It’s funny that when I googled Fasting the first page of information was all about Christian fasting and fasting for health reasons. The second page was all about Catholic fasting. I don't know why it surprised me so much, other then I guess growing up a Christian I only ever heard about fasting relating to Gandhi and prisoners. I am sure it was talked about at church but I must not have understood that was what they were talking about. I also thought fasting or hunger strikes were where the person didn't eat or drink anything for days or weeks but it never made any since to me, because I thought our body's needed water every three days to stay alive. So when I heard that Muslims fast for a whole month, I am sure my eyes popped out of my head and my jaw dropped open!
Well I found out the truth, Muslims do fast for a month, but it’s from sun up to sun down. They have parties after the sun goes down and most of them gain weight during this month rather then lose weight. I am the type of person who is not a breakfast eater so getting up before the sun comes out and eating is hard for me. This is the first year that I am trying to fast. I am giving 110% effort into it. I have been blogging a little bit about it every day. But I have come across one of the rules that say I am not allowed to fast. So this has really disappointing for me, so I decided to write about fasting, for the days that I will not be able to fast. I will write facts I research about.
God gave rules for everything in the holy Quran. Fasting has rules already set for us, Like who can fast, who can't. God does not make anything a hardship on anyone. God said that certain persons should not fast and who should! A person should fast if they are healthy, sane, above the age of puberty, but if you are traveling, the elderly, the chronically ill, and the mentally ill you are exempt from fasting. Also exempt are pregnant women if they believe it would be harmful to them or the unborn baby, women during the period of their menstruation, and women nursing their newborns. If your illness or reason for exemption is a temporary one then you need to make up the fast, or feed a poor person as a recompense for days missed. If your exemption is permanent then you must pay for a person’s iftar for each day of Ramadan. While fasting is not considered compulsory in childhood, many children endeavor to complete as many fasts as possible as practice for later life.
Muslims wake up before the Morning Prayer (Fajr) early enough to have a meal called Sahoor. This meal should be large enough to sustain the person all day long. They will also drink a lot of water since fasting is from drinking also.
Once the sun goes down and the Call to prayer (sunset-Maghrib) is heard all fasting Muslims will break their fast with a date and something to drink. After they have said the evening prayer (Maghrib) they will then have their Iftar (dinner).
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