During the month of Ramazan, a fasting person performs his religious duty by abstaining from eating and drinking and certain acts from the morning prayer till the evening (Maghreb) prayer. Thus, he not only shows his obedience to God, but also benefits from the physical and spiritual advantages of fasting.

Abstention from eating and drinking is common in some religions. These religions maintain that this action has good impacts on the body and spirit. The Indian ascetics, for instance, believe that refraining from eating and drinking is very effective in strengthening the willpower and increasing patience. In Islam, too, hunger has been considered an important factor for attaining higher degrees of spirituality. The contemporary exegete of the Qur’an, Ayatollah Abdullah Javadi Amoli, once said, “Just as the angels do not need food and drink, a fasting person becomes like angels in purity of the soul as he is free from the bondage of food and drink.”

The Messenger of Mercy, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) said, “Through hunger and thirst struggle against your inner self since its reward is like that of jihad in the way of God; and no deed is better than hunger and thirst in the divine court.”

Abstention from food and drink is an exercise to bolster steadfastness and patience. When the fasting person doesn’t satisfy his desires instantly, he is indeed bridling his self. Meanwhile, it is proven that fasting for a specific period decreases many physical ailments and refreshes the body.

The physicians of the past have written many books and articles on the benefits of fasting. They came to the conclusion that nothing is as useful for reforming the human digestive system as fasting. The Prophet of Islam said, “Stomach is home to every ailment and abstention from eating is the main medicine for it.”

The wise men of the past and present have said that over 70 diseases are caused by excessive eating and drinking.

Dr. Alexis Carrel, Noble Prize winner on medicine and surgery, in his famous book “Man, the Unknown Creature”, says, “The necessity of fasting has been stressed in all religions. In fasting, first hunger and then a kind of nervous stimulation and weakness are felt. However, some hidden qualities that are very important are activated. And finally, every bodily organ sacrifices its special substance for preservation and balance of the internal environment and the heart. Thus, fasting washes all physical tissues and refreshes them.”

The digestive system can be called the most active system in the body. Therefore, as every organ needs resting, resting is mandatory and vital for the digestive system.

Fasting removes poisons from the body and helps it rest for a while. An American physician says, “Every sick person has to abstain from food for a period in the year; because as long as food reaches the body microbes grow; but, when food is abstained, microbes weaken. The fasting that Islam has ordained is the greatest guarantee for the health of the body.”

The daily diet for fasting burns the extra fats in the body, decreases obesity, reduces pressure on the joints of the waist and lower organs, moderates the cardiovascular system and puts the defence system in alert.

It is interesting that fasting has found many enthusiasts among other religions and many non-Muslim physicians in Europe have studied the benefits of fasting on the health and hygiene of the body. Austrian physician, Barselius, says, “The benefit of hunger may be more than the usage of medicine.” Another physician by the name of Helba used to prevent her patients from eating for a few days and then would prescribe light foods for them.

One of the important achievements of the science of medicine is that fasting produces substances in the body that are effective in prevention of microbial and viral infections and can destroy cancerous cells. In ordinary conditions, these microbes and viruses are dormant and semi-active but as the human body weakens they intensify their destructive activity against harmful elements. As a matter of fact, fasting cleanses the body and prevents many diseases.

Treatment on the basis of fasting emphasizes on the destruction of sick and disabled tissues which will be repaired after fasting. Perhaps this is the reason why some researchers like Dr. Bashutin opine that fasting can rejuvenate human being.

Today it has been proved that fasting is indeed a kind of respite and restoration for the body and helps cleanse the entire systems.

Experts of nutrition believe that we can benefit from the positive effects of fasting only if we stick to a balanced and varied diet at the time of Suhur (the food eaten at dawn) and Iftar (breaking the fast in the evening).

Imam Ja’far Sadeq (AS), the sixth infallible successor of the Prophet of Islam, said, “The Messenger of God used to break his fast with halva; but if there were no halva, he would start with a few dates and if there were no dates, he would start with lukewarm water. Then he would say, ‘These substances cleanse the stomach and liver and remove headache.’”

RM/ME