Without urgent policy reform and action, over half of the world's adult population (3.8 billion) and a third of all children and adolescents (746 million) are projected to be living with overweight or obesity by 2050.

This presents an unparalleled threat of premature disease and death at local, national, and global levels, according to a major new analysis published in The Lancet.

In 2021, almost half of the global adult population (1 billion males and 1.11 billion females aged 25 or older) were estimated to be living with overweight or obesity. The prevalence of obesity more than doubled worldwide between 1990 and 2021 in both adult men (from 5.8% to 14.8%) and women (10.2% to 20.8%). In the U.S., 42% of males and 46% of females were affected by obesity in 2021.

Jalal al-Din al-Rumi taught, "Ritual prayer can be different in every religion, but belief never changes" (Fihi Mafih). In the light of this insight, I would like to share my understanding of the spiritual importance of fasting from my perspective as a Reform Rabbi and an Islamic Jew.

I consider myself an "Islamic Jew," meaning a faithful Jew submitting to the will of God, because as a Reform Rabbi, I am faithful to the covenant God made with Abraham, the first Jew (Genesis 14:13). When his Lord said to him, "Submit," Abraham responded, "I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds."

“And Abraham instructed his sons, and [so did] Jacob, [saying], 'O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you this [monotheistic] religion, so do not die except while you are submitters [Muslims].'” (Qur’an 2:131-2). I submit to the commandments and the covenant God made with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai.

As a Reform Rabbi, I believe Jewish spiritual leaders should modify Jewish tradition as social and historical circumstances change and develop. I also believe we should not make religion difficult for people to practice. These are lessons that Prophet Muhammad taught 12 centuries before the rise of Reform Judaism in the early 19th century. Reform Jews are the largest Jewish denomination in the U.S., while in the U.K., Reform Judaism is referred to as Liberal Judaism.

I am a Reform Rabbi who has been studying Islam for 65 years. I believe it is vitally important for our generation to understand how much Islam and Judaism have in common, and fasting is one area where this commonality is very evident.

In North America and Europe, Jews and Muslims are the two religious groups that most noticeably practice fasting. The rules about fasting are very similar in both Jewish and Muslim law.

Since there are several religious values involved in fasting, Muslims will see many similarities and a few differences in the following teachings from the Jewish tradition regarding restricting what and when we eat.

Why Fast?

First of all, why should people restrict their culinary pleasures? More outrageously, why should we afflict ourselves by fasting? Don't most people think that being happy is the most important thing? Isn't eating one of the most accessible pleasures we have?

Why do Islam and Judaism restrict their adherents from the simple pleasure of food each year? For the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from first light until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and marital relations. The Qur'an says, "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may learn self-restraint" (Qur’an 2:183).

The Torah also decrees a day of fasting for Jews (Leviticus 16:29, 23:27), when for twenty-four hours, adult Jews (in good health) are supposed to afflict their souls by abstaining from eating, drinking, and marital relations.

The Spiritual Significance of Fasting

All animals eat, but only humans choose to abstain from certain foods that are both nutritious and tasty. Some people do not eat meat for religious or ethical reasons. Jews and Muslims do not eat pork for religious and spiritual reasons.

On fast days like Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement – and the 9th of Av (a day of mourning, similar to the Shi'a observance of Ashura), Jews do not eat or drink and abstain from marital relations for twenty-four hours. Fasting differs from praying in the same way that hugging someone differs from talking to someone.

When I fast, I create an empty space in my body that would have been filled with food if I had eaten. This empty space helps me open myself to a personal spiritual experience. Fasting is not magic; it is only an aid to help connect me to my Maker. When my belly is full of food, and my life is full of things, I have less room for God. Fasting is very different from starving. People do not choose to starve. It is one of my religious obligations to help feed starving people. Fasting is my personal opportunity to feed my soul.

The Outcomes of Fasting

Fasting leads to many different outcomes that help bring us closer to God.

First, fasting teaches compassion. It is easy to talk about the world's problem of hunger. We can feel sorry that millions of people go to bed hungry each day. But not until one can actually feel it in one's own body does the impact truly resonate. Compassion based on empathy is much stronger and more consistent than compassion based on pity.

This feeling must lead to action. Fasting is never an end in itself; that’s why it has so many different outcomes. But all other outcomes are of no real moral value if compassion is not enlarged and extended through fasting. As Prophet Isaiah said, "The truth is that at the same time you fast, you pursue your own interests and oppress your workers. Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. The kind of fasting I want is this: remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor" (Isaiah 58:3-7).

As Prophet Muhammad said, "Whoever does not give up deceitful speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving eating his food and drink" (Bukhari Vol. 3, 31, #127).

Second, fasting is an exercise in willpower. Most people think they can't fast because it's too hard. But the discomfort of hunger pangs is relatively minor. A headache, muscle pains from too much exercise, and a toothache are all more severe than the pains hunger produces.

The reason fasting is so hard is because food is almost always within easy reach; all one has to do is take a bite. The key to fasting is the willpower to decide again and again not to eat or drink. Our society has increasingly become one of self-indulgence, and most humans lack self-discipline. Fasting goes against our increasing "softness" in life. When people exercise their willpower to fast, they affirm their self-control and celebrate their mastery over themselves.

Third, fasting prepares us to face major challenges. People in the Bible who faced great trials often prepared themselves through prayer and fasting. Whenever special courage, wisdom, insight, or strength was needed, those who trusted in God turned to prayer and fasting.

For example, the Jewish community in Persia once faced destruction from a government-sanctioned pogrom instigated by Haman, an evil adviser to the king. This name is also familiar to Muslims, as it appears six times in the Qur'an (Qur’an 28:6, 8, 38; 29:39; 40:24, 36).

When the plot to annihilate the Jews was revealed, Queen Esther, a Jew in Persia, asked the people to fast and pray with her for three days. She believed this would help fortify her prayers before approaching the king. Esther said, "When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16). Through her courage and the strength gained from fasting, Esther successfully persuaded the king to reverse the decree.

Finally, fasting is a way of fulfilling a mitzvah (religious duty). Fasting on Yom Kippur is a personal offering to God, part of the Jewish people's covenant with God. The outcome of your fast may be personal fulfillment, but simply knowing you have performed one of your duties as a faithful Jew is the most basic outcome.

Fasting should also be combined with the study of Torah (the five books of Moses) or other sacred texts. As one medieval text states, "Better to eat a little and study twice as much, for the study of Torah is superior to fasting."

A similar teaching from 'Ali ibn Abi Talib states, "The religious scholar is greater in reward than the fighter in the way of Allah (Jihad) who fasts the (whole) day and prays the (whole) night" (Reliance of the Traveller).

Fasting is a personal, experiential offering. Though study is also a personal experience, it often involves sacred texts and teachers. The Divine will is more readily and truly experienced in study or spiritual dialogue with others than in solitary meditation.

May our fasting become a first step toward removing the chains of self-oppression and narrow-mindedness that enslave us, our neighbors, and our world! May future years of shared fasting by Muslims and Jews lead to greater understanding, respect, and acceptance of religious pluralism.

May we always be a part of those organizations and movements that are fully committed to contributing to world peace, while respecting both our own religion and our neighbor's.