Google seems to link to this article on it:

http://www.tasawwuf.org/basics/ghazali_fasting.htm

"plight of the poor" is something and easily digestable answer, but not the main reason.

The qur'an I think mentions that fasting has been ordained upon us like it was on the nations before us so that we may become ... with taqwa. which is translated as God conscious.

people also become more irritable, less patient when fasting, so patience is stressed. As is knowing that if you eat no one will know but you, so inner strength?

There is also regiment and breaking the routine, and putting things first instead of letting other things in life cloud them out.

ABove is all personal ideas and thoughts.

Rawrrs_isarollingstone wrote:

In school I was taught that the main reason for fasting was to empathise with the plight of the poor 

I was told this too - but never bought it.

I don't think the poor sit there thinking "only another three hours to go before I stuff myself full of kebabs, pakoras, samosas, chicken wings, spring rolls....." the list goes on and on.

For me the 'not eating' part is about building discipline. You can eat, there's no one physically holding you back from eating, but you won't eat even though you're hungry.

And the rest for me is a refresher course on what we should live like all year round. How we should be kind, submit to the will of Allah and so on and so on (it usually lasts until the second day of Eid but this year, I'll try to make it to the third day )

Similar to a post above really.. The Quran teaches us and Hadiths similarly teach us about self restraint and self discipline.

Although we have 30 days there are 3 respresentations for the goals to be achieved which are in 10 day blocks.. first 10 days gets us Allahs Mercy, 2nd 10 days are for forgiveness and the last 10 days are for the Hereafter.

Now psychologically fasting will affect a person who aims to fast the whole 30 days:-

By the end of the first ten days of fasting you are deflating the balloon down to its natural shape; you will have a glimpse into your true personality. You are deflating the fluff out of your personality, and revealing the true face hidden behind the mask. Maybe you are angry? Maybe you are exhausted? Maybe you are easily irritated? Maybe you find yourself being suspicious of people? Maybe you are really sensitive? You will find Muslims getting into all kinds of very nasty fights in this period, not realizing what is happening in their personalities; their personalities are getting exposed. When you reach the end of that first ten days, introspect deeply to see how you feel and how you feel about things. Look at how you look at your near ones (family and friends). Look at how you look at yourself. Look at how you look at your relationship with God. Look at the mirror, for this special period is a mercy that you do not often get in your year.

By the end of the second ten days of fasting, you will have a sense of control over certain aspects of your personality, where you will have a strength that you did not have 3 weeks prior. Now, look at those issues you faced at the end of the first ten days, and figure out how to purify them out of your system or at least control them. That is, of course, if you have been honest with yourself. If you are being honest with yourself, you are witnessing a transformation within yourself. The first thing you seek in this period is the basic foundation of your relationship with God: you turn to Him. Tawba. Wash away the darkness in your previous choices; start by seeking His forgiveness.

By the end of the third ten days, you will have a great sense of control, and perhaps even a sense of exhilaration. You have developed a shield around your Iman. That shield is what we call Taqwa. The gates of paradise are open to you, and you should seek of its treasures. Aim high. You can obtain a palace of 70,000 rooms, with each room containing 70,000 doors to 70,000 additional rooms. But, why satisfy yourself with even 70,000 of those palaces when you can have wings? Why satisfy yourself with wings when you can be in His company and in the company of those with Him. Aim high. Seek all of these things, not just from the Hereafter, but also from the Here and Now.

In this month, seek the company of the best of words: the Qur’an. Look to the Qur’an to see what Allah is saying to you, by way of what He said to those before you, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them.And, then as soon as Ramadan ends you will get thrown to the barking dogs. The world will return to its normal cycle, and most of the world around you is little more than the bark of a dog. Your instinct will be to respond in the ways you responded before. But, you now know you can control those “flaws,” though many people may forget and may return exactly to what they were before, as though Ramadan is a sort of break. But, you know you can control those “flaws,” so control them.

no they are not

Another thing about ramadan: its not just having a fast.

A big part of it is keeping on fasting completing the month (rules permitting).

keeping going when you get tired of it after a few days is not always easy and a challenge.

Character building, patience.

Fasting does multiple things, especially when done as the month of ramadan.

a friend of mines wife had a brain tumour once and an imam said fasting will help as the tumour will get starved and reduce in size (I don't know if there's any scientific evidence to back this claim - but it, along with medical treatment, seems to have fixed her)

Thats not how tumors work. I think it was the medical treatment more than anything.

The main point of ramadan and fasting, as far as im aware, is to bring a person closer to God (yes there are other benefits but lets stick to the main one). So how does not eatting or drinking bring you closer to God?
Well, think about it. When your fasting what are you constantly thinking about? FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!! So if you're constantly thinking about Food, what are you NOT doing? Your not thinking of anything sinful or doing anything sinful. And because they say prayers offered in Ramadan are worth alot more (im paraphrasing) your praying more than normal. So the idea is if you go 30 days of praying loads and not thinking of doing anything sinful, chances are you may take some of these new habits with you after Ramadan ends and become a better person as a result.

Ergo Ipso facto columbo oreo you're becoming closer to God.

To spiritually purify your heart and mind, kind of like how you service your car every 12 months. Also to kick some of those bad habits and basically the bottom line...get in contact more with the deen and closer to Allah swt, chance for a fresh start

Also ramadhan is split into 3 parts eah setting out a specific goal.

It has 4 parts, so click on youtube to watch the rest.

">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta_e2aLPTpw&feature=player_embedded]

I liked these articles
http://www.suhaibwebb.com/personaldvlpt/worship/fasting-ramadan/t30x-taq...

http://www.tariqramadan.com/What-Ramadan-teaches-us,12304.html?lang=fr

i was reading this article and it contains wisdoms of Ramadan, some of which were mentionned before

From the wisdom of fasting is that: It is an act of worship done for Allaah, in which the ‘abd
(servant) draws closer to His Lord by ....

And from the wisdom behind fasting is that it is a means of attaining Taqwaa...

And from the wisdom behind fasting is that the heart opens to contemplation and..

And from the wisdom behind fasting is that the person who has wealth is caused to realize the
blessing of wealth that...

nd from the wisdom behind fasting is that it trains one to curb the soul, and it gives one
strength to withhold his soul...

And from the wisdom of fasting is that the soul is broken down and....

And from the wisdom behind fasting is that the passageways of blood (in the body) become
narrow due to hunger and thirst,.....

And from the wisdom behind fasting are the health benefits that come as a result of it,....

 

i didnt quote fully, thats coz i really want you to check out the full article here:

From the wisdom of fasting is that: It is an act of worship done for Allaah, in which the ‘abd
(servant) draws closer to His Lord by abandoning the things that he loves and desires, such as
food, drink and sexual intercourse. So because of this, the truthfulness of his Faith and the
completeness of his servitude to Allaah become apparent, as well as his love for Allaah and
his longing for what Allaah has prepared for him (of good). This is since the one who fasts
does not abandon something that is beloved to him except for that which is greater to him
than it (which is Allaah). When the believer knows that Allaah’s contentment lies in the
fasting -which is abandoning those desires that he naturally loves -he will give his Lord’s
contentment precedence over his desires. So he abandons his desires no matter how much he
longs and yearns for them, because his delight and the tranquility of his soul lies in his
abandoning all that for the sake of Allaah.

And from the wisdom behind fasting is that it is a means of attaining Taqwaa, as Allaah says:

"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before
you, in order that you gain Taqwaa." This is since a person who is fasting is commanded to
do the obligatory duties and to avoid sinful acts. The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)
said: "Whoever does not abandon false speech, acting upon that (false speech) and (acts
of) ignorance (i.e. sins), then Allaah has no need of him abandoning his food and drink."

[Reported by Al-Bukhaaree] So when a person is fasting, every time he desires to do a sinful
act, he will remember that he is fasting and thus withhold himself from that. This is why the
Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) ordered the person who is fasting, when cursed at and
abused, to say: "I am fasting", cautioning him (the reviler) that a person fasting is
commanded to refrain from cursing and reviling, and reminding himself that he is fasting and
cannot react with cursing.

And from the wisdom behind fasting is that the heart opens to contemplation and
remembrance (of Allaah). This is since fulfilling one’s desires leads to heedlessness and
perhaps the heart becomes hardened and blinded from the truth. This is why the Prophet
(sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) advised us to eat and drink little, where he said: "The Son of
Aadam does not fill a vessel worse than his stomach." [Reported by Ahmad, An-Nasaa’ee
and Ibn Maajah]

And in Saheeh Muslim, Handhala Al-Usaidee (raa), who was one of the scribes of Allaah’s
Messenger, said to the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) : "Handhala has become a
hypocrite." So Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: "Why is that?" He
said: "O Messenger of Allaah, when we are with you, you remind us of the Hellfire and
Paradise, as if we see them with our own eyes. But when we depart from you, we meet
our wives and our children and our homes and we forget much (of what we heard from
you)." In the last part of the hadeeth, the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said to him:
"But O Handhala, there is a time for this and a time for that (three times)." Abu
Sulaymaan Ad-Daraanee said: "Indeed, when the soul hungers and thirsts, the heart softens
and becomes pure. And when it is fed, the heart becomes blinded."

And from the wisdom behind fasting is that the person who has wealth is caused to realize the
blessing of wealth that Allaah has bestowed on him, such that Allaah blessed him with food,
drink and sexual intercourse. Many people are deprived of these things, so he should praise
Allaah for these blessings and thank Him for granting him them. And he should remember his
brother who is poor and who probably goes through the day starved and hungry. So he should
be generous to him and give him charity so that he can clothe his barrenness and satisfy his
hunger.

And from the wisdom behind fasting is that it trains one to curb the soul, and it gives one
strength to withhold his soul by its bridle, such that one can govern it and lead it towards that
which is good for it and what will make it prosper. This is because the soul commands one to
do evil, except for those souls that my Lord has mercy on. So when a person undoes and lets
go of his (soul’s) bridle, the soul lands him into many dangers. But when he controls it and
curbs it, he is able to lead it to the highest of levels and the greatest of goals.

And from the wisdom of fasting is that the soul is broken down and restricted from having
pride, to the point that it humbles itself to the truth and softens itself before the creation. This
is because eating, drinking and having sexual intercourse with women -all of these things
bring about insolence, arrogance, vanity and pride over people and over the truth. The soul
preoccupies itself with trying to obtain these things because of its need for them. So when it
obtains these things, the soul feels like it has conquered what it desired and so it falls into the
happiness and proudness that is condemned. And this is a cause for its destruction. Only those
whom Allaah protects are saved from this.

And from the wisdom behind fasting is that the passageways of blood (in the body) become
narrow due to hunger and thirst, so therefore the passageways of the Devil in the human body
also become narrower. This is since the Devil flows through the son of Adam like the flowing
of blood, as is authentically recorded in the two Saheeh collections. So by fasting, the
whisperings of the Devil are subdued and the strength of one’s desires and anger are
subjugated. This is why the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: "O young men!
Whoever amongst you can afford it, should get married, for it is the best means for
lowering one’s gaze and the best way of keeping (one’s) private parts chaste. But
whoever is not able to marry, then let him fast, for it has protection."

And from the wisdom behind fasting are the health benefits that come as a result of it, which
are attained by in-taking little food, allowing the digestive system to rest for a specified time,
which lets excess wastes and excrements that are harmful to the body be discharged.

So how great and profound is the wisdom of Allaah, and how beneficial are His
commandments to His creatures!

O Allaah, give us comprehension of Your Religion and allow us to understand the inner
secrets of Your commandments. Rectify for us the affairs of our Religion and our worldly
life. And forgive us and our parents and all the Muslims, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful.
And may the peace and blessings of Allaah be on Muhammad (saws) and on his family and
all his Companions.

Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih Al-'Uthaimeen

I'm going to spend some time reading this for inspiration, but i wish it looked more inviting with less gaps. (I'm not sure if you can change that though).

hw abt  original version?

http://www.hmcc-uk.org/files/masrambk1.pdf  just scroll down