“During the month of Ramadhan the Qur’ān was sent down as 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 the holy month of Ramadhan is an obligatory prayer. 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 was revealed in the holy month of Ramadhan, so that we may know the way that leads to God’s pleasure, shape our lives in the light of its teachings and invite people to enjoy this Guidance and Criterion in their own lives. Fasting is an excellent means by which to prepare ourselves to fulfil this assigned duty. Hence fasting in the month of the revelation of the Qur’ān is more than an act of worship and devotion and more than an excellent course of moral training. It is also an appropriate act for the expression of our thankfulness to God for giving us the bounty of the Qur’ān.
For those who fail to fast during the month of Ramadhan owing to some legitimate reason, God has kept the door of compensation open during other months of the year so that they need not be deprived of the opportunity to express their gratitude to Him for His great bounty in the form of revealing the Qur’ān.