…gives up even permissible things for Allah’s sake, then a fortiori he will forsake what is forbidden. Fasting trains him to shun the unlawful, enables him to master the lower self that urges evil, expels Satan, and softens the heart for obedience. Hence the fasting person is generally more inclined to good than one who is not fasting: he is eager to recite the Quran, to pray, and to reach the mosque early. Fasting thus makes him amenable to worship and refines his character. All of this falls under the divine purpose: “so that you may become God-fearing.” The decisive element in the verse is His words: “kutiba ʿalaykum al-siyam” (fasting has been prescribed for you), which establish its obligatory nature. This general command is clarified by “shahru Ramadan alladhi unzila fihi al-Quran” (the month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed, 2:185) and specified by “fa-man shahida minkum al-shahr fa-l-yasumhu” (whoever of you witnesses the month must fast it, 2:185). (41) The Jews claimed to be muslims and to follow Abraham’s religion, so Allah, Exalted is He, tested them with the verse: “And pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all people who can find a way to it; and whoever disbelieves—surely Allah is independent of all creation” (Al ʿImran 97).