In contemporary Ismaili Muslim practice, the obligatory religious duties (wajibat) for all Ismaili Muslims are Du‘a (daily prayer), Dasond (zakat), and obeying the farmans of the Imam of the Time. All mandatory and optional ritual practices for Ismaili Muslims are based on the guidance of the Imam:
“Who are [our] spiritual children? For this, there are two points: the first is submitting the Mal-i Wajibat (Dasond), the second is performing worship, that is, reciting the Du‘a. These two matters are obligatory in our Din. If one does not keep these two things then one is not our murid.”
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III,
(Mumbai, January 25, 1926, Farman No. 257 in Kalam-i Imam-i Mubin, Vol. 2, Mumbai: Ismailia Association for India, 1951, 84; translated by Khudabux Talib)
“He whose Du‘a and Mal-i Wajibat (Dasond) are proper can go to his Original Abode (asal makan).”
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III,
(Karachi, February 9, 1950, Farman No. 581 in Kalam-i Imam-i Mubin, Vol. 2, Mumbai: Ismailia Association for India, 1951, 461; translated by Khudabux Talib)
According to the guidance of Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah decreed in farmans delivered in the early 1900s, the exoteric (zahiri) fasting from food and drink in the month of Ramadan is not an obligatory religious practice (wajib, fard) for Ismaili Muslims today. Rather, the zahiri fasting of Ramadan is an optional or discretionary practice that Ismaili murids may or may not choose to practice based on their own discretion and spiritual disposition.
Contrary to modern popular notions, the historical and normative definition of a “Muslim” is not a person who practices the so-called “five pillars” of Islam (Shahada, Prayer, Zakat, Fasting, Pilgrimage). This notion that Muslim = performer of five pillars is a later Sunni Muslim construct created by Sunni jurists. In reality, the Sunni hadith literature is full of examples where a person need only affirm the Shahada to be counted as a Muslim. Throughout Muslim history, Sunni and Shi‘i scholars have vehemently disagreed on what exactly are the “necessities of religion” (al-daruri min al-din) whose acceptance make one a Muslim and whose rejection take a person outside of Islam.
Most modern Twelver Shi‘i scholars, including Ayatullah Khomeini and Ayatullah Khamenei, hold that the minimum requirement for being a Muslim is to believe in the Unity of God (tawhid), the Prophethood of Muhammad (nabuwwah), and the Day of Judgment (qiyamah). Not believing in or not practicing a particular religious practice (such as five prayers or Ramadan fasting) is not sufficient to declare someone non-Muslim.
Mawlana Hazar Imam has likewise stated that affirming the Shahada (la ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadun Rasul Allah) is sufficient for a person to be Muslim and that such a person’s Islam cannot be questioned. Believing in one God and the Prophethood of Muhammad and earlier Prophets are among the essential "Roots of Religion (usul al-din) common to all Muslims; whereas particular Muslim practices such as prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, etc. are subsidiary Branches of Religion (furu‘ al-din) whose format and interpretation vastly differ across Muslim communities. (Ismaili Gnosis)
Fasting
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mahebubchatur
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Re: Fasting
One of the many devotional practices Muslims observe at various points of the year is fasting (sawm). Muslims have different ways of fasting, including all forms of self-restraint. This includes not eating and drinking, feeding a poor person, being absorbed in the remembrance of God, avoiding gossip or saying mean things, not being greedy with one’s eyes or mouth, showing humility, and the purification of oneself.
The deeper purpose of fasting is striving to achieve God-consciousness (taqwa), so as to try to live by the ethics of Islam at all times. Individual believers can participate in fasting in whatever way they choose, since it is not meant to cause undue hardship.
Fasting in Ramadan
Ramadan is sacred for Muslims because it was the month in which the first revelation of the Holy Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). Fasting is one of many acts of piety that Muslims undertake in Ramadan. Among Muslim communities is also found a heightened commitment to prayer, the daily recitation of the Qur’an, opportunities for learning about faith, and the giving of charity to those who are in need.
The Qur’an mentions the practice of fasting in Ramadan in the following verses:
“O believers, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was for those who preceded you, that you may be God-conscious. Fast for a specific number of days, but if one of you is ill, or on a journey, on other days later. For those who can fast only with extreme difficulty, there is a way to compensate – feed a needy person. But if anyone does good of his own accord, it is better for him, and fasting is better for you, if only you knew… God wants ease for you, not hardship.” (Q 2:183-5)
Muslims understand the purpose and benefits of fasting in many ways. It teaches self-control, reinforces one’s faith and piety, helps one become more mindful of God and His blessings, is a means of seeking forgiveness of sins, and is a reminder of the plight of those who do not have adequate food, water, and shelter.
However, the Qur’an’s guidance also makes it clear that fasting is not meant to cause serious hardship. For individuals who are unable to fast, such as those who are elderly, sick, pregnant, or nursing a child, it is suggested to feed the poor and needy instead.
This emphasis on charitable giving reinforces Islam’s ethic of giving to those who are in greatest need in society to improve their quality of life.
Ultimately, it is up to each individual to decide how they may wish to fast based on their personal circumstances. As with all religious practices, fasting should be undertaken with sincere intention (niyya) and commitment, not out of compulsion. There should also not be any judgement on the specific form in which a person chooses to perform the fast or on those who do not fast.
The Deeper Purpose of Fasting
The deeper purpose of fasting mentioned in the Quranic verse above is to try to achieve God-consciousness, or taqwa. Taqwa refers to being constantly aware of God’s presence, and thus trying to live by the ethics and principles of the faith at all times. Fasting can be a reminder of the importance of keeping this deeper commitment to self-restraint year-round.
In the following two hadiths, the Prophet is reported to have emphasised this broader commitment to self-restraint beyond food and drink:
“He who does not give up uttering falsehoods and acting according to it, Allah has no need of his giving up food and drink.”
“Fasting is a shield, so when one of you is fasting, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor should he raise his voice in anger. If someone attacks him or insults him, let him say: I am fasting.”
The Prophet’s beloved daughter, Hazrat Fatima (peace be upon her), is also reported to have said:
“A man who does not guard his tongue, his hearing, his sight, and his limbs from forbidden acts during his fasting has, indeed, not fasted at all.”
This same message of a year-round commitment to self-restraint and living by the ethics of Islam at all times has been echoed by many Ismaili Imams throughout history. The present Imam, Shah Karim al Hussaini, also emphasised this notion when he said in 2016:
“… my wish for the decades ahead is that you stand firmly by the principles and the ethics of our faith. Wherever you are, whatever age you are, whatever you do in your lives, it is essentially important to me that the principles of our faith should be respected everyday of your lives.” (TheIsmaili)
The deeper purpose of fasting is striving to achieve God-consciousness (taqwa), so as to try to live by the ethics of Islam at all times. Individual believers can participate in fasting in whatever way they choose, since it is not meant to cause undue hardship.
Fasting in Ramadan
Ramadan is sacred for Muslims because it was the month in which the first revelation of the Holy Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). Fasting is one of many acts of piety that Muslims undertake in Ramadan. Among Muslim communities is also found a heightened commitment to prayer, the daily recitation of the Qur’an, opportunities for learning about faith, and the giving of charity to those who are in need.
The Qur’an mentions the practice of fasting in Ramadan in the following verses:
“O believers, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was for those who preceded you, that you may be God-conscious. Fast for a specific number of days, but if one of you is ill, or on a journey, on other days later. For those who can fast only with extreme difficulty, there is a way to compensate – feed a needy person. But if anyone does good of his own accord, it is better for him, and fasting is better for you, if only you knew… God wants ease for you, not hardship.” (Q 2:183-5)
Muslims understand the purpose and benefits of fasting in many ways. It teaches self-control, reinforces one’s faith and piety, helps one become more mindful of God and His blessings, is a means of seeking forgiveness of sins, and is a reminder of the plight of those who do not have adequate food, water, and shelter.
However, the Qur’an’s guidance also makes it clear that fasting is not meant to cause serious hardship. For individuals who are unable to fast, such as those who are elderly, sick, pregnant, or nursing a child, it is suggested to feed the poor and needy instead.
This emphasis on charitable giving reinforces Islam’s ethic of giving to those who are in greatest need in society to improve their quality of life.
Ultimately, it is up to each individual to decide how they may wish to fast based on their personal circumstances. As with all religious practices, fasting should be undertaken with sincere intention (niyya) and commitment, not out of compulsion. There should also not be any judgement on the specific form in which a person chooses to perform the fast or on those who do not fast.
The Deeper Purpose of Fasting
The deeper purpose of fasting mentioned in the Quranic verse above is to try to achieve God-consciousness, or taqwa. Taqwa refers to being constantly aware of God’s presence, and thus trying to live by the ethics and principles of the faith at all times. Fasting can be a reminder of the importance of keeping this deeper commitment to self-restraint year-round.
In the following two hadiths, the Prophet is reported to have emphasised this broader commitment to self-restraint beyond food and drink:
“He who does not give up uttering falsehoods and acting according to it, Allah has no need of his giving up food and drink.”
“Fasting is a shield, so when one of you is fasting, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor should he raise his voice in anger. If someone attacks him or insults him, let him say: I am fasting.”
The Prophet’s beloved daughter, Hazrat Fatima (peace be upon her), is also reported to have said:
“A man who does not guard his tongue, his hearing, his sight, and his limbs from forbidden acts during his fasting has, indeed, not fasted at all.”
This same message of a year-round commitment to self-restraint and living by the ethics of Islam at all times has been echoed by many Ismaili Imams throughout history. The present Imam, Shah Karim al Hussaini, also emphasised this notion when he said in 2016:
“… my wish for the decades ahead is that you stand firmly by the principles and the ethics of our faith. Wherever you are, whatever age you are, whatever you do in your lives, it is essentially important to me that the principles of our faith should be respected everyday of your lives.” (TheIsmaili)
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mahebubchatur
- Posts: 735
- Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:01 pm
Fasting
Muslims have different ways of #fasting, including all forms of self-restraint, such as not eating and drinking, avoiding gossip or saying mean things, and not being greedy with one’s eyes or mouth. (TheIsmaili 2024)
https://youtu.be/WtFx5lAvW1k
https://youtu.be/WtFx5lAvW1k
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mahebubchatur
- Posts: 735
- Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:01 pm
Fasting
“ _
Farman Mubarak of Hazrat Imam Mustansirbi’llah II_
*The whole year you must fast,* just as ordinary Muslims fast one month. The meaning of this fast is austerity. *Control yourselves, keep yourselves away from bad qualities,* evil and indecent actions and devilish acts, so that the mirror of your hearts may be gradually polished.
You must through the whole of your lives experience difficulties and suffering for the sake of the attainment of the Didar of the Creator (Noor e Imam), *you must be patient, persevering in austerities,* and keeping your inner self fasting for as long as you live.
_(Pir Pandiyat-i Jawanmardi, pg 37)
Noor e Imam e Zaman
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... 0584#70584
Farman Mubarak of Hazrat Imam Mustansirbi’llah II_*The whole year you must fast,* just as ordinary Muslims fast one month. The meaning of this fast is austerity. *Control yourselves, keep yourselves away from bad qualities,* evil and indecent actions and devilish acts, so that the mirror of your hearts may be gradually polished.
You must through the whole of your lives experience difficulties and suffering for the sake of the attainment of the Didar of the Creator (Noor e Imam), *you must be patient, persevering in austerities,* and keeping your inner self fasting for as long as you live.
_(Pir Pandiyat-i Jawanmardi, pg 37)
Noor e Imam e Zaman
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... 0584#70584
Re: Fasting
Is It Healthy to Eat Just Once a Day?
Bruce Springsteen said he does. We asked experts about the science behind the OMAD diet.
A fork sits on a recently cleared plate with remnants of food.
Credit...Getty Images
By Amanda Schupak
Nov. 1, 2024
Bruce Springsteen is still going hard at 75. He played more than 100 shows in 2023 and 2024 combined. His sets routinely top three hours. And he has shows booked through next July.
How does he fuel himself through such a grueling routine?
“I’ll have a bit of fruit in the morning and then I’ll have dinner,” he told The Times of London last month. “That has kept me lean and mean.”
Though the Boss didn’t say it, eating one meal a day (sometimes called the OMAD diet) is a somewhat extreme form of intermittent fasting. Typical intermittent fasting involves strictly limiting when you eat to specific periods of time — say, only between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m., or only every other day. But the OMAD diet compresses that daily eating window into one hour, so that you get all of your calories for the day in a single sitting.
There’s limited research on the health benefits of intermittent fasting and even less on those of the OMAD diet. Here’s what we know — and don’t.
Should you follow the diet?
“One meal a day is not a good idea,” said Dr. Caroline Apovian, an obesity specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Apovian is a proponent of intermittent fasting in general, and she recommends it to many of her patients with obesity. Compared with eating plans or diets that require counting calories or cutting out many foods, intermittent fasting is a relatively simple way to control what you eat.
But for most people, the OMAD diet would be a disaster, she said. “If I tell my patients to eat one meal a day, they’re going to be starving all day,” she added. Then, they’re likely to overeat at dinner because they’ll rely on whatever happens to be in the house, she said.
It can also be challenging to get all of your daily calories in a single sitting, especially if you’re active. Mark P. Mattson, an adjunct professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said that people who say they follow the OMAD diet probably aren’t following it exactly: They’re most likely eating more than once a day and perhaps doing so within four hours rather than one.
Dr. Apovian’s advice is to try to eat only during the hours between sunrise and sunset (which technically is a form of intermittent fasting, she said). She suggests having a protein-rich breakfast and meals with plenty of protein, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Then, stop eating at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., she said — which may be after sunset, depending on where you live.
Dr. Mattson himself follows an intermittent fasting routine, eating exclusively between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. every day. In his view, the typical American diet — three meals a day, plus snacks, starting from shortly after waking to not long before bedtime — is discordant with how humans and other animals evolved to eat back when food wasn’t readily available, he said.
“Our genes and cellular systems are adapted to function very well in a food-deprived state,” he added.
What does the research suggest?
Studies on intermittent fasting tend to have a lot of limitations. They’re typically performed on small groups of people over short periods of time, and their results are often mixed. “The science is all over the place,” said Alice H. Lichtenstein, a senior scientist and professor at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
Some limited research suggests that intermittent fasting might help people lose weight. In one study on the OMAD diet, researchers found that when 11 physically active and healthy-weight adults had only one meal per day, in the evening, for 11 days, they lost a little more weight and burned a little more fat than when they consumed the same number of calories over three meals per day.
Other research shows that when participants restrict their eating to certain hours of the day, they end up eating fewer calories overall. That reduction in calories — not the meal timing itself — may be responsible for the weight loss.
Dr. Mattson’s own research on intermittent fasting suggests that switching between eating and fasting might turn on cellular processes that could improve blood sugar regulation, reduce inflammation and make cells better able to deal with various forms of stress.
Still, Dr. Lichtenstein said, the science isn’t clear, and we know that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to how people eat.
“Everyone has a different schedule,” she said; if someone finds success with eating only between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., that’s great. But for many people, Dr. Lichtenstein continued, “that would not work very well.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/01/well ... risks.html
Bruce Springsteen said he does. We asked experts about the science behind the OMAD diet.
A fork sits on a recently cleared plate with remnants of food.
Credit...Getty Images
By Amanda Schupak
Nov. 1, 2024
Bruce Springsteen is still going hard at 75. He played more than 100 shows in 2023 and 2024 combined. His sets routinely top three hours. And he has shows booked through next July.
How does he fuel himself through such a grueling routine?
“I’ll have a bit of fruit in the morning and then I’ll have dinner,” he told The Times of London last month. “That has kept me lean and mean.”
Though the Boss didn’t say it, eating one meal a day (sometimes called the OMAD diet) is a somewhat extreme form of intermittent fasting. Typical intermittent fasting involves strictly limiting when you eat to specific periods of time — say, only between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m., or only every other day. But the OMAD diet compresses that daily eating window into one hour, so that you get all of your calories for the day in a single sitting.
There’s limited research on the health benefits of intermittent fasting and even less on those of the OMAD diet. Here’s what we know — and don’t.
Should you follow the diet?
“One meal a day is not a good idea,” said Dr. Caroline Apovian, an obesity specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Apovian is a proponent of intermittent fasting in general, and she recommends it to many of her patients with obesity. Compared with eating plans or diets that require counting calories or cutting out many foods, intermittent fasting is a relatively simple way to control what you eat.
But for most people, the OMAD diet would be a disaster, she said. “If I tell my patients to eat one meal a day, they’re going to be starving all day,” she added. Then, they’re likely to overeat at dinner because they’ll rely on whatever happens to be in the house, she said.
It can also be challenging to get all of your daily calories in a single sitting, especially if you’re active. Mark P. Mattson, an adjunct professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said that people who say they follow the OMAD diet probably aren’t following it exactly: They’re most likely eating more than once a day and perhaps doing so within four hours rather than one.
Dr. Apovian’s advice is to try to eat only during the hours between sunrise and sunset (which technically is a form of intermittent fasting, she said). She suggests having a protein-rich breakfast and meals with plenty of protein, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Then, stop eating at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., she said — which may be after sunset, depending on where you live.
Dr. Mattson himself follows an intermittent fasting routine, eating exclusively between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. every day. In his view, the typical American diet — three meals a day, plus snacks, starting from shortly after waking to not long before bedtime — is discordant with how humans and other animals evolved to eat back when food wasn’t readily available, he said.
“Our genes and cellular systems are adapted to function very well in a food-deprived state,” he added.
What does the research suggest?
Studies on intermittent fasting tend to have a lot of limitations. They’re typically performed on small groups of people over short periods of time, and their results are often mixed. “The science is all over the place,” said Alice H. Lichtenstein, a senior scientist and professor at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
Some limited research suggests that intermittent fasting might help people lose weight. In one study on the OMAD diet, researchers found that when 11 physically active and healthy-weight adults had only one meal per day, in the evening, for 11 days, they lost a little more weight and burned a little more fat than when they consumed the same number of calories over three meals per day.
Other research shows that when participants restrict their eating to certain hours of the day, they end up eating fewer calories overall. That reduction in calories — not the meal timing itself — may be responsible for the weight loss.
Dr. Mattson’s own research on intermittent fasting suggests that switching between eating and fasting might turn on cellular processes that could improve blood sugar regulation, reduce inflammation and make cells better able to deal with various forms of stress.
Still, Dr. Lichtenstein said, the science isn’t clear, and we know that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to how people eat.
“Everyone has a different schedule,” she said; if someone finds success with eating only between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., that’s great. But for many people, Dr. Lichtenstein continued, “that would not work very well.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/01/well ... risks.html