Sawm (Fasting): Difference between revisions

*For 30 days every [[Islamic Lunar Calendar|lunar year]] (during the month of Ramadan), waking up before dawn and eating and drinking to prepare for the fast

*Refraining from eating, drinking, smoking, and engaging in [[Sex|sexual intercourse]] from dawn (fajr) to sunset (maghrib).

*Breaking the fast at sunset and again eating and drinking to prepare for the day ahead.

Binge eating is a common habit during Ramadan.<ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khaleejtimes.com%2FDisplayArticleNew.asp%3Fcol%3D%26section%3Dtheuae%26xfile%3Ddata%2Ftheuae%2F2008%2FSeptember%2Ftheuae_September167.xml&date=2011-07-12 <!-- http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=theuae&xfile=data/theuae/2008/September/theuae_September167.xml -->Dietitian Advises Selective Eating Habits During Ramadan] - Khaleej Times Online, September 7, 2008</ref> For example, in Egypt, national statistics point to a substantial increase in consumption of food, electricity, and medications related to digestive disorders during the month of Ramadan as compared with the monthly average in the rest of the year.<ref>Abdel-Moneim Said - [{{Reference archive|1=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/963/op11.htm|2=2011-08-28}} Wasting Ramadan] - Al-Ahram Weekly, September 3, 2009</ref> Similarly in Doha, [[Qatar]], almost 8,000 cases of indigestion were recorded at the Hamad Medical Hospital emergency room solely in the first week of Ramadan 2011, due to "most of the population sleeping during the day" and eating "large feasts".<ref name="ANSMarch132012Ram">[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2012/03/13/visualizza_new.html_131156617.html|2=2012-03-15}} Qatar: surge in diabetes/obesity, unhealthy Arab habits] - ANSAmed, March 13, 2012</ref>

Once the month of Ramadan comes to an end, Muslims then observe Eid ul-Fitr ("Festival of Fast-Breaking"), a day to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Eid celebrations include the unprecedented large-scale slaughter of at least a hundred million [[animals]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Adha#Traditions_and_practices|title= Eid ul-Adha/ Traditions and practices|publisher= Wikipedia|author= |date= accessed October 18, 2013|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FEid_ul-Adha%23Traditions_and_practices&date=2013-10-18|deadurl=no}}</ref> In the Netherlands alone, which has little over a million Muslims, a 100,000 animals were slaughtered in 2010 for Eid al-Adha ("Festival of Sacrifice").<ref>[http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=214020 <!-- http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fabna.ir%2Fdata.asp%3Flang%3D3%26Id%3D214020&date=2011-06-01 -->Netherland Muslims slaughtered 100,000 animals for Eid ul-Adha] - Ahlul Bayt News, November 21, 2010</ref> And in Pakistan, 7.5 million animals (2.5 million cows and 5 million goats) were slaughtered.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.travelwireasia.com/2010/11/bakra-eid-the-cost-of-sacrifice/|title= Bakra Eid: The cost of sacrifice|publisher= Travel Wire Asia|author= |date= November 16, 2010|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.travelwireasia.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fbakra-eid-the-cost-of-sacrifice%2F&date=2013-10-18<!-- http://archive.is/i2qSF -->|deadurl=no}}</ref> Muslim [[children]] are often made to watch this slaughter.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.arabnews.com/news/468058|title= Celebrating Eid Al-Adha in the US|publisher= Arab News|author= Sameen Tahir-Khan|date= October 18, 2013|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arabnews.com%2Fnews%2F468058&date=2013-10-18|deadurl=no}}</ref>