Ramadhan – The Month of Fasting.

Ramadan, Arabic Ramaḍān, in Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim
calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the
appearance of the crescent moon. For Muslims, Ramadan is a period of
introspection, communal prayer (ṣalāt /namaz) in the mosque and reading
of the Qurʾān. God forgives the past sins of those who observe the holy
month with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention. By the Grace of
Almighty. I also strictly kept my fasts and made sure I observe it with
good faith and what is mentioned to us follow during this one month.

Ramadan, however, is less a period of atonement than it is a time for
Muslims to practice self-restraint, in keeping with ṣawm (Arabic: “to
refrain”), one of the pillars of Islam (the five basic tenets of the
Muslim religion). Although ṣawm is most commonly understood as the
obligation to fast during Ramadan, it is more broadly interpreted as the
obligation to refrain between dawn and dusk from food, drink, sexual
activity, and all forms of immoral behavior, including impure or unkind
thoughts. Thus, false words or bad deeds or intentions are as
destructive of a fast as is eating or drinking. So, one purifies its
soul, mind, and heart to avoid above mentioned things. I feel a new
person and my spiritual side dominates more than thinking about worldly
things.

For example, there are additional prayers offered at night called the
tawarīḥ prayers, preferably performed in congregation at the mosque.
During these prayers, the entire Qurʾān may be recited over the course
of the month of Ramadan. To accommodate such acts of worship in the
evening, work hours are adjusted during the day and sometimes reduced in
some Muslim-majority countries., so I dropped going to Gym rather than
observe my tawarīḥ salat. It just appeared to me that its best in this
month to observe my salat which will make me closer to Allah and I can
pray more, maybe my prayers will be answered and that is my believe and
faith.

Ṣawm or to refrain can be invalidated by eating or drinking at the wrong
time, but the lost day can be made up with an extra day of fasting. For
anyone who becomes ill during the month or for whom travel is required,
extra fasting days may be substituted after Ramadan ends. Volunteering,
performing righteous works, or feeding the poor can be substituted for
fasting if necessary. Able-bodied adults and older children fast during
the daylight hours from dawn to dusk. Pregnant or nursing women,
children, the old, the weak, travelers on long journeys, and the
mentally ill are all exempt from the requirement of fasting.

Fasting is a deeply spiritual experience sanctioned by the Islamic
faith, but medical experts also point out neurological and nutritional
benefits for the human body and brain. Essentially, fasting cleanses our
body of toxins and forces cells into processes that are not usually
stimulated when a steady stream of fuel from food is always present.
When we fast, the body does not have its usual access to glucose,
forcing the cells to resort to other means and materials to produce
energy.

“If an individual cares about having a regular sleep, a regular
nutrition and other regular movements of life, he/she will capitalize on
the benefits of fasting in Ramadan more than others,” said Murat
Alemdar, an associate professor of neurology at the Medical School of
the Sakarya University.

Fasting also helps the brain rest in a period when other organs of the
human body such as the stomach are less in use because eating, drinking,
smoking and other related activities come to a halt in Ramadan,
according to Alemdar.

“In a period, when less nutrition enters the human body, leading to
other organs to send much less signals to the brain [where more than 100
billion nerves communicate with each other constantly to ensure the body
to function in a proper sense] and help it rest a little more than other
times,” Alemdar said.

In a spiritual sense, the brain also rejoices when the nervous system
believes that something important for life has been fulfilled by
fasting, Alemdar says.

Fasting can also help the body fight conditions like oxidative stress,
which can increase the possibility of cancer, slowing the speed of the
spread of cancer cells,” Kucukvardar observes. But for many
nutritionists, the most important gain of fasting could be weight loss,
I lose 04 to 05Kg every Ramadhan and it’s a fact. I feel so light and
good.

Finally, being a Muslim I observe the fasts during the month of
Ramadhan, from my perspective, the whole truth behind this is it gives
me feeling of peace due to a fulfilled mission in a field of worshipping
which brings tranquility, creating positive effects my brain and same
happens to all people who observe fasting, Fasting liberates the brain
from many other daily activities, increasing the prospects of its
concentration on essential functions in the nervous system,” Alemdar
observed, citing reduced anxiety in Ramadhan.

Your sincere prayers, your devotion, and your faith in Allah will make
you a better human to serve this society with wisdom and truth. I am
praying that happiness will find you as you are walking down the street.
Ramadan Mubarak!

References: TRT Magazine; Britannica.com.