The month of Ramadhan is again here with us. For the more than 1.6 billion global Muslim community, the fasting period which occurs in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar is a period of spiritual rejuvenation, purification of the soul and penitence.
While the overriding feature of this month is fasting–abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking and conjugal relations–the believers are also expected to super recharge their faith by increasing acts of worship such as additional prayers, charity and enhancing family ties.
Other than the acts of worship, Ramadhan is the perfect opportunity to embrace good eating habits and maintain good health. But while for many Muslims the focus during this period is nurturing their faith, others turn this month into a period of relentless feasting, which demeans the spirit of Ramadhan.
In many homes, as dusk appears, platefuls of elaborate foods colour the dinner area turning it into an arena for gluttonous behaviours, wastefulness and unhealthy eating habits.
For some, the advent of iftar (breaking the fast) is a time to ‘revenge’ for the hunger experienced during the day and the eating habits are characterised by overeating meant to compensate for the lost meals during the daytime hours.
Further, iftar is often characterised by unhealthy foods, which include deep-fried delicacies, fatty foods and processed drinks that are harmful to the body. Contrary to this, the Sunnah (tradition) of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was to break his fasts with dates followed by a light meal.
For the hours spent preparing the elaborate meals, women end up being among the biggest losers of Ramadhan as they have little time to reap the blessing of this month. As sundown beckons, exhaustion is evident in the womenfolk who cannot even attend the special Taraweeh nightly prayers, which are among the main features of this blessed month.
The elaborate meals lead to wastefulness of food which is a common feature in many homes during the month of Ramadhan. This is antithetical to the Qur’anic teaching, which emphasises moderation at the time of eating: “Eat of the good things We have provided for your sustenance, but commit no excess therein.” (Taha 20:81)
From a health point of view, fasting has been proved to be a prescription for good health as it promotes the well-being of a person. Among the health benefits, the fast helps to cleanse the digestive system and removes toxins from the body.
If a fasting person resorts to overeating at the time of breaking the fast, this offsets the physical benefits of fasting resulting in indigestion, stomach upsets, heartburn, bloating, belching and nausea, which are common during the month of Ramadhan.
Because of the absence of meals during the day, Ramadhan is supposed to reduce on household food expenses by at least half but in some households, the budget for food during this month alone supersedes that of the other 11 months combined.
Islam emphasises moderation and this is also true when it comes to food consumption. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in one of his tradition said, “A person fills no vessel worse than his stomach. A few morsels should be enough for him to preserve his strength. If he must fill it, then he should allow a third for his food, a third for his drink and leave a third empty for easy breathing.” (Tirmidhi)
The obsession with food witnessed during the month, unfortunately fuels the misconception among many non-Muslims that Ramadhan is a period of feasting rather than fasting.
Especially at this time when the effects of the drought are still with us, Ramadhan should be a period to do away with iftar parties which promote unhealthy eating habits and wastefulness and instead be a time to exert more efforts to ensure that those staring at hunger have at least a meal before them at the time of breaking the fast.
Member of the Muslim Media Practitioners of Kenya. [email protected]