Ramazan and Wellness: Caring for Body, Mind and Soul

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Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie

Ramazan returns every year as a guest that rearranges our whole routine. We eat differently, sleep differently, and even speak differently when we are mindful.

The holy month of Ramazan is here. In the Qur’an, Allah links fasting directly with inner growth:

“O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was for those before you, so that you may become mindful of Allah.”

Wellness in Ramazan is therefore not only about detox diets or weight loss. It is about becoming more conscious: of Allah, of our own inner world, and of the pain of people who live with hunger and insecurity every single day.

1. Spiritual wellness: fasting for taqwa and empathy

Fasting is first and foremost an act of worship designed to grow taqwa, a living awareness of Allah that shapes how we think and behave. Classical commentators explain that fasting trains self restraint, softens the heart, and narrows the pathways of Shaytan by weakening constant indulgence. The Prophet ﷺ also reminded us that fasting is not just about empty stomachs but about clean tongues and hands. Avoiding lying, backbiting and cruelty while we are hungry and tired is the real test of character, and many contemporary scholars describe Ramazan as a month-long school in mindful living, truthfulness and compassion.

Feeling the hunger of the poor

From early times, Muslim scholars have linked fasting with empathy. One famous explanation, quoted in classical works, says that Allah made the rich taste hunger so that they do not forget the poor and the hungry. Another report from Imam Ja‘far al Sadiq describes the wisdom of fasting as helping the well off feel the pangs of hunger and realise the plight of their poor and needy brothers. Modern Islamic guidance repeats the same idea. When someone who can normally open the fridge at any time has to wait until sunset, the experience makes it easier to imagine what it means to have nothing to open at all.

Prophetic guidance on giving in Ramazan

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explicitly tied this spiritual training to giving. In one narration he was asked which charity is best, and he replied that charity in Ramazan is the best charity. In another well-known hadith, he taught that whoever helps a fasting person break their fast will receive a reward similar to the fasting person’s, without reducing the fasting person’s reward in any way.

These teachings show that Ramazan is not meant to be a private endurance challenge. It is a social act of mercy. When we feel hunger, we soften towards the vulnerable, and when we break our fast, we remember to include others in that relief.

2. Material compassion: how to give to the vulnerable

Empathy must translate into action. Ramazan provides several structured ways to care for those living with poverty, illness, disability or displacement. Zakat and zakat-ul-fitr redistribute wealth from those with surplus to those in need. Sadaqah opens the door to voluntary charity, from feeding a fasting person to supporting a widow, sponsoring a student, or contributing to a community clinic. For people who cannot fast due to chronic illness, fidya, which is feeding the poor, becomes the way they still participate in the spirit of the month.

In practice, Ramazan can become a time to map out the vulnerable people around us, such as domestic workers, neighbours in unstable jobs, widows, refugees and street children, instead of thinking only in terms of anonymous charity cases. Giving can be shaped in ways that preserve dignity, for example food hampers and vouchers, quiet bank transfers, school fee support or health care costs paid directly. It also becomes a chance to support organisations with strong accountability that work on long term solutions such as education, livelihoods and community health, not only one time hand outs. The goal is not simply to feel good for a moment, but to let fasting reshape how we see wealth and responsibility for the entire year.

3. Physical health: fasting as a reset, with balance

Spiritually, fasting is about taqwa. Physically, it places the body in a different metabolic state that modern science is only beginning to explore fully.

What happens to the body when we fast?

Health reviews on fasting and intermittent fasting suggest that fasting can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood sugar and triglycerides, and support modest weight loss for many people. There may also be benefits for some heart and brain markers.

At the same time, large reviews show that intermittent fasting is not a miracle diet. In weight loss studies, it usually performs about as well as standard calorie reduced diets, not dramatically better. Some research even raises concerns that very narrow eating windows, for example less than eight hours per day, might be linked to higher cardiovascular risk in certain groups, although the evidence is still evolving and is not specific to Ramazan.

The lesson here is caution and moderation. Ramazan fasting can support health when practised sensibly, but it is not a replacement for medical care or a licence to neglect chronic conditions.

Autophagy, the Nobel Prize and cellular clean up

One of the most interesting scientific links to fasting is autophagy, the process by which cells self clean by breaking down damaged proteins and organelles and recycling their components.

Japanese cell biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries of the mechanisms controlling autophagy, using yeast as a model system. His work showed that autophagy is essential for cellular quality control and is activated, among other triggers, by nutrient deprivation.

Recent reviews and early human trials suggest that fasting, calorie restriction and fasting mimicking diets can induce adaptive autophagy. This appears to support the removal of damaged cellular components, improve certain metabolic markers and potentially slow aspects of ageing, at least in animal models and pilot human studies. Popular wellness writers often describe this as the body repairing and renewing itself during periods without food, and they frequently connect it back to Ohsumi’s Nobel winning discoveries.

Scientists also warn that too much or poorly managed autophagy, for example from prolonged or extreme starvation, can be harmful and may lead to cell death or worsen some conditions.

For Muslims, the takeaway is that Ramazan fasting, with regular suhoor and iftar, likely provides periodic metabolic and cellular rest for many healthy adults. These potential benefits sit alongside the spiritual aim of fasting, not above it. People with diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, pregnancy, eating disorders or other health issues should discuss fasting with a qualified doctor and use the Islamic concessions where needed.

4. A holistic Ramazan wellness plan

To bring together spiritual, social and physical wellness in Ramazan, it helps to think in terms of a few guiding intentions expressed in ordinary language rather than checklists.

The starting point is niyyah and taqwa. Each morning, we remind ourselves that this fast is for Allah alone, not for weight loss, social media content or proving willpower. The Qur’anic promise is that fasting leads to God consciousness and success, not just a smaller waistline.

Next comes compassion as a daily habit. We can decide that every day of Ramazan will include at least one deliberate act of mercy, such as feeding a fasting labourer, contributing to a verified relief fund, checking in on an elderly neighbour or forgiving an old hurt. In this way, the theory of empathy becomes a rhythm in our lives.

Honouring the body’s amanah is also part of worship. That means balanced suhoor and iftar meals with whole grains, pulses, vegetables and healthy fats instead of only fried snacks and sugary drinks. It means staying hydrated at night, prioritising sleep where possible, and including gentle movement such as walking after Maghrib or Taraweeh.

Finally, Ramazan is a time to clean the heart as carefully as we clean the plate. Hunger can be used as a signal to watch our anger, gossip, sarcasm and impatience, especially with family members and service workers. Many spiritual teachers say that guarding the tongue is harder than staying away from food, but this is where the deepest healing happens.

Conclusion: leaving Ramazan renewed

The Prophet ﷺ described Ramazan as a month of mercy, forgiveness and liberation from the fire. Within that mercy lies a complete model of wellness. Spiritually, fasting grows taqwa, truthfulness and reliance on Allah. Socially, it trains us to feel and relieve the hunger of the poor, to give generously, and to honour the dignity of those on the margins. Physically, it offers a structured, time limited pattern of abstinence that, when practised wisely, may support metabolic health and cellular renewal, as modern autophagy research continues to explore.

If we emerge from Ramazan with a softer heart, a lighter footprint on the Earth, a more generous hand towards the vulnerable, and a deeper respect for our body as an amanah from Allah, then we will have tasted the true wellness of this month, far beyond anything a weighing scale can show.