Guidance from Allah

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

شَہۡرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدً۬ى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِ‌ۚ فَمَن شَہِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّہۡرَ فَلۡيَصُمۡهُ‌ۖ وَمَن ڪَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ۬ فَعِدَّةٌ۬ مِّنۡ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ‌ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِڪُمُ ٱلۡيُسۡرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِڪُمُ ٱلۡعُسۡرَ وَلِتُڪۡمِلُواْ ٱلۡعِدَّةَ وَلِتُڪَبِّرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَٮٰكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

It was in this month of Ramadan that the Qur'an was revealed as a guidance for mankind, clear messages giving guidance and distinguishing between right and wrong. So any of you who sees in that month should fast, and anyone who is ill or on a journey should make up for the lost days by fasting on other days later. God wants ease for you, not hardship. He wants you to complete the prescribed period and to glorify Him for having guided you, so that you may be thankful. (The Cow, v. 185)

Towards the end of this beautiful verse, God mentions the necessity of completing the prescribed period- an entire month of abstinence from basic necessities which a person living in most modern societies would find difficult to give up. God emphasizes on completing the prescribed period- and although there is a concession for the sick and the traveler, any person who has entered this month is asked to make up for the missed days. 

So, clearly, the prescribed period is important as it an important milestone in a Master-slave relationship. It lays a pathway for our spiritual development. It is a program. A program where we learn that if we can abstain from the permissible, we have the ability to give up the impermissible. It is a means by which we can discipline ourselves, a vehicle that allows us to be more cognizant of our Master, an agent which helps us recognize the way we've been guided and with that recognition, we engage in His glorification. This glorification is not just on Eid when we proclaim His perfection and greatness, but it transcends beyond that, in every aspect of our lives, to the rest of the year. 

And once the realization has seeped into our hearts, we can learn to prioritize our Maker over ourselves, and when that sinks in, we can be truly grateful.