QUETTA:
Ramazan is considered as one of the most sacred months of the Islamic calendar. In this blessed month, the Holy Quran was revealed and fasting was made mandatory so that Muslims could understand its numerous spiritual and physical benefits.
Fasting entails huge spiritual significance from an Islamic perspective. It cleanses the soul through spiritual detox and allows us to adopt self-control over our worldly desires. When we surrender ourselves to the will of God we develop a sense of spiritual awareness and awakening.
Physically, fasting offers myriad miraculous benefits. The founding fathers of western medicines, namely Hippocrates, Galen and Paracelsus, prescribed fasting as the greatest remedy and the physician within. It helps decompose and burn all the cells and tissues that are aged, damaged, diseased, weakened or dead — a process called in medicine called autolysis. Furthermore, it also helps alleviate pain and cure cardiovascular or digestive illnesses.
Fasting also fosters longevity and improves memory. Higher glucose levels have been associated with poor cognitive performance on tests of inhibitory control, especially among individuals with pre-diabetes levels. There is corresponding evidence showing intermittent fasting improves brain functions and structures in mice and hence, improves retention power.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2020.
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