Fasting Ramadan

One of the core pillars of Islam is the obligation to fast during the month of Ramadan based on the Quranic injunction: “You who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.”[1] Ramadan is the 9^th month of the Islamic lunar calendar lasting either 29 or 30 days. Every year, Muslims across the globe anticipate the start of Ramadan with the sighting of the new crescent moon, this can sometimes lead to discrepancies regarding the start and end of Ramadan. We may see Muslims who are not under the jurisdiction of Muslim governments beginning Ramadan on two separate days.

Sawm/Siyam (fasting) means abstention and refraining linguistically in Arabic. Legally, fasting is to withhold anything from entering the stomach (or that which has the ruling of the inner), intentionally or erroneously and from the sexual fulfilment of the genitals with intention from dawn to sunset (Quran 2:187). Children, travellers, menstruating women, the ill and extremely elderly are all exempt from fasting. Travellers and those who are ill make up the missed days later (Quran 2:184–185), as do menstruating women (Sahih Muslim 335); those who will never be able to fast, such as the very elderly, feed a poor person for each day instead.

There are many physical and spiritual benefits to fasting. In a famous narration, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and hoping for reward, their past sins will be forgiven.”[2] Fasting also helps us to have a sense of empathy for those in poverty and suffering from starvation, it also empowers Muslims to have greater self-control. Research on intermittent fasting also points to physical benefits. Monique Tello, MD, MPH (Harvard Medical School), writing about intermittent fasting, states, “…simple fasting improves metabolism, lowering blood sugar; lessens inflammation, which improves a range of health issues from arthritic pain to asthma; and even helps clear out toxins and damaged cells, which lowers risk for cancer and enhances brain function.”[3]

In Ramadan, Muslims usually devote themselves to additional voluntary acts of worship such as additional evening prayers, reading the Quran, and giving charity.

[1] Quran 2:183

[2] Sahih al-Bukhari 2014; Sahih Muslim 760.

[3] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156