Scientific Evidence on the Benefits of Fasting

Assalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah.

Insha'Allah this reaches you all in the highest state of Iman.

I was doing some reading and came across this site that laid down some scientific proof of the benefits of fasting:

...

The material I found proves one of the recommendations of the Prophet (saw) –namely that of the BEST fast that there is – fasting one day and then not fasting the next and repeating the cycle so it’s an alternate day fast or an intermittent fast.

Here is the hadith:

He said, ‘Then fast one day and break the fast the next. That is the fast of Dawud, peace be upon him, and it is the fairest fast.’ (One variant has, ‘It is the best fast.’) I said, ‘I can do better than that.’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘There is nothing better than that.’
(Riyadh-us-Saliheen, hadith 150)

And here is the scientific proof.

Dietary restriction has been shown to have several health benefits including increased insulin sensitivity, stress resistance, reduced morbidity, and increased life span. The mechanism remains unknown, but the need for a long-term reduction in caloric intake to achieve these benefits has been assumed. We report that when C57BL/6 mice are maintained on an intermittent fasting (alternate-day fasting) dietary-restriction regimen their overall food intake is not decreased and their body weight is maintained. Nevertheless, intermittent fasting resulted in beneficial effects that met or exceeded those of caloric restriction including reduced serum glucose and insulin levels and increased resistance of neurons in the brain to excitotoxic stress. Intermittent fasting therefore has beneficial effects on glucose regulation and neuronal resistance to injury in these mice that are independent of caloric intake.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=156352

But mice that were fed regularly only every other day—receiving the same average calorie intake as the dieting mice—showed “[dramatically] increased neurogenesis,” and also showed an increase in learning and memory abilities, Thuret said.

http://www.dana.org/news/brainwork/detail.aspx?id=10380

SubhanAllah...truly amazing eh?

May Allah (swt) accept our fasting and du'as during this blessed month and may He reserve for us all a spot in Paradise. Ameen.

Wassalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah.

source: muslimology.org

Leia Mais

Ramadan Mubarak!

Assalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah,

Insha'Allah this finds you all well in this blessed month :)

Here are some useful du'as for the holy month of Ramadan.

Happy fasting :)

When beginning the fast- Suhur

وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ نَّوَيْتَ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ

Wa bisawmi ghadinn nawaiytu min shahri ramadan

I intend to keep the fast for tomorrow in the month of Ramadan
[abu Dawud]


When breaking the fast- Iftar

اللَّهُمَّ اِنِّى لَكَ صُمْتُ وَبِكَ امنْتُ [وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ] وَعَلَى رِزْقِكَ اَفْطَرْتُ
Allahumma inni laka sumtu wa bika aamantu [wa 'alayka tawakkaltu] wa 'ala rizq-ika aftarthu

O Allah! I fasted for You and I believe in You [and I put my trust in You] and I break my fast with Your sustenance
["wa 'alayka tawakkaltu" is quoted in some books of knowledge - but not all, hence it is in brackets]
[abu Dawud]


ذَهَبَ الظَّمَأُ وَ ابْتَلَّتِ الْعُرُوقُ، وَ ثَبَتَ الأجْرُ إنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ

dhahabadh-dhama'u wab-tallatil 'urūūqi, wa thabatal arju inshaAllah

The thrist is gone, the veins are moistened and the reward is confirmed, if Allah [Ta'ala] Wills
[abu Dawud 2:306]


اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسأَلُكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ الَّتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِي

Allaahumma inni as’aluka birahmatika al-lati wasi'at kulli shay’in an taghfira li

O Allah, I ask You by Your mercy which envelopes all things, that You forgive me.
[a du'a that Abdullah ibn Amar (radiAllahu anhu) used to say when breaking his fast - as reported by Ibn abi Mulaykah (radiAllahu anhu)]




When someone offers you food when you are fasting and you decline



When you are invited to eat, then reply to the invitation. if you are fasting, then invoke Allah's blessings (on your host), and if you are not fasting then eat
[Muslim; 2:1054]




Upon reaching month of Rajab and Sha'ban



When the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) sighted the moon of Rajab (two months before Ramadan) he used to pray to Allah in the following words:

اَللّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِى رَجَبَ وَ شَعْبَانَ وَ بَلِّغْنَا رَمَضَان

Allahumma barik lana fi Rajab wa Sha'ban wa ballighna Ramadan

O Allah! Make the months of Rajab and Sha'ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan (i.e. prolong our life up to Ramadan, so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings)
[Narrated by at-Tabarani and Ahmad]




When you are fasting, and someone is rude to you



اِنَّيْ صَائِمٌ ، اِنِّيْ صَائمٌ

Inni sa'iimu, inni sa'iimu

I am fasting, I am fasting
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Fath al-Bari of Al-Asqalani; 4:1-3, Muslim; 2:806]




Upon Sighting of the new Moon



اللَّهُ اَكْبَرُ ، اَللَّهُمَّ اَهِلَّهُ عَلَيْنَا بِالآَمْنِ وَلاِيمَانِ ، وَالسَّلَامَةِ وَالاِسْلَامِ ، وَالتَّوْفِيقِ لِمَا تُحِبُّ رَبَّنَا وَتَرْضَى ، رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكَ اللَّهُ

Allahu Akbar. Allahumma ahillahu 'alayna bil-amni wal-imaani, was-salaamati, wal-Islami, wat-tawfeeqi lima tuhibbu Rabbana wa tardha. Rabbuna wa RabbukAllahu

Allah is the Greatest. O Allah bring us the new moon with security and faith, with peace and in Islam, and in harmony with what our Lord Loves and what pleases Him. Our Lord and your Lord is Allah
[at-Tirmidhi 5:504, ad-Darimi 1:336]




Upon seeing the first dates of the season



اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي ثَمَرِنَا ، وَ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي مَدِينَتِنَا وَ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي صَاعِنَا ، وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِي مُدِّنَا

Allahumma barik lana fi thamarina, wa barik lana fi madinatina, wa barik lana fi saa'ina, wa barik lana fi muddina

O Allah! Bless us in our dates, and bless us in our town, bless us in our saa' and in our Mudd'
(saa' and Mudd' are dry measures used for agricultural produce by the Arabs in the Prophet's time)
[at-Tirmidhi 5:504, ad-Darimi 1:336]




Recited at intervals of taraweeh prayers



سُبْحَانَ ذِى الْمُلْكِ وَ الْمَلَكُوْتِ سُبْحَانَ ذِى الْعِذَّْْةِ وَ الْعظْمَةِ وَ، الْهَيْبَةِ وَ الْقُدُرَةِ ، وَالْكِبْرِيَآءِ وَ الْجَبْرُتِ، سُبْحَانَ الْمَلِكِ الْحَىِّ الَّذِىْ لايُنَامُ وَ لا يَمُوُتُ، سُبُّوحٌ ، قُدُّوْسٌ، رَبُّ الْمَلَئِكَةِ وَ الرُّوُحِ لَآ اِلهَ اِلَّا اللَّهُ نَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ ، نَسْئَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَّ وَ نَعُوُذُ بِكَ مِنَ النّارِ


Subhana dhil Mulki wal Malakuti, Subhana dhil izzati wal aDhmati wal haybati wal Qudrati, wal kibriyaa'i wal jabaroot Subhanal Malikil hayyil ladhi, la yunaamu wa la yamūtu, Subbuhun, Quddusun, Rabbul malaa'ikati war-rooh
La ilaha illal lahu, nustugfirullahi
nas 'alukul jannati, wa na udhubika min an-naar

Glorified is the Owner of the Kingdom of the earth and the heavens; Glorified is the Possessor of Honour and Magnificence and Awe, and Power and Greatness and Omnipotence
Glorified is the Sovereign, the Living, Who does neither sleep nor die
O all Glorious, All Holy one, Our lord and the Lord of the Angels, And the soul.
There is no God but You, Forgive us, Grant us Paradise, and save us from (hell) fire.




Upon breaking the fast in someone's home



أفْطَرَ عِنْدَكُمُ الصَّائِمُونَ، وَ أَكَلَ طَعَامَكُمُ الأبْرَارُ، وَ صَلَّتْ عَلَيْكُم ُ الْمَلائِكَةُ

Aftara 'indakumus saa'imuna, wa akala ta'aamakumul-abraaru, wasallat 'alaikumul mala'ikat

May those who are fasting break their fast in your home, and may the dutiful and pious eat your food and may the angels send prayers upon you.
[abu Dawud 3:367, ibn Majah 1:556, an Nasa'i]




On Lailatul Qadr - the Night of Power


Aishah (radhiya Allahu Ta'ala anha), that she said: "O Messenger of Allah! What if I knew which night Lailatul-Qadr was, then what should I say in it?" He said 'Say

اَللَّهُمَّ اِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ ، تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي


Allahumma innaka 'affuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'anni' "

O Allah You are The One Who pardons greatly, and loves to pardon, so pardon me.
[at Tirmidhi]

Ma'asalaama

Leia Mais

The Beautiful Names of Allah (swt)

Assalamu'alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,

Insha’Allah you are all enjoying the blessings of Allah subhanahu wata’ala.

I haven't posted a Name for the past month or so because I was very busy. Insha'Allah I will do so from this month on.

This month’s Glorious Name is Al-Salam (The All-Peace).

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

"He is the King, the All-holy, the All-peacable." (59:23)

True peace comes in this life to those who recognize and serve Allah. "Say: 'Praise belongs to Allah, and peace be on His servants whom he has chosen.'" (27:59)

And in the next life, "their greeting, on the day when they shall meet Him, will be 'Peace!'" (33:44)

In times of fear, anxiety and hardship, a believer finds peace with Allah. "Say: 'I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak from the evil of what he has created.'" (113:1-2)

A believer, by following the will of Allah, lives in peace with himself, with other human beings, with the universe and with His Lord, "There has come to you from Allah a light and a Book Manifest whereby Allah guides to the paths of peace whoever follows His good pleasure, and brings them forth from the darkness into light." (5:15-16)

Believers spread peace amongst themselves and in the world. Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, "By the One in whose hand is my soul! You do not enter Paradise until you believe, and you do not believe until you love each other. Shall I tell of something to do so that you may love each other? Spread peace amongst yourselves." (Muslim)

"Allahumma! You are the All-peaceable and peace is from You; Blessed be You, O possessor of Majesty and Nobility!" (Muslim)

"Say: 'I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak from the evil of what He has created.'" (113:1-2)

Wassalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

Leia Mais

Ibn al-Qayyim: How to Give Da'wah to Those Who Love the Dunya

Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Many a time, we find it difficult to give Da'wah to those who love the Dunya. The following are useful 'tips' by Ibn al Qayyim:

"...The smart one does not command people to abandon the dunya, because this is impossible for them. Rather, he has them abandon sins while they are established in their dunya. This is because abandoning the dunya is an optional virtue while abandoning sins is an obligation. So, how can he command them with something optional while they have not even fulfilled what is obligatory?

If it is difficult for them to abandon sins, he should then strive to get them to love Allah by reminding them of His signs, blessings, Kindness, perfection, and Loftiness. This is because the hearts are naturally designed to love Him, and if they become attached to loving Him, it then becomes extremely easy to abandon sins and to detach oneself from them.

Yahya bin Mu'adh said: "The intelligent one seeking the dunya is better than the ignorant one abandoning it."

The smart one calls the people to Allah from their dunya, and this makes it easier for them to respond to him. The zahid calls them to Allah by way of abandoning the dunya, and this makes it hard for them to respond, since it is very hard to pull someone away from the breast that he has developed his mind while suckling on..."

Wassalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

Leia Mais

Something to reflect upon...

Assalamu 'alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Something to reflect upon...

“The year is like a tree, months are its branches, days are the branch sticks, hours are its leaves, and the breaths are its fruits. Therefore, if one’s breaths are in obedience [to Allah and His Messenger], the fruits of his tree are good. If they are in disobedience, his fruits are bitter. The harvest is on the Appointed Day, when one’s fruits are found out to be either good or bitter.” - Ibn al Qayyim

Barak Allah feek,

ma'asalaam :)

Leia Mais

Knowledge and Hydrocephalus

Assalamu 'alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

"...Allah's way of building the human soul is to develop it gradually, just like a building. You build a building floor by floor, placing one brick over the other, etc. until the human soul is fully built.

The human soul cannot be built overnight, it cannot be built overnight. It needs a long time to be built...build it gradually, just like the body grows gradually. When a person is born, he is half a meter tall, for example. One day, he will be seven years old, and one day he will be seventy-five years old. He will grow from being a meter tall to being a meter and a quarter tall, etc. When he gets to be twenty years old, he will be between 170 to 175 centimeters tall.

The human soul is exactly like this when it comes to gradually growing in the religion. This is why the Lord of Honor would reveal the Qur'an one, two, or three verses at a time and would require them to act upon those verses. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah would take one, two, or three verses - never more than ten at a time - and then go act on them. They would then come back, learn some more, and go act on what they learned. As Ibn Mas'ud said: "We learned knowledge and action with the Qur'an."

Therefore, it is very dangerous for you to have a lot of knowledge while having only a modest level of action. The one who hears you thinks to himself 'Ma Sha' Allah!' He hears you talking about this verse from the Qur'an, this hadith, the hadith being authentic, the hadith being weak, 'Aqidah, Islamic history, the Khulafa', 'Umar said this, Abu Bakr said that - may Allah be Pleased with them all. However, you are ten centimeters when it comes to action, and when it comes to knowledge, you are over three meters. There is no balance! This is a disease. Having a lot of knowledge without action is a disease just like having a lot of action without knowledge.

There is a disease in the medical field known as hydrocephalus. It is when someone's head becomes so enlarged that his body is unable to carry it. I saw someone with his head like this, his body was thin, and his knees were unable to support his head. It could not! This is what many people look like: they learn a lot of knowledge - they memorize, they do not learn - they memorize. However, his head is poised like this while his body and limbs cannot support it. The size of a person's head must be consistent with the size of his body. Otherwise, he will be considered diseased if any part of his body grows larger while the rest of his body doesn't grow. If the medicine he takes all goes to one part of his body - for example, it all goes to his nose - his nose will become bigger than the rest of his head, and he will be deformed!

So, the Religion of Allah is a gradual divine method of developing the human soul just like this. Just like a medicine dropper administers the medicine gradually, they would take two verses or two ahadith, and they would go act upon them just like this..."

['at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina''; 3/182-183] - Abdullah Yusuf Azzam.

May Allah (SWT) protect us from riyaa'. Ameen.

Ma'asalaam

Leia Mais

Assalamu 'alaykum,

Insha'Allah this finds you in the best state of health and Emaan.

“The example of a believer, who recites the Qur’an and acts on it, is like an orange (utrujjah) which tastes nice and smells nice.
And the example of the believer who does not recite the Qur’an but acts on it is like a date that tastes sweet but has no smell.
And the example of the hypocrite who recites the Quran is like a sweet basil which smells good but tastes bitter.
And the example of a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur’an is like a colocynth (bitter apple) which tastes bitter and has a bad smell.”
[Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم), reported in Saheeh al-Bukhari]

SubhanAllah! If only we could all be more like the orange...



ma'asalaam :)

Leia Mais