THE PURPOSE OF THE FAST
Afzal Shah Madudi 
The Beloved Prophet ﷺ said “There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger, and there are those who pray and get nothing from their prayer but a sleepless night.” (Sunan Ibn Majah 1690).
Hujjatul-Islam (The Proof of Islam), Imam Ghazali (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) advised not to eat too much food at the time of breaking the fast. He said what is the use of the fast as a means to conquer the nafs, if a person makes up for all the food one has missed during the daytime and indulges in a variety of extra foods at the time of breaking the fast.
The purpose of the fast is to experience hunger and to check desire in order to reinforce the soul in piety. He advised that one should also take little sleep during the daytime so that one feels hunger and thirst and becomes aware of the weakening of one's powers, which will result in the purification of the heart.
Imam Ghazali (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) explained that the human is superior to animals since the human has the ability to tame his lust but the human is still inferior to the angel, as he is put to the difficult test with his temptations. When the human falls to his lust, he sinks to the lowest of the low and joins the animals. But when he overcomes his desires, he ascends to the highest of the high and attains the angelic level and closer to Allah (Glorified and Exalted).
Dua:
Ishq de Mahboob ka hum ko ya Ilahul Alameen,
Sayyidatina Masooma Hazrat Fatima (Radhy Allahu Anha) ke Wastey
O’Lord of all the worlds, give us sincere love for your Beloved,
for the sake of Sayyidatina Fatima Az-Zahra (RA)
Syed afzal Ali shah Maududi.
Editor cum Bureau chief.
Lucknow
