One of the purposes of fasting is:

 

One of the purposes of fasting is:

To remove the sins and filth of one's heart and permanently develop the latent light of Allah within oneself. Allah the Almighty has said - "Become colored with My color." (Surah Al-Baqarah-238). The meaning of coloring oneself with the color of Allah is - To be endowed with the qualities of Allah or to make oneself like the character of Allah. Because, the meaning of developing the character of Allah within oneself is to purify oneself through fasting and complete the prayer (effort to connect) or to attain Allah. Therefore, fasting is the best prayer.

The soul within every human being is inherently sacred. In their family, social, and environmental lives, most humans are prone to jealousy, pride, greed, lies, anger, revenge, deceit, slander, stinginess, and showy worship etc., day by day, he corrupts his pure soul with the evil counsels of the devil called Ku-Ripu. Then the form of that soul becomes "Nafse-e-Ambara" or the corrupted soul. Like the clear mirror of the vision of Allah, the soul is covered with a veil of filthy corruption and becomes dark. As a result, Allah cannot manifest and develop upon that corrupted soul. Therefore, the Merciful Allah has made arrangements for mankind to gain closeness to Him through prayer and fasting, which are great blessings. And in order to make people understand the significance and reality of prayer and fasting, and to practice prayer and fasting in the correct manner, He has sent His representatives, the Prophets, Messengers, and Avatars, as teachers throughout the ages.

At the end of the era of prophethood, Allah the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent his representatives, the perfect guides and murshids, i.e. the Ahl al-Bayt, as guides and guardians (waliam-murshida, Surah al-Kahf-17). The Merciful Allah has guided us to attain salvation through the intercession of those perfect saints (Surah Al-Ma'idah-35), through seeking their company and presence (Surah At-Tawbah-119), and through constant prayer and fasting in their company. Therefore, prayer and fasting are not limited to the prescribed prayer times or the prescribed month of Ramadan. Rather, they apply to every moment, every day, and every month. And the prescribed times and the prescribed months are only the time for special training. May all the doors of self-realization be opened in the heart of every human being.

--Alhamdulillah Amen, Ya Rahmatullahi Aalameen.