Ramadan Fasting: A Path to Spiritual Discipline
Muslims during the month of Ramadan are required to observe a strict fast, which is considered one of the fundamental pillars of faith. According to the description, this fast involves a mandatory abstention during daylight hours from food, drink, intimate relations, and several other actions explicitly prescribed in Sharia. In fact, the fast begins at dawn and continues until it becomes so dark outside that it is impossible to distinguish a black thread from a white one. This requirement symbolizes spiritual purification and discipline, allowing the believer to focus on inner values and forgo worldly pleasures in the name of piety.Supporting citation(s):"The fourth pillar is to observe the fast of the month of Ramadan. ... Ramadan fasting entails that a person does not eat, drink, engage in sexual relations, or perform other acts (among a series of other prohibitions, clearly described in Sharia) during the period from dawn until the point when it is impossible to distinguish a black thread from a white one on the street." (source: link txt)