Muslims often invite friends and family members to join in the celebration of the break-fast dinners ( iftar). The annual Islamic alms ( zakat) are usually paid in Ramadan. Hence, the rich will be more inclined to give charity when they fast. Through fasting, the rich know what it means to be hungry.
How coronavirus challenges Muslims' faith and changes their livesįasting has other personal and social benefits. Therefore, the fundamental spiritual benefit of fasting is to exercise the will-power and attain self-control, essential for success in every part of life. Whoever doesn’t give up lying and acting on lies during fasting, then God has no need for him to give up food and drink. The constant exercise of willpower not to eat, drink or have sexual relations sends a strong message it is the human will, hence the spirit, that is in control.įasting is not just about staying hungry or thirsty, it is also to struggle to contain other harmful behaviours. Therefore, fasting in the Islamic tradition is the best way to show a true and sincere thanksgiving.ĭuring Ramadan, Muslims give thanks for the sustenance God provides. Since a believer fasts for the sake of God, they acknowledge the sustenance, which may be taken for granted, actually comes from God. True thanksgiving is to know that all sustenance comes directly from God, to acknowledge its value and to feel our own need and dependence on that sustenance.Ī fasting person physically feels the value of, and their need for, basic sustenance when they experience the pangs of hunger and thirst. God expects the price of thanksgiving for the sustenance he has provided. While they readily thank agents of delivery, they forget to remember and thank God as the one who ultimately meets all their needs. Many people forget the fact God is the source of all sustenance. As the Earth revolves around its axis, the jubilant timeframe is repeated in a continuous manner for the whole month. In Ramadan, believers show a collective act of worship in the presence of the mighty and universal Mercy as they wait for the divine invitation to the table of blessings at the time of breaking the fast. God exhibits the perfection of lordship, grace and mercy by making the surface of this Earth a table of blessing, and placing all kinds of sustenance on that table for every creature to enjoy. What may seem to some to be a self-inflicted ordeal has profound meaning for human beings and God, and their reciprocal relationship. Spiritual significance and benefits of Ramadan fasting Near polar regions, fasting can be almost 22 hours in summer or just a few hours in winter. Since fasting is from dawn to sunset, the duration of fasting time changes depending on the season and where a Muslim is located in the world. The elderly and chronically ill compensate for days not fasted by making a small donation to charity for each day, if they can afford it. Travellers, elderly, sick, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are exempt from fasting on the condition they make up missing days at a suitable time after Ramadan. Millions of Muslims prepare to perform the hajj amid calls for a boycott Parents encourage their children to fast for half a day from the age of ten to condition them to fasting. It is obligatory for all Muslims, men and women, from the age of puberty. Ramadan fasting is one of the most observed of all the pillars of Islam, with 70-80% of Muslims practising it. Practitioners can engage in all these acts once fasting is broken and restart fasting the next dawn. The Ramadan fasting involves stopping eating, drinking and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset. AAP/Dean Lewins Who observes Ramadan fasting? The end of Ramadan is marked with the three-day celebration of Eid.
This continued three times, after which the first five verses of the holy Qur’an was revealed: The angelic form squeezed him tight and repeated the command to read. Several weeks into the retreat, he experienced an angelic form appearing before him, commanding him to read. In 610, when he was 40, he again went to the same mountain top to meditate. We are not sure if this retreat involved fasting at the time. He would meditate in solitude, away from the polytheistic culture of tribal Mecca for the whole month of Ramadan. Prior to becoming a messenger of God, Muhammad used to withdraw to the Hira mountain top cave. Significance of Ramadan in Islamic history It is then followed by the three-day celebration of Eid. The Ramadan for 2022 will start on Saturday April 2 and go for about 30 days. But Muslims have been practising fasting in the lunar month of Ramadan for centuries. Intermittent fasting is now becoming popular, with many promised health benefits.
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