Ya ku waɗanda suka yi imani, an wajabta muku azumi, kamar yadda aka wajabta wa waɗanda suka gabace ku, don ku zama masu tsoron Allah.199

O you who have believed, fasting has been prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become more mindful of Allah.199

Azumi wani ginshiƙin Musulunci ne, wanda sama da biliyan ɗaya na Musulmi a duniya ke yi a cikin watan Ramadan na wata, kuma lokaci-lokaci a wasu lokutan shekara. Daga alfijir har zuwa faduwar rana, Musulmi yana kaurace wa abinci, abin sha, da saduwa da matarsa ko mijinsa, saboda ibada ga Mahaliccinsa. Wannan takaita sha'awoyin jiki yana ciyar da ruhaniyar mutum, yana ƙarfafa lamirin addini, kuma yana haifar da gaskiya da ikhlasi ga Allah, domin Allah ne kaɗai ke sa ido a kanka koyaushe. Haka kuma yana koyar da kamewa a sauran fannonin rayuwa, saboda haka Annabi Muhammadﷺ ya sanar da mu, "Duk wanda bai bar magana marar kyau ba yayin azumi, to [ku sani] Allah ba ya buƙatar wannan mutum ya bar abinci da abin sha."200 Hakika, azumi kuma yana ba wa Musulmi damar dandana yunwa da wahala, wanda hakan ke haifar da tausayi ga masu ƙaramin ƙarfi da waɗanda ake wulakanta wa. Saboda haka ne Annabi Muhammadﷺ yakan fi kansa karimci a cikin Ramadan,201 kuma ya wajabta wa mabiyansa sadaka ta wajibi (Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr) a ƙarshen watan.

Fasting is another pillar of Islam, practiced by over a billion Muslims worldwide during the lunar month of Ramadan and periodically at other times of the year. From dawn until sunset, a Muslim abstains from food, drink, and conjugal relations out of devotion to his or her Creator. This restriction of the carnal appetites feeds one’s spirituality, reinforces the religious conscience, and cultivates sincerity with God—for only God is always watchful of you. It also teaches self-restraint in other spheres of life, and thus the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم informed us, “Whoever does not give up foul speech while fasting, [know that] Allah has no need for this person to give up food and drink.”200 Of course, fasting also allows a Muslim to experience hunger and discomfort, generating empathy for the underprivileged and downtrodden. For that reason, the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم would outdo himself in generosity during Ramadan,201 and obligated his followers with a mandatory charity (Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr) at the month’s end.

Dangane da amfanin lafiya da ake samu ta hanyar azumi, duka na jiki da na hankali suna bayyana sosai. A wani bincike na 2003 a Cibiyar Ƙasa ta Tsufa da ke Baltimore, an gano cewa rage yawan kalori yana tsawaita rayuwa kuma yana rage yawan cututtukan da ke zuwa da tsufa.202 Haka kuma, Clive McCay na Jami'ar Cornell ya gano cewa beraye na dakin gwaji da aka ajiye a kan abinci mai ƙarancin kalori sosai sun rayu kusan sau biyu fiye da yadda ake tsammani, matuƙar suna samun sinadaran abinci da suka dace.203 Haka kuma, a sanannen "Gwajin Canto da Owen", masanin binciken hana tsufa Richard Weindruch, daga Makarantar Magani da Lafiyar Jama'a ta Jami'ar Wisconsin, ya wallafa wata babbar takarda da ta nuna birai guda biyu na rhesus masu shekaru iri ɗaya amma masu abinci daban-daban.204

As for the health benefits gained by fasting, both the physical and psychological are quite evident. In one 2003 study at the National Institute of Aging in Baltimore, it was found that caloric restriction extended lifespan and reduced the incidence of age-related diseases.202 Similarly, Clive McCay of Cornell University found that laboratory rats kept on a severely reduced- calorie diet lived almost twice as long as expected, so long as they had the proper nutrients.203 And in the famous “Canto and Owen Experiment,” anti-aging researcher Richard Weindruch, from the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health, published a major paper showcasing two rhesus monkeys of similar ages with very different diets.204

Bincikensa ya samar da wani saƙo bayyananne: "takaita yawan abinci" da "azumi" suna mayar da baya tare da rage raguwar ƙwayoyin halitta da ke da alaƙa da tsufa. Game da tasirin azumi mai kyau ga lafiyar hankali kuwa, wani binciken ilimin halayyar ɗan adam ya bi diddigin yadda, yayin da mace mai lafiya take azumin yini na awa goma sha takwas, za ta iya bayyana ƙaruwar fushi, amma kuma tana iya samun ƙaruwar jin nasara, lada, alfahari da iko.205 Saboda haka, ana iya cewa ɗan damuwa da mutum mai lafiya yake ji a azuminsa (Alƙur'ani ya keɓe marasa lafiya daga azumi) kawai ƙalubale ne da mutum zai iya buƙata domin ya koyi jure takaici da jin nasara wanda ke ciyar da farin cikinmu a matsayinmu na halittu masu manufa.

His research yielded a clear message: “caloric restriction” and “fasting” reverse and slow the cellular decline associated with aging. As for the positive effects of fasting on mental health, one psychology study has tracked how, while a healthy woman fasting an eighteen-hour day may report increased irritability, she may also experience an increased sense of achievement, reward, pride, and control.205 Therefore, it can be argued that the mild agitation experienced by a healthy person in their fast (the Qur’an exempts the ill from fasting) is just the challenge a person may need to develop frustration tolerance and a sense of accomplishment that fuels our happiness as purposeful beings.

Abin sha'awa ne yadda amfanin lafiya gabaɗaya da ake samu daga azumin tsaka-tsaki (intermittent fasting) ya fara bayyana kwanan nan, alhali kuwa ba da daɗewa ba kimiyyar zamani ta bayar da shawarar abinci sau uku a rana tare da abinci mai sauƙi a tsakanin su a matsayin mafi kyawun abinci don daidaita metabolism da samar da glucose ga ƙwaƙwalwa. Irin waɗannan ra'ayoyi suna ci gaba da rasa karɓuwa yayin da shaharar azumin tsaka-tsaki ke ƙaruwa da kuma amfanin da aka gano sabo, duk da cewa ya kasance al'ada akai-akai a wurin mabiyan Annabi Muhammad ﷺ tsawon ƙarni goma sha huɗu yanzu kuma yana ci gaba.

It is interesting how the overall health benefits derived from intermittent fasting have only recently begun to mount,206 while just a short time before the latest science had recommended three meals a day with snacks in between as the dietary ideal to stabilize one’s metabolism and brain’s glucose supply. Such theories continue to lose credibility with intermittent fasting’s surging popularity and newfound benefits,207 though it has been a consistent practice among the followers of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم for fourteen centuries now and counting.

Ba wai Musulmi kadai ke yin azumin yini daga alfijir zuwa faduwar rana a watan Ramadan ba a matsayin farilla da kuma rukuni daga cikin rukunan addininsu, har ma an karfafa musu gwiwa daga wajen Annabi ﷺ su yi wannan azumi sau biyu a mako a sauran lokutan shekara, ko kuma sau uku a wata aƙalla.

Not only do Muslims fast daily from dawn to sundown for the month of Ramadan as an obligation and pillar of their faith but they have also been encouraged by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to observe this fast twice a week at other times of the year, or thrice a month at least.