FASTING means to abstain from eating and drinking all or certain foods, especially as a religious observance. It was in the Muslim tradition that the practice developed a new significance, introducing regular obligatory fasting during the month of Ramadan in the Al-Hijri calendar.
However, contrary to popular practice, ritual fasting is not prescribed in the Quran. “Sawm”, the word mistranslated as fasting means self-discipline in harmony with Quranic values. The now-accepted meaning of sawm is thus at odds with that of the Quran. It can certainly mean abstinence from food and drink – but not exclusively so.
This divergence of meaning comes from errors in translating the Quran. For example, in the story of Mary, after she has given birth to her son Jesus, the traditional translation of verse 19:26 by Abdullah Yusuf Ali reads:
“So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being’”.
Here sawm is translated incorrectly as “fast”, rather than in reference to Mary’s vow of silence. The correct translation of the verse is:
“She ate the dates and drank the water and was consoled. When she met anyone, she signified her self-discipline and abstinence from speaking; that she had made a vow of silence to the One Most Gracious; and did not talk to anyone about the event of that day.” [Verse 19:26].
If sawm meant fasting (abstinence from food and drink), then Mary would be eating and drinking, and then deceptively pledging to have fasted: which is hardly an act of a righteous woman!
In any case, would a lactating mother abstain from eating and drinking to the detriment of her child? This would not only be an unwise choice, and surely God would not decree such a punishment on a woman he exalts and then extend it to her innocent newborn child.
Properly understood, sawm here means the discipline of silence, and in the context of the above verse, it means abstaining from speaking about a specific matter. During Ramadan, the ninth month of the traditional Islamic lunar calendar, devout Muslims will not eat or drink from daybreak to sunset. This also includes chewing gum, drinking and even smoking. While this practice claims to be an important religious sacrament, its motives and outcomes prove it is less so; flying both in the face of morality and science.
For example, nutritionists explain the biological process of fasting as using up your body’s energy reserves. During the summer, after 12 hours of fasting, people may feel a headache, light-headed and lethargic. Research also links fasting with changes in mood, such as increased irritability.
Furthermore, studies on athletes who fasted during Ramadan have found that performance deteriorates as the month goes on, due to disturbed sleeping cycles, dehydration and a new pattern of eating. This runs counter to the popular assumption that fasting over a lengthy period brings health benefits.
There are those who believe that Ramadan is a time of salvation. This includes the belief that God keeps Satan chained up during the month. But the assumption that one month of the year leads to increased piety in one’s life is simply untrue. Where corruption and transgression exist, it will continue regardless of what month it is.
Thus whatever positive benefits there are to fasting are heavily outweighed by its negative impact on health and well-being, as well as perpetuating misconceptions about Islam. Ritual fasting is simply another detrimental facet of “religion” and no part of Islam.
Paigham Mustafa
Glasgow
Author Paigham Mustafa has been researching and studying the Quran since 1988. His book, The Quran: God’s message to mankind, was published in 2016
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