Fasting in Islam

Insyd Islam, fasting (dem know as ***sawm***, Arabic: صوم; Arabic pronunciation:[sˤawm] anaa ***siyam***, Arabic: صيام; Arabic pronunciation: [sˤijaːm]) be de practice of abstaining, usually from chow, drink, sexual activity den anything wich dey substitute chow den drink. During de holy month of Ramadan, dem dey observe *sawm* between dawn den sunset wen dem dey call de *adhan* of de Maghrib prayer. Ramadan be de ninth month of de Muslim lunar calendar wey fasting be a requirement give Muslims as e be de fourth of de five pillars of Islam.

## Introduction

Religious fasting no be a uniquely Muslim practice; na dem practice am for centuries by religions such as Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism, den Taoism, among odas. Dem state insyd de Quran dat Allah say:

Sam cultures insyd North America fast make dem serve as penance for sin den avert catastrophes. De official practices of de Inca Empire den chaw indigenous peoples of Mexico observe fasts make dem appease dema gods. Former nations such as Assyrians den Babylonians observe fasting as a form of penance. Jews dey observe fasting as a form of purification den penitence for de Day of Atonement anaa Yom Kippur annually. Dem no dey permit chow den drinks for dis day.

## Insyd de Quran

Insyd de Quran, dem mention de practice of fasting. Insyd verse 2:183, de Quran dey express situations insyd wich dem allow a Muslim make e abstain from fasting wey dem introduce alternative solutions such as make dem feed needy people. Dem san emphasize insyd verse 2:183–185 say e no be necessary for people wey dey travel anaa dem be sick make dem fast, wey dem fi postpone am til "anoda equal number of days." According to verse 5:95, among oda things, dem fi use fasting to make up for certain sins, such as sacrificing an animal during a state of *ihram*. Verse 2:185 sanso dey state dat na dem reveal de Quran insyd de month of Ramadan. Anoda verse, 97:1, dey state say na dem reveal am "on de Night of Power," wer Muslims observe insyd one of de last 10 nights of Ramadan.

## Definition

Fasting primarily be an exercise of devotion make dem willingly renounce oneself, for a definite period of time, from all bodily appetites so say e go form spiritual discipline den self-control. Dem prohibit Muslims from eating anaa drinking from dawn *(fajr)* to sunset (*maghrib*) wen dem call de *adhan*. Dem dey consider am time make dem begin fasting wen a person wey dey stand outsyd fi tell a white thread from a black thread, i.e. de light of de dawn den de darkness of de night.

## Conditions

### Intention (''niyyah'')
"De intention (*niyyah*) dey mean resolving to fast. Ebe essential make dem do de intention de night before, night by night, insyd Ramadaan." For fasting, making de intention to fast be necessary.

### General conditions
Thru out de duration of de fast einself, Muslims go abstain from certain provisions wey na de Quran otherwise allow; namely eating, drinking, den sexual intercourse. Dis be in addition to de standard obligation already wey Muslims observe of make dem dey avoid dat wich no be permissible under Quranic anaa shari'a law (e.g. ignorant den indecent speech, arguing den fighting den lustful thoughts). Widout observing dis standard obligation, dem dey render de *sawm* useless wey ebe seen simply as an act of starvation. Fasting for be a motive to be more benevolent to fellow creatures. Charity to de poor den needy insyd dis month be one of de most rewardable worships.

If one be sick, pregnant, menstruating, nursing, anaa traveling, dem dey consider one exempt from fasting. Dem dey make up any fasts dem break anaa missed secof sickness, pregnancy, menstruation, nursing, anaa traveling wenever de person be able before de next month of Ramadan. According to de Quran, for all oda cases, dem only dey permit not fasting wen de act be potentially dangerous to one ein health – for example, those wey be sick, elderly, anaa on a journey, den women wey dey menstruate, dem preg, anaa nursing be permitted make dem break de fast, buh dem for make dis up by make dem pay a *fidyah*, wich be essentially de ''iftar'' den *[[suhur]]* give a fasting person wey dey require such financial help.

Muslim scholars state say dem forbid observing de fast give menstruating women. However, wen a woman ein period cease, she for bathe den continue dey fast. Dem for make up any fasts dem break anaa miss secof menstruation wenever she fi do before de next month of Ramadan (no be all Muslims dey believe make dem make up missing fasts secof menstruation). Women for fast at times wen dem no dey menstruate, as de Quran dey indicate say dem ordain all religious duties give both men den women. 

Fasting be obligatory for a person if dem fulfill five conditions:

# Dem be Muslims;
# Dem be accountable (past de age of puberty);
# Dem be able make dem fast;
# Dem settle (dem no dey travel);
# Der be no impediments to fasting such as sickness, extreme pain from injury, breastfeeding, anaa pregnancy.

### Breaking de fast den de consequences
During Ramadan, if one unintentionally break de fast by eating anaa drinking, then dem for continue fasting for de rest of de day wey de fast remain valid. Those wey intentionally break de fast by eating anaa drinking, dem for make up for dat wey dem sanso for repent. For breaking fast by having sexual intercourse, de consequences be:

# Make dem free a slave, wey if dat no be possible,
# Make dem fast for two consecutive *Hijri* (moon) months, wey if dat no be possible,
# Make dem feed anaa clothe sixty people in need.

During voluntary fasts, if one unintentionally break de fast then dem fi continue for de rest of de day wey de fast remain valid. If one intentionally break de fast der be no sin for dema top, secof ebe voluntary.

### Beginning den ending

In accordance plus traditions dem hand down from Muhammad, Muslims dey eat a pre-dawn meal dem call *suhur*. Dem for fini all eating den drinking before de *adhan* give *fajr*, de pre-dawn call to prayer. Unlike de *zuhr* den de *magbrib* prayer, wich get clear astronomical definitions (afternoon den after sunset), der be chaw definitions dem use in practice for de timing of "true dawn" (*al-fajr al-ṣādiq*), as dem mention insyd de hadith. Dese dey range from wen de center of de Sun be 12 to 21 degrees below de horizon wich dey equate to about 40 to 60 minutes before civil dawn. Der be no restrictions for de morning meal oda dan those of Islamic dietary laws. After dem plete de *suhur*, Muslims recite de *fajr* prayer. Dem no fi take chow anaa beverage after *suhur*. Water fi enter de mouth, buh dem no fi swallow am, during *wudu*.

Dem know de meal dem dey chop to end de fast as *[[iftar]]*. Muslims break de fast plus dates den water before de *maghrib* prayer, after wich dem fi eat a more wholesome meal.

## Spiritual aspect

Dem prescribe fasting to all Muslims as a form of religious obligation for overcoming dema lust den desires within a reasonable limit so dat one fi control einself den prevent becoming a slave to dema appetites. De Qur'an dey state dat if humans no fi prevent demaselves from desires then dem no fi achieve salvation:

Muslims dey abstain from a permissible norm of daily life secof de command of Allah so e go strengthen one ein self-control den dey increase consciousness of de Lord. Dem no prescribe am as a punishment for people anaa make e inflict burdensome practices. Ebe a moral den spiritual training wey ein underlying idea be make e teach moderation den spiritual discipline so dat human temptations no go surpass de moral disciplines dem implement insyd Islam. Furthermore, fasting be mandatory for a definite period of time per wey e no dey promote total renunciation from de appetite of de flesh. Eating, drinking, den sexual intercourse cam turn permissible give a human for de end of de fast. Der fore, Islamic fasting dey aim at make e promote proper limits within ein natural bounds.

## Health effects
Islamic fasting, as a time-restricted eating habit wey dey invert de normal human day-night routine for observance, fi get deleterious health effects on sleep patterns den general health. Fasting insyd Ramadan show  e dey alter de sleep patterns den de associated hormone production.

Statistical comparison of thousands of school kiddies, part of whom na dem born widout de month of Ramadan during pregnancy den part of whom wer Ramadan coincide plus de pregnancy, reveal lower cognitive capability, den lower growth insyd adolescence if na de mommie observe Ramadan fasting during pregnancy. Kiddies wey dema mommies fast during Ramadan sanso get a higher incidence of chaw chronic diseases, e.g. Type 2 diabetes (spy de ruling wey dey regard fasting pregnant women).

Fasting be one of de alternatives dem prove make e reduce de DPP-4 level den activate de dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors wey so, dey prevent osteoporosis. For de oda hand, de circadian rhythm get a direct relationship plus osteoporosis. Na dem find dis by de biochemical markers, wey dey indicate dat fasting for certain hours of de day, especially during those hours of de day wich na dem recommend as part of de Muslim tradition (Islamic fasting), be very effective in reducing de effects of osteoporosis.

Na de education departments of Berlin den de United Kingdom try make dem discourage students from fasting during Ramadan, as dem claim say if dem no chop anaa drink fi lead to concentration problems den bad grades. Dem sanso associate Ramadan fasting plus loss of workplace productivity by 35 to 50%.

Chaw of de purported health benefits dem associate plus Ramadan fasting dey take into account abstinence from food per while dem dey ignore de lack of water intake, wich fi be a harmful impact even insyd healthy individuals. Insyd chaw cultures, ebe associated plus heavy chow den water intake during Suhur den Iftar times, wich fi do more harm dan good.

Ramadan fasting be safe give healthy people provided say overall chow den water intake be adequate, buh those plus medical conditions for seek medical advice if dem encounter health problems before anaa during fasting. De fasting period be usually associated plus modest weight loss, buh weight fi return afterward.

A review of de literature by an Iranian group suggest fasting during Ramadan fi produce renal injury insyd patients plus moderate (GFR 

## External links

* Fasting & Ramadan: Complete Interactive Online Guide
* Scholarly Articles on the Law of Fasting in Islam
* Fasting in the Quraan
* Comprehensive Article and Book Collection on fasting and Ramadhan
* Esoteric view on sawm - fasting in Ramadan
* Islamic holidays and observances
* Time of start and end of sawn per city
* How Fasting Helps with Self-Control
* How to spend Ramadan
* Fasting Six Days of Shawwal: Necessary?
* Sawm – The Fast of Ramadan
* My Ramadan