ALLAH did not make fasting in the month of Ramadan obligation on us for nothing else than to make us gain piety.
ALLAH has nothing to do with our hunger, thirsty for water and our abstinence from our wives and husbands. The temporal abstinence from food, water and sex are all meant to discipline us and get us closer to our make.
*ALLAH says:*
*يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ (١٨٣)*
"O you who believe! fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become "Al-Muttaqûn" the pious"
The purpose of every act of worship in Islam is to instill piety in us or to make us pious servants of ALLAH swt. A Pious person mean, the one who stays away from any sinful acts, especially the major ones.
That's why in another verse in the same Suratul-Baqarah ALLAH commanded all mankind (believer and the none believer) to worship Him (ALLAH), that we may become pious.
*ALLAH says:*
*يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱعۡبُدُواْ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمۡ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ (٢١)*
" O mankind! Worship your Lord (ALLAH), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious)
So, as we are in the *1st day of the blessed month of Ramadan,* try to save yourself from any Haram, try to get yourself closer to ALLAH.
Every action you do as a Muslim falls between *three states.*
*1. Righteous deeds. (Halal)*
*2. Evil deeds (Haram)*
*3. Or permitted action which has nothing to do with Haram or Halal.*
*ROSULULLAH (saw) said:*
"Anything that you cannot do in public or you don't want people to know you are doing, then don't do it when you are alone"
*It means that action is an evil and sinful action. (Haram)*
And Sayyid (rta) said in describing righteous deeds. He said;
*"العمل الصالح هو الذي لا تريد أن يحمدك عليه أحد إلا الله".*
*[علي بن ابي طالب رضي الله عنه]*
"A righteous deed is the deed that you do and you don't want or expect anyone to praises but ALLAH".
If you fasting, praying Taraweeh or Tahajjud, helping people to break their fasting. Doing all that Islam says we should do. They are righteous deeds and you shall be rewarded for that, if you do that only for the sake of ALLAH's pleasure.
But if you do all the above and expecting people to praise or to know that, you are fasting or you feed people in this Ramadan, then that deeds would no longer be good deeds again.
Some righteous deeds in this Ramadan
*(اعمال شهر رمضان)*
*1. Fasting.*
*2. As-salat (prayer)*
*3. Reading the Holy Qur'an.*
*4. Dhikir.*
*5. Lot of Duas*
*6. Helping the poor (Sadaqah) to break their fasting.*
*7. Joining the next of kin together.*
*8. Making your parents if they are alive happy is a great righteous deeds. And praying for them if they aren’t alive.*
And be aware of the *snatchers of fasting rewards.* They denied people the rewards of their fasting and make them to only starve themselves and suffer for noting.
Among the *snatchers* of fasting rewards are:
*1. Sending your sight (seeing) everywhere. Especially watching things that arouse your lust in women or men.*
*2. Speaking evil to people and using vulgar languages.*
*3. Spending too much time watching TVs or watching movies that are full of obscene scenes.*
All these actions that can deny you the rewards of your fasting.
May ALLAH instill the fears of Him in us, may He put a barrier between us and all that will snatch the rewards of our fasting from us. May we be among those ALLAH will forgive, enrich and be pleased with them in this blessed month of Ramadan. Ameena yah Allah!