Fasting in Islam ( known as Sawm, [ 1 ] Arabic : صَوْم ; Arabic pronunciation : [ sˤawm ]. Or Siyam, Arabic : صِيَام ; Arabic pronunciation : [ sˤijaːm ], besides normally known as Rūzeh or Rōzah, persian : روزه in non-Arab Muslim countries ) is the practice of abstaining, normally from food, toast, fume, and intimate activeness. During the Islamic holy place month of Ramadan, Sawm is observed between click and twilight when the adhan of the Maghrib prayer is sounded. [ 2 ] Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar and fast is a necessity for Muslims as it is the fourthly of the five pillars of Islam. [ 3 ]
initiation [edit ]
Fasting is not for only Muslims, it has been practiced for centuries by religions such as Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism, among others. [ 4 ] It is stated in the Quran that Allah says ,
“O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may develop God-consciousness.” (Quran 2:183). [ 4 ]
Reading: Fasting in Islam
Some societies in North America fasted to serve as penance for sin and avert catastrophes. [ 4 ] Incas of Peru and Native Americans of Mexico observed fasts to appease their gods. former nations such as Assyrians and the Babylonians observed fast as a form of penance. Jews observe fasting as a kind of refining and repentance on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur annually. Food and drinks are not permitted on this day. [ 4 ] Fasting took a unlike form in the West such as starve hit which is a form of fast, used in modern times as a political weapon which was made popular by the leader of India ‘s clamber for exemption, Mahatma Gandhi. He undertook fasts to compel his followers to obey his principle of not violence. [ 4 ] early Christians during the first gear two centuries, associated fasting with purification and repentance. The christian church made fast as a voluntary readiness for receiving the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion and for the ordering of priests. [ 4 ] Later, they were made compulsory and other days were subsequently added. The Lenten fast was expanded in the sixth Century to 40 days where one meal was allowed on each sidereal day. Fasting was retained by most protestant church churches and was made optional in some cases after the Reformation. however, stricter Protestants condemned both the festivals of the church and their traditional fasts. The Roman Catholics firm on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as their fast may involve partial derivative abstinence from food and drink or sum abstinence. [ 4 ]
In the koran [edit ]
In the Quran, the practice of fast is mentioned. In verse 2:183 [ a ] [ 3 ] Quran expresses situations in which a Muslim is allowed to abstain from fasting and introduces option solutions such as feeding needy people. besides, it is emphasized in poetry 2:183-185 that it is not necessary for people who are travelling or sick to be fasting. It can be postponed until “ another adequate number of days. ” [ 3 ] According to poetry 5:95, [ b ] among other things, fast may be used to make up for certain sins, such as killing an animal during a state of “ ihram “. The Quran verse 2:185 besides states that the Quran was revealed in the calendar month of Ramadan. [ 3 ] Another verse 97:1 in the Quran states that it was revealed “ on the Night of Power, ” where Muslims respect in one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan. [ 3 ]
“ O ye who believe ! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that ye may ward off ( evil ) ; ( Fast ) a certain count of days ; and ( for ) him who is ghastly among you, or on a journey, ( the lapp ) number of other days ; and for those who can afford it there is a ransom : the feed of a man in need – but whoso doeth good of his own accord, it is better for him : and that ye fast is better for you if ye did but know – ‘ The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion (of right and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, (let him fast the same) number of other days’. God desireth for you ease ; He desireth not hardship for you ; and ( He desireth ) that ye should complete the period, and that ye should magnify God for having guided you, and that possibly ye may be grateful. And when My servants question thee concerning Me, then surely I am near. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he crieth unto Me. So let them hear My call and let them trust in Me, in order that they may be led correctly. It is made lawful for you to go in unto your wives on the night of the firm. They are array for you and ye are array for them. God is Aware that ye were deceiving yourselves in this obedience and He hath turned in mercy toward you and relieved you. so accommodate sexual intercourse with them and seek that which God hath ordained for you, and eat and drink until the white screw thread becometh discrete to you from the black screw thread of the dawn. then rigorously observe the fast cashbox nightfall ; and touch them not when at devotions in the mosques. These are the limits imposed by God, so approach them not. Thus God expoundeth His revelation to mankind that they may ward off ( evil ). — Quran 2:183-187 “
Perform the pilgrimage and the sojourn for God. And if ye are prevented, then send such gifts as can be obtained with ease, and shave not your heads until the gifts have reached their finish. And whoever among you is disgusted or hath an ailment of the head must pay a ransom of fasting or almsgiving or put up. And if ye are in safety, then whosoever contenteth himself with the chew the fat for the pilgrimage ( shall give ) such gifts as can be had with rest. ‘ And whosoever cannot find (such gifts), then a fast of three days while on the pilgrimage, and of seven when ye have returned that is, ten in all. That is for him whoso folk are not present at the Inviolable Place of Worship’. Observe your duty to God, and know that God is severe in punishment. — Quran 2:196
O ye who believe ! Kill no wild game while ye are on the pilgrimage. ‘ Whoso of you killeth it of set purpose he shall pay its forfeit in the equivalent of that which he hath killed, of domestic animals, the judge to be two men among you known for justice, (the forfeit) to be brought as an offering to the Ka’bah;or, for expiation, he shall feed poor persons, or the equivalent thereof in fasting’, that he may taste the evil consequences of his act. God forgiveth whatever ( of this kind ) may have happened in the past, but whoso relapseth, God will take retribution from him. God is Mighty, Able to Requite ( the incorrectly ). — Quran 5:95
such of you as put away your wives ( by saying they are as their mothers ) They are not their mothers ; none are their mothers except those who gave them parentage — they indeed utter an ill son and a lie. And lo ! God is Forgiving, Merciful. ‘ Those who put away their wives (by saying they are as their mothers) and afterward would go back on that which they have said; (the penalty) in that case (is) the freeing of a slave before they touch one another. Unto this ye are exhorted; and God is informed of what ye do. And he who findeth not (the wherewithal), let him fast for two successive months before they touch one another; and for him who is unable to do so (the penance is) the feeding of sixty needy ones.’ This, that ye may put trust in God and His messenger. such are the limits ( imposed by God ) ; and for disbelievers is a painful doom. — Quran 58:2-4
definition [edit ]
Fasting is chiefly an drill of idolatry to willingly vacate oneself, for a definite period of time, from all bodily appetites in ordering to form spiritual discipline and self-denial. [ 5 ] Muslims are prohibited from consume or drink from dawn ( fajr ) to dusk ( maghrib ) when the adhan is sounded. It is considered meter to begin fasting when a person standing outside can tell a white thread from a black screw thread, i.e the light of sunday arise and the dark of the night. [ 6 ]
Conditions [edit ]
Intention ( niyyah ) [edit ]
“ The intention ( niyyah ) means resolving to fast. It is essential to have the intention the night earlier, night by night, in Ramadaan. ” [ 7 ] For fast, the purpose is necessity. [ 8 ]
general conditions [edit ]
Throughout the duration of the fast itself, Muslims will abstain from certain provisions that the Quran has differently allowed ; namely eating, drink and sexual intercourse. [ 9 ] [ 4 ] [ 10 ] This is in summation to the standard obligation already observed by Muslims of avoiding that which is not permissible under Quranic or shari’a law ( e.g. ignorant and indecent manner of speaking, arguing and fighting and lubricious thoughts ). Without observing this standard duty, sawm is rendered useless and is seen simply as an work of starvation. The fast should be a motivation to be more benevolent to the fellow-creatures. charity to the hapless and needy in this calendar month is one of the most rewardable worships. If one is disgusted, nurse or travel, one is considered exempt from fasting. Any fasts broken or missed due to sickness, nursing or travel must be made up whenever the person is able before the adjacent month of Ramadan. According to the Quran, for all other cases, not fasting is only permit when the act is potentially dangerous to one ‘s health – for example, those who are ill, aged, or on a travel, and women who are menstruating, pregnant, or nursing are permitted to break the fast, but this must be made up by paying a Fidyah which is basically the Iftar and Suhur for a fast person who requires such fiscal help oneself. [ 11 ] Muslim scholars have stated that observing the fast is forbidden for menstruating women. however, when a charwoman ‘s period has ceased, she must bathe and continue fasting. Any fasts broken or missed due to menstruation must be made up whenever she can before the future calendar month of Ramadan. Women must fast at times when not menstruating, as the Quran indicates that all religious duties are ordained for both men and women. The reason for this is because the Quran refers to menstruation as “ Say : It is a discomfort ( Menstruation ) ” According to Nouman Ali Khan an Islamic speaker in the United States the reason for this prohibition is because of the pain associated with it. A Muslim womanhood may placid do dhikr ( memorial of Allah ) and make dua ( supplication to Allah ) during this time. [ vitamin c ] [ 2 ] Fasting is obligatory for a person if they fulfill five conditions : [ 2 ]
- They are a Muslim.
- They are accountable (Islamic past the age of puberty).
- They are able to fast.
- They are settled (not traveling).
- There are no impediments to fasting such as sickness, extreme pain from injury, breastfeeding, or pregnancy.
Breaking the firm and the consequences [edit ]
During Ramadan, if one unintentionally breaks the fast by eating or drink in, then they must continue fasting for the lie of the day and the fast remains valid. For those who intentionally break the fast by eating or drink, they have to make up for that and besides repent. For breaking flying by having sexual intercourse, the consequences are :
- Free a slave, and if that is not possible.
- Fast for two consecutive Hijri (moon) months, and if that’s not possible.
- Feed or clothe sixty people in need.[12]
During voluntary fasts, if one unintentionally breaks the fast then they may continue for the rest of the day and the fast remains valid. If one intentionally breaks the debauched there is no drop the ball on them, because it is only voluntary. [ 13 ] [ 14 ]
Breaking oaths and consequences [edit ]
If an oath is given and circumstances dictate that it must be broken ( or if the one giving the oath measuredly breaks it ), one must offer expiation ( kaffara ) by freeing a slave, or feed or invest ten-spot needy people with the average of what is needed for one ‘s own family, or if neither of those can be done then a fast for three days is prescribed rather. [ 15 ]
Beginning and ending [edit ]
Ending the fast at a mosque In accord with traditions handed down from Muhammad, Muslims eat a pre-dawn meal called suhur. All eat and drinking must be finished before the adhan for fajr, the pre-dawn call to prayer. Unlike the zuhr and maghrib prayer, which have clear astronomic definitions ( afternoon and after-sunset ), there are several definitions used in practice for the time of “ true dawn ” ( al-fajr al-ṣādiq ), as mentioned in the hadith. These range from when the center of the sun is 12 to 21 degrees below the horizon [ 16 ] which equates to about 40 to 60 minutes before civil dawn. There are no restrictions on the dawn meal other than those of Islamic dietary laws. After completing the suhur, Muslims recite the fajr prayer. No food or beverage can be taken after suhur. Water can enter the mouth, but not be swallowed, during wudu. The meal eaten to end the fast is known as iftar. Muslims break the flying with dates and urine before maghrib entreaty, after which they might eat a more wholesome meal .
apparitional aspect [edit ]
Fasting has been prescribed to all Muslims as a form of religious obligation for overcoming their lust and desires within a reasonable limit so that one can control oneself and prevent becoming a slave to their appetites. The Qur’an states that if humans can not prevent themselves from desires then they can not achieve salvation .
As for him who fears to stand before his Lord and restrains himself from low desires, Paradise is surely the bide. — Quran ; 79:40-41 [ 17 ] )
Muslims abstain from a permissible average of daily life due to the command of Allah so it strengthens one ‘s self-denial and increases consciousness of the Lord. It is not prescribed as a punishment upon people or to inflict burdensome practices. It is a moral and spiritual aim whose implicit in idea is to teach moderation and spiritual discipline so that human temptations do not surpass the moral disciplines implemented in Islam. Furthermore, fast is compulsory for only a definite menstruation of time and does not promote total apostasy from the appetite of the pulp. eat, drink, and sexual sexual intercourse become permissible for a homo at the goal of the fast. consequently, Islamic fast aims at promoting proper limits within its natural bounds .
Health effects [edit ]
Islamic fast, as a time-restricted eat habit that inverts the convention human day-night-routine for the observants, can have deleterious health effects on sleep patterns and the general health. Fasting in Ramadan has been shown to alter the sleep patterns [ 18 ] and the associate hormone output.
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statistical comparison of thousands of school children, share of whom were born without the calendar month of Ramadan during pregnancy and separate of whom where Ramadan coincided with the pregnancy, has revealed importantly lower news, lower cognitive capability, and lower growth in adolescence if the beget observed Ramadan fasting during pregnancy. Children whose mother fasted during Ramadan besides have a higher incidence of several chronic diseases, e.g. Type 2 Diabetes. [ 19 ] ( see the ruling regarding fasting pregnant women ) Fasting is one of the alternatives proved to reduce the DPP-4 grade and activate the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and therefore, prevent osteoporosis. On the other hand, the circadian cycle has a calculate kinship with osteoporosis. This has been found by the biochemical markers, indicating that fasting at certain hours of the day, particularly during those hours of the day which are recommended as separate of the Muslim custom ( Islamic fast ), is identical effective in reducing the effects of osteoporosis. [ 20 ] The education departments of Berlin and the United Kingdom have tried to discourage students from fasting during Ramadan, as they claim that not eating or toast can lead to concentration problems and bad grades. [ 21 ] [ 22 ] Ramadan fast has besides been associated with loss of workplace productiveness by 35 to 50 %. [ 23 ] [ 24 ] many of the purported health benefits associated with Ramadan fasting only take into report the abstinence from food while ignoring the miss of water consumption, which can have a harmful shock even in healthy individuals. [ 25 ] In many cultures, it is associated with heavy food and water consumption during Suhur and Iftar times, which may do more damage than good. Ramadan fast is safe for goodly people provided that overall food and urine inhalation is adequate, but those with checkup conditions should seek aesculapian advice if they encounter health problems before or during fasting. [ 26 ] The fast period is normally associated with minor weight loss, but weight can return afterwards. [ 27 ] A recapitulation of the literature by an irani group suggested fasting during Ramadan might produce nephritic injury in patients with moderate ( GFR < 60 ml/min ) or severe kidney disease but was not deleterious to nephritic transplant patients with good officiate or most stone-forming patients. [ 28 ] however, since pale and/or at-risk individuals are exempted from obligation of fast, Ramadan fast may be skipped alternatively. Ramadan fast can be potentially hazardous for fraught women as it is associated with risks of inducing parturiency and causing gestational diabetes, although it does not appear to affect the child 's weight. it is permissible to not fast if it threatens the woman 's or the child 's lives, however, in many instances pregnant women are normal before development of complications. [ 29 ] [ 30 ] [ 31 ] [ 32 ] [ 33 ] Thus, it may be advisable for pregnant women to skip fasting and pay fidyah rather ( if the women are able to pay, poor people people may be exempted in full ). [ 19 ] It has to be taken to note, however, that if one is at risk of dehydration or other medical risks, which may lead to unplayful consequences, then it is permitted to break one 's debauched. [ 34 ] It has been advised to span the water inhalation throughout the night ( rather of drinking heavily at a single fourth dimension ) and not to overeat upon the break of fast as a solution of the normally reported excessive water and food intake on the sunset ( excessive consume and drink is actually prohibited in Islam ). One can break their fast and substitute it on early months or pay fidyah if they are in an obvious risk of health concerns, breastfeeding or meaning ( fidyah in this case ) or in a work requiring hard physical labor according to Muhammad Abduh. [ 34 ] It is permissible to skip fasting for a healthy person upon obvious gamble, even if he has not fallen on the risk however, [ 34 ] and the writer of Al-Mughni ( Ibn Qudamah ) stated in his book that some scholars even permitted skipping fast upon very luminosity damage such as toothache or bruises on skin and if a traveling person is permitted to skip fast even if he is able to, then these type of `` sickness '' should be permitted. This stead is said to be held by Bukhari, ' Ata and the Zahiris. [ 35 ] however, this view might be considered as minority among Muslims, and it is unapplied since it may be used as a mere apologize for skipping fast .
Days [edit ]
Month of Ramadan [edit ]
Fasting in the calendar month of Ramadan is considered Fard. [ 36 ] Ibn Qudamah said that there is consensus of the Muslims that fasting is compulsory in the calendar month of Ramadan. [ 37 ]
Days of oath [edit ]
If person swears or makes an oath, for exercise : “ If I graduate with a estimable stigmatize, I will fast for three days for Allah ” then common belief dictates that one should fulfil this. This type of fast is considered obligatory. Breaking such an curse is considered extraordinary .
Days for voluntary fast [edit ]
Muslims are encouraged, although not obliged, to fast days throughout the year : the ninth and tenth, or tenth and eleventh of Muharram, the first month of the year. The tenth day, called Ashura, is besides a fast day for the Jews ( Yom Kippur ), and Allah commanded the Muslims to fast. [ 38 ] such as :
- any 6 days in the lunar or “Islamic” month of Shawwal (the month after Ramadan (Hijri)
- Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays is desirable if possible.[39]
- The White Days, the 13th, 14th, and 15th day of each lunar month (Hijri)
- the Day of Arafah (9th of Dhu’I-Hijja in the Islamic (Hijri) calendar)
- As often as possible in the months of Rajab and Sha’aban before Ramadan
- First 9 days of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar (but not for any who are performing Hajj (the pilgrimage)
Days when fast is forbid [edit ]
Although fast is considered a pious act in Islam, there are times when fast is considered banned or discouraged according to the majority of the sunni scholars :
- Eid al-Adha and three days following it, because Muhammad said “You are not to fast these days. They are days of eating and drinking and remembering Allah”, reported by Abu Hurairah.
- Eid al-Fitr
- It is also forbidden to single out Fridays and only fast every Friday, as ‘Abdullah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As said that he heard Muhammad say “Verily, Friday is an eid (holiday) for you, so do not fast on it unless you fast the day before or after it.”
- Fasting every day of the year is considered non-rewarding; Muhammad said: “There is no reward for fasting for the one who perpetually fasts.” This Hadith is considered authentic by the Sunni scholars.[40]
The Quran contains no other prohibition regarding the days of fast .
In pivotal regions [edit ]
nothing was said directly about the pivotal region and fast. But there is Hadith about Al-Masih ad-Dajjal [ 40 ] that proves that fast as prayers have to be estimated and done every 24 hours, this is the public opinion of the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [ 41 ] [ 42 ]
Map showing the dates of midnight sun at respective latitudes ( left ) and the entire total of nights. These concerns are because at polar latitudes, summer solstices feature the midnight sunlight and winter solstices have pivotal night. These lifelike phenomena occur because the earth ‘s axis tilts toward the sun in summer and aside from the sun in winter, causing the poles to be exposed to the sun ‘s rays for six months each, non-stop. The reason most of the earliest Muslims did not experience these phenomena during Islam ‘s early days is because they did not live in polar regions, but in the Subtropics, where the Sun can be directly overhead and does set at night. In Tafsir Maarif ul Qur’an it is said that the Quran states that ,
“ ( During Ramadan ) consume and drink until the white thread of click appear to you distinct from its black string. ” [ d ]
This results that fast is a duty for Muslims only when days and nights are producing otherwise fasting is not necessary. [ 43 ] So the Muslims of Svalbard have to fast only when days and nights are outstanding by the sun. If Ramadan comes in June/December ( when days and nights are not outstanding by the sunday in Svalbard, Norway ) they may leave fast and then complete their fast in March/September ( when days and nights are big by the sun in Svalbard, Norway ). In Islamic law it is called Qadha. God says in the koran :
“ God intends every facility for you ; He does not want to put you to difficulties. ( He wants you ) to complete the prescribed time period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you ; and possibly ye shall be grateful. ” [ einsteinium ]