Ramadan, the Incredible Hulk and Rumi

I invited a non-Muslim friend of mine to an iftar meal in one of Dubai's modern hotels. Being the open-minded person he was, he decided to fast on that day. As we sat down to end our fast, I asked him how the experience was for him. He said that it started off easy, but when it came to his usual lunch time he began to feel moody and agitated. I smiled at his answer and said, "Your real fast started just after lunch time".

Fasting properly during Ramadan is a bit like doing a proper gym workout - you need to feel the discomfort before you achieve any real growth. Most of us go to the gym and do everything to avoid becoming uncomfortable. We will talk on the phone, chit-chat with a friend or just look at ourselves in the mirror to help the time pass. It's the same with fasting. Most of us try our hardest during Ramadan not to feel moody, grumpy or angry - but the point is not to run away from these feelings. Spiritual muscles also need the discomfort of being pushed beyond their known limits in order to truly grow.

Once the stage of discomfort is reached, when the taste buds pick up the bitterness of anger and our nostrils sense its acrid scent, the real work begins. All focus is then allocated to our efforts to regain our composure and balance, else the fast is nullified. In other words, it's the loss of balance and then regaining it that is the aim.

The struggle for internal balance and control of the self is as old as mankind. Islam refers to it as the 'greater jihad', the King James Bible speaks of it as seeking 'The Kingdom of God' and the Hindu spiritual classic The Bagavad Gita represents it in the battle of Kuruksetra. But with all due respect to these ancient, wise scriptures, I personally think the concept is best described in this modern age by one of my childhood fascinations, the story of the Incredible Hulk. Whenever Bruce Banner is pushed over the limit ("Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I am angry") he turns into the green demolition machine that is the Hulk. The Hulk is not the true self of Banner but a sub part that, if allowed to roam uncontrolled, literally destroys everything in its way - even the things Banner loves and cares about. Banner eventually learns through countless attempts, that the best way to deal with his Hulk alter ego is not to destroy it, but to learn to control it.

The Muslim fast is the same - it teaches us not to get rid of our mood swings and temper tantrums, but to master them.

The more committed beings - not the likes of me, I assure you - take this a step further; they not only accept the mood swings and grumpiness but welcome these feelings. They intentionally place themselves in situations in which the worst parts of themselves will come out, and in so doing gain far more experience in mastering themselves.

These very brave souls are what the Islamic jurist, theologian and poet Jellaudin Rumi referred to as 'night travellers' when he wrote, "Search the darkness, don't run from it. Night travellers are full of light and you are too, don't leave this companionship".

How I wish we had more Islamic scholars like Rumi today. Perhaps he could calm the many Incredible Hulks we have driving recklessly on our roads just before iftar time, and while he is at it he might even have a chat with the gentleman at the table next to mine who is speaking rudely to the waiter for not getting his coffee fast enough.

Wael Al Sayegh is an Emirati cultural consultant, poet and writer.