Ramadan: Fasting, Feasting, and Faith
Ramadan prescribes a clear separation between day and night regarding food intake. During the day, a Muslim is forbidden from consuming food, drinking water, or engaging in other bodily pleasures, while the arrival of evening marks the so-called “iftar,” the breaking of the fast. As noted in one source, “The Fourth Pillar is to observe the fast during the month of Ramadan. ... and after that, a festive iftar begins immediately, when a person eats whatever they wish” (source: link txt). This means that after a prolonged period of abstinence, food may be consumed without restrictions.The observed celebration of iftar often goes hand in hand with displays of excess in food consumption, which can be interpreted as gluttony—an excessive and sometimes unrestrained pursuit of culinary pleasures. However, it is emphasized that the idea of fasting in Islam is not aimed at battling internal passions or restricting the natural needs of the body, but rather serves primarily as an expression of submission to Allah. As stated: “Indeed, fasting is used more as a means of submission to Allah, like prayer, and not as a means to fight passions” (source: link txt).Furthermore, in another context it is explained that the concept of “gluttony” (or the gratification of the stomach) implies an excessive fondness for food—when, in addition to satisfying the basic need for nourishment, a person eats out of love for the very act of consuming food (source: link txt). Thus, although at night food intake is permitted without strict restrictions, which in some cases can lead to manifestations of gluttony, the essence of the Ramadan fast lies in the expression of faith and submission to Allah rather than in the pursuit of culinary excess.