Pretending to Fast or Pretending to Observe Fasting?

What is the importance and purpose of the religious act we call fasting? Why is fasting emphasized in religions, including Islam? Some have mentioned the negative health effects of fasting for those who observe it, such as fatigue, dizziness, dehydration, dry mouth, or low blood pressure. Conversely, some have considered various types of fasting to be beneficial for health. This week's question in Taboo is: What are the fundamental goals of fasting, and is there another way to achieve those goals? Mohammad Ali Elahi, Imam and founder of the Islamic Wisdom Institute in Michigan, and Mehdi Jalali Tehrani, a former researcher in religious studies and state at Columbia University, will answer these questions this week in Taboo. Mr. Elahi, let's start the discussion with you. What is the significance of fasting in religion? Mohammad Ali Elahi: First of all, fasting is a Quranic instruction. It is a branch of our religion that is referred to in the Prophet's tradition as the feast of God. It is a spiritual house-cleaning opportunity that is said to begin with God's mercy and leads to forgiveness and ultimately freedom from sins and liberation from the fire of hell. Just like many other religious instructions that believers are obligated to follow, such as keeping promises, patience, honesty, peace, and justice. Similarly, fasting in the holy month of Ramadan is one of these religious obligations that has been stated as 'prescribed for you' in the Quran, meaning it is of such importance that it is presented as a written obligation in the Quran. It is extremely emphasized by the Lord. Mr. Elahi, before we join Mr. Jalali Tehrani, the other guest of this program, I will ask you, since you mentioned spiritual house-cleaning and that this month is a month of God's mercy, why aren't other months considered months of God's mercy? Elahi: No, that is not correct. God is merciful, and His mercy does not recognize time and place. However, there are certain times that gain special importance due to specific practices and actions that are performed during that timeframe, such as the Night of Decree. Mr. Jalali Tehrani, you heard Mr. Elahi's arguments and statements. Why do you think a religious act like fasting is given such importance in Islam, and why is fasting referred to as a spiritual behavior? Mehdi Jalali Tehrani: In fact, we are using an intra-religious discourse here. And I will also use this intra-religious discourse in response to your question. When we talk about the forgiveness of sins, there is a weakness here, which is whether the forgiveness of sins from the perspective of God requires an excuse or whether God's goal is for humans to be good people, and therefore He has outlined specific methods, such as if you do not lie, you are doing a good deed. Now, if someone lies and then fasts during Ramadan, for example, does that mean those lies will be forgiven? This raises the question of whether the concept of sin, that lying is a moral vice and truthfulness is a moral virtue, becomes distorted. However, besides this issue, I agree with Mr. Elahi that any form of mindfulness, which we also have in meditation, and that you allow yourself exceptions during your day that draw your attention to yourself can be beneficial. On the days you fast, you can have a different focus on yourself that you do not have on regular days. Mr. Elahi, if we return to you, what goals does fasting fulfill that are specifically emphasized, and for example, are emphasized in Islam? Elahi: Some, like Mr. Michael Mosley, if you remember, introduced the concept of '5:2' five years ago; he said to fast two days a week on Mondays and Thursdays, and he called it a revolution. He said that if you fast two days a week, it is a revolution. Well, if you look at that perspective, you see that Ramadan and actually fasting for 30 days should be a complete spiritual revolution and a resurrection. What you refer to as a revolution in diet is actually a health and medical issue and weight loss, and I do not know how much it can relate to the spiritual purification you are talking about. Now, we will discuss this issue further, including the fact that some have also talked about health issues related to fasting, but I would like to return to Mr. Jalali Tehrani and ask him how we can evaluate the relationship between the discussions so far and the issue of eating during fasting? Jalali Tehrani: Yes, devotion does not allow for discussion and reasoning. But the contradiction and conflict that exists with the issue of fasting from a rational perspective is that when we fast, we call someone who does not fast a 'faster,' while they are living their normal life for 365 days, and therefore they are not doing anything special that we should label them or give them a name. Someone who fasts is doing something exceptional. If fasting, which is considered a form of mindfulness, is to be regarded as a purification of the soul, it should be entirely internal. If you turn it into a weakness, all the characteristics that Mr. Elahi mentioned will disappear because you are performing a ritual based on a commitment and responsibility that everyone does together. For example, in Muslim countries, you see that when fasting, restaurants are closed; people are not allowed to live their normal lives in public spaces or, as Muslims say, to eat openly. This is inherently contradictory. Someone who makes an exception for themselves should not impose that exception on others. If restaurants are closed during Ramadan, that mindfulness and exception are inevitably eliminated, creating an imposition. In any case, during Ramadan, the ruling on fasting is collective. Because if we are talking about mindfulness or spiritual purification, it is an individual matter, but when during Ramadan, there is a specific religious ruling that everyone collectively performs this religious act, does it not create issues that might affect the individual and social freedoms of other believers or citizens? Elahi: Yes, look; first of all, Mr. Jalali referred to the issue of devotion, yes, fasting is indeed a form of worship, and the issue of devotion is raised, but you know that in Islam, even worships, while being devotional, are also rational. That is, if you look at the hadiths that have been transmitted regarding fasting, there is an emphasis on the practical aspect of fasting. It is not just a dry worship between the servant and the Lord. In fact, social issues, ethical issues, and various collective applications of fasting are also highly emphasized. The issue of solidarity and understanding hunger, and solidarity with the poor. Just as armies conduct annual military maneuvers for greater readiness, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is a spiritual exercise for gaining strength. In fact, it is not only to burn body fat but also to burn those spiritual impurities. But your explanation in this regard is what? Body fat is clear how it burns if it can do so. What is your explanation for how these spiritual issues can be resolved by not eating food and not drinking water? Elahi: Well, if we truly think about the reality of fasting, that saying of Imam Ali that 'many people fast while their only achievement from fasting is hunger and thirst' comes to mind. Therefore, the goal of Islam is not just the surface of the matter. The issue of restaurants being closed and so on is the reality that if most people are fasting out of respect for those who fast, it does not mean that many are sick and cannot fast, or are travelers and should not fast, therefore facilities should be provided for them as well. But it should not be in such a way that eating during fasting is perceived as an insult to those who are fasting. Mr. Jalali Tehrani, can the eating of some citizens be considered an insult or disrespect to the beliefs of others who want to fast and, as you say, make an exception in their daily lives? What kind of respect for those who fast is being requested, and what do you think its nature is? Jalali Tehrani: This question should actually be answered by Mr. Elahi. Because what we see is not respect; it is a kind of imposition, and I completely agree with your question in its affirmative aspect that if people eat, it should not be considered disrespectful to those who fast. That is, a faster should be very selfish to think that if others eat, it is a disrespect to him, and the problem starts from here. If we have the fasting and the philosophy of fasting in such a way that you are doing something in one month that you do not do in the other eleven months of the year, the rest of society should continue their normal lives so that this concept can convey that you are doing something special, an internal work; even the display of it is against that. I want to say the opposite: we do not have something called pretending to eat during fasting. This is a contradiction. We can have pretending to fast, which is inherently contradictory because someone who is fasting and is mindful of themselves should not let others know that they are fasting. If the entire community's restaurants are closed, now we call it respect or anything else, you have not done anything exceptional. This is one aspect. Regarding the first part of Mr. Elahi's statements, I have the question that if, for example, I personally pay attention to not lying, I pay attention to being a good person without fasting, I have certainly performed a greater virtue than if I were to lie under the pretext of fasting. Mr. Elahi, you apparently had a response. I am particularly interested in your response to the point that Mr. Jalali Tehrani raised, which is that it is actually the pretense of fasting that is being discussed, not the pretense of eating during fasting. Elahi: This, of course, depends on the situational and cultural conditions. For example, now in America, because everyone is fasting, as Mr. Jalali said, the person who is fasting does not eat, and no one knows that someone is not fasting. But now in places where Ramadan is significant for the majority of people, and the general atmosphere is about Ramadan and fasting, of course, interpretations vary. If you are in America, well, as they say, no one cares, so this issue is not raised at all. But if you are in Tehran or Qom or Mashhad, the conditions there are different. Of course, I also believe that one should not interpret someone who is eating as having the intention to insult. They may be a traveler, they may be fasting, they may be a woman who is pregnant, or in a nursing situation for her child, for whom fasting is forbidden during Ramadan. My question is, if none of the examples you mentioned are present, do you think they are insulting just because they are not fasting? Elahi: The actions are based on intentions. The issue of intention is more important, and only God knows the intention. We generally know that respect is important. That is, people should respect each other. Now, if someone is fasting, we should respect that fasting person. For example, we see this here. Someone who is not a Muslim comes to a gathering where others are fasting and knows that they are refraining from food; often out of respect for this, they do not eat. We see, for example, Christians come during Ramadan, and sometimes we have iftar for Muslims, and we invite non-Muslims; they sometimes fast on that day because they know they will join Muslims for iftar. Therefore, the issue is more about mutual respect that should be observed. Mr. Jalali Tehrani speaks of a majority. How do you explain this majority? Some may ask whether the collective in this way turns individual worship into something more than worship. Jalali Tehrani: Absolutely. I think that if everyone in a society, in a city, fasts, you are not doing anything special; you are acting just like the rest of the people. You are performing a social behavior simultaneously with others. This does not create any purification. Purification occurs when you are an exception to the rule. If you equate the rule with the exception, that value is entirely lost. Mr. Elahi, another point raised about fasting is that some have said from a medical perspective that fasting may have adverse effects on the health of those who fast, not just those who are ill, but for a faster who is not ill, it has been said that fasting can cause such problems. The question is, why should such a worship be recommended to believers despite these adverse effects?