One of the most disturbing discussions during Ramadan is the connection between fasting and dieting. While the Prophet Muhammad said, "Fast and you will find health," when fasting is strongly linked to health and body care, a serious problem arises. Can turning an act of worship into a tool for bodily health be reconciled with reason and fairness?
Discussions about dieting have become a typical feature of wealthy societies. The saying "the hunger of the poor is the revenge of the rich, who suffer from overeating" seems to have come true in modern societies: the rich spend more on eating than they need to counter the consequences of overeating. Those who gorge themselves on lavish feasts that could feed the hungry of the world several times over are forced to pay heavy prices to address the issue of overeating. It is almost tragic that dietetics has become one of the most respected professions today. In the speeches of these experts, nonsensical advice and detailed discussions on nutrition offer valuable insight into the contradictions within educated societies.
One of the best examples of how education can become ineffective in anxious people is found in discussions about dieting. Thanks to the words of these experts, fasting seems like a more reasonable practice than other forms of worship for modern people. When teachers explain fasting, they don’t face difficulties convincing others. This is because people have already constructed a heavier, more "secular" fast based on bodily health.
Rather than converting fasting into dieting, we must focus on a deeper perspective that transforms diet into a form of fasting. To this end, it is necessary to remember a few points about how Islam views this issue.
First, we will certainly die one day. It cannot be prevented. Some verses and hadiths speak about extending one’s life. Actions that extend life are moral deeds. "Giving charity extends life," it is said. Scholars have presented two opinions on this matter. The first is that life extends not in quantity, but in quality. The second is that life can be extended conditionally. However, a person who seeks to extend their life should not look for the answer in diets but in increasing acts of charity. What consumes a person is their desires. Being moral extends life; a moral person deserves to live. Likewise for giving charity, being compassionate, learning and teaching knowledge, and so on. But in any case, death will come.
Second, the fundamental element on a Muslim’s table is halal earnings. Whether something is eaten a little or a lot does not matter if the earnings are not halal. For something to be earned from halal means it must be obtained through the legitimate ways prescribed by religion. Halal-earned money – if it has reached the amount required for zakat – must be purified through zakat and charity. Halal money is not yet clean; it must be purified by zakat to become truly halal. If there are other rights to the money, they must also be paid. Regarding the rights of workers, the Prophet Muhammad said, "Pay them before their sweat dries." The effects of diets made from earnings that still have workers’ rights or unpaid zakat are uncertain in terms of bodily benefit, but they will undoubtedly pollute the soul.
Third, the principle of eating little is emphasized in all hadiths. A person may have the right to use their earnings as they wish under the law, but they cannot do so under religion. The Prophet Muhammad said, "The worst container a person fills is their stomach." Meals should be few, and the amount of food should be little. This principle is outlined in books on proper dining etiquette.
Fourth, in Islamic ethics, it is strongly recommended that meals be shared with guests. The greatest example of this is the Prophet Abraham. Prophets would not eat without guests. A guest is considered the blessing of the table: the purpose of nourishment, to remember and give thanks to God, is more achievable at a shared meal with guests.
Fifth, above all, nutrition should have a purpose. The human mind does not accept aimlessness. A person must have an idea and a purpose related to living. If we lack purpose, we will inevitably flee from the responsibility of existing by simply eating and drinking each day. The reason people eat continuously is their fear and anxiety about aimlessness. What will keep a person alive, both mentally and physically, is meaning. What could be more valuable than living a purposeful life and using nutrition as a means to that end? If we want to diagnose the issue correctly, the problems related to overeating and its consequences should not be regarded merely as a digestive issue but as a deep mental crisis and moral problem.
