“Ramadan fasting cultivates in a person the true spirit of social belonging, of brotherhood and solidarity, and of equality before God. This spirit is a byproduct of the fact that when people fast, they believe they are participating in the same obligation as the entire Muslim society, which accounts for more than one fifth of the world’s population, and doing so in the same way, at the same time, with the same goals, and for the same reasons.
No sociologist or historian can claim that anything equal to this potent tradition of Islam—fasting throughout the month of Ramadan—has ever existed at any time in history. Hammudah Abdalati writes in Islam in Focus, “People have cried out for acceptable “belonging” throughout history, for unity, for brotherhood, and for equality, but how echoless their screams have been and how little success they have encountered.
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How does fasting work? “How does Ramadan fasting by Muslims compare to other faiths’ fasting?”
Why would someone want to “abuse” their body in the first place? What benefits does fasting actually provide in the long run? … Many of our non-Muslim friends and coworkers frequently ask us these questions, typically out of amazement with this spiritually uplifting practice of the Islamic faith and occasionally out of pity and concern for us, wondering why anyone should suffer from hunger and thirst like Muslims. I wouldn’t be shocked if many of us held the same unfavorable opinions on fasting.
It’s vital to remember that the Arabic word for fasting is “Sawm,” which translates to “to be at rest.” The practice of fasting during Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is one of the Five Pillars upon which the “home” of Islam is built.Every Muslim who is physically capable must fast every day from sunrise till nightfall during this month.
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Build Character
Fasting is a tradition that helps people develop their moral and spiritual selves. The goal of the fast is to promote self-control, self-purification, God consciousness, compassion, a spirit of caring and sharing, as well as the love of God and humanity. All major world faiths support the practice of fasting, however some do so with stricter restrictions than others. The Islamic fast is a form of devotion and obedience to God, as well as an act of thanksgiving, forgiveness, spiritual preparation, and self-examination, as opposed to simple starvation or self-denial.
Considering oneself
Ramadan affords us a vacation and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reflect on our personal lives, our futures, and our families. It’s a chance for us to take a mental break and momentarily put the countless concerns and tensions that preoccupy us to the back of our minds. In these hectic times and places like the West, it is a luxury and much required to take this unique moment to reflect on our individual lives! It is a special month for introspection and assessing one’s moral and spiritual “assets and liabilities.”
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Become compassionate
We learn patience, selflessness, and thankfulness via fasting. When we fast, we experience the pains of lack and hunger and develop the patience to withstand them. In a social and humanitarian context, this profound experience means that we are much quicker than anybody else to empathize with the downtrodden and poor around the world and to meet their needs. This is the month to pay a visit to the hungry, ill, and poor and share in their suffering.
According to Muhammad (peace be upon him), the Last Prophet of God, blessings and an increase in food, subsistence, and revenue occur during this month. Despite lived a very simple and modest life, Muhammad (peace be upon him) is recognized for his enormous contributions to social justice, humanitarian causes, and being the first to solve other people’s issues. We can only consider the plight of people in this world who might not be as lucky as us during a tough season like Ramadan.
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Become more adaptable
Ramadan fasting helps us develop the skills of adult flexibility and time management. When we learn that fasting causes people to completely alter the path of their everyday lives, we can easily comprehend this argument. They move along to comply with the rules after the change because they automatically adapt to the new system and schedule. They eventually gain a wise sense of adaptation and the ability to construct their own strength to withstand life’s unpredictability as a result of this. A person who values boldness, effective time management, and adaptability will cherish the results of fasting in this area as well.
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Promotes Love
Because we observe fasting out of a real love for God, it helps us nurture the principle of honest love. And someone who truly loves God knows what love is and why it is crucial to treat everyone equally and with love for God’s sake.
Enhances spirituality
The human spirit is elevated and our perception of God is heightened by fasting. As we develop the ability to overcome our baser cravings, our willpower is strengthened. In human history, fasting has been both a singular and common practice. Humans have fought to control their physical and psychological selves—their bodies and their emotions—since the dawn of humanity. One of the strongest urges we ever experience is hunger. Many people abuse this impulse by overeating, undereating, or by consuming bad foods.
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Hence, when someone consciously deprives himself of something that they crave, they are elevating their reason and will above their carnal passions and their mind above their body. According to H. Abdalati in Islam in Focus, “A person who fasts empties his stomach of all material things: to fill his soul with serenity and blessings, to fill his heart with love and sympathy, to fill his spirit with devotion and Faith, to fill his mind with wisdom and resolution.” True moral greatness has been acquired by the individual who can control their appetites and make them behave as they please.
Develops mental clarity
A sharper focus is accompanied with mental clarity and the absence of outside distractions. As students, the fasting period, especially early in the day, helps us concentrate on our studies. Many Muslims try to avoid watching TV, listening to music, and other forms of entertainment during Ramadan, which frees up their time and energy for more beneficial pursuits like academics, in-depth Islamic study, voluntary prayers, social and humanitarian causes, and spending quality time with their families, to name a few.
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As God Himself explains the purpose of fasting as follows, it serves as a reminder of our obligation to God, our mission, and higher moral standards “Dear Believers! To help you acquire a sense of God, fasting has been prescribed for you as it did for those who came before you ” (Quran 2:183).
Establishes a Healthful Lifestyle
Many advantages of fasting for our physical and mental health have been clinically demonstrated. The Islamic Fast’s overall beneficial effects are influenced by its timing, duration, and type. Rest for the digestive system is one of the health advantages. The body can concentrate on getting rid of dangerous dietary poisons that have accumulated as unavoidable byproducts of food digestion throughout the year thanks to the day’s reduced food intake. In order to prevent any stimulation from reaching the stomach or digestive system while it is in homeostasis, the length of the Islamic Fast itself (about 12–14 hours) is timed to coincide with the ‘transit time’ of food from the mouth to the colon of the large intestine.
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Therefore, fasting has no known medical risks for the vast majority of healthy people and instead offers a number of health advantages, including: an increase in serum magnesium, which is crucial for cardiovascular health and the prevention of heart complications; an improvement in the quality and depth of sleep; an improvement in memory; a slower rate of skin aging over time; an increase in growth hormone production, etc. A widespread observation is that animals who are underfed live longer and experience fewer ailments than their counterparts who are overfed.
Moral Instruction
Ramadan offers us a kind of “Boot camp” experience. It’s a month of rigorous moral instruction. As we are aware that God has enjoined fasting as a specific obligation, we take great care to maintain good moral character because any transgressions could harm our reputation with God. Many people who fast throughout this month see changes in their behaviors as a result of this hard training, which is the ultimate goal of any spiritual practice. They also recognize the power of this transformational tool. The inspiration for this constructive transformation comes from the overall Ramadan environment.
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Awareness of Life and Death
It helps us to understand how genuine life and death are. When we fast, we become more aware of how reliant our lives are on necessities like food and water, which we frequently take for granted. It causes us to reflect on our reliance on God, as well as God’s mercy and justice. Also, it serves as a reminder that there is life beyond death, which itself has a profound effect on our personality and worldview.
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Relationship to the Quran
Ramadan is blessed for a specific reason: Our dear Prophet Muhammad received God’s final message and instructions for humanity during this wonderful month. The Qur’an (The Reading/Recital) is a book that wonderfully captures this message both verbally and textually. Muslims attempt to study the Quran intensely this month in particular and review their lives in light of the principles and directives it contains.
A Time to Rejoice
One of the two most significant holidays in the Islamic calendar, EID-UL-FITR, or the Feast of the Fast Breaking, is observed by Muslims after the month of Ramadan. On this day, we give thanks to God for the blessings and instruction He has given us throughout the month of Ramadan. EID-UL-FITR is observed by attending mass prayers at a mosque or Islamic institution and making a modest donation to the less fortunate in the neighborhood. In addition to making the donation on behalf of their children, the adults do so. Following the prayer and acts of kindness, there are dinner gatherings, family outings, fairs, carnivals, and hugely joyful celebrations.
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In summary, fasting is a dynamic institution that, while its true goal is to discipline our soul and moral behavior and to foster empathy for the less fortunate, it also serves as a multi-functional and all-encompassing tool for change in a variety of areas of our lives, including social and economic, intellectual and humanitarian, spiritual and physical, private and public, common and personal, inner and outer —-all at once!
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