64 – Fasting and Health
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In this episode Shaykh Yahya Rhodus highlights some of the benefits for fasting. He quotes Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: “Fast and be healthy.” Shaykh Yahya begins by remarking that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed us to all good and all that is of benefit. Being healthy is one of the many benefits of fasting. There is much that is being discovered by modern science about the many health benefits of fasting. Shaykh Yahya then makes an important note, that we should not relegate and limit the wisdom of the great worship of fasting to just health benefits. Regarding how we view fasting and Ramadan, Shaykh Yahya cites and recommends reading an article titled, “Ramadan: The Month of Anti-Imperialism”, by Mariem Masmoudi (https://traversingtradition.com/2018/06/04/ramadan-month-of-anti-imperialism/). He also extends the meaning of health, to intellectual health and spiritual, and not just physical health. Finally, he concludes that this a means empower the spirit over lowly desires.
The Content of Character is a remarkable collection of sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Chosen by the scholar, Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui and translated by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, this book was published to great critical acclaim.
Shaykh Al-Amin intended to show that progress among Muslims required not the abandonment of Islam but the recovery of the original spirit of Islamic enlightenment.
In this podcast series for SeekersHub, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus does a commentary on these concise and yet comprehensive sayings, with a special focus on character-building, morals, good manners and ethics.
Checkout all of the SeekersHub podcasts by visiting http://seekershub.org/podcasts/
