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Brand New
Software To Help Muslims
Fast Meaningfully for Ramadan 2005
This year once again millions of Muslims in America
and the West will join their fellow Brothers in Islam
in welcoming the Holy Month of Ramadan 2005 -
the month of fasting.
From the very beginning of time, people have been involved
with the great struggle to master their bodies and emotions.
The urge to eat is one of the most powerful motivations
anyone must face.
Many people fail and overeat or consume unhealthy foods.
Other substances can be abused by our penchant for
pleasure:
Drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes can pull us down just
as easily as too many tubs of our favorite ice cream.
The Holy month of Ramadan helps Muslim set their Goals
to change their lives and control this very basic nature
of indulging by fasting.
Islam Digital has designed
a Goal-setting software to help Muslim set their Goals
for Ramadan 2005 available at:
http://www.islamdigital.com/fasting/index.html
What is Ramadan
?
Being the fourth pillar of Islam known as Saum,
or fasting, the month of Ramadan is the ninth month
of the Islamic lunar calendar.
Muslims are required to observe a strict fast from
dawn until dusk. Since a lunar month has about 30 days
in it, the benefits achieved during this time is truly
life-changing.
Reform programs such as diet fads, cold turkey denial,
counseling, and alcohol and drug treatment programs
are often unsuccessful, leading people to relapse into
their self-destructive overindulgence.
Merely giving these vices up for a short period won't
solve the problem.
Is there no way out of personal gluttony? The answer
lies not in watching our weight with new pills or eating
plans or in wearing a nicotine patch, but in the education
of our soul and in curbing its desires from within.
Islam's cure starts with defining the problem
as a spiritual identity crisis.
When we forget that God exists and is watching us,
when we ignore our fitrah, or inner nature to seek God,
when we fail to live according to God's good laws and
forget the advice of the prophets, then we can fall
prey to any self-destructive impulse.
The solution, then, must begin with strengthening the
soul and then bringing the body along in step.
Islam carries with it a fasting component for this
reason.
We can become better enlightened only when we rise
above the flesh and recognize the force of our spirit,
our very human will.
The Qur'an explains the purpose of fasting in this
way:
"You who believe! Fasting is prescribed for
you, as it was prescribed
for those before you, so you can gain more spiritual
awareness."
(Holy Quran 2:183)
Because the Quran has given fasting in Ramadan the
status of a religious duty, whose neglect is sinful,
the conscientious person resolves to complete the fasting
period and this is where the real
transformation takes place.
Welcoming
Month of Ramadan 2005 and
When is Ramadan ?
When the new moon is sighted, signaling the
beginning of the month of Ramadan, Muslims gather and
say this duas:
"God is Great, God is Great, God is Great.
Praise be to God Who created me and you and Who decreed
for you the phases [of the moon] and made you a sign
for the universe."
Then a short dua is quietly said in which we dedicate
ourselves to fasting in this month.
Night of Power
- the Glory of Ramadan
One particular night of Ramadan has extra special significance.
It is the exact night when the Qur'anic revelation was
first revealed to Muhammad s.a.w.in the year 610 C.E.
It is known as Laylat ul Qadr, or the Night of Power.
According to the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, it falls on
one of the odd-numbered nights in the last 10 days of
Ramadan. Many Muslims stay up all night seeking the
Lord's forgiveness and guidance.
During the last 10 days of Ramadan, some Muslims perform
what is known as I'tikaf, or Retreat. This consists
of living in the prayer area of the mosque for up to
10 days, venturing out only for showers and similar
legitimate needs.
Prayer, study, and duas are the attendant activities.
The
Holy Month of Training in Islam
What are some of the lessons learned by participating
in the Ramadan fast?
You would be surprised at the variety. The month of
Ramadan provides a sort of spiritual and moral "boot
camp." We know that fasting in Ramadan is a
duty from God and that any sins may spoil our record
of fasting, so we take great pains to be on our best
behavior. This intense modification of our habits is
designed to help us avoid such sins throughout the rest
of the year.
The Blessed Prophet once remarked, "Whoever
doesn't give up lying and acting on lies during fasting,
then God has no need of him giving up food and drink."
On another occasion he warned, "There are
many people who get nothing from fasting except hunger
and thirst." Clearly, the moral dimension
is as important as the physical aspects of fasting.
The lessons learned during Ramadan are many. We learn
what it means to be hungry, so we feel more compassion
for the poor. We understand how close we are to leaving
this world at any moment and how much we depend on food
and liquids.
We learn to control our animal urges and passions,
and we clear our minds and thoughts for serious remembrance
of God. We restrain our anger, and we train our habits
toward prayer, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, and good
behavior. By curtailing sex for the whole day, we force
ourselves to train our bodies to obey our will and not
to be licentious. There is nothing like the Muslim fast
of Ramadan in any other religion for realizing personal
reform and self-mastery.
The reward for a successful Ramadan is no less than
the forgiveness of all our sins. Imagine wiping the
slate clean with God!
So, in addition to all the improvements Ramadan can
make in our character and health, we
get the slate erased and can start over. (All our good
deeds remain; it's only the bad deeds that disappear!)
With all these benefits derived from the observance
of this blessed month, is it any wonder that Ramadan
is the best time of the year for every Muslim?
A surprising number of Christians also observe
the Ramadan fast in North America. They recognize the
disciplining effects of the fast and use their time
to come closer to God.
Every year Islamic centers receive calls from non-Muslims
asking how the fast is performed and where they can
get a month-long chart showing the start and end times
of each day's fast.
Employers and schools are also beginning to make
accommodations for the
needs of their Muslim workers and students.
As the population of Muslims continues to grow, the
awareness of Ramadan will undoubtedly have a positive
influence on people of all faiths in the West. Renewing
our commitment to God and undergoing a physical and
spiritual training program to increase our intimacy
with our faith is what Ramadan is all about.
So in Summary:
- Greed and gluttony are considered conditions
of the soul and can be cured
only with a combination of spiritual advice and a
program of action.
- Ramadan is the name of the month in which Muslims
fast from food and
drink from first light until sunset and perform duas.
- Fasting, the fourth pillar of Islam, teaches
Muslims to control their desires
and urges for worldly satisfaction and to feel empathy
for the poor.
The reward for successful completion is forgiveness
of the individual's sins.
Significance
of Fasting
There are many reasons why people do fast, depending
upon the social, cultural, religious, and economic understanding
of the people or the individuals.
Dr. Allan Cott in his book, Fasting The Ultimate Diet,
explains some of the reasons why
people do fast. The following is a partial list of the
aims of fasting as seen by the
author of that book.
1. To lose weight the quickest
and easiest way
2. To feel better physically and mentally
3. To look and feel younger
4. To save money
5. To clean out the body
6. To give the whole system a rest
7. To lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels
8. To cut down on smoking and drinking
9. To get more out of sex
10. To let the body heal itself
11. To relieve tension
12. To end dependence on drugs
13. To sleep better
14. To digest food better
15. To regulate bowels
16. To feel euphoric
17. To sharpen the senses
18. To quicken mental processes
19. To save time
20. To boost self-esteem
21. To learn better eating habits
22. To share with the hungry
23. To gain control of oneself
24. To seek spiritual revelations
25. To observe religious rites
26. To call attention to social issues
27. To slow the aging process
However, Muslims do fast as a religious obligation
upon them, so as to please Allah (SWT) and to earn His
blessings and rewards.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of
Islam (the other four are: the statement of faith, prayers
five times a day, Zakat, and making the pilgrimage to
Makkah). Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar
calendar. Depending on the phases of the moon, it begins
eleven or twelve days earlier each successive year.
The reason Muslim believers fast can be found directly
in the Qur'an, the divinely revealed scripture of Islam,
and the Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.. Muslims
fast to fulfill a religious obligation and to earn the
blessings and rewards of God (Allah - SWT).
Muslims believe that Ramadan confers great blessings.
The Revelations of the Qur'an started in this month,
and the Qur'an is considered to be a guide to mankind.
Scrolls of Prophet Ibrahim were revealed to him in the
month of Ramadan.The same thing is to be said about
Zaboor, Torah and Injeel. All were revealed in the month
of Ramadan on Dawood, Moses and Jesus
respectively.
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Blessings of Fasting
The benefits of the month of fasting are too many to
be counted. If one does recognize them and realize their
importance, he wishes to have the month of Ramadan to
be throughout the whole year.
These blessings are given by Allah to the fasting Muslims,
who are to fast with full faith and expectation.
These blessings and benefits of the month of fasting
during Ramadan have been grouped and summarized into
different categories. They are summarized here without
commentary. It should be remembered that all of these
blessings were taken directly from Qur'an and Hadith.
The following is a partial list for the blessings and
benefits of the month of fasting during Ramadan:
1. Taqwa: This concept may mean the following complementary
descriptions:
- Fearing Allah (SWT)
- Practicing the Revelations of Allah (SWT)
- Accepting the little things that one has achieved
- Preparing for departure from this world to the Hereafter
- Self-discipline
- Self-control
- Self-restraint
- Self-education
- Self-evaluation
By accepting these criteria and by practicing them,
the Muslim will achieve
the concept of Taqwa in his private and public life.
2. Protection: This idea is to mean the following complementary
explanations:
- Avoiding Immorality
- Avoiding outcry/uproar
- Avoiding stupidity
- Avoiding all makrooh/mashbooh/haram
By achieving these good manners, a Muslim will come
out of fasting a better human being in the society.
3. Revelation of Qur'an: The Quran was revealed during
the month of Ramadan.
The Qur'an is meant to be:
- A Guidance to mankind
- A Manifestation of right from wrong
- A Summation, purification and culmination of all previous
revelations
- A Glad-tiding to the believers
- A Healer
- A Mercy
4. Doors of heaven are open
5. Doors of hell are closed
6. Devils are chained down
7. Fasting with iman (faith) and expectation:Such type
of intention leads to forgiveness by Allah (SWT) to
the individual's sins.
8. Door of Rayyan: There is in Paradise a door called
Al-Rayyan. It is for the fasting Muslims. Only those
who fasted the month of Ramadan are the ones to enjoy
the bliss of Paradise inside that area.
9. Rejoices: There are two types of rejoices for the
Muslims who fast. These are:
- When breaking fast
- When meeting Allah (SWT)
10. Mouth Smell: The smell of the mouth of the fasting
Muslim will be better than the smell of musk during
the day of judgement
11. Glad-Tidings: These glad-tidings are given to the
well-wishers while the ill-wishers are to be stopped
during fasting.
12. Ramadan-Ramadan: Whoever fasts two consecutive fastings
of Ramadan with good intention will receive forgiveness
for the mistakes committed throughout the year.
13. Multiplication of Rewards: Doing good =10x, 70x,
700x or more during the
month of Ramadan.
14. Feeding Others: Whoever invites others to break
the fast, and whoever takes care of the hungry, needy,
during the last ten days of Ramadan will receive equal
rewards to the fasting person(s).
15. Fasting Muslims are in Good When They:
- Hasten their Iftar
- Delay their Sahoor
16. Blessings of Sahoor (The Afternight Breakfast):
- Night Prayers
- Zikr, Remembrance, Contemplation
- Recitation of Qur'an
- Food for Sahoor
- Fajr Salat in Jamaat
- Du'a' of Fajr
- Preparation for assuming leadership
17. Taraweeh Prayers: Whoever performs the Taraweeh
prayers with sincerity
and good intention will receive forgiveness of his past
mistakes.
18. Shafa'at (Pleading One's Case for Forgiveness):
Whoever fasts Ramadan
will receive the Shafa'at of:
- Ramadan
- Qur'an
19. Ihya' (Passing Nights Awake): Last ten days of Ramadan.
When a Muslim makes this type of effort, he will get
rewards, forgiveness, and multiples of blessings.
20. Itikaf (Retreat): A Muslim who performs I'tikaf
during the last ten days of Ramadan will get:
- Blessings and rewards
- Peace of mind
- Contemplation and evaluation
- Better citizen
21. Lailatul Qadr (The Night of Power): Whoever observes
it with sincerity and good intention will get the following
benefits:
- Forgiveness of mistakes
- Better than 1,000 months
- Du'a'
- Zikr
- Prayers
- Reading Qura'n
- Rewards
- Blessings
- Better human being
22. Generosity: Kindness, hospitality, visitation, etc.
All of these and many more
are among the benefits of Ramadan.
23. Sadaqatul Fitr (Charity During Fasting): The benefits
of paying such as charity to the needy are tremendous,
among which are the following:
- Purity
- Feeding the needy
- Sharing happiness
- Improving human relations
- Improving society
24. Zakat (Religious Tax Payment): The benefits of paying
Zakat are many.
These are summarized as follows:
- Purity
- Flourishing of wealth
- Improving economy
- Circulation of wealth
- Elimination of inflation
- Elimination of poverty
25. Fasting and Health: By fasting, one gets the following
benefits:
- Purification of body from toxins
- Reducing of weight
- Purity of brain
- Rejuvenation of body
- Living of life with happiness
- Looking younger
26. Change of Lifestyle: By living a different life
style, one gets rid of the monotony of life and hence
enjoys his life span.
- Night-living
- Shops closed in morning
27. Sharing-Living: Of hunger, thirst and rituals with
others in the society.
28. Eid-Ul Fitr (Feast): Sharing of happiness and visitation
of one another as members of the society.
29. Graveyards Visitation: One will get the following
benefits by visiting graveyards.
- Du'a' for the deceased
- Preparing oneself for departure from this world
- Feeling respect for the deceased
- Making the person to be humble in his life
30. Du'a' at Iftar is Accepted by ALLAH (SWT): The duas
of a fasting person is accepted by Allah (SWT) at Iftar
time.
31. 'Umrah in Ramadan: Visiting Makkah during the fasting
month of Ramadan is:
- Equal to one Hijjah (pilgrimage)
- Equal to one Hijjah with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
32. Successes in Ramadan: Muslims throughout their history
received many benefits during the month of fasting,
among which are the following:
- Battle of Badr
- Battle of Khandaq
- Opening of Makkah
- Battle of Tabuk
- Tariq Ibn Ziyad opened Europe
- Salahuddin liberated Jerusalem from the crusaders
- Egypt and Israel, 1973--Egyptians kicked the Israelis
out of Egypt during
Ramadan
Medical
Benefits of Fasting
Most Muslims do not fast because of medical benefits
but because it has been ordained to them in the Quran.
The medical benefits of fasting are as a result of fasting.
Fasting in general has been used in medicine for medical
reasons including weight management, for rest of the
digestive tract and for lowering lipids.
There are many adverse effects of total fasting as
well as so-called crash diets. Islamic fasting
is different from such diet plans because in Ramadan
fasting, there is no malnutrition or inadequate calorie
intake.
The caloric intake of Muslims during Ramadan is at or
slightly below the national requirement guidelines.
In addition, the fasting in Ramadan is voluntarily taken
and is not a prescribed imposition from the physician.
Ramadan is a month of self-regulation and self-training,
with the hope that this training will last beyond the
end of Ramadan. If the lessons learned during
Ramadan, whether in terms of dietary intake or righteousness,
are carried on after Ramadan, it is beneficial for one's
entire life.
Moreover, the type of food taken during Ramadan does
not have any selective criteria of crash diets such
as those which are protein only or fruit only type diets.
Everything that is permissible is taken in moderate
quantities.
The only difference between Ramadan and total fasting
is the timing of the food; during Ramadan, we basically
miss lunch and take an early breakfast and do not eat
until dusk.
Abstinence from water during this period is not bad
at all and in fact, it causes concentration of all fluids
within the body, producing slight dehydration.
The body has its
own water conservation mechanism; in fact, it has been
shown that slight dehydration and water conservation,
at least in plant life, improve their longevity.
The physiological effect of fasting includes lower
of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering
of the systolic blood pressure. In fact, Ramadan
fasting would be an ideal recommendation for treatment
of mild to moderate, stable, non-insulin diabetes, obesity
and essential hypertension.
In 1994 the first International Congress on "Health
and Ramadan", held in Casablanca, entered 50 research
papers from all over the world, from Muslim and non-Muslim
researchers who have done extensive studies on the medical
ethics of fasting.
While improvement in many medical conditions was noted;
however, in no way did fasting worsen any patients'
health or baseline medical condition. On the other
hand, patients who are suffering from severe diseases,
whether diabetes or coronary artery disease, kidney
stones, etc., are exempt from fasting and should not
try to fast.
There are psychological effects of fasting as well.
There is a peace and tranquility for those who fast
during the month of Ramadan. Personal hostility
is at a minimum, and the crime rate decreases.
Muslims take advice from the Prophet who said, "If
one slanders you or aggresses against you, say I am
fasting.'" This psychological improvement
could be related to better stabilization of blood glucose
during fasting as hypoglycemia after eating, aggravates
behavior changes.
There is a beneficial effect of extra prayer at night.
This not only helps with better utilization of food
but also helps in output. There are 10 extra calories
output for each rikat of the prayer.
Again, we do not do prayers for exercise, but a mild
movement of the joints with extra calorie utilization
is a better form of exercise. Similarly, recitation
of the Quran not only produces a tranquility of heart
and mind, but improves the memory.
Therefore, I encourage
my Muslim patients to fast in the month of Ramadan,
but they must do it under medical supervision.
Healthy adult Muslims should not fear becoming weak
by fasting, but instead it should improve their health
and stamina.
END OF ARTICLE
Date:
From the Desk of Dr. Rashid M.H.
Dear
Brother/Sister in Islam,
Salamun
Alaykum.....
Ahlan
Wasahlan to our "Holy Ramadan
2005 Goals Programme"
This
is Islam Digital's small and devoted way in helping
you identify your Goals for the Holy
Month of Ramadan 2005 and trying to accomplish
what you set out to Benefit from this Holy Month.
Whatever
your goals, short-term or long-term,
simple or difficult, it is our aim in helping you achieve
your Aim to Serve and Seek Nearness to Almighty Allah.
In
return we only seek His Pleasure and His Forgiveness!
Dear
Dr. Rashid,
It's a Blessing to hear from you. I hope all has
been very well.
Thank you so much for the free gift. It inspires
me to read it and gets me focused. I have had
such a busy work life recently and I need to have
a
balance in life, between the spiritual and day
to day life...
Rajab ..I believe Rajab opens up ones heart and
mind to the coming Ramadan.People need to be lead
back to the balance it provides..To me "seeds
being sown" means a remeberance of our deepest
need to focus on God and what He wills for us.
Rajab brings a focus....
Shaban,,,,Mometum....discipline for Ramadan 2005
...Most of all it reminds me of doing what has
to be done,,,,,and joyfully doing it,,,,,I like
to give to other people,,,
Jinia
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First,
you must research on the internet for Ramadan 2005 Resources
and make a GoalPlan for
the Holy Month.
It
should be a Comprehensive, Structured List of a Critical
Path to be taken, the Obstacles to be Overcome
and the Tasks that must be Accomplished.
Our
job is to assist with a Brand New Islamic Software
to help you get started with Popular Questions one asks
before 'Ramadan', all of which can be changed to suit
your needs. You may even do this a number of times!
-
Just
start with downloading the Holy Ramadhan Goals Software
Dowload
Here! (by
Right Clicking and Saving the .exe file onto your
Desktop)
-
Open
the Programme and try to answer the questions to
the best of your ability.
-
The
Click on Copy to Clipboard
- Click
on the Email Function and after opening your email
software press Control and the keypad V - i.e. (Ctr-V)
- Send
it to rashid@islamdigital.com and the
subject must be
MyRamadhanGoals (to help us filter all the
emails without any spaces). You may also copy on your
hard drive and even email to yourself for your reference.
The
results will be posted on our Blog at IslamDigital for
other Muslims to Read and
Benefit from.
Many Thanks for participating in our small experiment!
Wishing
you a spiritual Holy Ramadan 2005 and remember
us in your duas.
If
you benefitted from our small Programme, you may refer
our site to your family and friends at:
http:www.islamdigital.com/fasting/friends.html
And
claim Your 'Ten Free Islamic Bonuses' by sending
an email to:
mailto:ramadhan@pushbuttonresponder.com
Salaams
and Duas,
Dr.
Rashid M.H.
http://www.islamictoolkit.com
Islam
Digital At A Glance!
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Here For Your
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Copyright 2005, Islam Digital
P. O. Box 83221, Mombasa, Kenya
Phone: 254 41 220054 Email: rashid(at)islamdigital.com
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