It is about 3 in the afternoon and we are returning home from the office. Due to Ramadan, we are all returning home early. Weather is hot and thirst of fasting has made it appear even more. No one is talking in the van; some are feeling sleepy while others are trying to control their temper. Till I reached home, I saw 3 scenes in which two men fought or were about to fight with each other. When I knocked at the door, my brother opened the door with some care and attention. He was also expecting any kind of short-tempered behavior from me and thus was a bit careful as not to annoy me. He quickly opened the door and got on a side as if asking me to advance to my room without saying anything to him.

Other day, my aunt was saying to his sons to go shops after Iftaar as at that times shopkeepers are found to be in good temper or mood, otherwise, in day time, they are found to be very agile and ready to fight.
This general perception of Ramadan and fasting is found, more or less, everywhere. Excluding a small minority, when people fast, they develop a very sensitive and fragile thinking in their minds about their condition; both physical and emotional. They think that with fast they become short-tempered and thus people around them needs to be careful so as not to annoy them. That's why we witness such expressions as, "Shhh! be careful boys, your father is coming!" or "Let's silently do our work, boss too often gets angry this month".

This is such a helpless situation that the good image and reputation of this blessed month is ruined and we give a negative message to the followers of others religions. They think that Muslims fast but then they get absolutely disturbed both mentally and physically.

As it is mentioned in Quran, Allah is not in need of our fast or does not like to keep us thirsty and hungry. Rather Allah wants to check as if how much we are pious and control our tempers and emotions. If we just remain thirsty and angry and then don't go through any kind of mental or spiritual cleanliness and alteration, we are like a cow or a sheep that has been tied and forgotten at the corner of the house and has not been provided with any water or food. Even those animals are comparatively better than us that they remain silent and calm for about a day or more when left in such circumstances.

Exact opposite of the above picture can be viewed as the most ideal situation for the believer who keeps fast with all the understanding and good intention.

I have also witnessed a lot many people who never let the fast to have any effect on their routine activeness or to their mental calmness. They perform all their duties just like a normal day and appear to be more humble and polite in these blessed days.

This month has come to benefit us both physically and spiritually and if we cannot get benefitted from it, at least we should not get harmed by it as well.

Even before the month of Ramadan starts, it needs to be well-understood by everyone that one might feel a bit difference in his physical alertness and emotional calmness so he needs to be very careful so as to exhibit polite and well-mannered behaviors.

In this way, one would be able to achieve one of the aims of this worship and it is to bring perfection in your manners and learn how to deal the people in the best possible manner. When you will interact with the people keeping in your mind this philosophy, you would definitely experience the perfection of your good behavior.

It is said that one cannot realize the difficulties unless he himself goes through it. If you make a person read a number of books about the different difficulties of life and he feels himself being in stress while reading the books but he will never realize the reality of difficulties until and unless he himself doesn't pass through the same situation. In our daily lives, we listen and read about the difficulties of poor and importance of helping them. In books we read about it, in newspapers we read articles in this regard, in television, we watch people suffering with poverty and in mosques, Imam Sahib repeatedly reminds us to help our poor brothers but soon we forget all these and get lost in our comfortable life. When we have plenty to eat and have a joyful routine from morning till evening, we hardly get a time of reflection to think about others.

A man was a bit disturbed with the behavior of his three sons on the dining table. On every meal, each one of them demanded a separate thing and they never liked the food served. They were also not satisfied with even two varieties of dishes and when one wanted kitchen, other demanded the burger and the third one pizza and satisfying them had become an asking challenge. Then father decided that twice in a week, they would eat only the bread with water in dinner. When children had nothing to eat than the mere bread and water, they realized that how much they were ungrateful. Then the food that they normally disliked appeared to them very tasty.

In the same way, when we remain thirsty and hungry for a whole day, we realize how much difficult it would be for those who find nothing to eat and remain hungry for a day or more. This fills our heart with emotions and motivates us to help the poor in future.

A person narrates his story that the tea in afternoon never attracted him too much especially when it was not accompanied by some pastry or cake. Then he got a job in which he had to work non-stop from midday till late in evening. At about 5, they were provided with a cup of tea in the break. This cup of tea gave him such a pleasure that he forgot the tea that he used to drink at home with other edibles.

After experiencing the thirst and hunger for a whole month, we not only change our views about the sufferings of others, we also realize the true worth of those things that were bestowed upon us but we had not fully realized their importance.
This is one of the few lessons that this blessed month offers to us!

If experienced with full knowledge and appreciation, Ramadan has routine that cannot be alternated by any other month or ritual or ceremony. We wake up almost in midnight when our warm bed and heavy sleep do not set us free easily. We fight with our carnal desires and overcoming them, proceed to eat the food which is something unusual to be done as for the last 11 months, we have never got up at this time of night and or eaten anything.

Our mothers and sisters are busy in kitchen to cook and prepare delicious food. It is not meant that we should eat more and more rather it has to give message that we have whole-heartedly accepted the decision to get up now and we are preparing all these just to show how much we keep dear this order given to us by Allah.

Then we start the food and though our mind and appetite are not ready to accept it too much yet we think that we have to do it whole-heartedly and thus food is eaten with the extreme desire. This is also a time to contemplate and be grateful to the blessings that have been bestowed upon us.

Then we wait for the Azaan to be called but there remains some time in which we take ablution and purify ourselves physically. This is another message that we seek the help of Allah to purify our souls as well. Then we keep busy in recitation of Holy Quran and prayers till the time of prayers come up. We try to seek the guidance of Allah according to the guidelines given in Holy Quran.

Recitation of Holy Quran is done with two methods. Some merely recite it with a rhyme and proper intonation and this thing softens the heart and gives you a spiritual pleasure. While some read it with translation and explanation in order to better understand the messages hidden in it; messages that are meant for being good human and of benefit to the whole of humanity. While some others, read it in either of the ways mentioned. Whatever the methodology maybe, main aim is to seek the pleasure of Allah's servant hood.

Those who were not able to read more than a few pages in the whole year now got the chance to recite a lot of chapters of this blessed book just because of the blessings of this month.

When the time of prayers comes, we start moving towards the mosque. People of different ages are also assembling in the mosque leaving aside the differences of social status, wealth, race or color and with a single aim of winning the favors of Allah. Although it is still dark in the early morning and many of them feel sleepy, yet they overcome their material desire and bodily laziness and run in the path which is true and leading to prosperity.

Then people sleep for 2 to 3 hours and experience the sleep which is full of taste and which can relieve a person of the sleeping pills. This sleep is one that can be called truly comforting.

Then we wake up so that our routine activities should not be disturbed. It is said that with the rights of Allah, rights of human beings should not be violated. Courageous and brave are those who not only try to earn the blessings of the month but also not let their worldly works be disturbed.

Then the whole day you interact with the people in the best possible manner as it is in your mind that you have made an important promise to control your desires and be a master of your body and soul.

Although you feel a bit exhausted and your mental and physical conditions a bit deteriorated but you control them from your will and this will is supported by the strong emotional promise that you made in the beginning of the month.

At times people annoy you, situations disturb you and different events make you feel angry but then you control yourself and keep in your control your feelings and emotions that were previously very violent and always dictated you what to do.

Then you take a bit rest in the afternoon and make yourself ready for a series of worships to follow.

Just before the Azaan in evening, you assemble with all the family members at a point to break the fast. As the Azaan is called, you again praise Allah for the whole day when you had a fruitful fast and for the bounties that you have been bestowed to break your fast. While eating, your desire calls to eat and drink as quick as possible but then you control yourself and while eating and drinking, you give preference to others and it is also a part of the teachings of this month.

After about an hour or more, you again get ready to go to mosque and worship for an hour or two. This feels a bit difficult after the whole days fast but then you don't let the laziness control you and your intentions. In mosque, the sweet voice of Hafiz reciting the Holy Quran takes you to another world of spiritual pleasure and contentment and you feel yourself as light as a newly born baby.

With this you return home and soon you feel sleepy and tired and retire to a rest that is full of contentment and comfort.

This is how every single day passes in this blessed month.

As we observed, these 24 hours never let a single moment be idle and be filled by evil thoughts and ideas and thus these 30 days act as a perfect period for the purification of one's habits and ideas.
Many new and good habits can also be achieved and established as after the practice of 30 days, all your good habits can become permanent. Similarly, many people have experienced this month to successfully quit their bad and uncontrollable habits.

This month is especially a blessing for those who feel that they have got separated from the worships and other fruitful Islamic activities as with the routine of prayers, recitations and self-control, one can easily re-enter the circle of worships and overcome the lazy habits.

But all these are only possible when one reads and discovers the true spirit of the month. Then he makes a strong commitment with himself to follow the guidelines strictly.
We are lucky to have been given with a month that can be termed as miraculous and such blessings cannot be availed by any other source or mean. It would be really pity if we fail to avail all the benefits offered by it.