Salam (peace)...
....sorry for late reply, just been at the Mosque all evening doing our nightly ritual burning of American flags and effergies of people who have annoyed us. I burnt an effergy of my old plumbing lecturer, the damned infidel.
Anyway why do we fast? Well in all seriousness there are several reasons. The main reason, believe it or not, is that its a form of worship. The idea is when you are not indulging in worldly matters i.e. eating, in theory this allows you to then focus on prayer and worshipping god/Allah. However for some bizarre reason, when i'm not eating, and havent done so for most of the day, the last thing on my mind is god. In fact the only thing i seem to think about is food. This fasting idea making you pray more is actually a really bad idea!
On top of this, its to help you appreciate what you have, the food, the easy access to water etc. I will be the first to admit that when you are fasting all day, you do appreciate how lucky we are living here in the west with food so easily available, and not really having to worry about where the next meal is going to come from.
...excuse me a sec, i've forgotten something....
(goes into Kitchen........unties wife from Kitchen sink)
Naz: "Sorry dear, totally forgot i'd tied you to the sink...again....anyway make me my evening feast and hurry up, i've got friends coming around later.....dont forget to wear your Burqa when they pop round"
Sorry lads.....right, where was i? OK so you say we gorge ourselves at night, well this shouldnt be the case. Of course many Muslims do over eat, pig out etc (in a none piggy way of course, we cannot eat pork). However this goes against the true spirit and meaning of Ramadan. You should only eat drink enough to satisfy your hunger and thirst. Many Muslims sadly have left their true faith and adopted a cultural form of the religion, where a month of difficulty has actually become a month of partying. But if you look at the true Muslims, the non-exploding, non-wife beating, non-cultural Muslims, the ones who follow the true teachings of the faith, you will find them to be very humble, moderate, devout and caring individuals who fast and conduct themselves in the way a true Muslim should. . There's plenty about, most are in this category, but you would not think it reading The Sun or the Daily Mail.
Now the reason we fast during the day is because this is when most of us are awake, and when we therefore will feel the affects of this fast. Fasting is supposed to be a trial, a form of hardship but something which is supposed to increase your level of devotion to your faith and your generosity towards those less well off. Most Muslims will donate generously to charity during Ramadan. Some however will donate generously to the fat kebab shop owner, in exchange for a large kebab and giant plate of chips.
As for losing weight, some lose weight, some gain weight. It all depends on how you eat in the evening.
I hope this answers some of your questions.
...actually come to think of it, what if our (Muslim) God is not the real God. It means i have been praying to the wrong God my entire life. And if thats the case, i'm just p!ssing God off more and more every day! Oh darn!
