Ahh, the fasting Month is here again.

The fasting month is here and it will add on to what already is a rough road ahead,   however i hope I can fulfill this month long obligation without too much trauma. The month of Ramadan has always been a litmus test for my spiritual practices as it has in the past brought out many forms of weaknesses that i have with regard to discipline. it has also raised a whole lot of issues which is often swept away under the rug under normal circumstances. It is no doubt one of the best forms of practice nonetheless as I will go through yet another regiment of changes in my daily life where not being able to eat or drink is the least of my problem. It is said that the Lord will shut the gates of hell and no evil shall roam free on this planet for the whole month of Ramadan. hence whatever lack of or shortcomings that a Muslim has towards his  observations and the carrying out his obligations during this month will entirely be upon hi own making and none to blame. There will be no demonic or satanic influences to sway one from carrying out his or her obligations, my understanding.One cannot say, 'The Devil made me do it' or not do it.' You are answerable to your own virtues and faults.
The fasting month is also the litmus test for all Muslims whereby the true believers and those who are Muslim in name only are being sieved or weeded out.

Ramadan -a month of obligatory daily fasting in Islam is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar. Daily fasts begin at dawn and end with sunset. Special nightly prayers called, Taraweeh prayers are held. The entire Quran is recited in these prayers in Mosques all around the world. This month provides an opportunity for Muslims to get closer to God. This is a month when a Muslim should try to:

	See not what displeases Allah
	Speak no evil
	Hear no evil
	Do no evil
	Look to Allah with fear and hope

"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become God-fearing." (The Quran, 2:183)."

Fasting is the ultimate Jihad in reigning in a man's ego, his desires and impulses, cravings and yearnings, it is a potent antidote to egotistical tendencies inherent in man.

"The Sufic view classifies "Jihad" into two parts: the "Greater Jihad" and the "Lesser Jihad". Muhammad put the emphasis on the "Greater Jihad" by saying, "Holy is the warrior who is at war with himself".^{[citation needed]} In this sense external wars and strife are seen as but a satanic counterfeit of the true "jihad", which can only be fought and won within. There is no salvation for man without his own efforts being added to the work of self-refinement."

"A human�s soul is the scene of a struggle of two competing powers. Divine power attracts him towards heavenly spheres, and inspires him to acts of goodness. Satanic power tempts him towards realms of darkness and shame, and invites him to acts of evil. When the divine forces are victorious, a person emerges as a virtuous and blessed being, in the company of prophets, saints, and the pious. When, however, the satanic forces dominate, the person becomes rebellious and vicious and is grouped with infidels, oppressors, wrongdoers and those who are cursed"

One of the more mundane aspect of the fasting month is the preparation devoted in the Muslim households.all over the world where making sure that there is more than enough food to eat when the time comes to break the fast is crucial. often there is more food produced, cooked and sold at bazaars all over the country than at any other time of the year. This is a paradox, nonetheless if one were to travel around the country and observe the Month of Ramadan and how it is being observed or celebrated more like it, one would be amaze at how much is being catered to the food and drinks being made available.This it seems attest to the fact of being deprived of food the whole day creates an even more aggressive appetite when comes time to break the fast and this in both quality and quantity. When it comes time to break the fast at sunset very few emulate the Prophet of Allah and his virtues about how He ate.
The fasting month begins tomorrow and what happens for the next month henceforth for me personally is yet to be seen and experienced again as i have had for this event every year. How i fare through it will be something for me to accept and deliberate upon as a checkpoint  in my development as test to being an abiding or true Muslim or otherwise...Insha' Allah, God Willing.