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The spiritual and health benefits of Ramadan fasting

At the onset of Ramadan Muslims all over the world start fasting from dawn to dusk daily for 29 or 30 days as ordained in the Quran
.
Islam specifically outlines one full month of fasting during the month of Ramadan.
It is a physiological, psychological as well as a spiritual experience.
Muslims do not fast because of medical benefits which are of a secondary nature, but the health benefits of fasting are important issues

    "O you who believe fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you so that you can learn Taqwa" (Quran 2:183)

The Arabic word Taqwa is translated in many ways including God consciousness, God fearing, piety, and self restraining. Thus we are asked to fast daily for one month from dawn to dusk and avoid food, water, sex and vulgar talk during that period.

But why do we need to fast? It is our experience that temptations and ways of the world tend to spoil our purity and austerity. Thus we indulge in food all of the time, snacking and nibbling the whole day, heading to obesity. We drink too much coffee, or tea, or carbonated drinks. Some sexaholics can not stay away from sex unless they do it at least once or more a day. When we argue, we leave our decency aside and resort to vulgar talk and even physical fighting.

Now when one is fasting, he or she cannot do all of that. When he looks at the mouth watering food, he cannot even taste it and he has to give up snacking and nibbling as well as smoking cigarettes if he does. No constant coffee, tea or Coke drinking either. Sexual passions have to be curtailed and when he is provoked to fight, he says " I am fasting that I cannot respond to your provocation". To achieve God consciousness or God nearness, a better word, we are advised to do additional prayer and read the Quran.

Medical benefits of Ramadan

Muslims do not fast because of medical benefits which are of a secondary nature. Fasting has been used by patients for weight management, to rest the digestive tract and for lowering lipids. There are many adverse effects of total fasting as well as of crash diets. Islamic fasting is different from such diet plans because in Ramadan fasting, there is no malnutrition or inadequate calorie intake. The calorie intake of Muslims during Ramadan is at or slightly below the nutritional requirement guidelines. In

addition, the fasting in Ramadan is voluntarily taken and is not a prescribed imposition from the physician.

Ramadan is a month of self-regulation and self training, with the hope that this training will last beyond the end of Ramadan.

If the lessons learned during Ramadan, whether in terms of dietary intake or righteousness, are carried on after Ramadan, there effects will be long lasting. Moreover, the type of food taken during Ramadan does not have any selective criteria of crash diets such as those which are protein only or fruit only type diets. Everything that is permissible is taken in moderate quantities.

The difference between Ramadan and total fasting is the timing of the food; during Ramadan, we basically miss lunch and take an early breakfast and do not eat until dusk. Abstinence from water for 8 to 10 hours is not necessarily bad for health and in fact, it causes concentration of all fluids within the body, producing slight dehydration. The body has its own water conservation mechanism; in fact, it has been shown that slight dehydration and water conservation, at least in plant life, improve their longevity.

The physiological effect of fasting includes lowering of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering of the systolic blood pressure. In fact, Ramadan fasting would be an ideal recommendation for the treatment of mild to moderate, stable, non-insulin diabetes, obesity, and essential hypertension. In 1994 the first International Congress on "Health and Ramadan", held in Casablanca, entered 50 extensive studies on the medical ethics of fasting. While improvement in many medical conditions was noted; however, in no way did fasting worsen any patients' health or their baseline medical condition. On the other hand, patients who are suffering from sever diseases, whether type I diabetes or coronary artery disease, kidney stones, etc., are exempt from fasting and should not be allowed to fast.

There are psychological effects of fasting as well. There is a peace and tranquility for those who fast during the month of Ramadan. Personal hostility is at a minimum, and the crime rate decreases. Muslims take advice from the Prophet who said, "If one slanders you or aggresses against you, say I am fasting."

This psychological improvement could be related to better stabilization of blood glucose during fasting as hypoglycemia after eating, aggravates behavior changes. There is a beneficial effect of extra prayer at night. This not only helps with better utilization of food but also helps in energy output. There are 10 extra calories output for each unit of the prayer. Again, we do not do prayers for exercise, but a mild movement of the joints with extra calorie utilization is a better form of exercise. Similarly, recitation of the Quran not only produces a tranquility of heart and mind, but improves the memory.

One of the odd nights in the last 10 days of Ramadan is called the night of power when angels descend down, and take the prayer of worship to God for acceptance.

Fasting is a special act of worship which is only between humans and God since no one else knows for sure if this person is actually fasting. Thus God says in a hadith qudsi that "Fasting is for Me and I only will reward it". In another hadith, the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) has said "If one does not give up falsehoods in words and actions, God has no need of him giving up food and drink".

Happy Ramadan
to all Muslims.



Shahid Athar M.D. is Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, Indiana, and a writer on Islam.

8 Great Modern Innovations We Can Thank Muslims For

Algebra

Many Westerners, Germans in particular, are proud of their feats of technology and engineering. But where would engineers be without algebra?

The mathematical system became known in Europe in the twelfth century, when British Arabist Robert of Chester translated the writings of Arab scholar Al-Khwarizmi. Al-Khwarizmi, for whom algorithms are named, is known as the developer of modern algebra.

2. The toothbrush

Islam was the one of the first world religions to place particular emphasis on bodily hygiene. The Qur’an includes instructions for ritual washing. It is no wonder, therefore, that dental hygiene also grew in popularity as Islam did. Admittedly, the ancient Egyptians are thought to have chewed on twigs from the “toothbrush tree.”

However, the twigs, also known as “miswak”, only became known to a wider public when the Prophet Mohammed regularly used them to brush his teeth. While there is no mention of miswak twigs in the Qur’an, they are mentioned many times in writings by Muslim scholars.

3. Marching bands

Military marching bands date back to the Ottoman Mehterhane. These were bands which played during the entire battle and only ceased their music-making when the army retreated or the battle was over.

During the wars with the Ottoman Empire, the bands are thought to have made a considerable impression on European soldiers – after which they adapted the principle for their own use.

4. The guitar

The guitar, as we know it today, has its origins in the Arabic oud – a lute with a bent neck. During the Middle Ages, it found its way to Muslim Spain, where it was referred to as “qitara” in the Arabic of Andalusia.

It is said that a music teacher brought one to the court of the Umayyad ruler Abdel Rahman II in the ninth century. The modern guitar developed as a result of many influences, but the Arabic lute was an important predecessor.

5. Magnifying glass/glasses

Not only did the Arab world revolutionize mathematics – it also revolutionized optics. The scholar Alhazen (Abu al-Hasan) from Basra was the first person to describe how the eye works.

He carried out experiments with reflective materials and proved that the eye does not sense the environment with “sight rays,” as scientists had believed up until then. He also discovered that curved glass surfaces can be used for magnification.

His glass “reading stones” were the first magnifying glasses. It was from these that glasses were later developed. Furthermore, Alhazen wrote important scholarly texts on astronomy and meteorology.

6. Coffee

Coffee is the best known of the Muslim world’s exports. While it originated in Ethiopia, it soon found its way over the Red Sea to the Arabian peninsula, where it grew in popularity.

It is thought that an Ottoman merchant brought the bean-based beverage to London in the 17th century. Venice gained its first coffee house in 1645, while Germany got to know the drink following the retreat of the Turks from Austria in 1683. Legend has it that the Sultan’s soldiers left sackloads of coffee behind.

7. Hospitals

The first modern hospital with nurses and a training center was in Cairo. In the Ahmed Ibn Tulun hospital (named for the founder of the Tulunid dynasty), which was established in the year 872, all patients received free health care – a Muslim tradition which was institutionalized with the advent of the hospital.

Slightly more basic hospitals had existed prior to this in Baghdad. But it was the Cairo model which would later serve as the template for hospitals all around the globe.

8. Surgical Innovations

The Andalusian-born doctor Albucasis (Abu al-Kasim) was one of the most significant medical figures of the Middle Ages. In the more than 30 volumes he wrote, the tenth-century Arab scholar described how important a positive patient-doctor relationship is, and argued for the same standard of medical care for all, regardless of social class.

He also invented methods for surgically treating diseases of the urethra, the ear and the esophagus, and was the first person to describe an ectopic pregnancy. So great was his influence that he was still being quoted by leading European physicians in the 16th century. His ideas shaped modern surgery.

 

This piece originally appeared and translated into English on  The Huffington Post 

Is it acceptable for Muslims to play sports?

SPORTS IN ISLAM

Mo Farah prostrates to Allah [swt] after winning in Rio.

Yes. Allah prohibits that which is harmful to the physical, mental and spiritual health of individuals and to overall health of society. Because many Islamic scholars believe music is forbidden, there has been some debate over the permissibility of sports among Muslims.

After all, the same idol-worship that often occurs from fans toward musicians and entertainers also happens with athletes. Some of the harmful behaviors glorified in music are also glorified (and practiced) in the sports world. And in the same way that becoming wrapped up in music is distracting to what should be one’s purpose of submitting to the will of Allah, many sports fans become so obsessive that it distracts their focus and brings out the worst in them.

However, Allah wants us to have sound bodies, as well as sound minds and sound morals. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The strong (active) believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, while there is good in both.” The Prophet himself participated in swimming, archery, running and horseback riding, and was said to have encouraged parents to involve their children in these sports.

There is also a famous story in which Muhammad (pbuh) encountered Rukaana, a renowned strongman and wrestling champion in Mecca. After the smaller Muhammad took Rukaana down multiple times in a row, the champ converted to Islam:

Being physically fit and active enhances the body’s immune system and protects it from diseases. From daily prayers to fasting during Ramadan to the actions performed during Hajj, a Muslim who is in shape is better equipped to perform the duties of Islam.

As in every activity in life, Muslims who play sports (and are sports fans) should conduct themselves respectfully and in a manner that pleases Allah. That means showboating, cheating and unnecessary roughness are discouraged. Humility and modesty should be a trait of all Muslims, and it’s no different for Muslims when competing in sports. As the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Almighty Allah has decreed that nothing shall have a permanent glory,” which means every situation has its ups and downs, and no condition is permanent.”

Ibtihaj Muhammad

Are Muslim women allowed to play sports?

Yes. Aisha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them), competed against her husband in footraces. She said, “I competed with the Messenger of Allah (in running) and overtook him. Later, when I had put on some weight, I once again competed with him, but this time he overtook me and said: ‘We’re even now.'”

Saya Raisa Aribatul Hamidah

Islam does not allow co-ed participation in some sports and does not allow men to watch women compete in certain sports, in order to close doors to seduction, temptation and corruption.

For me Islam is using all this special way of doing things to prevent some anomalies, misconduct and respect for both genders especially the women and doing the right thing at all time.

When is Ramadan 2016?

Ramadan 2016 will begin on Monday, 6th of June 2016

The Crescent of this year’s Ramadan is expected to appear around sunset on Sunday, June 5, 2016. Thus, this year’s Ramadan fast will most likely start on June 6.

Ramadan is in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a month of fasting, prayer, giving and self-evaluation observed by Muslims. The month lasts 29-30 days depending on the sightings of the crescent moon.

Celebration\ Observance

Ramadan represents a time of fasting, prayer, and devotion to the Muslim religion. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. People are encouraged to read the Qur'an entirely during this time. It is a time for charity and many Islamic organizations take part in giving of clothing and food to the schools and homeless shelters. Islamic businesses and groups may arrange schedules for prayer times during this month.

History

Ramadan is the most blessed and holy month of the Islamic calendar which consists of 12 months of 354 days. The month begins with the sighting of the new moon. Many Muslims avoid food, drink, and certain activities during the day time. The Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during this time. Ramadan ends with the sighting of the crescent of the next new moon. Eid-al-Fitr holiday marks the end of Ramadan.

Year 2016

Event	Hijri Date	Gregorian Date
Aashoraa day	10 Muharram 1437	23 October 2015
First day of fasting month	1 Ramadan 1437	6 June 2016 (tentative)
Lailat ul-Qadr (The night of power)	20 Ramadan 1437 -- 29 Ramadan 1437	25 June 2016 -- 4 July 2016
Eidu al-fitr	1 Shawwal 1437	6 July 2016 (tentative)
Hajj days	8 Thul-Hijjah 1437 -- 13 Thul-Hijjah 1437	9 September 2016 -- 14 September 2016
Arafa day	9 Thul-Hijjah 1437	10 September 2016
Eidu al-adha	10 Thul-Hijjah 1437	11 September 2016