Fasting is more than abstaining from eating and drinking. If a person doesn’t have taqwa, if he can’t avoid committing sins, if his heart is not clean, it means that his fasting is missing many other parts of it.
This is why the companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) make themselves ready well in advance. They would be so aware that they need to spiritually prepare for Ramadan.
May Allah prevent us from being among those people who don’t get anything spiritual from their fasting.
If you haven’t started preparing for Ramadan yet, you still have the chance to do. It’s never too late.
(From Discovering Islam archive)