Fasting during Ramadan

This is a sub-article toFasting in IslamandRamadan

During the entire month ofRamadan,Muslims are obligated to fast (Arabic:صوم,sawm;Persian:روزہ,rozeh), every day from dawn to sunset.Fastingrequires the abstinence from sex, food, drinking, and smoking. Fasting the month of Ramadān was made obligatory (wājib) during the month ofSha'ban,in the second year after the Muslims migrated fromMeccatoMedina.Fasting for the month of Ramadan is one of theFive Pillars of Islam.

During the break of fasting (Iftar) food vendors selling delicacies in a bazaar inBangladesh

The Qur'an

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is specifically mentioned in three consecutive verses of theQur'an:

O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint.

—Surah Baqarah 2:183

(Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (Should be made up) from days later. For those who can do it (With hardship), is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give more, of his own free will,- it is better for him. And it is better for you that you fast, if you only knew.

—Surah Baqarah 2:184

Prohibitions during Ramadan

Fast break atTaipei Grand MosqueinTaiwan

Eating, drinking, and sexual activities are not allowed betweendawn(fajr), andsunset(maghrib). Fasting is considered an act of deeply personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of closeness to God. It helps them acknowledge Allah as the source of all sustenance.

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/sarcastic retorts, gossip, and are meant to try to get along with each other better than normal. All obscene and irreligious stimuli are to be avoided as the purity of both thought and action is important. This helps them develop a higher conscience of mindfulness of Allah.

Exceptions

Although fasting at Ramadan isfard(obligatory), exceptions are made for persons in particular circumstances.Fasting during Ramadan is not obligatory for several groups for whom it would be excessively problematic, among them people with medical conditions.

Pre-pubescent children are not required to fast,though some choose to do so, and some small children fast for half a day to train themselves. If puberty is delayed, fasting becomes obligatory for males and females after a certain age.Diabeticsandnursingorpregnantwomen are usually not expected to fast. According to ahadith,observing the Ramadan fast is forbidden formenstruatingwomen.

Other individuals for whom it is usually considered acceptable not to fast are those in battle, and travellers who either intend to spend more than five days away from home or travel more than 50 miles.If the circumstance preventing fasting is temporary, a person is required to make up for the missed days after the month of Ramadan is over and before the next Ramadan arrives. Should the circumstance be permanent or present for an extended amount of time, one may recompense by feeding a needy person for every day missed.

If one does not fit into any category of exemption and breaks the fast out of forgetfulness, the fast is still valid. Intentionally breaking the fast voids it, and the person must make up for the entire day later. One must either fast for 60 days after Ramadan or feed 60 people in need (according to the Hanafi school) and fast one day extra.

During a 2013poliomyelitisoutbreakinSomalia,some groups of aid workers were granted an exemption for theoral polio vaccine.

Other exemptions include:

• An elderly person who is not physically able to fast. They should donate the amount of a normal person's diet for each day missed if they are financially capable.
• Serious illness; the days lost to illness will have to be made up after recovery.
• Those with a mental disability that is enough to cloud judgment.

Breaking the fast

Muslims traditionally break the fast withdates(like these on sale inKuwait City), as was the recorded practice (Sunnah) ofMuhammad.

Manymosqueswill provideiftar(literally: breakfast) meals after sundown for the community to come and end their day's fasting as a whole. It is also common for such meals to take place at Muslimsoup kitchens.The fast is broken with a date (when possible) following the tradition of Muhammad, or with water.

Ramadan Iftar Dua

Ramadan fast is broken by recitingiftar dua:

Allahumma inni laka sumtu wa bika aamantu [wa ‘alayka tawakkaltu]wa ‘ala rizq-ika aftarth
Meaning: “Oh Allah, I fasted for You and I believe in You and I break my fast with Your sustenance.”

Health effects

Ramadan fasting is safe for healthy people, provided that overall food and water intake is adequate, but those with medical conditions should seek medical advice if they encounter health problems before or during fasting.The fasting period is usually associated with significant weight loss for both males and females, though the weight usually returns without further lifestyle modifications.

A review of the literature by an Iranian group suggested fasting during Ramadan might producerenal injuryin patients with moderate (GFR <60 ml/min) or severekidney diseasebut was not injurious torenal transplantpatients with good function or moststone-formingpatients.Also, it was suggested that Ramadan fasting may increase the risk forsalivary glandinflammation.

The psychological effects of fasting during Ramadan have also been researched. In one study, Ramadan fasters were asked to perform cognitive inhibition tasks during and after Ramadan, assessing their response time and accuracy. Just before starting the task, half of the participants were asked a few questions about food (Food-reminded), whereas the other half were asked about ownership at various times (Control). Results showed that participants who were reminded of food were slower and less accurate during Ramadan compared to after Ramadan. Control participants, however, performed similarly across time. The researchers examined whether performances varied during Ramadan depending on the time of people’s last meal. They found that within the first few hours of their last meal (eight hours), food-reminded people had longer inhibition delays than Control participants, yet after eight hours, the two groups similarly slowed down. Nonetheless, both groups responded more accurately the longer time had passed since their last meal. This research indicates that (a) cognitive control processes are engaged from the early hour of the fast, and susceptible to manipulation, and (b) after a few hours into the fast, regardless of whether they have been reminded of food or not, people take longer to distinguish between correct and incorrect responses, yet respond more accurately.

Rulings for a fasting person

Linguistically, the word fasting in the Arabic language means unconditional 'restraint' (imsak) from any action or speech during any time. According to the Sacred Law, fasting is the act of:

1. refraining from entering anything into the body cavity;
2. refraining from engaging in sexual activity;
3. refraining from immoral acts such asbackbiting;
4. from the time the sun begins to rise to the time the sun sets;

'Refraining from engaging in sexual activity' includes actual sexual intercourse andejaculationcaused byforeplay.'Refraining from entering anything into the body cavity' refers to the acts of entering food, drink, or medicine into the body cavity, regardless of whether this is a typical item one would enter into the body cavity or not. Entering any of these substances inside the body cavity means that the substance enters into the throat, the intestines, the stomach, or the brain by way of the nose, the throat, the genitals or anus, or open wounds. 'Whether deliberately or accidentally' excludes forgetful acts of eating, drinking, or sexual activity. 'From the time the sun begins to rise to the time the sun sets' refers to the true entering of the Fajr time to the entering of the Maghrib time. 'Accompanied with the intention of fasting' means that one must intend to fast in order to distinguish if one is really performing an act of worship or not when one refrains from eating, drinking, or having sexual intercourse. For example, if one were to merely stay away from food, drink, or sexual activity without an intention to fast, then this fast is not valid and does not count. 'From individuals who are permitted to fast' means that one must be free from a situation that would prevent the validity of one's fast, such as menstruation orlochia(post-natal bleeding).[Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ala al-Din Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-Alaiyya; Shurunbulali Imdad al-Fattah].Apart from sexual intercourse either with spouse or anyone,masturbationis also strictly prohibited while fasting. This act will invariably break the fast, and the person who committed this act will have to repent to Allah and should make up this fast on a later date.

Sectarian differences

Muslims praying the night prayers during Ramadan

For the most part,SunnisandShiasobserve Ramadan the same way, but there are some differences. For one, Sunnis break their fast at sunset, once the sun is no longer visible, but there is still light in the sky. However, for Shias they wait to break after it gets completely dark. Shia Muslims also observe additional events that Sunnis do not. Theymournfor three days (on the 19th, 20th, and 21st) to commemorate Ali, the son in law of Muhammad and first Imam of the Shia, who wasassassinatedbyAbd al-Rahman ibn Muljam.

Sufi Muslimshave some variations on how they observe Ramadan and what it means to them. They follow the same rules when fasting, but they recite extra prayers atmidnight.The practice they do is calledDhikr,where they chant God’s name 99 times. This is done because they want to show their love for God and seek a personal relationship with God, as opposed to fearing God's wrath.

Eid al-Fitr

Main article:Id ul-Fitr

TheIslamicholidayofEid al-Fitr(Arabic:عيد الفطر) marks the end of the Islamic fasting of the month of Ramadan.