The soul above the self
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 15, 1998 9:00 p.m.
Friday, January 16, 1998
The soul above the self
FASTING During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast for 30
days
to grow spiritually
By Matt Grace
Daily Bruin Contributor
When the crescent moon slices the night sky at the end of each
year, 1.2 billion Muslims around the world unite in a ritual fast
to celebrate their love and devotion to their God, Allah.
During the month of Ramadan, all adult Muslims are obligated to
fast for 30 days to free themselves from the appetites, lusts and
negative emotions that cloud the mind.
"God tells us to fast so that we may become God-conscious," said
Benjamin Wang, vice president of the Muslim Student
Association.
Fasting shows how human beings are greater than their desires
and parts, Wang said.
"The month of Ramadan was when the Qur’an was revealed to the
Prophet Muhammed," Wang said.
"We learn during the month of Ramadan that we have it within us
to overcome the physical needs of our body and aspire to higher and
nobler principles," Wang said.
"Having experienced this, we are better able to live our lives
in a way that realizes and fulfills the great potential that God
put within us."
Muslims avoid the everyday desires of food, drink and sexual
intercourse (for married couples) between sunrise and sunset.
As the sun sets each day, Muslims engage in prayer and then
break the daily fast with a light meal, which varies from culture
to culture and family to family.
Elderly and sick people, pregnant women and travelers are
exempt. Even those exempted, however, must complete the fast later
or provide a meal for a poor person for each day of Ramadan
missed.
Although Ramadan is not a total fast, the low-blood sugar levels
that result can cause trouble for the physically weak, said Mary
Mcka, the Medical Center’s chief clinical dietician.
Muslims must be conscious of not over-exerting themselves and
taking in the proper nutritional requirements when the fast is
broken at night, according to Dr. David Heber, professor of
medicine and public health and director of the Health Center for
Human Nutrition.
Fasting is an exaggeration of long breaks without food or water
that are parts of many people’s day, Heber said. Ritualized fasting
only formalizes such habits.
Celebration is not the sole aspect of the fast. Ramadan is also
a time for penance.
"The door of forgiveness is open, so Muslims can concentrate on
the soul, rather than the self," said Fadia Bokhari, a member of
the Muslim Union.
By focusing solely on fasting and prayer, Muslims abandon
superficial needs and become spiritually stronger, Bokhari
said.
"Muslims are able to get closer to God because they don’t have
things holding them back," Bokhari said.
At the end of Ramadan, Muslims come together, in a gathering of
family and friends, to celebrate the self-control and spiritual
vigilance from worldly desires.
