Ramadan The Month of Patience and Gratitude

A Muslim lives his life on a balance of patience and gratitude. S/he shows gratitude to the blessings bestowed upon him/her by his Lord and shows patience in front of the hardships and trials s/he goes through. The month of Ramadan strengthens this patience of a believer and bolsters one's character and personality. Therefore, the Prophet said “Fasting is half of patience.” (Ibn Majah, Sawm, 44) . The person who fasts and withstands hunger and thirst, abstaining from eating and drinking while he could easily do either one, the one who controls his desires and lusts solely for the pleasure of Allah, he is from the Patient ones. Fasting, in its true sense, is not only to preserve one's body, but similarly it is to preserve one's tongue from sins, backbiting and evil speech; purifying one's heart from selfishness, greed and envy; and distancing oneself from all kinds of sins. 

With this fast, by abstaining from various blessings, if even for a short while, a person somewhat understands the situation of the deprivation. S/he will realize that there are many people living in need of a piece of bread, who have to walk miles for a bucket of water, who do not have the basic needs of life. Fasting teaches a person to question oneself. Because of the fast, a person asks himself certain questions s/he usually would not think about: how much gratitude does one show to the countless blessing bestowed upon himself/herself, and whether or not one thanks Allah enough. A person will, thereby, know his stance between patience and gratitude; s/he will question his/her servitude and his/her morality. And evaluate if s/he is closer to patience, gratitude or rebellion. For this reason Ramadan is an opportunity to make us turn to ourselves, make us explore and think about ourselves. It is not certain how many of these opportunities we will have in our lifetimes.