Praying and Fasting | Majestic View Show

We have heard a lot over the years about fasting in various ways, whether people are fasting for religious reasons or they are doing intermittent fasting. Fasting is not new, and we just finished a Lent season of fasting from certain things, and then We're now in the season of Ramadan. Welcome to this edition of The Majestic View. I'm Pamela D. Marshall from Gainesville, Florida.

I am Zaakirah Muhammad with The Majestic View from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

And I am Leah World Traveler with The Majestic View from Jamestown, Rhode Island.

From Jamestown, Rhode Island, and at a baseball game. Ladies, thank you all very much for being here. How's, how's everybody doing? Good.

I'm happy it's the end of the month.

Me too. I'm glad that it's hump day. Almost done.

Almost done. And then a baseball game.

Yes.

Yes. So how did they—

yeah, how did the baseball game go today?

I think they ended in a tie.

No, they lost by 1.

Oh, nuts. They lost by 1.

I missed it.

It's all right, they just started. It's only their second game, so they can still bounce back.

Yeah.

Well, we appreciate you, Leah, for being a part of the show as you move about with your family. And winning is not everything until you lose, right?

Right.

That should be perfect for us both saying, in fact.

If the games are close, I think that's a good sign, though, that they're evenly matched with the teams they're playing against and that the next time they meet this team, maybe it'll go their way. Absolutely.

But good, good sportsmanship and, and being out and moving is what's important.

And having fun and the camaraderie and being on a team. I think it's all good experiences for children and adults alike.

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. So ladies, we're talking about prayer and fasting today. And so I'd love to hear, Leah, I know you do intermittent fasting. Zakirah, you are in the midst of Ramadan, and we want to hear about how fasting has impacted your life and, and you just kind of cross-pollinate about what we do as far as fasting is concerned. I incorporate Monday fasting, fasting every Monday, and if for whatever reason I miss a Monday, I try to do it another day during the week, just as, um, a practice of resting, uh, me, and then being in a time of prayer. And so Ramadan, I know, is a huge part of the spiritual practice for Muslims across the globe. So to have this unified fast, what is that like? You grew up Muslim, right? This is not, um, spirituality that you converted to.

Correct, correct. And so it was actually my mom and dad that converted into the religion of Islam. And yes, you're right, one of the, um, 5 benefits of, you know, being a Muslim is the holy month of Ramadan. And what's been such a spiritual blessing is that it's cross-pollinating with the Indian spirituality, the Jewish spirituality, the Christian spirituality. So we're all technically fasting for the same reason, right?

Right.

For just to also give context, although, um, uh, the religion of Islam is at this point probably the second most popular religion, some don't really fully understand that Ramadan is a month of fasting where you don't eat or drink from sunup to sundown. But also you are intentionally taking the time to study the holy book a bit more. You are intentionally taking the time to take yourself away from gossip, take yourself away from anything that's going to add more stress to you, make you more tired, because you're already using very little energy by fasting all day, especially if it's hot, depending on what part of the world you're in, it's hot, especially if we just had daylight saving time, so the sunlight is out a little bit longer, so it's a lot longer day. But for me personally, I also grew up being a cancer survivor. I grew up having autoimmune differences, so those are exempt from fasting. But for me, I've always been like, no, I want to fast in one way or another. So for me, I always tend to be more specific about the music I listen to. Leah, um, knows that there's a specific playlist that I was just listening to because we were starting our last episode of the Majestic View Show, and I was like, you know, listening to music. But I'm real intentional about the music I play, the people I interact with, the places I go. And of course, you know, I'm also more in tune to what I watch. So that's how I treat fasting, but that's the generic overview of Islamically, you know, how Muslims do fast. And then we end it, which is, you know, coming up in a couple of days from this recording, of having a big old feast just like you would for Christmas or Easter. So yeah.

And Leah, you do intermittent fasting. How long have you been doing that?

Um, I kind of go in and out of phases of doing intermittent fasting. I started again recently towards the beginning of this year, sort of like you, an opportunity to kind of do a cleanse, an opportunity to Um, give my body a chance to kind of unburden itself and, and also like retraining myself that I don't need to fill up with food to feel fulfillment and feel filled. And I have found that it's just been a really good natural fit for my lifestyle because I've never been a big breakfast eater. So I typically will do intermittent fasting from like midday till about 5 or 6 PM. I only have like a 5 or 6 hour eating window. And then That's, that's all that I do, and I carry that throughout the week, even on the weekends. And I found it's just been a really good life habit for me. It's helped me with managing like my cravings, and I typically eat less than I think I normally would, because a lot of times I find myself eating and I'm not even really hungry. So intermittent fasting has been really useful for me in that sense, in terms of just controlling my, my relationship with food and, you know, my own You know, needs and learning to rely on other things and teaching myself discipline. So it's, it's useful. It's a good tool.

So you, you have children and a husband. And so how is it that— how difficult is that for you, fasting, preparing food for your family?

It can be challenging because they all eat breakfast and they eat snacks and they, you know, they're growing children and, you know, we're active. As you know, I mean, we're on our way from the baseball game right now. But I, um, I find it sometimes difficult, especially on the weekends, because on the weekends I kind of want to be a little more loose and I want to just enjoy, you know, eating a snack here and there when I want to. So I find that it can be challenging then, um, as opposed to— sorry— as opposed to during the week. It's, it's not as difficult for me because we're just so busy with the weekly routine. So, but it is a challenge. So that's where some of the discipline and sort of self-control comes in. is having to also sometimes eat differently than what they'll eat and eat at different times than when they eat. So that part's a bit of a challenge.

Yeah, and, and if you are a taster like I am, when I'm cooking, I like to taste.

Same. I need to sample it because sometimes I, you know, I don't— I think we've had the conversation before about we cook and not necessarily cooking to a recipe, we cook to taste. So that part's a challenge because if I can't sample it, I won't have a sense of if it tastes right or if it's good or bad. So sometimes I'll have them be my tasters. If it's not— if I'm within my fasting window, then if they like it, then that's good because they're the ones that are going to eat. So that's how I've kind of gotten around it. It's harder when they're not around sometimes because I can't necessarily taste things. Yeah.

And I think the whole notion of fasting and being around other people When there's food, whether it is your family or even at work, because you might be at a conference, you might have a luncheon that you have to attend. And then, Zaakirah, in your case, growing up Islam, in the Islamic family and going to school and other children, what did your parents say to you? I know you said that you could have been exempt because of your health challenges. But how do parents get children ready for not eating at school when everybody else is eating?

Yeah, well, from my own personal experience, I definitely, you know, grew up kind of understanding the importance of it. Like, I'm not just not eating, I'm not just starving. But at the same time, there was a perspective that I remember my mom kind of sharing with me of, you There are people in Africa who don't get to eat as often as we do, or the food that we do eat. So I would kind of like say, like, okay, I'm going to not eat so that they can eat. I think I had that mentality as a child. But when you really kind of understand why you're not eating from sunup to sundown for 30 days at a time, and then utilizing it as a way for a level of discipline. I think similarly to intermittent fasting, you're kind of listening for, oh, there's a lot of times that I craved a lot of sugar and salt, and there's a lot of times that I'm actually stress eating. So I think I remember that growing up, that at least for my parents, I was told why, and they were always pretty honest with me as a child. And then I had to learn also not to beat myself up if I didn't, if I forgot. It happens, right?

Yes.

With that face like, oh, I forgot I'm fasting. But, you know, then it's also that lesson in not beating yourself up, but also just kind of becoming more friends, closer to yourself too. Not just closer to God, but you're closer to yourself.

Yeah. Um, because for me, there have been times when, like when I'm not fasting and I eat something, and then after I eat it, I think, well, what if I had been fasting? I wouldn't have eaten that candy bar or those chips. And so how do I help train my subconscious to utilize the strength that it takes to fast during other times? And, and I think that might be a good thing for people to think about, that it's not just the fasting for the 30 days.

Mm-hmm.

Or the 6, 7, 8-hour window, but I am training myself and strengthening my ability to say no to things that I don't need in other times. Do you all find— have you been able to move into that more?

For me, for sure, because honestly, every time, uh, we make it to this This is the commonality between anybody in my immediate circle who's a Muslim who's fasting, is that by the time we get to day 15, um, we don't even want to eat our breakfast or our dinner as big as we were as often, or, you know, we have a certain taste for certain things. So for sure, it definitely, uh, shifts the subconscious for sure.

Yeah.

And I would say for me that I'm human, so sometimes I'll break, you know, like if I'm at someone's brunch or something and, and we're eating before my normal eating window, that day I'll just shift my window so that I can eat with my friends, break bread with them, break the fast with them, and then I'll just stop eating sooner. And I also try not to beat myself up when I slip up. Um, but I do have— I have found that trying to be consistent with it does help me feel more in control of myself, like I said, because I'm, you know, I'm deploying self-discipline both mentally and physically. So it's been, you know, it's— I take things day by day when it comes to it, um, because life can be very, um, unpredictable, especially with kids. So, you know, I just do what I can when I can. But I, I do find that it has helped me with my mental discipline and my, my physical discipline. Like, even today I was tempted to eat, you know, something sweet early before the window because, you know, I was stressed. I have deadlines and things, but I refrained, and I was really proud of myself because normally, you know, sugar is my biggest weakness. It's like my Achilles heel. So the fact that I turned away from that, I didn't eat anything, and I didn't end up getting the sugary thing that I was craving— today was a win for me. So I, like I said, I just try to take it day by day, and that seems to work well for me.

Over.

And so what is it that you do? How is it that you move yourself into that? How did you get to that place today, Leah? What do you think was different today than some other days when you said, I'm gonna eat it before I even think about it? Because that's what I've done.

Yeah, I do that. I do that all the time. Um, today I think it was just that I was like, I just had more control. I just said, you know what, I really don't need that. And I just talked myself out of it. I'm like, you only want that, you're not actually hungry, you shouldn't, you know, don't waste time in this little convenience store getting this thing, waiting in line to pay, when you can go ahead and get to your meeting early and get more prepared and then really do well in your meeting. So I sort of prioritized what I needed to do over what I wanted but not needed. And I just had to remind myself that a lot of times when I'm snacking or breaking my fast before it's time or eating outside of my eating window, it's because I want to do it, not because I need to do it. And I always have to remind myself that there's a distinction between the two. Over.

Zaakirah, what do you do?

Yeah, I think, um, for me it's a matter of I honestly want to mimic everything Leah said because it's the same thing. It literally starts in the subconscious, and then everything else will flow or not flow. And then it's just a matter of not stopping the flow by, you know, not beating yourself up about what works and what doesn't work. Yeah, I second Leah.

Well, I will tell you, for me, it is especially during the holidays. Or let's just say if my birthday falls on a Monday or anniversary or one of the holidays fall on a Monday, then I will give myself some grace and then just fast on another day. And I think that that is part of this journey, that the, the Creator gives us grace. And sometimes we can be harder on ourselves and then, then, then the, the one who gives us our breath. Because there have been times, let me tell you something, ladies, where like I don't even buy, or I don't even buy Chips Ahoy anymore, you know. I don't buy them because it'd be like I would have one Chips Ahoy, okay, so I already had one Chips Ahoy, and then I may as well eat some more.

And halfway through the sleeve, like, and then the box is gone, or the Yeah, the whole steak is gone.

Yeah, you can't just stop at one, right? You end up— it's either all or none.

Well, I already ate it, so I may as well quit— keep eating. But that's not how we should be, you know. You know, you did it, and then, you know, step back. And I also like to try to think about what are the benefits for my organs when I'm not eating. I would like for both of you to speak about that because You know, there is prayer, there's the spirituality aspect, and I think sometimes we think that's external from this vessel.

I think I'll happily go first because I've been on this— I think maybe just yesterday I had a piece of chicken, but I've literally been training myself to eat to nourish, right? Eat for my health, not just to eat different because I have to eat different because I have to avoid, you know, passing out or anything like that. So I've been more on like a kind of pescatarian diet, you know, more fish than meat. And then also we had a previous episode of the Majestic U Show where we kind of briefly talked about, you know, our diets. What are we eating? What are we not eating? Why do we choose that? And why is it so important? And Pamela, for sure, you can definitely be talking about it because it's so close to home. You know, being able to then choose what you eat because you literally are what you eat. And whether it's genetic or not, what you put in your body really does affect everything else. So I've been even more intentional about what I eat too.

Yeah, for me, same, almost identical to what Zaakirah said. But also I've started— I've really learned to listen to my body and learn to listen to myself. My body tells me when it doesn't like something, and when I shouldn't eat it. There's times when I've eaten food and I feel full and I feel settled and I feel nourished, or there's times when I've eaten something and I've enjoyed it while I've eaten it, but I've suffered for it later on—not because I was getting ill or anything like that, but I just didn't feel good. I felt kind of nauseous. I would feel kind of sick. I felt overfull, overstuffed, and it wasn't necessary. So I've just learned to sorry. I've learned to. To not eat like that. You know, I eat just to feel full. I don't have to necessarily finish what's on my plate. I stop eating when I feel full. And I've also learned to stop eating with my eyes.

So I'm sure you both know what I mean by that. Yeah, this, this whole notion of 3 meals a day is not something that the body was designed to do. Someone came up with that idea because when we were hunters and gatherers, We would hunt and get something to eat, whatever we could drag back to the cave, and feast. And it really was feast or famine, and and people survived. And then there's the the the aspect of thinking that we have to have something, some sort of food in order for us to be able to do. Well, them jokers was hungry and they were able to run and catch stuff, right? So to say that we have to have this protein in order for us to go work out in the gym, well, the body didn't have it back then when they had been in a famine and they still had to run and shoot something or stab it or however they killed it. But, but, but also they were still— they continued to be able to do that. to eat the green stuff. So I think that, that tells us something too about what we're consuming, that we can get a lot from green stuff as opposed to having to run and stab something and drag it back to the cave.

Have you heard of Forks Over Knives?

No.

It's a, um, it's predominantly plant-based, whole food plant-based. brand. So I don't know what was first, but I knew about it because of the digital magazine, which then turned into email lists, began with recipes, and now they have a whole Facebook group. But I love the concept of Forks Over Knives, literally like you're saying. So choosing to stab or not stab your food or shake the table to cut that steak or something.

Ahhh.

Yeah, so I've been, you know, very fascinated with the brand of Forks Over Knives and just how they can make you know, the colorful food actually pays for too.

Yeah, I don't know. I think because we watch what is put in front of us as far as media is concerned, and as Leah was saying, consuming with our eyes, we see it and we think that we want to have it just because we see it, as opposed to Really being in touch with what am I eating and how do I feel after I eat it? Because in reality, if you need an Alka-Seltzer after you eat it, don't eat it. Because you shouldn't have to take medicine after you eat something. If we just listen to our bodies, I mean, to be quite honest, you know. I probably could have been a, a person who drank a lot, but I never felt good afterwards. Like, so where is the fun? I'm missing out on something here. So don't do it. Go ahead, Leah. You're about to—

Yeah, I was just gonna say, no, I completely agree with that. And I also feel like one of the problems that we face in the United States is that we have these abundant, overwhelmingly heaped up plates of food. And, you know, I know I was taught, you know, waste not, want not. So I feel like compelled to eat everything on the plate. But I feel like one of the things that I've seen in my travels around the world is that people's portion sizes are smaller. People don't fill their plates. They'll take smaller sizes, and then they can listen to their bodies to see if, okay, I'm still hungry, let me go and get some more, instead of overeating all these things that are on the plate and it's just too much.

Yeah.

And, and that's why you see this phenomenon of obesity Here in the United States in a way that you really don't see it elsewhere. And I feel like there's something to that. It's psychological. And I agree with you that I think more of us should take the time to listen to ourselves and listen to our reactions and take a moment before we partake in eating to see if this is something we need to eat. Is it nutritive? Is it good for us? Or is it something that we want? And sometimes you can make a difference with that.

Over— we've been talking about feeding the natural man. Let's talk about the prayer aspect of fasting. And I don't know how much it is talked about with intermittent fasting, or Leah, if this is part of just what you do. I know without saying, Zaakirah, prayer is a big part of what is done with Ramadan. So Leah, we'll go to you first. What is there— do you incorporate any spirituality in your intermittent fasting?

I think there is. I mean, I initially started it more for, you know, health and wellness reasons more than like spiritual health. But I do feel like there's some sort of more of a communing with my spirit because sometimes I have to like empty out my vessel in order to feel like I'm open to other things that are around me, different energy, different things that are happening. And I process things differently because I find that when I'm full, I'm sleepy, I'm sluggish. But when I'm a little bit more empty or just right satisfied, I'm more aware and I'm open to things. So to me, there is a spiritual element to intermittent fasting as well as sort of for the health and physical wellness reasons. I don't typically do prayer when I'm doing intermittent fasting because it's daily, but I do find that I'll do meditation sometimes. And to me, that kind of is the same.

Yeah.

You know, because I'm taking a moment of peace and taking a moment of quietness. I'm trying to commune with something greater than myself. And I usually do that in the morning. when I've been fasting since the evening the night before and all night and I haven't yet eaten and won't eat for another, you know, 5 or 6 hours. And I found that it's been very fulfilling for me and very rewarding for my spiritual and mental health. Over.

Absolutely. And, you know, speaking of mental health, they did find in— and I think it was a hospital in Germany— someone with schizophrenia who refused to eat. I forgot how many days he refused to eat. And his schizophrenic symptoms reduced greatly by fasting. So then they started doing research on how does fasting impact the brain. And when you talk about— and, and Zakirah, you talked about day 15, how you start to get some clarity. And there are other people who, even as, as much as after you get over the first 3 or 4 days when your body is detoxing, Mm-hmm. That there is some clarity that starts to happen, and you're more open. And so, so I really wish that the medical community would embrace this possibility for people because we have so many people who are dealing with anxiety and depression and other forms of mental illness. If we could just. embrace that the plate is part of the problem. But for you, Zakirah, the, the prayer is a huge part. Prayer, and as you said, studying the Quran more during Ramadan.

And, and actually, I even want to second, you know, one of the comments that just came in, and fasting is God's secret weapon, right? Like, prayer and fasting go hand in hand to me, right? Not only just as, you know, Muslims fast 5 times a day anyway. I mean, They should be. Muslims pray 5 times a day anyway, and so the fact that, you know, you take— you're taking away the, the need to wonder or be distracted in the prayer of like, what am I eating for breakfast, what am I eating for dinner or lunch or snacking on, right? Like, it's literally just nothing but God, nothing but you and God when it comes to praying and fasting. Because I think, um, literally like you said, it's the secret weapon and they go hand in hand.

And it is, it is said many times in many spiritual practices that fasting is the secret weapon, fasting and praying. And there's even, and I know you're studying the Quran, but even, you know, and these books are cross-pollinate, they're, they're so similar in the basis of the spiritual aspect of them. There's a scripture in the Bible that says that some things are not brought under control but by fasting and praying. So in these final moments that we have left, I would like for you all to give some advice to people, maybe people— someone who's never fasted or somebody who started fasting and got to, you know, 11:59 and I just can't do it the rest of the day. What do you say to them about overcoming the fear of being without food?

Imagine that. Leah always has the mic drop. Leah, go first.

Okay, um, I'll do my best. So I would say, you know, be kind to yourself. It's not, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon, like many things in life. So I feel like just take it day by day, you You know, and, and slowly increase the amount of time that you fast. Start with, you know, maybe you stop eating dinner at 6 PM and then you don't eat until 10 AM the next day. So, you know, you're right there, you're already doing more than 12 hours of fasting. And then, you know, little by little, as you get used to it, as you get accustomed to it, then you can add an extra hour here or extend it a little further.

Mm-hmm.

And then also don't beat yourself up if you have a setback, if you succumb to a temptation. Is dust yourself off and start again the next day. It's not going to be the end of the world. But I think if it's something that you commit to, like anything else, there's going to be stumbling blocks and hurdles. But I think ultimately, if you keep your, your eyes on the goal of the reasons why you want to fast and the benefits of fasting, even if you trip up along the way, you'll get back on track. And just take it day by day and be kind to yourself. And I think that you'll learn that fasting can be really wonderful for multiple reasons and in multiple ways. for your physical and mental health.

Yes, and then so I have a, I have a story, short story, from when I visited The Gambia in 2014. And The Gambia is a predominantly Muslim country, so when you go to a predominantly Muslim country, most of the entire country is fasting. So, um, there are some, there were some Americans that were there on a volunteer trip.

I was there on like a Hold on, I was saying that's got to be amazing to be in a country where everybody is fasting.

Absolutely, yes, 1,000%.

And maybe it makes it a little easier too.

Yes, that too. So one of the Americans that was there, and she did it, she decided before the holy month of fasting even started that she's going to partake in the fasting the entire day. So I happened to be there maybe on day 5 or something, where she's like, oh, it's too much, it's this, it's that, it's hot. But then, um, I'm like, you can always stop your fast. No, I'm not gonna stop my fast. So it's all in the mental, right, where you, you listen to yourself as far as how many hours you can go. Um, you know, there's a thing also where, uh, you can do half-day fast, like from the sunup to— and break your fast at, you know, lunchtime, right? So Listen to yourself and also just kind of step outside of yourself too when it comes to the concept of fasting. You never know what you'll learn. And you're muted.

Yep, you're muted.

And unmuted. Okay, thanks. I do appreciate you sharing your journey, and I know that the audience has gained some wisdom And insight. I think the critical thing for me is to think about when I'm hearing that growl in my gut, I like to tell myself something is healing. And so that gets me through the growling, and I get some more water or tea, or if I'm doing juice, just to get me through that moment and to really— Refocus on why I'm doing it, and then understanding that I've eaten a whole lot of food my whole life. I can get through this moment right here. So I, I really hope that people will consider fasting, prayer and fasting, whether it's intermittent fasting or it's associated with your spiritual journey. Because your cells will appreciate it. It gives your digestive system a chance to restart. It gives your body a chance to heal from some things that, that you may have challenges with. But I— you can't go wrong with it. Now, you might be going wrong going through the drive-through, but you can never go wrong with a safe fast. So ladies, I thank you very much. And, and everyone who's watching, this is The Majestic View. And if you would like to be a guest on The Majestic View, please send us an email to themajesticviewshow@gmail.com. You can also follow The Majestic View on YouTube and Twitter, Majestic View 2. We will be here every Wednesday covering some topics that are near and dear to you, because our goal on The Majestic View is to inspire you and help you raise the bar so that we all can get to a higher level in the purpose for which we were called. Thank you all. Thank you, Leah. Thank you, Zaakirah.

I'm Zaakirah with The Majestic View.

Thank you.

Go again, Sakira.

Yes, I'm back here with a majestic view from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

And I don't know if you can hear me because we're on the move again, but this is Leah World Traveler with a majestic view from Jamestown, Rhode Island.

And I'm Pamela D. Marshall with a majestic view from Gainesville, Florida. Thank you so much for joining us. We'll see you next week. Have a great moment.