enjoined upon Muslims by almighty Allah as mentioned in verse 183 of
chapter 2:"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was
prescribed to those before you, that ye may learn self restraint."
Reduced Crime and Higher Morale
The enormous impact of Ramadan on a Muslim society is seen from the
fact that as compared to the other months, the number of all sorts of
crimes and the magnitude of corruption,indecency, vicious behaviour
and immoral acts are all reduced markedly. The rate of crimes in
Muslim societiesis already lower than other societies and it declines
even more in theholy month of Ramadan.
Violence and crime impose a great burden on the health budget of any
country. As a matter of fact in most developedcountries they supersede
the expenditure and agony caused even by the road traffic accidents.In
a Muslim country like Saudi Arabia the crime rate is already much
lower than other countries and it becomes minimal in the month of
Ramadan.
Fasting is not just the act of refraining from food and water; rather
it is a devotion to fulfill the religious duties as well asto behave
in a manner which is harmless to others, so that even if someone
incites a personto quarrel, he has to pacify him by acting upon this
saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh),"Fasting is a shield or
protection from the fire and from committing sins, if one ofyou is
fasting, he should avoid quarrelling and if somebody should fight
orquarrel with him he should say I am fasting."
In another Hadith, Allah's Apostle says,"Whoever does not give up
forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving
food and drink."
Although such good teachings of Islam are not confined to the month of
Ramadan alone, yet they are best observed in this month. Hence, one
can notice a great fall in the crime rate, violence, loss of working
days due to offensive injuries and a great reduction in the cost of
medico-legal expenditure which has a pronounced effect on thehealth
budget of a given community.
There is no doubt in saying that the number of offensive injuries and
trauma cases reported to the emergency rooms in a Muslim country is
far less in the month of Ramadan than in any other month. Ramadan, in
other words, is a training period for the Muslims in which the
foundations of a subtle character are laid whose gains can also be
seen round the year and this has a positive effect on the morale of
the whole society.
Happiness and Reduced Stress
Now, to come to another blessedness of Ramadan. In today's stressful
time when every third person is suffering from a psychological problem
even though it might be a mild depression, the advent of Ramadan means
an era of happiness and felicity forall Muslims.
Social insecurity is the root cause of today's psychological chaos and
bereavement. Ramadan, in contrast, is a month of optimum social
interaction and familiarization with each other. Mosques are thronged
with worshippers, people invite intimate friends to iftar, shopping
centers are packed with crowds and Eid offers a rainbow of joyous
moments, although the real happiness which the believers derive comes
from the fulfillment of Allah's order about whichHe says that fasting
is for Him alone and He will pay its reward.
Ramadan has its own culture, a glimpse of which can be seen at Iftar
when the whole family joins together to dine. Allah's apostle (pbuh)
says,"There are two pleasures for the fasting person: one, at the time
of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his
Lord. Then he will be pleased because of his fasting."
Not surprisingly, due to the decreased stress the human body's steroid
level, which is raised in stress and anxiety, has been found to be
decreased among Muslims in the month of Ramadan.
Cleanliness
Cleanliness is the hallmark of Islamic virtues. Although according to
Islamic teachings, a good Muslimoffering his prayers regularly is
supposed to be neat and tidy, in the month of Ramadan personal
cleanliness among the Muslims reaches its peak. I need not mention
that a high level of cleanliness in the days of Ramadan will deter
infections. The zeal to offer prayers in Ramadan continues in other
days as well, more and more people form the habit of offering prayers
regularly, which by itself is a spiritual and health package for
Muslims.
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