Fasting & Scientific benefits ✌🏻

Assalamualaikum and hai everyone 👋👋,

In today's post, I will share the benefits of fasting. First of all, I do realize that we are in the last days of Ramadan 😭 for this year, insha'Allah, but let's make this blog be a remembrance whenever we fast AFTER the month of Ramadhan such as fasting for "6 days in the month of Shawwal" (a month after Ramadan) or "fasting on Mondays and Thursdays" or any other sunnah fast.

According to a show named A date in Ramadhan with Dr. Zakir Naik (DZN), DZN had mentioned in an episode of that series about the benefits of fasting.

So here today, I will try to share the sharings from DZN and other Islamic scholars with some scientific resources from other sites about the benefits of fasting as well.

❗"BUT BEFORE THAT, a REMINDER, Muslims fast in the month of Ramadhan or do sunnah fasting (complement of worship obligatory), not for the worldly benefits which I will describe down here, but Muslims fast because of the commandment of Allah SWT and following the sunnah of the beloved Prophet SAW. But these benefits show that doing ibadaah of fasting has benefited physically, mentally, and spiritually and these benefits may attract non-muslims but for Muslims, we fast as an act of worship. 

It's like a side dish 🍵 for the main dish 🍝"... 

While according to Mufti Menk, we Muslims get to enjoy both ibadaah (acts of worship) and discoveries, while those who don't practice Islam, only get the discoveries". 😍 Allah Akbar ❗

A) The commandments for fasting by Allah and Sunnah Of Rasullullah SAW :

The commandment for obligatory fasting in the month of Ramadhan is stated in surah Al-Baqarah verse 183 by Allah SWT where Allah states ...
"O you who believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous".

This means Allah SWT commands the Muslim to fast as well as Allah SWT had commanded the followers of other Prophets before Rasullullah SAW.

While in a hadith such as below shows that Muslims are encouraged to do sunnah fasting ;

"Aishah R.A said: The Prophet SAW was keen to fast on Mondays and Thursdays." (al-Tirmidhi)

While in another hadith; "Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (Rasullullah SAW) said, The deeds are presented on Monday and Thursday to Allah SWT. Thus, I love for my deeds to be presented while I am fasting ".(Sunan al-Tirmidhi 747)

There are other hadith as well about another sunnah fasting here.

B) SO, WHAT IS FASTING A.K.A SAWM? 🤔🤔

Sawm fasting is what I called "Fasting in Islam" is also known as Intermittent Fasting in this modern world. In easy words, Muslims fast from dawn 🌄 to dusk (sunset) 🌇for about 11 to 16 hours and can be up to 22 hours depends on the place and season for the sake of Allah, not only abstaining from food and water but also avoid forged speech, sexual relation, and evil actions.

 While intermittent fasting is quite similar to "Fasting in Islam" except the "intention (niyyah) is not for Allah's mercy" ✌✌

For some General Knowledge, other than Muslims, the act of fasting has been practiced by other religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and others.

C) THE BENEFITS OF FASTING ARE... 

The benefits of Fasting are divided into psychological, behavioral, spiritual, and medical benefits aspects.

1) PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS ...

1)Psychological effects of fasting are it helps in patience, forbearance (self-control), perseverance (determination), self-worth, self-training, and self-discipline. Fasting can help behavior changes which are very difficult as we known the biggest jihad is Jihadun Nafs (battle against your desire).

Click here for reference

2)Psychology nowadays says that, if you can control our hunger, you can control almost all your desire. Subhanallah 😍

2) Social Impact on Fasting.

1)Fasting can help us to realize and care about other human beings as we can feel what they have been going through when hunger strikes. This will make us more conscious of people in our surroundings.

2)We also can start appreciating the blessings that we have in our life that we often neglect its presence. Allah Akbar 😔 . There's a saying about;

now, that hurts... Let's say Alhamdulillah for everything we have 😊

3)Even in a video made by a video creator of page Project Nightfall, he had mentioned that fasting as a non-muslims helps him to be more Humble (don't look yourself better than others), fast from bad habits, from gossiping and from swearing and lying.  Foreigner Tries Ramadan For The First Time

4) Even when you fast, you can try to stop your bad addiction such as alcohol or smoking by breaking that chain. Fast also can help self-discipline to avoid these habits that spoil the health and wasting your money.

According to DZN, if you can do this for a month then insha'Allah, you can do this for the whole of your life.😍

😃And in an article, it is stated that it takes from 18-254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. 😃

3) Medical Benefits of Fasting

Fasting has a lot of benefits related to medical which I will share some of them here.

Fasting;

1)It helps to organize and relax your heartbeat as it reduces the pressure on the heart artery, reduces the "bad" LDL cholesterol and blood triglycerides, and also reduces coronary heart disease. 💓

2) Reduces the fats in the liver because when the body is in the fasting state, the body requires energy so fasting will help fuel fat loss as there is no sugar coming from carbs (the source of sugar) to breakdown and get energy also known as gluconeogenesis.

3)It helps non-insulin dependant diabetic patients by reducing the high blood sugar level and thus reduces insulin resistance.

4)Good for the brain to improve its metabolic features which are important for brain health.

5)It helps with increasing the immune (defense) system in our body. Firstly, the immune system is a system that fights with infection (bacteria, virus &etc) to maintain good health in our body.
When we fast, the body used up glucose and fats, so the system will try to save the energy, by recycling the immune cells that are not needed especially the damaged cells. When old cells are recycled, the body will send the signal to the bone marrow telling stem cells to regenerate and "rebuild the entire system"...
It's like eliminating the bad/damaged ones and rebuilds a new cell empire in your body. Cool isn't it ??

Some of the research on this,

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Notes: 

1)Stem cells are specialized cells that can develop to many different CELLS types from muscle cells to brain cells in your bone marrow.

2) Natural killer cells are the cells in our body that fights with the infection (bacteria, virus &, etc) that enter our body. It is like a second line of defense.

The natural killer cells consist of T and B cells (produces antibodies) 

Scientific fact: When someone got HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the viral will attacks the helper T-cells in the body that ACTIVATE these two cells (T and B cells) which makes it harder for the patient to recover. Thus, the patient will be more vulnerable to other diseases because his immune system is not activated. If untreated, the patient may develop AIDS.

In easy words, the virus will attack the main source defense system that can call other cells to start working.

6) Lose weight while fasting as your fats are used during fasting to gain energy.

D) SOME SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON FASTING.

1) Dr. Suleiman of the University Hospital of Amman (Jordan) conducted a study on healthy volunteers during the month of Ramadan of 1984. There were 42 men and 26 women (in the age ranges of 15 to 64 years) who were being studied. Their body weights were recorded at the beginning and at the end of Ramadan and their blood was tested for the levels of cortisol, testosterone (sex hormone), glucose, total cholesterol, urea, etc. It was found out in the results of the study that there was a significant loss in weight in males and females (up to 2 kg) whereas the blood glucose level actually rose. All the other parameters did not show any significant changes.

2) Western researcher Allan Cott writes in his book "Fasting as a Way of Life": "Fasting brings a wholesome physiological rest for the digestive tract and central nervous system and normalizes metabolism."

And one of the BEST observation for me is research done by : 😃😃
3) Dr. Geoffrey, a non-Muslim European, where he had mentioned in his book "Fasting" that not only humans but other creatures like plants and animals also fast. 
Wild animals fast in the region of heavy snowfall go without food for weeks/month and still survive. As we also called them hibernating.

In an article by University Ahmad Dahlan, it supports Dr. Geoffrey's claim because it mentions about some animals like crocodiles, snakes, frogs, dragonflies snails, and crabs also fast for different periods. Allah Akbar!

Other than that, Dr. Geoffery also states that trees also fast. The trees shed their leaves in winter as they have less water source because of heavy snowfall and they are in the state of fast which lasts for weeks or months. 
At the end of the season, when their fasting season-ends, the new leaves will sprout and fresh flowers will bloom and will bear fruits. 🌲

A lot of researches was done by both Muslims and Non-Muslims scientists/researchers only about fasting.

Last but not least, I will share about fasting from a talk in TED from Cynthia Thurlow
In this talk, she explains about our habits to eat all day long without stop, can overtax our pancreas and digestive system so it can work properly and fewer nutrients are absorbed...

"Just imagine stuffing your washing machine with clothes without any space left... That's gonna be hard !!" 😭😭

So doing intermittent fasting is great to tap into the fat store for energy and have sustained energy for a better quality of life.💪

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Alhamdulillah, this is some of the benefits of fasting that I can list from psychological, social, and medical aspects. 

Alhamdulillah, these researches make me more realize of Allah SWT mercy on us where by doing this ibadaah of fasting, not only affects me spiritually but many other aspects. Allah Akbar !!

I hope that these benefits of fasting will make you more enthusiast to fast even after the month of Ramadhan ends which means sunnah fasting and appreciate the blessing of Allah SWT to us both physically, mentally, and spiritually.

E) References
Sunnah Fasting and Benefits
Ramadan Special ~ Benefits of Fasting - Dr. Zakir Naik Youtube
8 Health Benefits of Fasting, Backed by Science
Can Intermittent Fasting Reset Your Immune System?
Psycho-Social Behaviour and Health Benefits of Islamic Fasting During the Month of Ramadan
10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
What happens if you fast for a day?
Can intermittent fasting resets your immune
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-intermittent-fasting#section1
https://www.islamweb.net/womane/printarticle.php?id=140566&lang=E
https://www.aspergillus.org.uk/blog/fasting-reboots-your-immune-system
https://uad.ac.id/id/why-do-animals-fast/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Dkt7zyImk