Ramadan--the wider dimension

…observance requires much more than fasting

There is a series of Holy Verses in Surah Al Baqarah, specifically on fasting in Ramadan, highlighting its immense significance. However, related to these Holy Verses, there are two more sequential Holy Verses, which may not be specifically on fasting, but are related to wider dimensions of Ramadan. These Holy Verses relate that Ramadan is not meant merely to observe fast, but it is related to spiritual training—the supplication, the power of prayer in attaining nearness to Allah (SwT) and approach to property—personal and public. On prayer, it is related:

When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every supplicant when he calleth on Me: let them also with a will, listen to My call, believe in Me: that they may walk in the right way’’ (2:186)

Allah (SwT)’s promise stands to listen to prayer of every supplicant, provided His Call is taken in believing in HIM. 

On property—personal or public, it is related:

And do not eat up your property among yourselves for vanities, nor use it as a bait for judges, with intent that ye may eat up wrongfully and knowingly a little of (other) people’s property’’ (2: 188)

The Holy Verse refers to greed; your own property may not be used as a source or as means to an end. Owning property provides a social status, which may not be used to influence judgements in adding to it by having an eye on what may belong to others, by implication, it could mean public property. Owning property and the status attained by it may not be used to feed corrupting influences in the society.  

To put a break on these corrupting influences, the supplication—the prayer, and spiritual disciplining regimes like the mandatory fast during Ramadan act as restraining influences. There is thus a wider dimension to supplication and fasting.