To outsiders, Ramadan fasting seems gruelling. You deprive your body of food and water for – depending on where you live – up to 18 hours. 1See Fasting hours and iftar times around the world.
What kind of religion starves you, for half a day, every day, for an entire month?
It turns out it is the kind of religion that trains you to be strong-minded and disciplined.
And as a learner living in an era rich with information and entertainment, you need that training.
Ramadan fasting and psychological priorities
Fasting requires abstaining from the most basic physical needs like water.
That physical abstinence develops psychological strengths.
It instils in you a sense of purpose and commitment, which can be directly applied to your life as a learner.
Just as you set a goal to fast during Ramadan, you can set clear, achievable goals for your studies.
You promised to God and yourself that you prioritise fasting until sundown over even the most demanding impulse like thirst, and you did it.
So too can you promise God to prioritise other specific objectives, such as completing an assignment, a training session, or an entrepreneurial project.
Limitations of time
With limited hours to eat, you train yourself to plan your night routines consciously. You need to accommodate time to pray, eat and sleep. You take care of your physical as well as spiritual needs.
Similarly, you have limited time to study all the courses you take. And you may have other responsibilities and interests on top of them.
So, use your Ramadan training to consciously plan your daily routines.
The plan does not have to be perfect. It just needs to be better than the last time you did it. A bad plan is superior to an absence of one.
Ramadan fasting reinforces consistency
More crucial than planning your time, Ramadan fasting trains you to be consistent in executing your commitments.
You do not fast for just one day and then stop the next two days, or fast only whenever you are in the mood to do fasting.
You do it day after day until Ramadan is done.
That training translates into establishing a regular study schedule, setting aside dedicated time for coursework, and developing consistent study habits — day after day, until your goal is achieved, until the job is done.
Fasting fortifies your resilience
When you are hungry and thirsty, your mind tells you to take it easy, to be lazy. Your body tells you that you don’t have energy.
In Ramadan, your spirit toughens you, commanding your mind and body to live your life normally.
Against your mind, you remind yourself that even atheists do intermittent fasting. They do it for their mortal beings. Even then they keep performing without being lazy.
What about you? You are fasting for the Absolute Being. How can you accept your mind telling you excuses to be lazy?
Against your body, you remind yourself that physiologically, your body do have energy, stored as glycogens and fat.
So, stand in front of a full-body mirror. How can you accept your body telling you that you don’t have that stored energy?2Our body is designed to be stingy with energy. So to force-access our fat from stored energy, move more intensely. For example, when I feel low in energy, I do push-ups. Any other aerobic movements will also work. See Vieira, A. F., Costa, R. R., Macedo, R. C. O., Coconcelli, L., & Kruel, L. F. M. (2016). Effects of aerobic exercise performed in fasted v. fed state on fat and carbohydrate metabolism in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Nutrition, 116(7), 1153-1164. (full text)
The resilience you build during Ramadan fasting is a fort. It defends you in all directions, including against similar discouraging voices that stop you from studying.
Ramadan fasting offers many lessons. It is a blessing that you are part of a religious culture which integrates such a comprehensive training programme.3You do not need to be a deeply religious Muslims to benefit from Islamic practises. You just need to be a less bad Muslims. See Being Less Bad Muslims: A Guide to Students.
Pay attention to the invaluable lessons and apply them intelligently to your life as a student.
You will become a more organised, consistent, and resilient learner compared to others who have not seen the connections.
Notes:
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- 2Our body is designed to be stingy with energy. So to force-access our fat from stored energy, move more intensely. For example, when I feel low in energy, I do push-ups. Any other aerobic movements will also work. See Vieira, A. F., Costa, R. R., Macedo, R. C. O., Coconcelli, L., & Kruel, L. F. M. (2016). Effects of aerobic exercise performed in fasted v. fed state on fat and carbohydrate metabolism in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Nutrition, 116(7), 1153-1164. (full text)
- 3You do not need to be a deeply religious Muslims to benefit from Islamic practises. You just need to be a less bad Muslims. See Being Less Bad Muslims: A Guide to Students.