Original subtitles

Only once in the Entire Holy Quran does Allah talk about Ramadan, and for

Muslims all over the world when think of Ramadan the first thing comes to

our mind is “Fasting and Food ” .. Oh my brothers and sisters the first

day is gonna be a long day and I am gonna be so hungry and thirsty.

And we start thinking of food and drink immediately over and over again

!! It’s Osama anNashar and this MYPODCAST

Fasting is not something unique to the Muslims.

It has been practiced for centuries in connection with religious

ceremonies by Christians, Jews, Hindus, Jains and many others.

The Roman Catholic, Some Native American and Native north Americans societies,

Past nations of the Old World, such as the Assyrians and the Babylonians, They

all associated fasting with penitence and purification, they fasted to avert

catastrophe or to serve as penance for sin, to avert threatening disasters.

So it wasn’t all about Food or being hungry and thirsty or understanding

the compassion towards the deprived.

Allah mentions in the holy Quran “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you

as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may develop God consciousness.”

Islam is the only religion that has retained the outward

and spiritual dimensions of fasting throughout centuries.

Selfish motives and desires of the base-self alienate a man from Allah.

The most unruly human emotions are pride, avarice, gluttony, lust, envy, and anger.

These emotions by their nature are not easy to control, thus a person

must strive hard to discipline them.

We fast to purify our souls, it puts a bridle on the

most , savage human emotions.

We Muslims fast to develop self-control, It’s all about

controlling all bodily pleasures.

Not only is food forbidden, but also any sexual activity.

All things which are regarded as prohibited is even more so in Ramadan..

Each and every moment during the fast, a person suppresses their passions and

desires in loving obedience to Allah.

This kind of consciousness of duty and the spirit of patience is to strength

our faith and gain self-control.

A person who abstains from permissible things like food and drink likely

to feel conscious of his sins.

A promoted sense of spirituality is to break the bad habits for example

lying, gossiping, and wasting time.

But Why do we think about food in Ramadan?

Have you ever stopped to consider what relationship you have got

with food in Ramadan and Fasting or even in your life in general?

If you’re interested to know all about it, just keep on watching, I’ll be right back.

You want to answer that?

Don't you?

I bet it's just killing you.

Seeing the soft glow, just inches away.

Someone wants to tell you something or ask you something.

Oh, come on, answer it already.

Just so we're clear.

That wasn't my fault.

Next time.

Ignore your inner voice.

Don't text and drive.

We don’t often think we have a relationship with food, and yet

we do — and it’s pretty intimate.

we spend as much or more time with food than we do with anything

else like worshipping Allah or spending time with beloved ones

or even doing an important thing.

food is only fuel for living.

That’s all — nothing else.

And yet … it 's becomingso much more to all of us:

• we use food for pleasure

• we use it for comfort

• we turn to food when we’re sad, depressed, hurt, bored and lonely

• we use food to socialize

• we use it as a gift

• food can also be a chore

• food can be associated with marriage specially in Egypt

• sometimes, food becomes an obsession

• it definitely can be an addiction

• food is the center of many billion-dollar industries

In fact, the huge food-related industries are at the center of much of our

relationship with food: restaurants, fast-food chains, convenience foods,

agribusinesses, distributors, grocery chains, snack foods, bakeries,

coffee shops, dessert chains, health food, diet foods, supplements,

bodybuilding food, and many others.

They spend billions upon billions every year trying to get us to eat more and

more food — their food in particular — and the horrifying thing is that

all this advertising , really works.

We have been convinced that the answer to almost any problem is food.

You truly love someone?

Buy them chocolates, or take them to a restaurant, or cook them a meal.

Want to lose weight?

Eat diet food.

Want to get fit?

Take our supplements.

Want to be healthy?

We’ve got you healthy products.

Want to reward yourself?

There are too many options to name here.

Having a bad day?

We’ve got the food for you.

Don’t have time?

Our food will definitely save your time.

Want to save money?

Buy super size and “save”.

Oh do you wanna lose weight in Ramadan?

By eating, apparently like you're stating the obvious — eat diet food,

drink diet shakes, eat Zone bars, eat vegan products, drink our diet soda.

Food is apparently an answer to everything!

And we forgot that food is just fuel.

We need to eat a certain amount to live and if we eat more than that,

we will store some fat in our body.

But what if we … just ate less?

we don’t need to eat as much as we do to survive.

Sure, maybe eating that much is fun, , and will stave off boredom,

and is fun to do with friends and family, specially in Ramadan and so on.

But we don’t need to eat that much.

. I know The problem isn’t that it’s so difficult to eat lessor more . The

problem is that we have a complicated relationship with food that started

when we were toddlers and has become more and more complicated through years,

But let’s make use of Ramadan, control our bodily pleasures and desires, start

building a new relationship with food:

• Stop eating when you’re bored, out of habit, as a reward, for

pleasure, for comfort, etc.

• Only eat what and how much we need.

• Stop obsessing so much about food.

• End your addiction with certain foods — sugar, for example.

how much simpler Ramadan and Fasting and you’re life in general

would be if you could end this complicated relationship with food?

Some changes that might happen:

• You’d spend less time thinking about food and think of other better things to do.

• You’d spend you, your sisters, wives, mothers less time

preparing food and getting off the pressure of cooking too much.

• You’d spend less money on food.

• You’d eat less.

• You’d get much better and healthier.

It’s incredible that in the Quran when Allah has introduced us to the month of

Ramadan, He hasn’t introduced fasting, Food being hungry and thirsty, Allah says:

The month of Ramadan is in which the Quran was sent down

so the first thing we need to think of During the month of Ramadan is

Quran .. So if you wanna fulfill the purpose of Ramadan, then it has to

be completely and wholly for Quran, it’s the real guidance for all of us.

We’ve to start reading Quran, Studying Quran, Reflecting, Thinking of Quran

like we’ve never read it before.

If you already reached that part of my podcast, I'd like to thank you so

much and Ramadan Mubarak insha'Allah.

Wish you to have blissful days and may the peace and the mercy of Almighty Allah

shine upon you and your beloved ones.