• Fasting: Restraint Instead of Deprivation

    by Alexander Becker on September 25, 2006 | Link

    This article is part of The Ramadan Series.

    With the onset of the Islamic month of Ramadan and the fasting from dawn to dusk each day during the whole time and with the Jewish Yom Kippur coming up, let's take a look at fasting.

    Eating, drinking and smoking are not allowed between dawn (fajr), and sunset (maghrib). During Ramadan, Muslims are also expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam by refraining from violence, anger, envy, greed, lust, angry and sarcastic retorts, and gossip.

    There is a fine line separating restraint from deprivation as much as there is a fine line between fasting and eating, between dawn and dusk. You do not deliberately deprive yourself of food, instead you accept that there is a difference between day and night and you build the habit of restraining and matching your eating schedule to the period between dusk and dawn. Fasting is not about losing fat, in fact, complete fasting is not a diet nor is it a proper way of sustainable dieting. Fasting is an act of willingly abstaining from some or all food and drink, for a certain period of time. Fasting is about making distinctions.

    Ritual fasting takes place during the day time and is broken every night after the sun has set. Fasting is not about depriving yourself of food in order to appreciate it after the deprivation ends. Try to see fasting as a cyclic activity involving the experiencing of both the non-eating and the eating period. The social component of fasting is important as well. You fast together with your peers. Everybody in your tribe is fasting and everybody comes together at night to break the fast.

    Fasting and breaking the fast belong together and make a very powerful pair both spiritually and physically. It is the opposites and the contradictions that show you the differences that are sometimes blurred in day-to-day life. An abstract lesson to learn from fasting and breaking the fast is to clearly distinct between activities and objects as well as the separation of different, even contradicting issues and events. Fasting divides and shows the boundaries and the subtleties that make all the difference. Set priorities and state things clearly, focus on making exclusive decisions.

    Breaking the fast at the end of Ramadan is particularly interesting. Since we learn and teach that a habit is built and set in about 21 days, the habit of fasting is established fairly well after 28 days. Thus, the breaking of the fast is in fact a breaking of the acquired and adopted habit, in order to return to non-fasting. The difference between returning to eating after a couple days and after a prolonged period of weeks is that you actually have to unlearn the habit and consciously relearn to appreciate what you -- since the non-eating habit is installed -- do not even miss.

    Fasting in order to lose fat is not recommended. Fasting is not a diet in itself. During the fast, you do not necessarily lose fat. While fasting is a great way to detox, especially in conjunction with water, and to re-sensibilize the metabolism, it is no valid, nor sensible way to start a weight-loss diet. The metabolism slows down and you may end up gaining all your weight back -- all that you've thought lost and gone for good -- you may end up becoming fatter than ever before, when trying a crash diet that deprives your body of vital nutrients.

    You want to boost your metabolism and stimulize your body to work, instead of going into emergency mode since no food at all is expected after the initial period of actual weight loss, which is most often, only a loss of water anyway. You can completely fast only for so long.

    Please, also take a look at the Warrior Diet, which is modeled after the cyclic nature of non-eating and eating. Once you participate in the Ramadan fasting you experience the advantages of eating in a way that would otherwise seem a little strange. Find yourself recognizing and appreciating the potential that is found by mimicking the ancient ways of eating and living. Do not favor one over the other. Make use of the best of both worlds, ancient and modern.

    Reference Material: The Spiritual Component of Fasting during Islamic Ramadan and Jewish Yom Kippur

    Fasting is the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food and in some cases drink, for a period of time.

    In Islam, fasting starts from fajr (dawn), until maghrib (sunset) is observed during the month of Ramadan. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the Pillars of Islam, and thus one of the most important acts of Islamic worship. By fasting, whether during Ramadan or other times a Muslim draws closer to his Lord by abandoning the things he/she enjoys, such as food and drink. This makes the sincerity of his/her faith and his/her devotion to God (Arabic: Allah) all the more evident. The believer knows that God will love him/her when he/she is ready to abandon worldly comforts for God's sake.

    The Sawm can teach the believers patience and self-control. Most importantly the fast is also seen as a great sign of obedience by the believer to God. Faithful observance of the Sawm is believed to atone for personal faults and misdeeds and to help earn a place in paradise. It is also believed to be beneficial for personal conduct, to help control passions and temper, to provide time for meditation and to strengthen one's faith. Fasting also serves the purpose of cleansing the inner soul and freeing it of harm.

    The experience of the Jewish Yom Kippur fasting teaches that by refraining from such basic physical indulgence, one can more greatly appreciate the dependence of humanity on God, leading to appreciation of God's benificience in sustaining his creations.

    • One purpose in fasting is the achievement of atonement for sins and omissions in divine service.
    • The second purpose in fasting is commemorative mourning. Indeed, most communal fast days that are set permanently in the Jewish calendar fulfill this purpose.
    • The third purpose in fasting is commemorative gratitude. Since food and drink are corporeal needs, abstinence from them serves to provide a unique opportunity for focus on the spiritual.

    Related Items

    Tags

    If you liked this post, please take the time to bookmark it on del.icio.us or vote for it on Digg. Thank you! You can also get free updates , send feedback, or browse the archives for more.

Subscribe to WOW to have the latest articles conveniently delivered for free. You can also subscribe to WOW by E-mail.

Previous Posts

Free Download

Peer pressure, vanity and behavior, motivation tricks and hacks, success and pain, and how to excel, Celebrate Your Beauty -- whatever it takes. Download your free ebook.