Pars Today

Welcome to the 6th episode of the series “Blessed Month of Ramadhan”. Hopefully, your prayers, fasting and other acts of worship have been accepted by God, and you have surely benefitted from the bounties of this blessed month.

Some persons who fast, merely refrain from eating and drinking, but do not abstain from other activities that nullify the day’s fast, such as backbiting, lying, listening to depraved music, quarrelling, using foul and obscene words, viewing forbidden sights, gambling, and other misdeeds.

There are others who avoid misdeeds during fasting, but indulge in undue doubts and are not sure of their acts of worship.

Then there are persons, who fast and pray, but their hearts neglect Islamic teachings and are despaired, as if they are carrying out this religious obligation with reluctance, difficulty.

The best of the fasting persons are those who avoids sins and doubts, perform prayers with sincere intention, and have complete trust in God Almighty. It is this group that has discovered the truth of fasting.

Thus, the important point to note is that the more we become aware of the truth of prayers and other acts of worship, including fasting, we carry out these tasks with more enthusiasm and fervor, thereby benefiting further from these acts of worship, and achieving sustainable spiritual joy.

Ayah 164 ayah of Surat Aal-e Imran of the Holy Qur’an states:

“Allah certainly favoured the faithful when He raised up among them a Prophet from among themselves to recite to them His signs and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and wisdom, and earlier they had indeed been in a manifest error.”

This ayah refers to the universal mission of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). The Prophet of Islam who was never schooled by anyone, and his knowledge was God-given, was entrusted with the Holy Qur’an, the Last and Final Heavenly Scripture for the guidance of all humanity. The Holy Qur’an, as is evident by the timeless wisdom of its words and the flawless eloquence of its phrases, replete with facts of the universe and of human anatomy, which modern science is beginning to discover, is without doubt the handiwork of the One and Only Creator of the universe.

The ayah that we recited to you has summarized the mission of the Prophet of Islam into three parts. The first part refers to a preliminary aspect, that is, the recitation and explanation of God’s signs. The second part of the Prophet’s mission is to purify the hearts, minds, souls and bodies of the people, by setting a personal example of faith, truthfulness, piety, trustworthiness, patience, excellent manners, bravery, magnanimity, and spiritual and physical cleanliness through avoidance of unworthy acts and unhealthy food. The third part of the Prophet’s mission is to teach and educate the people by expounding to them the dynamism and wisdom of the words of God Almighty as revealed through the Holy Qur’an. Only in such can societies that are in manifest error could be salvaged and saved from polytheism, atheism, corruption, oppression, exploitation, superstition, usurpation of rights, and all other forms of ignorance.

In the blessed month of Ramadhan, if we do not adopt an appropriate diet, fasting could even lead to gaining weight, because some excessively consume sugar. Sleeping disorders could also result in weight gain. Today, we speak of a drink which lessens your hunger in the blessed month of Ramadhan, and makes you less interested in other foodstuff. We recommend you to drink a glass of skimmed milk, upon the consumption of which you delay any sense of hunger.

The Iranian nutritionist, Dr. Kimiagar, notes: “Dairy products constitute one of the main groups of food. Milk is one of the most important sources of vitamins and one is better off consuming milk, cheese, and low-sugar rice puddings within Iftar. It is recommended to consume a glass of warm milk and two dates at Iftar.”

A glass of milk is highly beneficial. Skimmed milk alleviates stress and sooths muscles and nerves. As a result, body gets ready to rest. At times, as the result of overeating, you might have felt exhausted. Consumption of a glass of milk energizes you tremendously. Generally speaking, inclusion of a glass of milk in your dietary regimen in the blessed month of Ramadhan is essential. Many individuals consume a glass of milk at Iftar. It is also highly recommended to consume milk at breakfast after the blessed month of Ramadhan. In fact, nutritionists recommend consumption of low-fat dairy products at least twice a day.

Traditional medicine also highly recommends consumption of milk at Iftar. A glass of milk is full of calcium, potassium, sodium, Vitamin B, proteins, and phosphor. Prominent Islamic figures have put emphasis on consumption of milk. The Prophet’s 5^th Infallible Heir, Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS) has been cited as saying that the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS) liked to drink a glass of milk at Iftar.  Eating a few spoons of rice pudding; and dates’ and mulberry distillates at Iftar swiftly regulates blood sugar and body’s need to nutritious ingredients, especially calcium. Rice pudding is an easily digestible, diluted, and nutritious food, which can be prepared without sugar or oil. It is the most nutritious food for those who suffer from diabetes and obesity. The most important feature of this appetizer is that the complex carbohydrates of rice are absorbed and digested at a slower pace, preventing a sharp fall of blood sugar. It is recommended to consume cinnamon with this appetizer in order to reinforce the digestion system.   

MR/AS/SS