(From Research Point of View )
MOHD ISHAQ SHAH
Spiritual Perspective:On physical level, fasting is the procedure to refrain from taking solid and liquid foods and the activities that are legal during Non-Fasting period and on spiritual level it is more than the fasting that the Qur’an calls Taqwa ( purification of body and soul).It is one of five basic principles of Islam and ordained by Allah Subhana Watallah in Qur”an:
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous –Surah Baqarah Ayah 183.
Fasting for a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey during them – then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] – a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]. And whoever volunteers excess – it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.Surah Baqarah Ayah 184.
Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.Surah Al Qadr:
In the light of Ahadeeth: Kitab AL-Sawm-The Book of FastingBook 6, Number 2361:Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: When there comes the month of Ramadan, the gates of mercy are opened, and the gates of Hell are locked and the devils are chained,
Book 6, Number 2362:This hadith is reported by Abu Huraira (with a slight alteration of words) that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: “When (the month of) Ramadan begins.”
Chapter2:fasting in ramadan should necessarily be commenced with the sight of the new moon and finished with the sight of the newmoon if the weather is cloudy at the beginning or at the end, then complete thirty days
Book 6, Number 2363:Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying in connection with Ramadan: Do not fast till you see the new moon, and do not break fast till you see it; but if the weather is cloudy calculate about it.
Book 6, Number 2364:Ibn Umar reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) made a mention of Ramadan and he with the gesture of his hand said: The month is thus and thus. (He then withdrew his thumb at the third time). He then said: Fast when you see it, and break your fast when you see it, and if the weather is cloudy calculate it (the months of Sha’ban and Shawwal) as thirty days.
Book 6, Number 2365:This hadith is narrated on the authority of ‘Ubaidullah with the same chain of transmitters, and he said: If (the sky) is cloudy for you, then calculate thirty days (for the month of Ramadan).
Book 6, Number 2366:’Ubaidullah narrated on the authority of the same chain of transmitters that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) made a mention of Ramadan and said: The month may consist of twenty-nine days, and it may be thus, thus and thus, and (he further) said: Calculate it, but he did not say thirty.
Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement, and heightened devotion and worship. Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam. The fast (sawm) begins at dawn and ends at sunset. In addition to abstaining from eating and drinking during this time, Muslims abstain from sexual relations and sinful speech and behaviour during Ramadan fasting or month. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the soul by freeing it from harmful impurities. Muslims believe that Ramadan teaches them to practice self-discipline, self-control sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate, thus encouraging actions of generosity and compulsory charity (zakat) Muslims also believe fasting helps instill compassion for the food-insecure poor.
Exemptions from fasting include those traveling, menstruating, severely ill, pregnant, or breastfeeding. However, Muslims in these categories may still choose to fast, in order to satisfy their spiritual needs, even though it is not recommended by hadith. Those unable to fast are obligated to make up the missed days later.
Medical Perspective:Lets see what the medical science has to say about fasting and what do the study reveal about the consequences of the fasting.Based on the results of a currently published meta-analysis included 21 articles, 531 men and 299 women, fasting during Ramadan results in a moderate reduction in body weight in men but not in women (−0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.36 to −0.12; P = 0.0001 and −0.04, 95% CI = −0.20 to 0.12; P = 0.62, respectively) The overall estimated effect size for both genders was also significant (−0.17, 95% CI = −0.26 to −0.07; P = 0.001). Moreover, within study heterogeneity was not significant (I2 = 0%, P = 0.82).A recent study reported that body weight, BMI and body fat had a significant reduction in 3rd week of Ramadan in comparison with 1 week before or after Ramadan fasting (P < 0.01 for all).However, the changes in hip circumference, weight circumference and waist to hip circumference ratio were not significant. Moreover, lost weight during Ramadan was regained and reduced BMI was returned to pre-Ramadan values in short-term after Ramadan. Moreover, a significant increase in body fat percent measured in 30th day after Ramadan was observed in comparison to pre-Ramadan values.Meta-analysis of pre-Ramadan lipid profile in comparison to post-Ramadan values showed that TC (−0.44, 95% CI = −0.77 to −0.11; P = 0.009) and triglyceride (TG) (−0.35, 95% CI = −0.67 to −0.02; P = 0.04) were decreased in men and HDL (0.86, 95% CI = 0.11 to 1.61; P = 0.03) was increased among women. Although the overall pooled changes for TC (−0.29, 95% CI = −0.57 to 0.00, P = 0.05) was marginally significant, the pooled effect sizes for TG (−0.20, 95% CI = −0.44 to 0.04, P = 0.1) and HDL (0.73, 95% CI = −0.10 to 1.57, P = 0.09) were not statistically significant. In both genders (500 men and 240 women), a significant reduction in LDL (−2.22, 95% CI = −3.47 to −0.96; P = 0.0005 in men and −0.81, 95% CI = −1.61 to −0.00 in women; P = 0.05) was observed .The data of 581 men and 225 women was used to calculate overall effect size of TC. Analyses for estimating overall changes in HDL were conducted on 462 men and 199 women. The effect of Ramadan fasting on lipid profile has been assessed among athletes Results showed that TC and LDL were decreased, and HDL and TG were increased during Ramadan in compared with pre-Ramadan assessment. A trend of reduction in TG and very low-density lipoprotein and increase in HDL was observed after Ramadan month. TC and LDL reached to pre-Ramadan values during after Ramadan fasting period. Another study conducted on healthy subjects reported that Ramadan fasting had a favorable impact on LDL and HDL among men (P < 0.001 for both)The authors of foresaid study could not observe any reduction in TG and TC after Ramadan fasting in comparison with pre-Ramadan values in men (P = 0.25 for TG and P = 0.06 for TC). In women, although TC was decreased during Ramadan in compared with pre-Ramadan measurements, it reached higher values in after Ramadan period than pre-Ramadan. In contrast to LDL that showed a remarkable reduction trend, an increasing trend was observed for HDL and TG from pre-Ramadan to post-Ramadan period in women. Reported evidence showed a decrease in intake of total fat, saturated fatty acid, cholesterol and polyunsaturated fatty acid during Ramadan month among type 2 diabetic obese women.On the other hand, there are two major complications for diabetic patients during Ramadan: Hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia. The risk of hypoglycemia is increased significantly among diabetic individuals during Ramadan. Hyperglycemia usually occurred due to overeating during nonfasting hours of Ramadan and change in dosage of antidiabetic drugs to prevent hypoglycemia.Fasting during brightening to sunset results in remarkable changes in eating pattern and daily physical activity. Studies reported that insulin delivery should be rescheduled during Ramadan in which need to insulin reduction in daytime and increase in nighttimeTherefore, it is recommended that diabetic patients use the insulin pump for regulating their insulin requirement during RamadanPrevious studies demonstrated that fasting blood sugar and postprandial plasma glucose was decreased among type 2 diabetic patients during Ramadan in comparison to before and after Ramadan values. Serum fructosamine, an indicator of overall glycemic control, showed a favorable change during Ramadan fastingReported guidelines for diabetic subjects during Ramadan emphasized that all recommendations should be individualized for each person Nutritional recommendations advised that carbohydrate and fat content of sunset meal should be restricted and complex carbohydrate should be consumed before daily fasting. Diabetic patients should be aware that they have to break fast as hypoglycemia occurred Medical, nutritional and physical activity consulting is necessary for.In the most cases, pregnant women have been forbidden to fast during Ramadan but arbitrary fasting is observed in pregnant women. An Iranian historical cohort study on pregnant women aged 20-35 years (n = 189) who fasted 13 days in average, illustrated that in comparison to nonfasting mothers’ offspring, fasting could not significantly affect on incidence of low body weight in neonatals. In comparison to those who were nonfasting during Ramadan, the risk of low birth weight was not statistically higher in fasting mothers (odds ratio: 1.50; 95% CI: 0.23-1.74; P > 0.05).In overall, the results of foresaid study showed that Ramadan fasting had no effect on intrauterine growth, pregnancy duration and anthropometrical measures of infants.Similarly, another study conducted on 25 fasting (mean of fasting days: 23 ± 6) and 27 nonfasting healthy women reported that there are no significant differences in femoral length, abdominal circumference, biparietal diameter, fetal weight, amount of amniotic fluid and fetal heart rate between two groups. The results of a prospective cohort study on 402 women (201 Ramadan fasted and 201 nonfasted) demonstrated that time of delivery had no difference between fasted and nonfasted pregnant women and BMI is the most important factor which affect on time of deliveryThe mean of fasting days in foresaid study was 22 ± 9. Moreover, the finding disclosed that Ramadan fasted mothers had lower rate of cesarean delivery (28.4% in fasted and 39.3% in nonfasted women; P = 0.027) and birth weight average (3094 ± 467 g in fasted and 3202 ± 473 g in nonfasted; P = 0.024) Researches regarding the effect of fasting during Ramadan on offspring are not limited to childhood, and it is evaluated till adulthood. A recent population-based study compared the BMI and height of adults whose fetal period had been in Ramadan with those whose fetal period had not been in Ramadan After adjusting for adulthood BMI, results showed that subjects with fetal period during Ramadan were thin.- ( A journal of medical Science ).
Last but not least, fasting is a blessing for all the humanity in general and all the Muslims in particular.It is the month of worships, prayers and cahrity. Allah has promised to reward ten times of the virtue done in this month. But all we need to do is follow the commandment of Allah and Rasool( PBUH) in letter and spirit so that this Ramadan becomes a a means of repentance and gaining favour from Allah. Amen.
The author can be reached at ishaq7007@gmail.com
