Nearly a year has passed since last Ramazan and my life has changed a lot for the better. I have learnt to do things in a disciplined and methodical manner. I exercise better self-control and help those around me. And I am proud to say that I am a much better person than I used to be. I still remember the day when it all started to change for me. It was one of the days of August last year and I was waiting desperately to break my fast while watching television. Just then my grandfather entered the lounge with a smile on his face, like always. Now I absolutely love my grandfather because he is one of the best grandfathers anybody can have. He protects me and takes my side even when I make mistakes. And above all, he helps me understand things by discussing them with me. “Have you skipped fasting on any day of this Ramadan month so far?” my grandfather asked gently. “No I have not, grandpa,” I replied. “That is really good. And how is your Eid shopping going?” “Well, I have enjoyed going shopping and have ordered a tailored shalwar kameez for Eid.” “I am sure you would look good in that, like always. But I hope you are not wasting all the effort you are putting in fasting by not understanding all the good things that fasting helps bring in your life.” “Well, I have a general idea about that but I do not know them in detail,” I answered self-consciously. “Well, I was lucky enough to understand, at an early age, the benefits of fasting,” he replied. “For one, I found out that getting up early, as we do for Sehr during fast, is the best way to get into the habit of becoming an early riser and getting things done on any day. By getting up early, you find more time to do things and hence and in a better way. “Moreover, since one has to get up early for Sehr, one takes care to sleep early too and this helps in getting over the bad habit of going to be late. These are just a few general advantages to ourselves that fasting brings. I can tell you more about how fasting can make you and your life much better,” he added. “Yes, I would very much like to know that.” I was eager as always. “Well, fasting also helps you learn self-control. During any regular day, we have cravings for things like chocolate, candies, cookies, ice cream, soda, etc. and we give in to our craving. But when fasting, we learn to control these cravings as we cannot eat or drink anything. Moreover, while fasting one also stays away from bad habits like lying, backbiting, using foul language, abusing or disrespecting others, etc. All this helps one become strong and in control of one’s self. And having practiced these good habits for the whole month, it becomes easy to carry on doing so even after Ramazan.” “And then one follows a fixed routine in a fast by getting up at a fixed time, being regular in prayers, eating at a certain time, etc. This not only helps you make better use of time but also do more in your life. And then this time management and planning for doing things at a certain time, in turn, helps bring discipline in life.” “Apart from that, there are obvious health benefits related to fasting. Fasting helps in cleaning the toxins in our system and burning up the fat reserves. It also helps in better digestion if one takes care not to eat too much at Sehr and Iftar times. And then there are medically proven aspects of stress reduction and weight control related to fasting.” “Remaining hungry and thirsty during fast also helps us realise the suffering of poor people who barely have enough to eat. We can identify with their pain and so become more considerate towards them, making us help them by giving more in charity. And then, when we are unable to drink or eat during a fast, we realise how things that we take granted in life are so important to us and are indeed a blessing of Almighty Allah; for only when we are deprived of the necessary things in our lives that we truly recognise their true value. ” “Moreover, in our social dealings, we can be a better person by virtue of the lessons learnt during Ramadan. When fasting, we take care not to pick fights with people or get angry at them or use harsh words. This makes things easy for us in our dealings with others. We learn to deal with others in a polite and well-behaved way.” “Apart from that, during a fast and in this holy month as a whole, the emphasis is on performing good deeds. The more good we do, the more we develop the habit of doing good things in every aspect of life and keep doing so all year round.” “And, above all, by increased devotion during fast, we become consciously aware of and close to God. We realise that we are created by God who is also the Creator of everything else in the world. The more one realises these things and the closer we become to God, the more peace and spirituality one feels in life.” “We humans are unique in having both materialistic and spiritual sides to our lives. It is up to us to develop our spiritual side and fasting during Ramadan,” he concluded. “That is great grandpa! I did not know in detail how fasting can actually make my life better. Now that I know about it, I would surely be making my life and myself a lot better than before,” I was enthusiastic as I said these words to him. And ever since then, I have made my life a lot better by following and practicing the good things the spirit of fasting in Ramazan teaches us. I have brought discipline and order in my life; and have learnt to be good to everyone around me. I also remain thankful to Allah for everything that He has provided in my life. And now I experience so much peace and tranquillity. I hope that everyone learns the lessons in the spirit of Ramazan and use it to make themselves better human beings. Here is a wish of Ramazan kareem to you, with the hope that you make the best use of another opportunity being presented to you for a better life.