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| The Spiritual and Health
Benefits of Ramadan Fasting Shahid Athar, M.D. This year the Islamic month of Ramadan will
start on December 20th. Muslims all over the world will start this month
with fasting from dawn to dusk daily for 30 days as ordained in Quran. "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? " 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 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 severe
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 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". * Author, Islamic Perspectives in Medicine
and Health Concerns for the Believers. http://www.ISLAM-USA.com. Reprint Requests:
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