Fasting without liquids such as water unhealthy?

[bebo]

@picoico

Don't be so unimgainative. True science buffs would anticipate space travel, and wonder what on earth Muslims would do in outer space!

There is an answer (either a standardized time, as the sun is used as a time keeping mechanism...or defining sunset as a certain number of degrees from the horizon in these climates). The fact is, people just don't believe Muslims are that willing to adapt their customs according to circumstance...even though this is a fundamental part of our legal and ritualistic tradition.

Fasting start from the Sahar and ends at Mugrib and these times are related to sunrise and sunset. Quran and haddeit only mentioned the sun as critaria for timing in ramadan. Can you plz tell where your theory came from.

[USResident]

Re: Fasting without liquids such as water unhealthy?

I think PICOICO and PSYAH ended this discussion long ago. Concisely, fasting is prescribed for a muslim to improve spiritual health. The health effects of it vary from person to person and circumstance to circumstance. Medically unfit people aside, for normal healthy people it does not do any devastating harm. It is natural that when a person knows he will not be eating or drinking for the next hald day, he increases his intake of food before starting. Its like when you plan to hold your breath under water, you inhale as much as you can before attempting it. If you are medically unfit to fast, then please do not do it. Fasting was not psecifically prescribed to improve the physical health of muslims though it may appear to have such effects in many cases and even contrary in certain others.

[Submission_To_Peace]

@GuCCi

Can I have a direct link?

ISLAM-THE TRUE PATH: Medical benefits in Fasting

[psyah]

@GuCCi

This is good Thanks! Anyway of getting me a source =)

It is not to say that there is no scientific solution however. Allah (SWT) states that religion is not to be a burden on us. The basis for not consuming water in a fasting day does not contradict scientific recommendations. Scientific recommendations talk about a minimum of 1 litre of water should be consumed per day, but that is achievable during the sahoor and iftar times, we do not need to drink water between those times according to current scientific research, it is only based on an average water consumption per 24 hours basis.

[/QUOTE]

Peace GuCCi

21 ^ Rhoades RA, Tanner GA (2003). Medical Physiology, 2nd ed., Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 0781719364.

Water - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See Subtitle Human Uses > For drinking:

Medical literature favors a lower consumption, typically 1 liter of water for an average male, excluding extra requirements due to fluid loss from exercise or warm weather.

The article talks in terms of daily requirements, those requirements are easily fulfilled from the two meal times before dawn and after sunset. If anyone argues that a certain rate of water consumption is required throughout the day, then they need to provide you evidence.

However, you must stress to these people that though it is not meant to be life threatening burden on us, fasting is prescribed to strengthen our spiritual health not our physical health.

[teggy]

@AnGeL_EyEs

^ yep

i said the same thing w/o having to look it up. it’s really just common sense.

You’re awesome. :halo:

[picoico]

@bebo

Fasting start from the Sahar and ends at Mugrib and these times are related to sunrise and sunset. Quran and haddeit only mentioned the sun as critaria for timing in ramadan. Can you plz tell where your theory came from.

The sun is a means to record time. Most people use watches now to coordinate with the suns movement...geopgraphy is explicitly not mentioned.

My information comes from numerous fatwas...take it up with the scholars, as I'm merely passing off other people's opinions...which happen to make sense to me.

Otherwise, pray tell what do we do in outer space?

[bebo]

The sun is a means to record time. Most people use watches now to coordinate with the suns movement...geopgraphy is explicitly not mentioned.

My information comes from numerous fatwas...take it up with the scholars, as I'm merely passing off other people's opinions...which happen to make sense to me.

Otherwise, pray tell what do we do in outer space?

Exactly muslim observe fasting still through the sun movment. Thats why the timing varies region to region. Now If you have ever lived in Iceland you would know what is the sun situation there. In summer it is more than 20 hours of day light and in winter less than 4 hours.

About the outer space yes I would like to know the answer to that and where would be qibla in outer space... up side down?
I would surely like to contact a scholar for these issues.

[deedawar]

Exactly muslim observe fasting still through the sun movment. Thats why the timing varies region to region. Now If you have ever lived in Iceland you would know what is the sun situation there. In summer it is more than 20 hours of day light and in winter less than 4 hours. About the outer space yes I would like to know the answer to that and where would be qibla in outer space... up side down? I would surely like to contact a scholar for these issues.

I am going to kid a little with you...so don't feel bad.

Worry about it when you get to space!!..:)

At any rate whenever I find no direct ruling on any situaion:

I do whatever I see most logical, conforming to common sens.......... and closer to any direct ruling that exists!

So in space (if I ever get there)....I wouldn't worry about Qibla direction at all.

If it makes you feel comfortable....assume up side down position!!!:D

It always amuses me when people come with unusual questions and answer equally unusal answer.

Many times the question makes no real sense since the questioner is actually not wanting to learn but in essence is asking just to ask a question.

Now a little kid goes to his mommy!!!

Mommy what if you were not married to daddy..what would have happened to me? I am talking about these kind of questions!!

Same thing: why ask question when you have not gone to space or everyone knows there is no direct ruling on it so the person is free to choose with all his own judgement.

This comes from trusting Allah. He in all his mercy will not make you or anyone responsible for answering the questions which were not revealed by him through his messangers!!!

Coming to the topic:

Fasting is for those who are otherwise physically healthy.

BTW: No need to follow ANY religious ruling if mentally ill :D

If dehydration is deemed dangerous for someone (by an authentic qualified physician without cheating) then I think based on what I know that the person is exempt from fasting. Just give Kuffara....

If during fasting a person is dangerously dehydrated....got diarrhea, heat stroke or whatever.............It is quite OK to terminate fasting.

One should avoid getting in to situations as much as possible when fasting wich could lead to serious dehydration..

Kidneys and brain work miraculously.

Body makes so many chemicals/hormones which regulate salt and water content of the body. Its a great training for kidneys and part of brain like hypothalamus/Pitutary gland to make these chemicals and work a little harder in case water is not consumed for a while.

I personally do not think drinking plenty of water before and after fasting is good. Drink enough so your thirst is satisfied. Perhaps an extra glass.

Why I said that? Kidneys and brain in situation like drinking too much water adjust their chemicals in such a way that kidneys cannot hold water any longer and the person actually goes to bathroom either for a long time or several times till body fluid viscosity gets to normal range again. This may overshoot and the person may actually lose valuable salt and water content of the body unnecessarily.

So all extra water is down the drain anyway so why drink gallons of water before and after fasting? Let your thirst center in brain work itself and don't try to mess with it.

Anyway if one is still worried then small sips periodically..enough to replenish water but not to disturb thirst center too much while not fasing is all one can do.

Please read about brain thirst center/antidiuretic hormone/hypothalamus/aldosterone/Pitutary gland/hormonal functions of renal cortex etc.

Smartest cortex in the body is not in brain.....its in the kidneys...:)

I have not even touched spiritual side of it which others did so well.

[Submission_To_Peace]

Re: Fasting without liquids such as water unhealthy?

^ Well said, JazakAllah khair.

[Light_Bearer]

The sun is a means to record time. Most people use watches now to coordinate with the suns movement...geopgraphy is explicitly not mentioned.

My information comes from numerous fatwas...take it up with the scholars, as I'm merely passing off other people's opinions...which happen to make sense to me.

Otherwise, pray tell what do we do in outer space?

Hey pico good to see you after long time.

I believe what Bebo is trying to imply is that 1400 years back when Islam was introduced to the world it was not meant to be universal religion and was designed by keeping only Arabia in mind. Nobody knew about north and south poles and the differences in the daylight hours, and on top of it people were using moon for dates instead of sun.

[picoico]

@Light_Bearer

Hey pico good to see you after long time.

I believe what Bebo is trying to imply is that 1400 years back when Islam was introduced to the world it was not meant to be universal religion and was designed by keeping only Arabia in mind. Nobody knew about north and south poles and the differences in the daylight hours, and on top of it people were using moon for dates instead of sun.

Greetings LB, good to hear from you too.

I realize what bebo is trying to say, and the simple point I'm trying to get across is that these issues are no big deal.

Islamic law and traditions are in fact quite resilient enough to deal with these kind of non-issues, and we've already seen similar issues with respect to sea-fearing people and the direction of Qibla (not always known), or variable times of daylight and fasting/prayer times. This is not new. Differences in Calendar systems were well known, and I'd argue that within the first century of Islam the geography of Asia, as well as the time variations across the land mass, were well known to Muslims. It wasn't a crisis then, and it's not right now. It's actually quite a banal issue.

As for universalism, the principles that are universal are more transcendental in nature, and barely have anything to do with how we keep track of time...I don't think it plays a role in this discussion (or rather, I feel it shouldn't).

[Robert]

@STONECOLD

Reminds of a film called "Pitch Black" in which 2nd Mecca (or something like that) is mentioned!!!

yeah i remember that.

[MatineeSiren]

@psyah

General practice recommended:

In the run up to fasting Muslims have traditionally started to fast on off days to help with the month routine. If the metabolism is not used to it then sudden fasting can be more punishing on the mindset and on the body.

For those people who eat too much or are clinically obese I recommend should slowly reduce their intake and fast on and off in the run up to Ramadaan to make it easier.

No, no, and no. Obese people should not fast because it will make the body feel that it is starving and it will actually retain calories and turn them into fat. The key is to eat protein at regular intervals to speed up the metabolism and bring nutrients to the body.