“During the month of Ramadan, the Qur’ān was sent down as a guidance to the people with clear signs of the true guidance, and as the Criterion (between right and wrong). So those of you who live to see that month should fast it, and whoever is sick or on a journey should fast the same number of other days instead. Allah wants ease and not hardship for you so that you may complete the number of days required, magnify Allah for what He has guided you to, and give thanks to Him.”
(Al-Qur’ān – 2:185)
Fasting in Ramadan is obligatory. It is not only an act of worship and devotion and a means to nourish piety but also an act of gratefulness to God for His great bounty of true guidance in the form of the Qur’ān. The Qur’ān has been revealed during the month of Ramadan so that we may know the way that leads to God’s great pleasure, follow that way ourselves and direct the world along it. Fasting is an excellent means by which to prepare ourselves for shouldering this task. Hence fasting during the month of the revelation of the Qur’ān is more than an act of worship and more than an excellent course of training. It is also an appropriate act for the expression of our thankfulness to God for the bounty of the Qur’ān.
For those who fail to fast during that month owing to some legitimate reason God has kept the door of compensation open during other months of the year.