Ramzan & the Art of Self-Restraint

From Kashmir's dawn prayers to packed streets in Cairo and London, Ramzan invites the world into a month of discipline, empathy, and moral clarity.

- Prof. M. Aslam

The arrival of Ramzan rearranges priorities and sharpens the moral lens through which life is viewed.

A thin crescent in the sky signals the start of a month that calls human beings to examine appetite, speech, conduct, and conscience with unusual seriousness.

The Holy Qur'an frames the fast with a direct appeal: "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may learn self-restraint."

The verse links today's believers with earlier communities and places self-control at the center of worship.

Fasting becomes a shared human discipline with a clear objective. The goal is restraint that refines character.

Roza lasts one full lunar month each year. It requires abstinence from food and drink from dawn to sunset. But its meaning extends far beyond hunger.

A genuine fast demands control over the tongue and the mind. It calls on a believer to avoid lies, fulfill work with honesty, give full measure, practice justice, and step away from harmful conduct.

In simple Urdu, the teaching stands clear: "Roza ek ibadat hai aur yeh sirf bhooke pyase rehne ka naam nahin hai."

Fasting is worship, and worship includes truthfulness, integrity, and fairness in everyday dealings.

The American writer Michael Wolfe once kept a Ramzan fast out of curiosity. In his essay "Armouring the Heart," he described how the experience taught him self-control and empathy.

At first, he watched the clock and felt the pull of appetite. As the days passed, he sensed a shift.

He felt empowered by his ability to master desire.

Time seemed to change character. The minutes near sunset gained meaning, while the rest of the day moved with calm focus.