Hello ladies and gentlemen
Tomorrow is the start of Ramadan for our Muslim community around the world and of course for our fellow Muslim Stemians. For this Occasion I want to introduce you this special month. I am also going to focus on the history of it and the benefits or maybe the harm this month has to the participants.
When is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar and this years it is from 27th of may till 24th of June ( the time period actually varies each year). In Islam a new month starts from the point the full moon appears for the first time. That's why the Ramadan month can even be different in different countries in the same year because some Islamic nations like Saudi Arabia announce the start of Ramadan only when the leader of the nation sees the full moon by himself. However the majority of Muslims does not count on that and just calculate by themselves when the month is going to start.
What happens in Ramadan?
The most popular thing about Ramadan is fasting. The Muslims fast from sunrise to the dawn for 9-19 hours depending on their location. During this time they choose to not to eat and drink at all. The reason of this action is to remind ourselves of the poor and realize how gifted we are, by having something to eat and drink everyday in this world. However the fasting is not the whole purpose of Ramadan. Ramadan is a month where everyone ideally tries to be a better person. Everyone try to help others, be more kind or do good for others and try to avoid any sins. This part of the month is actually the most important part. It is not only about fasting because even if you fast perfectly the whole month, if you do harm to other people or commit a sin during that time, the fast is going to be broken and does not count at all. It is all about to clean your body and soul in this month.
Is Ramadan unhealthy?
Probably you ask yourself: ” Not eating for over 9 hours can't be healthy” This is a completely proper question. It is pretty unusual for a human to do such thing. How ever scientist found out that this kind of fasting can actually be healthy. According to theguardian.com fasting can lead to weight loss.
There is even nowadays a popular diet called intermittent fasting. It works just like how the Muslims fast in Ramadan. You do not eat for 16 hours at all. You are only allowed to eat after those hours. However you are allowed to drink dring this time. Probably one of the most popular person who practice intermittent fasting is the one and only Terry Crews. Below I will link a video where he explains his experience with this diet.
I can feel the difference. I literally can put pictures of myself now vs pictures of myself at 22 years old and I look and feel much better right now. " Terry Crews"
Fasting in other Cultures and Religion
Fasting is also spread over the world in different cultures and religion. For example the Christians does also have a fasting month. However they only try to avoid “rich” food like meat. Or Jews also do an intense fasting once in year to wash sins off their hands. Some cultures even fast for non religion reason. In a town in Switzerland called Geneva there is a public holiday called “Jeune genevois” or “Fast of Geneva”.
Jews will be undertaking the 25-hour fast of Yom Kippur to ask God's repentance for their sins. Orthodox Christians, meanwhile, can spend up to half a year in various forms of fasting, which is believed to bring them closer to God. "The Guardian"
Thank you very much for reading this far. I hope you enjoyed my blog I wish everyone good luck and strength during their fasting period. I am going to post more and on a regular basis so feel free to follow me to not miss my future posts. :)
Trying to make each day my masterpiece