Good for Your Spiritual & Physical Health! That’s Ramadan in a Nutshell!

RAMADAN – TALKING POINTS.

Muslims inherently understand the merits of fasting during Ramadan. They accept it without question due to its spiritual and health benefits. However, these advantages have not gained widespread recognition in the general public. Why is that? 

One obvious reason is Ramadan’s strong association with Islam and Muslims, a perception deeply ingrained in modern Western society, largely influenced by Western media.

Regrettably, this portrayal obscures the numerous research studies and practical experiments conducted by nutritionists, fitness experts, and medical professionals that highlight the benefits of fasting for human health.

This brings to mind the famous interaction between Sheikh Ahmed Deedat and a questioning Christian brother who challenged him: “Don’t preach, Deedat, just explain in words I can understand – what’s so good about Ramadan?” The sheikh responded by carefully detailing the divine wisdom behind fasting, even citing its use centuries before Christ as a treatment for ailments such as epilepsy and rheumatoid arthritis. He noted that animals naturally fast for extended periods to support self-healing.

However, much has changed in health and medical knowledge since that exchange. This evolution contradicts those who unquestioningly accept scientific findings, but only if those findings do not acknowledge that Islam has always been right. This contradiction, stemming from a dislike for a faith that promotes well-being, reflects the unfortunate reality of Islamophobia in our times.

So, why did God, in His infinite wisdom, make it obligatory for Muslims to fast when every instinct urges us to keep eating and drinking until our end? A glimpse of His intention can be found in a beautiful verse from the Holy Qur’an:

 “And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows, but you do not know.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:216).

This belief motivates the global Muslim ummah of over 2 billion to achieve feats that seem impossible to an ordinary person. For instance, many Muslims can play 90 minutes of intense soccer while fasting all day; they can completely abstain from normal activities without hesitation and spend each day of Ramadan helping humanity, whether in big or small ways, often without seeking recognition. They can also stand for 10 to 22 rakats (which may take an hour or more) of Taraweeh prayer every night after a full day of fasting without a second thought.

 Q: How can Muslims do all this?

A: Simply put, Muslims have faith in the divine promise: “Allah knows,” while we do not.

And that encapsulates the Islamic faith in a nutshell.

But this raises another question: Is it purely a matter of faith, or do real-world benefits accompany fasting?

The answer is both.

Spiritually, Ramadan is not simply about physical deprivation; it is a training exercise for the mind and body, aligning them with the spiritual discipline inherent in fasting. The aim of Ramadan, or fasting, is to bring Muslims closer to their Creator, enhance their prayers, and encourage repentance and humility.

On a physical level, overwhelming scientific evidence supports the health benefits of fasting. A report released by Queen Mary University of London, published in leading scientific journals in February 2024, stated:

“New findings reveal that the human body undergoes significant, systematic changes across multiple organs during prolonged fasting. The results demonstrate health benefits beyond weight loss, indicating that any potentially health-altering changes appear to occur only after three days without food.”

This finding contrasts with modern nutritionists, who advise patients to practice intermittent fasting rather than continuous fasting for 30 days, possibly out of a fear of endorsing Islamic practices.

The Queen Mary researchers followed 12 healthy volunteers who participated in a seven-day water-only fast (Muslims, however, do not consume any water during Ramadan). The volunteers were monitored daily to track changes in approximately 3,000 proteins in their blood before, during, and after the fast. As expected, they observed the body’s transition from using glucose to fat stored in the body for energy within the first two to three days of fasting. On average, the volunteers lost 5.7 kg of both fat and lean mass. Interestingly, after three days of eating following the fast, the fat mass remained off, while lean mass loss was nearly fully recovered. Isn’t that remarkable? Subhan’Allah.  

Mohammed Mahroos, a consultant and clinical research scientist at the King Fahad Center in Saudi Arabia, supported this by stating that a month-long fast is highly effective in treating conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic disorders from a medical perspective.

Renowned Japanese biologist and researcher Yoshinori Ohsumi, who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2016, discovered that fasting enhances autophagy. This cellular process plays a crucial role in cell regeneration and contributes to the development of a healthier immune system.

Something that was stated hundreds of years earlier by the famous 15th-century Swiss physician and alchemist, Paracelsus, who referred to fasting as “the physician within.” He was among the early modern physicians who recognized fasting as a natural and non-invasive treatment for numerous ailments, including infections and acute illnesses.

And finally, if after going through all this, if you are left feeling, “but I don’t need any more proof,” then do with this information what we must all do as Muslims: share it with our non-Muslim friends and associates because sharing knowledge is being a good Muslim.  

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