Human beings have been created differently with regard to their livelihoods. In consequence of this, God Almighty invites the rich to assist the poor, so that through the hunger  experienced  in fasting, they can truly understand  the pains and hunger which the poor suffer. If there were no fasting, many self-indulgent  rich would be unable to perceive just how grievous are hunger and poverty and how needy of compassion are those who suffer them.

Compassion  for  one’s  fellow  men  is  an  essential  part  of  true  thankfulness. Whoever  a person  is, there  will always  be someone  poorer  than himself  in some respect. He is enjoined to be compassionate towards such a person. If he were not himself compelled  to suffer hunger, he would be unable give the person – through compassion – the help and assistance he is obliged to offer. And even if he were able, it would be deficient, for he would not have truly experienced hunger himself.

F o u r t h P o i n t

One instance of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan with respect to training the instinctual soul is as follows:

The instinctual soul wants to be free and independent, and considers itself to be thus. According to the dictates of its nature, it even desires an imaginary dominicalit y and to act as it pleases. It does not want to admit that it is being sustained and trained through innumerable bounties. Especially if it possesses worldly wealth and power, and if heedlessness also encourages it, it will devour God’s bounties like a usurping, thieving animal.

Thus, in the month of Ramadan, the instinctual soul of everyone, from the richest to the poorest, may understand that it does not own itself but is totally owned; that it is not free, but is a slave. It understands that if it receives no command, it may not do the  simplest  and  easiest  thing;  it  cannot  even  stretch  out  its  hand  for  water.  Its imaginary dominicalit y is therefore shattered; it performs its worship and begins to offer thanks, its true duty.

F i f t h  P o i n t

One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan from the point of view of improving the conduct of the instinctual soul and giving up its rebellious habits is as follows:

Due  to  its  heedlessness  the  human  soul  forgets  itself;  it cannot  see  its  utter powerlessness,  want, and deficiency and it does not wish to see them. It does not think of just how weak it is, and how subject to transience and to disasters, nor of the fact that it consists merely of flesh and bones, which quickly decay and fall apart.