What is the Purpose of Fasting Ramadan?

This post on the single Quranic aya which describes the why of fasting in the month of Ramadan, covers its purpose in the context of the aya. The purely physical benefits of “intermittent fasting,” of which Siyam (fasting) in Ramadan is an example, are surprisingly numerous. But of course, the purpose for Muslims goes deeper, and we must never forget the agony of our brothers and sisters in Palestine, but rather continue doing whatever we can to bring about justice and an end to Israel’s horrific genocide. One of the reasons to fast is to increase our sympathy with those deprived of food and water. And who is more desperately in need of these things than Palestinians? Because of the Israeli Blockade, it’s hard to know how to help. Here are some suggested ways. (Pictured above, the Palestinian sunbird.)

When Exactly Is Laylatul Qadr?

The Quran does not direct us to look for that specific night, and so we are not given “directions” or “signs” to it. We are always looking for shortcuts to “get to paradise quick” or guarantee our place in paradise. Some say if you offer a specific du’a it will be better than another and some people are anxiously searching to “get the right night.” But Allah is eternal and not restricted by time.

Calculating a Global Hijri Calendar and Al-Hilal

The article linked below from this site proposes a new global Hijri Calendar, using astronomical data as well as Quranic ayat and certain relevant hadiths to find the best and most authentic guidance, to create a Hijri calendar by which all Muslims in the world will follow a single calendar date for significant Islamic events, including the beginning of Ramadan and the start of the two Eid dates, over which political and other irrelevant considerations have famously been a source of division.

New thoughts about the Islamic Hijri Calendar

On the Benefits of Fasting Ramadan: Health Expert

Dr. Eric Berg DC describes the amazing benefits of the type of fasting done for the month of Ramadan.

Of course, the greatest benefits of fasting Ramadan are in Allah’s acceptance, and in the taqwa (God-consciousness) gained during this blessed month, especially in the last remaining days when our salat and dhikr intensifies insha’Allah. The physical and health benefits are in fact good “side effects.” May Allah the Exalted accept our fasting, prayers, and charity, and increase our knowledge of His Quran, our guidebook and source of comfort, enlightenment, and motivation.

Dr. Eric Berg is a best-selling author of The Healthy Keto Plan (KB Publishing, 2017) who specializes in weight loss and healthy ketogenic diet strategies as well as intermittent fasting. He has conducted over 4800 seminars on health-related topIcs and trained over 2500 doctors worldwide. And he is impressed with the benefits of fasting Ramadan as explained in the video above.

The Meaning and Value of Ramadan: Memorable Video

One of the most meaningful and insightful explanations of Ramadan’s purpose in every sense that I’ve ever read or heard:

Dr. Nouman Ali Khan gives a beautiful explanation of the meaning of taqwa, how fasting Ramadan helps us develop it, and Ramadan as commemoration of the highly significant historical event of the Quran being sent down to humankind to guide us from darkness into the light. Plus the importance of understanding the difference between ease and hardship, and how that relates to short-term vs long-term success, and then applying this wisdom to eternity. He explains 3 out of 5, but wow, those are so vital.

His presentation gets to the heart of the matter, transcending divisions between schools of thought, traditional vs liberal, or other divisions between Muslims’ approach to Islam and the Quran. The core meaning is truly the point of this khutba, and that is universal truth.

Quran 30 by 30 Season 3 for Ramadan

https://yaqeeninstitute.org/tesneem-alkiek/juz-1-with-dr-tesneem-alkiek-quran-30-for-30-season-3

Ramadan Mubarak! Each Ramadan, Yaqeen Institute brings us this series discussing the Quran, focusing on a different juz’ each day, which is quite a feat, so that by the end of the month listeners will have completed a study of the entire Quran. This is the third year, season 3, and it’s been thus far quite engaging, featuring a different guest each evening. Hosts Omar Suleiman and Abdullah Oduro have a nice rapport and each presentation strives to last about half an hour.

Because it is a live series, with each episode shown at 7:30 EDT, the link above is for the first episode, but there’s an arrow on that link that lists subsequent episodes too as they appear, all of which are recorded as well.