about standing long in prayer, it is also about lifting burdens off others for the sake of Allah.
Helping prepare iftar. Keeping it very simple. Cleaning after meals. Caring for children. Giving rest to those who fasted while working all day.
This is not just “helping out.” With the right intention, this is a great ‘Ibadah.
Ramadan and the Revival of Family Ties
Islam places immense weight on maintaining family ties, and Ramadan provides the perfect opportunity to revive them.
- The Prophet ﷺ said:
الرَّحِمُ شُجْنَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ، مَنْ وَصَلَهَا وَصَلَهُ اللَّهُ، وَمَنْ قَطَعَهَا قَطَعَهُ اللَّهُ
Kinship (rahim) is derived from Allah. If anyone maintains ties of kinship Allah maintains ties with him. If anyone cuts them off, Allah cuts him off. [Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 55]
- In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يُبْسَطَ لَهُ رِزْقُهُ أَوْ يُنْسَأَ لَهُ فِي أَثَرِهِ فَلْيَصِلْ رَحِمَهُ
Whoever desires an expansion in his sustenance and age, should keep good relations with his Kith and kin. [Sahih al-Bukhari 2067]
This can all be done via inviting family for Iftar, which opens the opportunity for another reward.
Inviting Family for Iftar
The Prophet ﷺ taught that feeding a fasting person carries immense reward:
مَنْ فَطَّرَ صَائِمًا كَانَ لَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِهِمْ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَنْقُصَ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَيْئًا
Whoever gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will have a reward like theirs, without that detracting from their reward in the slightest. [Sunan Ibn Majah 1746]
Ibn al-Mulaqqin said regarding fasting:
وقيل: في قوله تعالى: ﴿فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ﴾ [السجدة: ١٧] أن عملهم الصيام فيفرغ لهم الجزاء إفراغًا من غير تقدير، فخص الصيام بالتضعيف عَلَى سبعمائة ضعف
It was said concerning the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says, “No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do” [as-Sajdah 32:17] that “what they used to do” was fasting, so they will be rewarded abundantly, without measure. Fasting is singled out for the more than seven hundredfold reward… [At-Tawdih li Sharh al-Jami‘ as-Sahih, 13/28]
If this is the reward for feeding a normal fasting person, then what about a family member?
Character was the Mission of the Prophet ﷺ
The Prophet ﷺ said that he was sent to perfect good character.
Not to create a society of people who merely abstain from food, but people who control their tongues, tempers, and egos.
If fasting does not improve how we speak to others, how we react when tired, how we handle irritation and hunger, then the fast has not yet reached the heart.
Ramadan is not about becoming irritable and excusing it with hunger, as some may do. It is about becoming gentler despite hunger.
Charity in Ramadan
The Prophet ﷺ was the most generous of people, and he was most generous in Ramadan.
This month forces us to feel hunger so that we remember those who do not know when their next meal will come.
Giving charity is not only about money. It is about relieving hardship.
Providing Suhoor to those who struggle. Supporting families who cannot afford Iftar. Feeding the poor quietly, sincerely, consistently.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught that Allah aids a servant as long as the servant aids their brother:
وَاللَّهُ فِي عَوْنِ الْعَبْدِ مَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ فِي عَوْنِ أَخِيهِ
Allah aids a servant so long as the servant aids his brother… [Sahih Muslim 2699a]
Ramadan is a month where this promise becomes visible.
Soften Your Heart by Showing Mercy to Orphans
Another great way to improve spiritually is to take this advice of the Prophet ﷺ seriously.
- A man once complained to him about a hardened heart, so he ﷺ said:
إِنْ أَرَدْتَ تَلْيِينَ قَلْبِكَ فَأَطْعِمْ الْمِسْكِينَ وَامْسَحْ رَأْسَ الْيَتِيمِ
If you want to soften your heart, feed the poor and pat the head of the orphan [Musnad Ahmad 7576]
This is a simple but powerful Sunnah. It revives mercy in a way long acts of worship sometimes do not.
Make space in your Ramadan for direct compassion:
- Support an orphan
- Spend time with them
- Treat them with visible kindness and care
The Prophet ﷺ said:
أَنَا وَكَافِلُ الْيَتِيمِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ هَكَذَا وَقَالَ بِإِصْبَعَيْهِ السَّبَّابَةِ وَالْوُسْطَى
“Myself and the caretaker of an orphan will be in Paradise like this,” and he held his two fingers together. [Sahih al-Bukhari 6005]
Ramadan does not only soften hearts through just hunger,it softens them through mercy shown to those who carry loss every day.
The Modern Fitnah of Food Obsession
One of the most dangerous distractions of modern Ramadan culture is not food itself, but an obsession with food.
What to cook. What to buy. What to post. The best menu for Iftar. Where to go out after Taraweeh.
Hours are spent thinking about meals, while minutes are given to the Qur’an.
We must reflect deeply on the fact that: The Salaf ate only to straighten their backs. We eat until getting up for Salah becomes a struggle.
Relearning How to Eat in Ramadan
The Prophet ﷺ taught balance in eating long before nutrition trends existed.
He taught that the stomach should be divided into three parts:
- One for food
- One for drink
- One for breath
[Ibn Majah 3349]
Ramadan is the ideal time to practice this Sunnah.
Practical ways to reclaim simplicity:
- Break your fast with dates and water
- Eat smaller portions
- Avoid excessive variety
- Resist the urge to “reward” fasting with indulgence
- Eat intentionally, not emotionally
When food becomes lighter, the heart becomes lighter.
Ramadan is About Direction, Not Perfection
This month is not about flawless worship. It is about direction.
Are we moving closer to Allah? Are we becoming more patient at home? More generous with others? More disciplined with desire?
Ramadan does not ask for a transformed life in thirty days. It asks for a changed trajectory.
And sometimes, that change begins simply by eating less, serving more, speaking gently, and remembering Allah often.
A Final Reflection
Ramadan will leave us, as it always does.
The question is not whether we fasted. The question is what fasted with us.
Did our desires fast? Did our egos fast? Did our tongues fast? Did our selfishness fast?
Or was it only our stomachs?
May Allah allow us to experience a Ramadan that reshapes our hearts, not just our schedules.
And may we leave this month closer to Him than we were before.
