Ramadan is a month of self-renewal for Muslims. It gives us an opportunity to examine our life style and re-center on principles of wisdom. We aim to emerge from the month stronger physically as well as spiritually. There are many blessings in Ramadan, here we discuss three basic aspects that can help us.
- Better Eating Habits
The hadith of prophet Muhammad in which he says: “Fast for you will become healthy,” sets the goal for us. At another time, when asked why he and his companions were so healthy, he said: “We are a people who do not eat when we are not hungry, and when we eat we do not fill ourselves”. This is timeless wisdom. In modern nutrition science, eating less is called ‘Calorie Restriction’. Please look up the evidence (at a reputable source such as National Institute of Health or WebMD) to learn how it protects from diseases and leads to a healthy and longer life. The practice of fasting is designed to train us to develop this habit. By choosing to go without food through the day, experiencing hunger and not eating, day after day for a month, a person can learn to say no to food even when not fasting.
Fasting can help us become healthy if we practice it the way it was intended, that is, learn to overcome the temptation of food. If, on the other hand, a person fasts during the day but overeats in the evening he or she has defeated the purpose of the fast.
In order to be healthy we also want to pay attention to what we eat or drink. Every aya in the Quran related to food begins with the advice that we eat what is tayyib which is translated as pure and wholesome. Our bodies are made up of what we eat, and, we owe it to ourselves to give up unhealthy foods that we are used to. It is easy to look up health impact of what we eat and make wise choices.
There is overwhelming medical evidence that excessive eating leads to overweight and obesity, which is related to a large number of diseases: high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, several types of cancer, Alzheimer’s, abdominal hernias, varicose veins, gout and other diseases.
Fasting is for healthy people: Because the purpose is to protect health, people whose health can be damaged by food or water deprivation should not fast. It is a known principle of Sharia that those who are sick are exempted from fasting. But this exemption should be extended to other categories. There is extreme poverty in many societies with people who are malnourished and weak. They should be told not to fast. Those whose health can be adversely affected by water deprivation should also not fast. People suffering from mental illness such as depression, anxiety or schizophrenia should also be exempted, as well as people going through emotional crises such as death in the family or divorce. The current corona virus epidemic poses a threat to people with poor immunity. If you are weak or elderly, it is advisable for you to consult your physician if fasting is safe for you. In aya (2:184) people who do not fast are asked to provide food for a needy person for each missed fast.
- Work Ethic in Ramadan
In previous centuries work that required mental focus was not common. But in modern times most professional work is rigorous requiring intense concentration for long hours. This includes people who work with machines or instruments and those in computer-based professions. Loss of mental acuity because of hunger, thirst or sleep deprivation can cause mistakes and loss of productivity. Allowing such losses to occur without informing your employer is dishonest and contrary to the spirit of Ramadan. Contributing our best effort for the wages we receive is important for maintaining a person’s spiritual integrity.
An honest way is to inform your employer that you intend to fast and come to an agreement about how any deficiency in your work is to be compensated for. It can be by someone else backing you at work, or you taking time off for the days you fast. If this is not feasible you can provide food for the poor instead of fasting.
- Becoming Mindful in Prayer
Prayer (salat, dua, zikr) is basic to faith. For prayer to help us we must be conscious of what we say. Prayer performed as a ritual in which we are not aware of what we are saying is harmful, as pointed out in sura 107, ayas 4-5:
There is calamity for those who pray, who are unmindful in their prayer.
Praying by murmuring Arabic words you don’t understand causes confusion because the mind looks for meaning, and not finding any wanders in different directions. These haphazard thoughts become your prayer. We all have seen people who have been praying in this fashion for years and their lives have become empty, weak or aimless.
Prophet Muhammad said that: Prayer is your conversation with God. Prophet Muhammad prayed in his own language, with words he deeply understood. Our prayer will also become meaningful if we think deeply about what we say. We want to think about how these words relate to our lives.
To make salat meaningful we can take these two steps:
- Write the meaning of each sentence in salat in your own language. Then write a short paragraph to explain its purpose.
- It is customary for people to recite a sura after Al-fateha which they memorized because it is short, without paying attention to its meaning. Make your salat a more inspiring experience by choosing verses that speak to your heart and you find inspiring.
Mindful prayer is the major resource for a person of faith because what we say to God knowingly and repeatedly can come to us, as it is promised in aya (14;34): He gives you something out of everything you ask for. Practicing these habits during this month can set us on the path to a significantly improved life in the years to come.