Voice of British Muslim Women

Dr Munazzah Chou, Farnham

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be on him) is said to have remarked that, ‘There are two blessings of which people do not take full advantage: health and leisure.’[1]

Physical health is an essential part of the spiritual progress of a person, we are taught in Islam. It is unsurprising then that there are many health-related injunctions in the Quran and in the Sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be on him). 

Islam prescribes fasting during the month of Ramadhan as well as encouraging non-obligatory fasts throughout the year. Ramadan is of course a spiritual exercise; a test of obedience, patience, sacrifice and an opportunity to focus on our spiritual health, tend to our moral ailments and emerge with spiritual vitality. But a convenient side effect is the physical health gain to be had.

Clinical research has shown that numerous physiological indicators of health are improved with fasting. In 2019, in the New England Journal of Medicine, de Cabo and Mattson report that, ‘Evidence is accumulating that eating in a 6-hour period and fasting for 18 hours can trigger a metabolic switch from glucose-based to ketone-based energy, with increased stress resistance, increased longevity, and a decreased incidence of diseases, including cancer and obesity.’ [2]

In Nature Ageing this year, Longo et al reviewed current literature examining the relationship between fasting, longevity and disease. They found that in humans, the ‘alternation of fasting and refeeding periods is accompanied by positive effects on risk factors for aging, diabetes, autoimmunity, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration and cancer.’[3] These diseases are of particular relevance as the main risk factor for these major diseases is age.

Fasting has also been examined as a potential treatment following injury.

Traumatic brain injury is one of the most common causes of neurological damage in young people. Fasting has been shown to protect neurons against dysfunction and degeneration in animal models of stroke and Parkinson’s disease. For example, learning and memory was impaired 30 days post-injury in mice fed ad libitum, but not in mice who were fasted. [5] Fasting therefore, has been proposed as a clinical intervention to reduce brain damage.

Physical health is considered an essential part of the progress of a person spiritually. Whilst the physical state influences the spiritual state, the reverse is also true. A spiritually depressed person may develop physical problems. Similarly, bad habits become morally depressive and spiritually inhibitive. [6]

But fasting is not for everyone; in fact it is forbidden for those who are sick or travelling. Patients who take medication or eye drops may feel that they can continue to fast if they take their medication before sunrise or after sunset, their desire to reap the rewards of fasting overcoming any health concerns.  But fasting has the potential to exacerbate disease and injury. Good quality research is difficult to come by on this subject but the probability of adverse effects of fasting on eye health has been investigated by Javadi et al. They find that fasting may alter a variety of physiological parameters e.g. glucose metabolism, intraocular pressure, ocular blood flow. [7] These deviations from the norm could adversely affect for example a patient with glaucoma, with an underlying vulnerability. For those who shouldn’t fast, Islam has an alternative, so people are not deprived of the blessings they seek in fasting, i.e. fidya, (expiation) the feeding of a needy individual for a month.

For those who are able to fast, a further reported beneficial effect includes increased alertness and increased mental acuity.[8] This alongside the physical benefits alone would be a welcome experience during this pandemic which has kept people indoors, and adversely affected the health of many. Thirty days to concentrate our minds on something beyond our immediate environment and a chance to focus on self-improvement is a highly anticipated opportunity throughout the Muslim world.

1. ChaudaryZafrulla Khan, Wisdom of the Holy Prophet, p36
2. Rafael de Cabo, Ph.D., Mark P. Mattson, Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease, N Engl J Med 2019; December 26, 2019
   
3. Longo, V.D., Di Tano, M., Mattson, M.P. et al. Intermittent and periodic fasting,longevity and disease. Nat Aging 1, 47–59 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-020-00013-3
4. Rubovitch, Vardit&Pharayra, A. & Har-Even, M. &Dvir, O. & Mattson, M. & Pick, Chaim. (2019). Dietary Energy Restriction Ameliorates Cognitive Impairment in a Mouse Model of Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Molecular Neuroscience. 67. 1-9. 10.1007/s12031-019-01271-6.
5. https://www.alislam.org/question/physical-moral-spiritual-conditions-of-man/
6. Mohammad Ali Javadi, MahsanAssadi, Bahram Einollahi, Hossein Mohammad Rabei,¹ Mehrdad Afarid,² and Majid Assadi^. The effects of Ramadan fasting on the health and function of the eye. J Res Med Sci. 2014 Aug; 19(8): 786–791.
7. Fond G, Macgregor A, Leboyer M, Michalsen A. Fasting in mood disorders: neurobiology and effectiveness. A review of the literature. Psychiatry Res. 2013;209:253–258.