Ramadan Special: The Felicitations of Fasting

hi
i just wanted to reply to one of the sentences that was written it went like this "Eid is in reality for those who fasted and not for those who did not fast. What right do those who do not fast have of going to the eidgah to celebrate eid?" now 1st of all what happens to the person who cannot fast due to them being sick or in my case pregnant in which i cannot fast due to complications does it not also say ramadan is not obligatory upon the sick and pregnant and breastfeeding women etc etc yes i do have also have the right to attend the eid as it is out of my control please have think about what is posted and thanks for taking the time to read it

beautiful...!

Naqshbandi, I found your explanation of the Ramzan (without a second a Naqshbandi) Ramadan difference a little unconvincing. Why not use the form you have grown up with (in all of South Asia) RAMZAN. There we go.

And also, what do you mean ``the correct one.`` ? Is there only ONE rigid way to do anything, including worship? Or should we be tolerant and accepting of the ways in which different cultures have adapted religious practices? That is the core prerequisite of tolerance.

Above all, let us be tolerant, accepting and truly respectful of the beliefs of others, whatever they might be, unless they are designed to destroy us eg. Nazism, Bushism, etc etc

God made people and people made god. A fair exchange. Religion is a part of culture. However the feeling of wonder and awe at the created world appears to be part of the innate need of people to understand, explain and categorize the created world.

The Koran was not ``sent down.`` to the people by someone called God.
The Koran was ``sent up`` by the people to someone called Allah. Or to Jesus, Bhagwan, the Great Dog, Deer, God etc etc. just like the Bible, Mahabharata, Torah, and all the other religions and faith systems of the world.

May Ramzan be peaceful and full of blessings.

plats8 -- it is common for Muslims who have grown up in the West to use the Arabic form which is the correct one anyway even though they might speak Urdu at home. But if I am speaking in Urdu/Punjabi then i call it Ramazan and if in English it is Ramadan.

Will some Pakistanis please not call it Ramadan ? Is it just me, or does it really
sound artificial coming from people in our part of the world. By the way, did this
Ramzan-Ramadan transition have anything to do with Hazrat Zia as well ?

fuzair,

.......... shhhh! ........ keep it down.... this is from today`s bbc.....

``A man has been sentenced to death for blasphemy, Pakistani police say.
Niaz Ahmed was arrested in central Pakistan in July after villagers told police they heard him making insulting comments about the Prophet Mohammed.``

Great article Asif, and of course, very timely :-)

In response to bhugider_sing, who wrote in #10:

[Why do Muslims eat more food in the month of Ramzan than in other months? Why the prices of food items rise so high in Ramzan?]

Well, from my own personal experience I think we Muslims eat less during Ramadan than in other months. I find that I actually fill up faster, and can go a lot longer with less food. I don`t know if this is a physiological effect or not, but it becomes quite noticeable after the first week of fasting....or perhaps I`m just strange. :-)

The combination of Iftiar with a proper dinner may make it seem like we`re being a bunch of gluttons. God forbid if people are wasteful of food, though...no matter what the month.

fuzair

I would love to join you for one:)

It actually sounds like fun, to anticipate a big hearty meal in the evening...although I feel sorry for the eskimo`s if they ever get converted to Islam and they have to fast during those 24 hours of daylight in the north pole :)

When Ramadan arrives everyone prefers indulging in peaceful acts and silent prayer. You can see a noticable change in peoples behavior... be it of a stranger on the streets or someone you know very well. The harshness, cruelty, greed and other negative feelings diminish and positivity fills everyones heart. Those who do not accept the blessing of Ramadan and do not believe in its sanctity are also eventually shamed of their ill behavior and become more inclined towards doing and accepting good. Everything becomes relatively better; if only such feelings and need of prevailing peace would remain throughout the year in the hearts of all Muslims...

The ones who do not fast also refrain from doing anything bad. It is quite obvious that Satan is locked up so that he cannot carry out his nefarious plans for a while.

Is it Fear that forces the shaitaan in everyones heart to go on holiday for a month or is it truly based on strength of personal Faith? How would the author or anyone explain the many evil acts being carried out in various parts of the globe at this very moment? Do the rules and regulations governing and describing Ramadan pertain only to the Muslim community and the rest are exempted of its blessings? I guess it`s the evil in the heart that is locked up, not the absolute evil!

happy ramazan folks..

Naqsh: is fard the same as farz? is rozay not called roday (just kidding.. but since you are fasting, it will be easy for you).

fasting seems to be very popular among religions..christians do it during the lent (altough no controversies like is it xmas or christmas). hindus have 4 months full of denials (called caturmas..mostly during the mansoon thru harvest). hindu stuff is more related to agricuture, as men folks are expected to hang out in the fields during this period, so married women go to parents homes, have a lot of parties, etc. many parictice vegetarianism, conjugal abstinance, and several fasting days during this period. fisherman dont fish during part of this period, which also coincides with hacthing season, esp in the arabian seas, thus allowing replinishing of stocks. jains seem to be the most fastidious fasters, as a result they are kind of skinnier (esp the women). buddhist fast as well.

algerians make the best iftar dinners...just one date and then pretty much good french food. bhendi bazaar in bombay attracts everyone for food if not fasting

PunjabiZulu,

Not too worry, mate. I, born and bred in the glorious Islamic Republic, find it truly bizzare that one could go to Hell for having a beer in the middle of the afternoon during Ramzan, excuuuuse me, Ramadan!

Ah well, truly inscrutable are the ways of the Lord and his annointed!

The amount we Muslims eat during Ramzan is truly disgusting. And all the prices, as that other chap said, do go up. So we fast from sunup to sunset and then eat from sunset to sunup. And then sleep it off during the day.

The GDP goes down, productivity goes down, and a poor country becomes even poorer.

Or maybe not...

My old Maths teacher worked for the Statistical Bureau in Karachi for years and he told us how they had to ``massage`` the numbers during Hazrat Zia ul Haq Shaheed`s time to show BOTH productivity and GDP going up during Ramzan! You see, good muslims, inspired by their zeal and faith, redouble their effort during Ramzan! When its 115 in the shade and you haven`t had a drink for 6 hours, you feel like working harder! In fact, it should be Ramzan every month! Our GDP growth rate will hit 12% and we will overtake South Korea in a few years!

Excuse me while a have a bottle of ice cold Murree Brewery Lager. Darn good beer as I recall (if you can get the real thing). Care to join me in one?

Some benefits of fasting in Ramadan:

The physiological effect of fasting includes lowering of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering of the systolic blood pressure. In fact, Ramadan fasting would be an ideal recommendation for the 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 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 their baseline medical condition. On the other hand, patients who are suffering from sever diseases, whether type I diabetes or coronary artery disease, kidney stones, etc., are exempt from fasting and should not be allowed 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 energy output. There are 10 extra calories output for each unit 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.

Naqshbandi,

I know you said you `keep your profession and faith separate`. But still...being in the medical profession, can you perhaps throw some light on what happens to the body, specially the brain, during fasting. That would be interesting.

I remember Sherlock Holmes avoiding food alltogather when mulling over a particularly tricky case...what he calls a three-pipe problem!
He tells Watson...an empty stomach makes the brain sharper.

Modern scientists are of the view that the brain needs lots of sugar to operate efficeintly.


Best Ramzan wishes to all our muslim brethren on chowk.

punjabizulu...
tuvadde vaste ik shair hai ga....

rind jannat mein ja bhi chuke
waaiz-e-mohtarim reh gaye
;))

Naqshbandi

I apologise I am not aware of the meaning of those words. It was just a comment as an outsider looking in. It seemed a little harsh to be condemned to hellfire simply for not keeping to the fast, and then finding yourself beside Pol Pot and Jack the Ripper. I am sorry if I offended you.

Faiza,

Hazrat Amir e Millat was also a great muhaddith (hadith scholar) which I should have pointed out; you are right these two sayings are his rephrasing of hadith sharif (may Allah perfume his resting place and grant us his shiifa`a for the sake of his illustrious ancestor, the Habib of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam! Ameen!) but in theri Malfuzat awliya often quote hadith sharifs. As for ilm al ghayab that is personally for Allah BUT He can give portions of it to whomever so He wills--the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam has been gifted this knowledge of the Unseen by Allah and the awliya can take some of it from the Prophet alayhisalatu wa salam. This is clear from the Qur`an, hadith and lives of the Salaf and the great Sufis.


***
nasaH:
Cities often had walls surrounding them and gates to enter in classical times--why is it so hard for you to accept that jannat has gates from which to enter it? The hadith tell us so anyway so it is true. The guardian of jannat is called, I think, Ridwan and is an angel created for that purpose.

***
Punjabi zulu --u must learn the basic definitions of fard, wajib, sunnah, mubah, mustahab which are used in Islam. You cannot understand any science or branch of knowledge without having some idea of its technical language. When we say something is fard (like rozay) it actually has a specific meaning defined in the Sacred Law.