The Virtue of Self-Control During Fasting – A Speech at the Rotary Club’s Iftar Dinner at the Hilton Nile Hotel
The talk discusses the virtue of self-control and emphasizes that fasting is not merely abstaining from food, but a comprehensive spiritual training in controlling oneself, one’s desires, and one’s actions. It points out that fasting the tongue from wrong speech is more important than merely fasting from food, and that even more important is fasting the heart from wrong desires and cravings. Self-control begins with controlling the tongue, because every word a person speaks is counted against him, and therefore he should be careful in his speech, choose his words, and think about the consequences of what he says.
Spiritual Message
The talk explains that silence can be a means of contemplation and can give the mind an opportunity to become occupied with God. When the tongue is silent, the heart can speak, and when the heart becomes quiet, a person can receive sound thought from God. A person should also control his thoughts and should not allow wrong thoughts to settle in his mind or turn into feelings and behaviors. For this reason, he needs to control his senses, because what a person sees, hears, and perceives through his senses can become thoughts within him. He should also control his feelings and emotions and should not surrender to anger, impulsiveness, or recklessness.
Educational and Spiritual Lesson
The talk teaches that training in virtue requires perseverance until virtue becomes a habit and a natural part of a person. Fasting should not be a temporary period in which self-control ends when the fast ends; rather, its effect should continue after the month is over. Through continued training, a person can practice good works that he initially did not desire, and eventually virtue becomes natural within him. The talk also emphasizes the importance of getting rid of excuses and justifications, avoiding self-indulgence, and training oneself in order and discipline in daily life.
Practical Application
The talk calls us to use the fasting period to train ourselves in controlling the tongue, thoughts, senses, feelings, nerves, facial expressions, and personal freedom. Freedom should be disciplined so that a person does not harm the rights or feelings of others and does not violate the law, public order, or God’s commandments and holy ordinances. Most importantly, discipline should be internal, so that a person does not depend only on fear, supervision, or punishment, but becomes disciplined because he loves virtue, loves God, and loves people. A spiritual person remains disciplined even when alone and even when no one sees or judges him. In this way, fasting becomes a true training in correcting, reforming, and controlling oneself, and the person comes out of it with blessing, spiritual benefit, and improvement in his relationship with God and with people.
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