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Controversial miscellaneous issues related to Islam

Fasting in Islam
Why fasting

Fasting is considered a great spiritual exercise that trains humans to self control of the highest level. A Muslim refrains from eating even though the food is available in front of him, he refrains from drinking no matter how hot the weather is even though cold water is available, he refrains from sexual intercourse as well from dawn till sunset. No one is watching him except God and his own conscience.

Actually fasting is very useful spiritually, socially and physically for the following reasons:

    1- Spiritually
  • Submission to God
    Fasting trains Muslims to remember God whenever and wherever they act. A Muslim develops the attitude of full obedience to Allah and full consciousness of His nearness
  • Teaching self control
    While fasting, a Muslim is obliged to change his habits and control his desires. He is, therefore, trained not to be enslaved by desires no matter how basic and necessary. He has to overcome the strongest and most basic desires in him which are food, drinking and sex. This simple training course (1 month long) has the great benefit of training a Muslim’s will and strengthening it to face whatever temptations it will face for the rest of the year.
  • Conscience training
    It activates in man a vigilant and sound conscience; because the fasting person keeps his fast in secret as well as in public. In fasting, especially, there is no authority to check man's behavior or compel him to observe fasting. He keeps it to please God and satisfy his own conscience by being faithful in secret and in public. There is no better way to activate a sound conscience in man.
  • Refining Manners
    One of the major purposes of fasting is to make people refine their manners. This comes in many ways like overcoming ones’ desires, awakening his conscience and encouraging him to behave better. The Prophet of Allah is reported to have said: 'If one does not abandon falsehood in words and deeds, Allah has no need for his abandoning of his food and drink.' (Al-Bukhari)

    2- Socially
  • Unity of Muslim nations One of the best benefits of fasting in Ramadan is the unity it creates to all Islamic world. They start fating in nearly the same day (with maximum a day difference) and end fasting at the same day (with maximum a day difference). Even within the same day, countries in the same time zone start fasting and end fasting at the same time. This creates a general feeling of unity among the whole Islamic society.
  • Equality During fasting, the rich tastes the bite of hunger and thirst that the poor suffers from. This exercise definitely leads to more social sympathy and understanding.
  • Family Ties Fasting strengthens family ties, especially in that the family is an endangered institution in western society. It helps the family gather together to break fast, at Iftar, and eat sahur together at least twice a day for a month. The family even makes Salaat, together with the father as Imam.
  • Fasting enhances and energizes friendship, as Ramadan is known as the month of invitations and visitations. Friends, family members and neighbors extend invitations to each other to come to their homes to have Iftar together. The Messenger said, "When a believer invites you, you should respond." Besides, Muslims gather together in the Masajid for taraweeh and ta'aleem.

3- Physically
A) Health
The Holy Quran states: "...Eat and drink, but waste not by excess, for Allah loves not wasters." (7:31)
  • Fasting is the single greatest natural healing therapy.
  • Most of the problems for which recommend fasting as treatment are ones that result from over nutrition rather than malnutrition.
  • Fasting increases the process of elimination and the release of toxins from the colon, kidneys and bladder, lungs and sinuses, and skin.
  • A great deal of ailments originates from stomach indigestion. This is why the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, says: "The son of Adam will never fill a container with something worse and evil than his stomach. It will suffice him some morsels (food) that will keep him on his feet, otherwise, he should divide his stomach into three parts: one third for his food, the other for his drink and the other third for his breath." (Ibn Hibban)

This hadith indicates that the stomach is the origin of harmful bacteria. Even in the age of sophisticated machines, you can hardly find a machine so fragile but yet so remarkably durable and efficient like the stomach. This is the machine that receives food particles, processes and refines them, and distributes the products to different parts of the body. This is a lifelong operation. For the non-faster, the stomach will have no chance for rest. When the stomach is empty, as a result of fasting, it gets well-desired rest, to renew and rejuvenate its energy. With the fasting, the stomach is forced to go through a discharge whereby harmful residues are eliminated through perspiration as the body searches for food during fast.

  • During fast, the system of secretion is organized, and this in turn benefits the blood pressure, inhibiting hardening of the arteries.
  • The heart and kidney functions are enhanced as the work load tapers off.
  • The fast helps to correct the problem of obesity and diabetes. Doctors over the years have used fasting as a prescription for certain ailments.
  • Body fat can be used for energy
  • Fasting is a multidimensional experience. Physiologically, refraining from eating minimizes the work done by the digestive organs, including the stomach, intestines, pancreas, gallbladder, and liver. Most important here is that our liver, our body's large production and metabolic factory, can spend more time during fasting cleaning up and creating its many new substances for our use.
  • Nutritionally, fasting helps us appreciate the more subtle aspects of diet, since less food and simple flavors become more satisfying

There was a discussion between Ali Bin Husain bin Waquid (raa) and a Christian physician to the Khalifah, Haroon Ar-Rasheed, about Islam's outlook on the science of medicine and health care. The physician said to Ibn Waquid: "There is not in your Book, Al-Qur`an, anything about medicine. For if Al-Qur`an is a book of science, what about this science? Aren't there two kinds of sciences: the science of the body and the science of the soul?" Ibn Waquid responded: "Allah, the Most High has combined both sciences in half of a verse, when He states: "...Eat and drink but waste not by excess, for Allah loves not the wasters." (Al-Qur`an, 7:31)

The physician said: "Why, then, has nothing been mentioned about medicine from the mouth of your Messenger?" Ibn Waquid replied: "Our Messenger (saas), has combined the sciences about medicine in a few words when he says: "The stomach is the house for disease and prevention is the essence of medicine." The Christian physician then said: "Then your book, Al-Qur`an, and your Prophet Muhammad left nothing about medicine for Jalienas (a famous physician of the ancients)." (Arkanul Arba`ah by Abul Hasan Nadwi)

An American physician published a report on fasting and its benefits saying: "It is mandatory on every person who is sick to restrain from food certain days in a year whether he be wealthy or poor because if bacteria can find food in abundance in the body, it will grow and multiply. But with fasting it becomes weak.'' He then praised Islam. It should be considered as the wisest religion, for as it mandated fasting it has mandated health care. He continued: "Indeed, Muhammad, who brought this religion, was the best physician who succeeded in his teachings, for he called for prevention before ailment, that is apparent in fasting and the nightly prayer (Taraweeh) that Muslims observe after fast breaking every day of Ramadan, for these physical acts contain big benefits in digesting food." (Arkanul Arba`ah by Abul Hasan Nadwi)

    B) Body
  • The primary purpose of fasting is the inculcation of discipline and self-restraint, especially in appetite. Gluttony (overeating) and its natural consequence of obesity are a major cause of disease and illness in this country. since obesity is in large part a discipline problem, the Islamic program of fasting as a means of curbing one's appetite and developing self-restraint is an ideal solution, at least to reduce the scope of the problem if not eliminate it altogether.
  • The greatest physical benefit of fasting is its role in the reduction of stress. During Ramadan Islam encourages Muslims to focus on praying, good deeds, refraining from quarrelling. This state of inner peace and tranquility had its physical effect on the body. It is considered an excellent mental stress reducer which has been identified as a probable cause behind most illnesses.
  • Numerous scientific studies have established the role of stress in medical illness. One such study found a higher rate of heart disease in people with the stressful 'type A personality.' We have developed an appetite for many harmful substances, including nicotine, caffeine and excessive salts, which lead to hypertension, heart disease, our diets include excessive refined sugars, which lead to dental cavities and exacerbate diabetes.
  • The fasting state mobilizes the body's fuel and energy stores and increases the excretion of waste products, this has a purifying effect. The Islamic principles of moderation, self-restraint and avoidance of harm can go a long way in overcoming these pitfalls.