One of the five pillars of Islam is fasting, which is obligatory on every Muslim, both men and women, to fast for a month in a year.
Besides being an order of the Holy Islam, fasting has many benefits for health, and one of it is resting the digestive system, and helping to lose weight.
Religious scholars and other members of society have different views about Ramadan.
Mawlavi Abdul Naser Nasrat, a preacher for a congregational mosque in Kabul, told The Kabul Times that Ramadan was the month of the revelation of the holy Quran. It is the month of virtue and mercy, month of deliverance from the fire of hell and month of forgiveness of sins.
According to him, the reward of other deeds performed by Muslims are recorded by angels while the rewards and virtues of the holy month of Ramadan are recorded by Allah Almighty Himself.
Mawlavi Nasrat added: “The doors of hell are closed in the holy month of Ramadan and the devil cannot tempt the Muslim in this month.”
According to another narration, Ramadan is the month of hospitality by Allah the Almighty.
Meanwhile, Dr. Siddiqui, one of the doctors of local hospital said: “Muslims consider fasting as a religious commitment to Allah.”
Only a few people are aware of the health benefits of fasting. Fasting increase filtration of all the harmful substances from the body such as reduction of diabetes and fat. Also, fasting helps avoiding bad habits.
“During fasting, the digestive system rests, normal physiological function, especially the production of digestive secretions, continues. Energy dissipation also follows a gradual pattern. But fasting does not stop the production of fatty acids in the stomach that is why patients with gastric ulcers are advised to fast with caution,” he continued.
Just as fasting eliminates inflammatory diseases and allergies, for example, inflammatory diseases of the joints and skin diseases such as psoriasis. It is said that fasting can improve the progression of inflammatory bowel diseases such as colitis.
Fasting is also useful for keeping the blood pressure low.
According to him, fasting eliminates non-periodical method of lowering blood pressure and avoids increasing blood lipids.
Ramadan is a good time to avoid bad habits, such as smoking, and taking snuff or other things because we have to fast all day long. Decrease in blood cholesterol and preventing heart attacks is another virtue of Ramadan.
Ramadan helps in getting strong with poverty, increasing life expectancy, increasing the body’s resistance to ester, preventing cancer, improving the immune system, and increasing growth hormone.
With all these benefits, a number of Afghans are worried about food prices being out of control this month, saying the IEA government should control prices in the month of Ramadan.
According to the citizens, currently the price of 14 kg of oil is 2600 Afghanis, õ a 50 kg bag of flour is also 2600, 7 kg sugar is 420 Afghanis, 24 kg of rice is 2900 that are much higher than in the past and the prices of different kinds of grains have also increased.
The citizens asked the Kabul municipality to do more in decreasing the prices as the poverty-stricken people cannot afford current prices.
Masouda Qarizada
Ramadan; month of virtue and revelation of the Holy Quran
