Fasting during Ramadan in Islam
Fasting is one of the major pillars of Islam and Ramadan is the month of fasting. The basic principle of fasting is abstaining from foods, drinks, sexual activities, and to do good and be away from evil deeds. The fasted person can eat and drink when breaking his/her fast just after the sunset until the dawn when fasting should be observed again. The month starts with the first lunar day and end with the next first lunar day. It is about 29 or 30 days depending on visual inspection of the first moon. Therefore the cycle of the fast is based on the relationship between the earth and the sun on the day cycle and the earth with the moon for the start and end of the fasting month (Ramadan).
The people who should fast are those who are healthy and able adults. Healthy means there should be no illness which may harm the person if fasted and an adult means any one from adolescence on ward.
During the fasting it is highly recommended that the person should reached his relatives, contact them, and help his parents if needed as well as helping poor people by any means possible from food to clothes and or money. Observing moral issues is of paramount.
Fasting got a lot of benefits to the body and it should be for a reasonable time like a month to be able to give its benefits. The reason is that the body should have progressive, gradual and gentle deprivation from food to be able to turn into its sources of fats as an alternative source of energy to food.
Fasting is a process of refurbishment and detoxification of body systems from what was eaten and stored over the last 11 months. It is an exercise to the liver, the kidneys, the digestive system and every system in the body including the brain and endocrine glands. Indeed eating may bring toxin and excess energy which may be stored as fat. In fasting the first thing achieved is breaking off this cycle. With the progression of the fast the body will mobilize itself progressively as if it clean and refurbish itself. The cycle goes on and on daily for one month (Ramadan). This will ensure gentle and progressive approach to achieve its goals at the end of the month.
Fasting also offers healing process to the body. When the digestive system rest during the fast the toxins absorbed from the gut reduced and the energy used for digestion and absorption diverted towards the immune system. This will facilitate healing from various illnesses like connective tissue diseases, inflammations, and cancer. It is interested that the animals stop eating when they get wounded and many illnesses block the appetite. It has been found that when the body fast and utilize its own high efficiency protein from inside the number of errors to form the genetic DNA and RNA getting much less. Indeed the sensitivity of the mouth and taste receptors to food increased and become healthier. Fasting is a surgery without knife. It is medical treatment which restores strength and normal physiology to the brain and other systems.
The body during fast learn new mechanism how to conserve energy and its endocrine systems release growth hormone which is so important for many activities and healing. The body basal metabolism lowered as well as the temperature. This is another exercise for the system which went blunt over the last 11 months. Fasting is a wakening mechanism for this system. It is a preventative practice to achieve better health and longer healthy life. Fasting offers a good management to overcome bad habits like addiction, smoking and alcoholism.
In addition to the physical and physiological benefits, fasting offer great psychological exercise and offer those who suffers from behavioral and psychiatric problems great opportunity for healing. It allows spiritual healing for the deep self and acts as a framework for effortless changes.
Fasting also offer social benefits for the poor and rich eat in one time and fast in one time. At the end of fast every one able have to pay charity which given to the poor.
Ramadan Mubarak!
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