Medical and Scientific Benefits of Fasting

By Mufti Muhammad Shams Tabriz Alimi, Tr. New Age Islam Translated into English by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 19 March 2024 Fasting in Modern Medicine: Health Benefits Main Points: 1. Fasting is a pillar of Islam, providing closeness to God. 2. Fasting can effectively treat long-term ailments like high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic diseases. 3. Fasting helps with pain relief, toxins removal, rheumatism, and kidney problems. 4. Fasting provides a month's vacation for the liver, which is exhausted from additional tasks beyond food processing. 5. Recent research suggests fasting reduces cancer by stopping bodily cells from growing and producing ketone bodies, which are less produced in a fasting state. 6. Fasting promotes selflessness, devotion, and closer relationship with God. 7. Fasting develops character and personality, giving willpower. 8. It helps in controlling heart desires and emotions. ------ The Almighty Allah is wise. None of His commandments is devoid of wisdom. Every command He gave His servants included innumerable nuggets of wisdom. There may be wisdom in a divine commandment or act of worship that our limited brain is unable to uncover; rather, it is a sign of our own limitations in terms of intellect, understanding, knowledge, and cognition. Allah says, "And you [O humanity] have been given but little knowledge.” (17:85) Allah, the Exalted, made many forms of worship mandatory for Muslims to distinguish between those who worship their Lord and those who pursue their own interests and desires. Some acts of worship, such as prayer or Salah mandated by the Almighty Allah, are related to the body. Zakat is one of the religious rites that is connected to wealth, which is dear to men. Certain deeds, like the Hajj and Jihad, have a connection to both wealth and the body. It has been demonstrated that some acts of worship, such as fasting, are crucial for developing self-control since they keep a person from partaking in forbidden activities. Performing all these acts of worship is mandatory for Muslims. However, it is possible for someone to provide prayer with their whole attention and sincere affection but to treat Zakat with less significance than they do prayer. By paying Zakat in this instance, it is simple for that person to become closer to God. While the degree of sincerity and emotional investment in prayer surpasses that of other forms of prayer, this shortfall can be compensated for by paying Zakat. One of the outstanding pillars of Islam is fasting. Once closeness to God may be attained through it, other forms of worship might not be able to provide it. Nobody could ever cover all of the many wisdoms and advantages of fasting. There are numerous health advantages to fasting when we take its medical component into account. Fasting has become so important in modern medicine that dieting is now a permanent cure in the West. Experts in medicine from Europe advise dieting one day every week. A fast helps the stomach relax. The process of breaking down food uses up bodily energy. When a person follows a diet, their energy is not used for digestion but rather for the body to expel waste and poisons. The body gets rid of unwanted and unclean material, and it becomes clean. Long-term ailments, including high blood pressure, diabetes (sugar), and chronic diseases, can all be effectively treated with fasting. The advantage of fasting is that addicts can't smoke as much because they can't use cigarettes, gutkha, or hookah until the fast is broken. By paying attention, such people can give up on hookah, gutkha, and cigarettes. Muslims view their ability to fast in compliance with the command of the Almighty Allah as a great blessing. By fasting, Muslims can keep the light of their faith alive in this day of uncertainty and atheism. Following the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is something that Muslims are very proud of. As is well known, the pharynx—which transports food from the neck to the stomach—the tongue, the salivary glands in the mouth and jaw, the stomach, the duodenum, and the canal comprise our body system. This system (the digestive system) includes the pancreas, small intestine, liver, and other portions of the intestines. The key component of this system is the automatic activation of each of these complex organs by a computerised system. When we start eating, or even just plan to eat, this entire system gets activated, and every organ starts to work. It is clear that, in addition to being on duty around the clock, nervous stress and eating the incorrect food somehow affect the entire system. Fasting effectively gives all of these systems a month's vacation. The liver becomes exhausted from its fifteen additional tasks beyond food processing. Thus, fasting has an unexpected benefit, particularly for the liver, as it allows the liver to rest for at least four hours. This is not achievable if one does not fast because even the smallest meal particle—a tenth of a gram—can cause digestive distress. As soon as the computer of the digestive system starts up, the liver gets busy. From a scientific standpoint, one could contend that the rest period ought to be one month each year. Blood loss occurs during fasting. This effect provides great benefit and comfort to the heart. More significantly, the pressure on the tissues, or muscles, is lessened as a result of the reduction in the volume of fluid between the cells. For the heart, diastolic pressure, or muscle pressure in general, is crucial. When fasting or when the heart is at rest, diastolic pressure is always low. Furthermore, because of the unique circumstances of modern life, man is more vulnerable to extreme stress and high blood pressure. Humans can benefit greatly from fasting during the month of Ramadan, particularly in terms of decreased diastolic blood pressure. The lungs, which cleanse the blood directly, consequently have a direct bearing on the benefits of fasting. This is promptly remedied if the blood in the lungs freezes. This is a result of cleaning the air ducts. It is important to keep in mind that during a fast, the lungs swiftly eliminate waste products and begin to thoroughly cleanse the blood, which promotes health throughout the body. Fasting relieves pain in the side or back. Fasting aids in the body's removal of several toxins, such as acid boli, sulphuric acid, and phosphorous acid, among others. Additionally, fasting helps with rheumatism and kidney problems. An expert claims that the urine of a person who is fasting automatically heals all urinary tract illnesses. Blood pressure rises when the kidneys contract. In this ailment, fasting is also beneficial. Water that has collected in bodily tissue is burned during a fast. Sugar contracting causes an increase in blood pressure. Reducing the dosage for patients receiving food or medication is the best way to treat diabetes, according to Allama Iqbal Medical College Principal Professor Mahmood Ali Malik. The best way to do this is to fast. Doctors in Western nations now recommend hunger as a form of treatment. If large amounts of food are avoided during Sehri and Iftar, fasting can be a very effective way to control blood sugar. There are once-daily medicines. So, people with diabetes can fast with ease. Recent research has led to the surprising discovery that fasting reduces cancer. It stops bodily cells from growing. When fasting, the body uses fat as fuel instead of glucose. This process also results in the production of ketone bodies, which stop proteins from dissolving into smaller particles. Cancer cells need small protein particles for their growth. These particles are less produced in a fasting state. As a result, cancer is avoided. If medication is avoided and fasting is initiated before the onset of illness, there is usually a significant benefit when it comes to children's illnesses. Fasting is helpful and healthy when children's paralysis, whooping cough, sore throat, diphtheria, or scarlet fever first appear. During a fast, all of the toxic substances that cause these diseases are removed. These days, a large number of people have heart disease, which is the daily cause of death for a large number of people. Obesity, ongoing stress, excess fat, diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking are among the risk factors for heart attacks. Fasting prevents heart attacks by removing all of these contributing factors. At the University Hospital in Jordan, Dr. Suleiman recorded observations on 26 women and 42 males. Throughout Ramadan, two kilogrammes of weight were lost on average. According to Dr. Aziz's research, the typical person loses up to 4 kg of weight during Ramadan. Individuals who frequent slimming centres often realise that after going on a diet, they gain weight again. Instead, some people grow much more than they did previously. This is due to the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that regulates body weight. When someone goes on a diet, this area responds fast, and the weight comes back. Surprisingly, this component is inoperative during fasting because fasting is a spiritual practice that promotes mental and physical balance. As a result, there is no further weight gain. The findings of the Finnish scientist Huhtaniami's research demonstrate a decrease in the amounts of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and gonadotropin receptor, which are responsible for releasing hormones. A person's mood, attitude, and mental ability are all abnormally affected by changes in these hormone levels. As was previously mentioned, hormone changes have a distinctive effect on how people feel and behave. An individual's capacity for thought increases, contributing to their moral, psychological, and spiritual growth, while their desire for sexual activity decreases due to a lack of drive. Fasting is an effective method for getting rid of sins, both external and internal. It is not just forbidden to eat, drink, or engage in sexual activity; it is also necessary to refrain from committing other offences. Fasting is a powerful way to heal internal diseases like envy, mistrust, temptation, fury, lying, backbiting, evil backbiting, obscenity, deception, harassment, cruelty, and violence. Ramadan is the only month when people are obligated to fast. Throughout the year, a few counting days are set aside for moral and psychological development, inner training, and self-improvement. Fasting encourages selflessness, genuine devotion, and a closer relationship with God. As fasting is a divine practice, it develops a person's character and personality, giving him or her a certain will and willpower and making them moderate and in control of their heart desires as well as their emotions. Throughout the month of Ramadan, may Allah, the Exalted, illuminate us all and grant us happiness and blessings. Aameen. ---- Urdu Article: Medical and Scientific Benefits of Fasting روزے کے طبی اور سائنسی فوائد URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-science/medical-scientific-fasting/d/131952 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism