Allah Ordained on the Muslims to work, not only, to satisfy their needs but also to exhaust their efforts to their highest capacities. The compensation they earn will cover the needs of themselves and their dependents, in addition to the weak or the incapable of earning their sustenance.

In this sense the difference between the believer and the non-believer is that: While they are the same in their responsibilities of sustaining their need and their dependents; the believer receives an additional obligatory command to make enough earning to cover the requirements of the needy. One of the characteristics of the believers that states their obligation in this regard is mentioned in Sura # 23 Al-Muminun, Verse # 4, where Allah Says:

"Who are active in giving Zakat."

From this Verse we see that the effort and work of the believers are tied to their intention to earn what they will pay as Zakat to others.

Allah Ordained the pillars of Islam as a means of the continuous declaration of Allegiance to the Almighty Alone. Embedded in these pillars what was detailed by the Prophet (PBUH) to become a continuous declaration that no Revelation from Allah is released to Muslims except the message delivered by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

To make these two concepts flow equally in the hearts of the believers, Allah Ordained the Salat to be Devoted for Him Alone and between His Hands in humility and humbleness. The Salat (prayer) Commanded by Allah and explained in details by the Prophet (PBUH), is ordained on all the believers: capable, weak and handicapped at the same level. It is a continuous reminder to observe a complete spectrum of our community and to make the earning capacity of our effort wide enough to accommodate ourselves and our dependents, and the incapable.

People are used to perform certain habits in their normal life. These habits become a characteristic of the person. By time these habits indicate his/her behavior and personality. Life is also honored by the Worship to the One God. Allah Observes the believers to See how they differentiate between their habits and what they have to fulfill to deserve the honor of their belief. As an example, a person may not see unlawful drinks in his life. Due to the religious environment, in which he/she is raised: alcohol drinking, pork eating, stealing or any wrongdoing may not even come to his/her mind.

It is not enough that the believers avoid all the unlawful as a habit, but it is necessary that they continuously remember to abstain from the unlawful because that is the Way Ordained for the Worship of Allah. The believers do not come close to the unlawful because it is a worship command and definitely not because they earned the habit from the religious environment surrounding them. That is why the evaluation of all the deeds of humans is based on their intentions. As an example; Fasting as a doctor's prescription to preserve one's health is not considered a kind of worship. Fasting is considered as one of worship commitments only when the believers fast because they are Commanded by Allah to fast. Here the intention precedes the action and fasting is definitely not fulfilled because it is a necessity decided by an obligatory prescription.

Allah Ordained that the intention precedes the action for the believers to recognize the warm feeling of worship and for the Absolute Obedience of Allah that is not initiated by any of their habits. That is the reason why in one of the pillars of Islam, Allah Recommends one month, for the believers, to abstain from what is lawful along the whole year.

The normal habit is to eat and drink at any time of the day and night all the yearlong. Then Allah Forbids the believers from all these lawful acts and Ordains on them to Abstain from all the enjoyment of food and sex during certain hours and for a certain number of days, that is the month of Ramadan. The reason is to make the believers experience the continuous honor of feeling the fulfillment of the Commands of the Creator.

Fasting is a reminder to the believers through taking them out of their normal habits. During the year, they may put all their trust in the means reacting to their health and happiness and forget the Giver Who Facilitates these means and Keeps it flowing to satisfy their habits. During a complete month the believer will remember that behind all the means of life there is a Creator Who Deserves Obedience in complete honesty that is well known between the believer and His Lord. To practice that obedience the believer abstains willingly from some of his/her lawful acts.

Fasting elevates the Muslim's level to the higher ranks among the believers. Willingly, the believer fulfills the Command of Allah in the month of Ramadhan and the only measure of fulfillment is the honesty of the believer. During the whole day of Ramadan fasting is Worship to Allah. At sunset breaking the fast is another Worship to Allah. The believer escalates his/her level, on the Steps of Allah's Reward, by depriving him/herself all the lawful and escalates his/her level another step by going back to the normal habits after breaking the fast. In both cases, the believers chose for themselves to be enlightened by this kind of worship. Allah Ordained for the believers the month of Ramadhan because it is the month in which all of them will be spiritually charged by fasting in the month of the descend of the Holy Book, the Quraan, that was revealed to guide and purify all the worlds.

Fasting is obligatory in Ramadan, but it can be exercised at any time during the year for the believers to escalate on the levels of higher ranks. There is a difference between the fulfillment of the obligatory commands at specified times and the fulfillment of the same commands at other times. While Allah Ordained specific times for worship, He Almighty Opens the doors for those who like to Come Closer to Their Creator. So, in all worship commands there are the obligatory dose and the extra dose for those who are ambitious to reach the higher ranks among the Muslims.