Fasting in Islam
During the holy month of Ramadan, sawm is observed between dawn and sunset when the adhan of the Maghrib prayer is sounded.
[4] The official practices of the Inca Empire and many indigenous peoples of Mexico observed fasts to appease their gods.
Jews observe fasting as a form of purification and penitence on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur annually.
[4] Fasting took a different form in the West such as hunger strikes, which are used as a political weapon, a technique made popular by the leader of India's struggle for freedom, Mahatma Gandhi.
The Christian church made fasting a voluntary preparation for receiving the sacraments of adult baptism and Holy Communion and for the ordination of priests.
In verse 2:183,[3] the Quran expresses situations in which a Muslim is allowed to abstain from fasting and introduces alternative solutions such as feeding needy people.
Whoso of you killeth it of set purpose he shall pay its forfeit in the equivalent of that which he hath killed, of domestic animals, the judge to be two men among you known for justice, (the forfeit) to be brought as an offering to the Ka'bah; or, for expiation, he shall feed poor persons, or the equivalent thereof in fasting, that he may taste the evil consequences of his deed.
And he who findeth not (the wherewithal), let him fast for two successive months before they touch one another; and for him who is unable to do so (the penance is) the feeding of sixty needy ones.
Such are the limits (imposed by God); and for disbelievers is a painful doom.Fasting is primarily an exercise of devotion to willingly renounce oneself, for a definite period of time, from all bodily appetites in order to form spiritual discipline and self-control.
[5] Muslims are prohibited from eating or drinking from dawn (fajr) to sunset (maghrib) when the adhan is sounded.
[8] Throughout the duration of the fast itself, Muslims will abstain from certain provisions that the Quran has otherwise allowed; namely eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse.
[9][4][10] This is in addition to the standard obligation already observed by Muslims of avoiding that which is not permissible under Quranic or shari'a law (e.g. ignorant and indecent speech, arguing and fighting and lustful thoughts).
Any fasts broken or missed due to sickness, pregnancy, menstruation, nursing, or traveling are made up whenever the person is able before the next month of Ramadan.
[clarification needed] According to Nouman Ali Khan, an Islamic speaker in the United States, the reason for this prohibition is because of the pain associated with it.
[14] In accordance with traditions handed down from Muhammad, Muslims eat a pre-dawn meal called suhur.
Fasting has been prescribed to all Muslims as a form of religious obligation for overcoming their lust and desires within a reasonable limit so that one can control oneself and prevent becoming a slave to their appetites.
The Qur'an states that if humans cannot prevent themselves from desires then they cannot achieve salvation: As for him who fears to stand before his Lord and restrains himself from low desires, Paradise is surely the abode.Muslims abstain from a permissible norm of daily life due to the command of Allah so it strengthens one's self-control and increases consciousness of the Lord.
[19] The education departments of Berlin and the United Kingdom have tried to discourage students from fasting during Ramadan, as they claim that not eating or drinking can lead to concentration problems and bad grades.
[22][23] Many of the purported health benefits associated with Ramadan fasting only take into account abstinence from food while ignoring the lack of water intake, which can have a harmful impact even in healthy individuals.
[24] In many cultures, it is associated with heavy food and water intake during Suhur and Iftar times, which may do more harm than good.
Ramadan fasting can be potentially hazardous for pregnant women as it is associated with risks of inducing labor and causing gestational diabetes, although it does not appear to affect the child's weight.
it is permissible to not fast if it threatens the woman's or the child's lives, however, in many instances, pregnant women are normal before the development of complications.
[33] It has been advised to span the water intake throughout the night (instead of drinking heavily at a single time) and not to overeat upon the breaking of the fast as a solution of the usually reported excessive water and food intake on the sunset (excessive eating and drinking is actually prohibited in Islam).
[34] If someone swears or makes an oath, for example: "If I graduate with a good mark, I will fast for three days for Allah" then common belief dictates that one should fulfil this.
Nothing in the Quran states directly any instruction in the polar regions of Earth and fasting; according to the opinion of the Council of senior scholars in Saudi Arabia.
The reason most of the earliest Muslims did not experience these phenomena during Islam's early days is that they did not live in polar regions but in the subtropics, where the sun can be directly overhead and does set at night.
