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Fasting
The third pillar of
Islam is fasting. Allah prescribes daily fasting for all able, adult
Muslims during the whole of the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of
the lunar calendar, beginning with the sighting of the new moon.
Exempted from the fast are the very old and the insane. On the
physical side, fasting is from first light of dawn until sundown,
abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations. On the moral,
behavioral side, one must abstain from lying, malicious gossip,
quarreling and trivial nonsense.
Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and women who are
menstruating, pregnant, or nursing are permitted to break the fast,
but must make up an equal number of days later in the year. If
physically unable to do so, they must feed a needy person for each day
missed. Children begin to fast (and to observe the prayers) from
puberty, although many start earlier.
Although fasting is beneficial to the health, it is regarded
principally as a method of self-purification. By cutting oneself off
from worldly pleasures and comforts, even for a short time, the
fasting person gains true sympathy for those who go hungry regularly,
and achieve growth in his spiritual life, learning discipline,
self-restraint, patience and flexibility.
In addition to the fast proper, one is encouraged to read the entire
Quran. In addition, special prayers, called Tarawih, are held in the
mosque every night of the month, during which a whole section of the
Quran (Juz') is recited, so that by the end of the month the entire
Quran has been completed. These are done in remembrance of the fact
that the revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was begun
during Ramadan.
During the last ten days - though the exact day is never known and may
not even be the same every year - occurs the Night of Power (Laylat
al-Qadr). To spend that night in worship is equivalent to a thousand
months of worship, i.e. Allah's reward for it is very great.
On the first day of the following month, after another new moon has
been sighted, a special celebration is made, called 'Id al-Fitr. A
quantity of staple food is donated to the poor (Zakat al-Fitr),
everyone has bathed and put on their best, preferably new, clothes,
and communal prayers are held in the early morning, followed by
feasting and visiting relatives and friends.
There are other fast days throughout the year. Muslims are encouraged
to fast six days in Shawwal, the month following Ramadan, Mondays and
Thursdays, and the ninth and tenth, or tenth and eleventh of Muharram,
the first month of the year. The tenth day, called Ashurah, is also a
fast day for the Jews (Yom Kippur), and Allah commanded the Muslims to
fast two days to distinguish themselves from the People of the Book.
While fasting is encouraged but constant fasting, as well as
monasticism, celibacy, and otherwise retreating from the real world,
are condemned in Islam. Fasting on the two festival days, 'Id al-Fitr
and 'Id al-Adha, the feast of the Hajj, is strictly forbidden.
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