Ramadan is a month dedicated to spirituality, community, health, and family.

By: Asma Shums,
The month of Ramadan is celebrated by millions of people all over the world. It is a month dedicated to spirituality, community, health, and family. It comes with plenty of physiological,psychological, and social benefits that can be incorporated in our lives beyond the holy month.
Physical
The average person associates Ramadan with fasting. It is a month of abstinence from many things such as food and water during daylight hours, bad language, offensive language, and other influential behavior.
Fasting has many health benefits with many diets focusing on abstinence from food and water known such as intermittent fasting. It is for good reason, as fasting may assist with insulin sensitivity which can help with blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Like popular diets claim, fasting can help with reducing weight, risk of diabetes, and help with heart functions. It can also help people get healthier guts, immune systems, lower blood sugar, and cholesterol.
Most importantly, it helps with strengthening the muscle of strong will power. The more will power is exercised, the stronger it gets. Abstaining from water and food for extended periods of time helps many of us realize the strength we possess to do anything we set our mind to and can help us make healthier choices beyond the holy month which seemed impossible a month ago.
Psychological
Fasting during Ramadan helps us develop strong will power to control our cravings, exercise self-control, and make difficult choices during defining moments during the day. It shows us the power of commitment and helps us focus on spiritual purification. In addition to fasting, many of us focus on acts of worship such as praying and reading scripture. The dedication towards spirituality brings peace as our attention and actions are redirected to positive actions as dictated by God. The month of Ramadan is not simply abstaining from food and water, but other negative habits such as gossiping, fighting, or being stubborn with our behavior. We must act kindly and patiently and envision ourselves in the other persons shoes before we act. The psychological benefits of Ramadan are focused heavily on self-control, self-will, positivity, and discipline.
When these actions seem too difficult to execute, praying serves as a tool to sharpen our tactics and goals. Praying or meditation has increased benefits for our mental health and helps people derive strength and self-awareness.
Social
The social benefits of Ramadan are plenty from donating extensively to charities, community involvement, helping the less fortunate, and focusing on family. The focus on social and moral values helps bridge the gap that many of us hold between the rich and the less fortunate.
Muslims must give a percentage of their income to charity and this month helps us focus on the recipients of charity. In Ramadan, fasting helps us experience the struggles of the needy and show respect towards their struggle. It helps us appreciate their lives by experiencing it and holding this experience for the rest of the year with our behavior.
Reflections
Ramadan is one of the doors of mercy flung wide open as an opportunity for soul cleansing.”— Ahmed Rehab.
“In Arabic, the word fitna, meaning “hardship,” stems from the word fatanah, which means “to test gold, burn with fire.” Just as gold is heated to extract valuable elements from the useless surrounding material, it is through the fire of our trials that our golden essence is unearthed.”
A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam
Email info at: asmashums@gmail.com