Ramzan is the month for rededicating ourselves to the virtue of tolerance in the true sense of the term. For me, Islam is the religion of tolerance, peace and harmony and the first principle of Islam is to practise what is being preached. So the month of Ramzan offers us to practise what we preach to ourselves and our fellow beings.
Fasting is only one aspect of this dedication to tolerance. The ability to fast will help in imbibing the lesson and virtue of practising and developing tolerance. If we learn the virtue of tolerance, it will help us solve all problems faced by the humanity in the contemporary world. The problems facing world — hatred, greed, war, violence — all such issues can be solved only by tolerance.
Unfortunately, there has been an impression that Islam is a religion of violence. I think those who are preaching Islam instead of practising Islam are responsible for such an image for Islam. The month of Ramzan is a good occasion for such persons to introspect and find the real meaning of an Islamic life.
Observing fast in the month of Ramzan is a habit for me since childhood. The more I think about it the more I am convinced of the positive impact of the disciplined life practised during the month for the rest of the year.
Apart from tolerance, the month also brings to mind the inherently egalitarian way of life prescribed in Islam. All people practising Islam are obliged to pay 2.5 per cent of their total income to charity. It is in the month of Ramzan that details of the donation to the charity are accounted.
(T. Asif Ali is the Director-General of Prosecution, Kerala)
