The Health Benefits of Fasting
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Salaam to all.
I had a Gastric Band fitted four months ago, and I lasted 12 days. The reason I had to stop,was because I can't eat and drink at the same time I have to have 20 minute intervals. Plus the saliva was accumulating in my esophagus making it difficult to eat. I am poor, so I now have to pay over ?250 to make up my missed days? Failing that spend the whole year fasting on and off to complete the count. '( -
Salaam to all.
I had a Gastric Band fitted four months ago, and I lasted 12 days. The reason I had to stop,was because I can't eat and drink at the same time I have to have 20 minute intervals. Plus the saliva was accumulating in my esophagus making it difficult to eat. I am poor, so I now have to pay over ?250 to make up my missed days? Failing that spend the whole year fasting on and off to complete the count. '(Salaam Sister
I think we should not force ourselves to fast if we are in ill (or if we feel difficult to do so). God doesn't command what is beyond our capabilities.
Hope you get well soon and may God always grants you patience & guidance.
And if you are in financial difficulties, then I think you are most entitled to use what you have for your own goodness.
6416 Remain, then, conscious of God as best you can, ?
3910 ? verily, they who are patient in adversity will be given their reward in full, without reckoning.
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Salaam Javalatte.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Much needed at this time. )
Salaam and kindest regards. -
I am poor, so I now have to pay over ?250 to make up my missed days? Failing that spend the whole year fasting on and off to complete the count. '(
feeding the poor is not a punishment for not fasting. please try to understand the point of fasting from the Koranic perspective. remember God is understanding of your situation/condition (contrary to popular beliefs).
by the way, how did you come up with that large amount?
ok - let's take your situation for instance. you can't fast. and God says to feed the needy if you are not able to. you can skip a meal and give that meal or part of it to the needy. can't you do that? take a sandwich or can of soup or piece of bread to a homeless person. that's feeding the needy. also, God does say it is even better if you do something out of your own goodness. even if you are able to fast,still give to the needy as it is better for you and the person receiving it. you can volunteer at local soup kitchen - giving your time. sometimes just giving your time and listening, lending support to someone is more valuable than giving money.
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Salaam Javalatte.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Much needed at this time. )
Salaam and kindest regards.Thank you, Sister ) You teach me patience and sincerity.
Keep on strive to pass the test. God is with the patient ones.
Salaam group
- Nina -
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you can skip a meal and give that meal .... to the needy... take a sandwich or can of soup or piece of bread to a homeless person. that's feeding the needy.
Yes, I suppose it could indeed be the solution for those who are having difficulty to fast. Giving one portion of food (or money to buy one portion of food) for one person = be a substitute/redeemer for a day of fasting.
For example By giving 4 portions meal for (a poor family of) 4 people, then it could be the substitute/redeemer for 4 days of fasting.
That's what I can understand now. Correct me if I am wrong. Pardon if there are awkwardness on my English. )
Salaam.
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Farida,
I too have found studies and reports that say fasting is of benefit...but they all speak of abstaining from just food or types of food, never water.
I just wanted to know where your information was coming from...maybe a link so we can read all of it?
With Peace,
Amina
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Farida,
I too have found studies and reports that say fasting is of benefit...but they all speak of abstaining from just food or types of food, never water.
I just wanted to know where your information was coming from...maybe a link so we can read all of it?
With Peace,
Amina
Salaam Amina
If you look up at my posts on first page of this thread you will see that I have given several links, as these are not my words but the testimony of qualified people in the field of health and nutrition (you will find a web link under each quote).
I will say only this much; these health link were posted there to ward off the fear that fasting may be bad for us, as some people on this forum have been spreading malicious lies about the effect of fasting; other than that these are not authorities to me.
I have been fasting for many years now; much longer than you, as I am many years older than you, yet I've never found myself to be dehydrated. In fact I am surprised how quickly my body adapts to consuming less water during Ramadan.
Allah tells us that one of the purposes of fasting is to teach us self restraint; now imagine just for a minute that a person who has never fasted gets stranded with me in a place without food or drink available. Tell me who do you think will panic more; me or that person who never went a day without food or drink?
Also when you fast please do ponder upon the plight of those poor people, in Somalia for instance, who are suffering from the scarcity following drought and and are forced to walk for days, in search of food and drink, with nothing to quench their thirst or to still their hunger. Some manage to reach food and shelter whilst others die under way. They are suffering terribly while we in the west and in the rich middle eastern countries over- consume on a daily basis and waste a lot. Here we only have to go without food and drink for part of every day for a month, and yet we worry so much. If my Lord says no food and drink for a spate of time I have complete faith that my Allah would not have stopped us from drinking if doing so was harmful.Peace
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Wa Salaams Farida,
Thank you...I wasn't paying attention. The times when I think I might be ready to give up on fasting, I think of it this way It's 30 days out of 365...tough it out.
I also know of people that do other types of fasts, like not watching television or social fasts (where they dedicate an entire day to just studying or praying alone).
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God says that he enjoined fasting so that we can attain piety. God says he wishes ease and not hardship.
if you claim that God made fasting obligatory to go without food and water from sunrise to sunset for 30 days straight, please refer me to the verses in the Koran.
if you claim that islamic practice of fasting for 30 days from sunrise to sunset is beneficial, refer me to the studies that have shown this to be the case.
fasting has its benefits. but look at the articles and studies done. How many hours/days did the test subjects fast? Who did they study? and how many studies have been done looking at the health benefits of going without food/water for 30 days straight from sunrise to sunset?
I posted references to studies that showed the harmful effects of islamic fasting. They are not lies. If you go without food/water from 430 am till 9pm working as a farmer out in the field from sunrise to sunset under the scorching sun, you can get dehydrated.
here's an abstract
The health risks of occupational stress in Islamic industrial workers during the Ramadan fasting period.
Schmahl FW, Metzler B
Abstract
During Ramadan, Moslems are required strictly to avoid fluids and nourishment from dawn to sunset. Heat stress during such abstinence represents a substantial health hazard. In the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) where numerous Moslems, particularly of Turkish origin, perform heat work and other heavy labour, we observed moderate to severe health disturbances in such labourers during Ramadan, e.g. tachycardia, severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and circulatory collapse. The severe dehydration of these workers was demonstrated by substantial increases in their hematocrit, serum protein, urea, creatinine, uric acid and electrolyte imbalance. Because of the evidence of the substantial health hazard to Islamic workers in such situations, we have strongly urged employers to refrain from assigning Islamic workers to heat work or heavy daytime work during Ramadan; we have therefore limited systematic studies of health problems during Ramadan to persons performing only moderate work. Even under these conditions signs of dehydration were found in the 32 labourers monitored. Some of these labourers also had to interrupt their observance of Ramadan due to health problems, e.g. acute gout due to serum uric acid increase, or circulatory insufficiency. In light of the observed potentially harmful pathophysiological effects, the danger of dehydration of Islamic workers due to heat work during Ramadan should be taken very seriously. -
Wa Salaams Farida,
Thank you...I wasn't paying attention. The times when I think I might be ready to give up on fasting, I think of it this way It's 30 days out of 365...tough it out.
I also know of people that do other types of fasts, like not watching television or social fasts (where they dedicate an entire day to just studying or praying alone).
Salaam Amina
It is almost always 29 clear days(dawn to dusk) during a lunar cycle, maybe its in winter we may be able to count 30 days in a lunar cycleThe Moon exhibits different phases as the relative position of the Sun, Earth and Moon changes, appearing as a full moon when the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth and as a new moon (dark moon) when they are on the same side. The phases of full moon and new moon are examples of syzygies, which occur when the Earth, Moon, and Sun lie (approximately) in a straight line. The time between two full moons (a Lunar month) is about 29.53 days (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes) on average
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_phaseI too think that 'sawm' means refraining from specified acts as we can read in the Qur'an that Mariam was asked to refrain from talking. In the case of Ramadan it's clearly refraining from eating drinking and sex, during day time, and only for those who "witness this cycle", which IMO means that those who do not see a clear division of day and night are exempt from fasting.
Also Allah (swt) acknowledges that fasting could cause hardships for some, where as on this forum those who find it hard to fast want to abolish it for the rest who can fast without hardship o2183 Specific days (are designated for fasting); if one is ill or traveling, an equal number of other days may be substituted. Those who can fast, but with great difficulty, may substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast. If one volunteers (more righteous works), it is better. But fasting is the best for you, if you only knew.
Peace -
Salaam Amina
It is almost always 29 clear days(dawn to dusk) during a lunar cycle, maybe its in winter we may be able to count 30 days in a lunar cycleThe Moon exhibits different phases as the relative position of the Sun, Earth and Moon changes, appearing as a full moon when the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth and as a new moon (dark moon) when they are on the same side. The phases of full moon and new moon are examples of syzygies, which occur when the Earth, Moon, and Sun lie (approximately) in a straight line. The time between two full moons (a Lunar month) is about 29.53 days (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes) on average
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_phaseI too think that 'sawm' means refraining from specified acts as we can read in the Qur'an that Mariam was asked to refrain from talking. In the case of Ramadan it's clearly refraining from eating drinking and sex, during day time, and only for those who "witness this cycle", which IMO means that those who do not see a clear division of day and night are exempt from fasting.
Also Allah (swt) acknowledges that fasting could cause hardships for some, where as on this forum those who find it hard to fast want to abolish it for the rest who can fast without hardship o2183 Specific days (are designated for fasting); if one is ill or traveling, an equal number of other days may be substituted. Those who can fast, but with great difficulty, may substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast. If one volunteers (more righteous works), it is better. But fasting is the best for you, if you only knew.
PeaceThank you (again) for that insight (you answered my question on another post if I remember correctly). I know of a sister that I work with who prepares herself for the month by drinking more water and eating a little less in the weeks prior to it's beginning. I think that makes total sense so as not to shock ones system. I had the intention of doing that this year, but it never happened. Allah knows best, and is oft-forgiving and merciful, so I hope I am able to make up my fasts and it will be acceptable.
Amina