Ramadhan - A quick
and easy summary on the meaning, purpose and benefits of fasting
in Islam in the light of Holy Quran and Hadith
Introduction
The month of Ramadan
is around. We are happy to present information on Ramadan which,
we hope, will prove to be useful source of knowledge for you. This,
we expect, would help you to explore more about Ramadan, appreciate
the significance of this blessed month.
We hope that this
article will make your fasting purposeful and rewarding. In another
way, this is Ramadan gift for you.
Ramadhan is the
ninth month of the islamic lunar calendar. It is obligatory on Muslims
to fast in this month.
Fasting means abstinence.
To stop eating, drinking and sexual activity from dawn to dusk.
People who are
exempt from fasting are as follows:
Minor
*Aged
**Sick
**Traveler
**Pregnant Women
**Suckling Women
**Mensturating
Women
Mentally Retarded
* Should donate a meal to the needy
** Should fast an equivalent number of days afterwards
This is clearly defined in Holy Quran
“… but whoever is sick or upon a journey, then (he
shall fast) a (like) number of other days; Allah desires ease for
you, and He does not desire for you difficulty, and (He desires)
that you should complete the number and that you should exalt the
greatness of Allah for His having guided you and that you may give
thanks.” -Quran- 2:185
The goal of fasting is to develop self-restraint. Holy Quran states:
“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was
prescribed to those before you, so that you may develop Taqwa (self-restraint)
” [2:183]
Fasting was prescribed to the nations of earlier Prophets as well.
Example: God says about Mary in the Qur’an that she said:
“Verily!, I have vowed a fast to the Most Beneficent…[Maryam
19:26].
Now the question arises, WHAT IS TAQWA? Taqwa is an Arabic word.
It is the state of heart that motivates virtuous conduct and prevents
evil action.
Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him)
address on the eve of Ramadan:
People, a great blessed month has come upon you.
Allah has made fasting during it an obligation, and steadfastly
observing its nights in worship a voluntary act.
Whoever undertakes an act of obedience to Allah during this month
with a righteous deed, it is as if he has performed an obligatory
act at other times,
and whoever performs an obligatory act during it is as one who
performed seventy obligations at other times.
It is the month of patience, and the reward for patience is Paradise.
It is the month of goodwill, during which provisions are multiplied.
At another occasion
Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said:
“ Allah
has no need for the hunger and the thirst of the person who does
not restrain from telling lies and acting on them even while observing
fast.”
“ When
one of you is fasting, He should abstain from indecent acts and
unnecessary talk, and if someone begins an obscene conversation
or tries to pick an argument, he should simply tell him, ‘I
am fasting.’”
Regarding the REWARDS
of fasting, Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) proclaimed the reward of fasting:
“Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward,
each good deed receiving ten times its like, up to seven hundred
times. Allah the Most High said, ‘Except for fasting, for
it is for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his
desires and his food for Me.’ for the fasting person there
are two times of joy; a time when he breaks his fast and a time
of joy when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth
of the fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk.”
Ramadhan is also the month of the Revelation of the Qur'an as explained
in the following verse: “The month of Ramadan is that in which
the Quran was revealed, a guidance to men and clear proofs of the
guidance and the distinction”- Holy Qur’an 2:185
Benefits of
Fasting
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Fast and you shall become healthy”
This hadith is
proved by the modern day scientist and recent perspectives are:
“Fasting
gives the body the environment to heal itself--physiologic rest”
“Abstinence
from food for a short time can in no way operate to the disadvantage
of a normal person.”
“In fact,
individuals affected with certain types of gastrointestinal disorders
are benefited by fasting.”
“Fasting
has also been used in cases of diabetes and obesity.”
“It is
a cleansing process and a physiologic or functional rest which prepares
the body for future correct living.”
The role of fasting
according to Dr Jack Goldstein ('From the Book Triumph Over Disease
By Fasting and Natural Diet')
It promotes elimination
of metabolic wastes
It allows the
body to adjust and normalize its biochemistry and also its secretions
It lets the body
break down and absorb swellings, deposits, diseased tissues, and
abnormal growths;
It restores a
youthful condition to the cells and tissues
It increases the
powers of digestion and assimilation (absorption and utilization
of food into the system)
It permits the
conservation and re-routing of energy; It clears and strengthens
the mind;
Dr Jack Goldstein ('From the Book Triumph Over Disease By Fasting
and Natural Diet') thereafter nullifies the following misbeliefs
about fasting and states that:
cause the stomach
to atrophy
paralyze the bowels
deplete the blood
produce anemia
cause the heart
to weaken or collapse
produce deficiency
or mal nutritional disease
reduce resistance
to disease
harm the teeth,
the nervous system, glands or vital organs
weaken the vital
powers or cause mental disturbances.
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