Can Fasting Bring You Closer To God? Dr. Reza Mansoor on NPR

Reza Mansoor is a cardiologist and president of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford.
Photo:Chion Wolf
Dawn Karlson is Pastor for Youth and Family Ministry at the First Congregational Church of Southington..

Photo By: Chion Wolf

Dawn Karlson is Pastor for Youth and Family Ministry at the First Congregational Church of Southington.
Photo:Chion Wolf
Can Fasting Bring You Closer To God?

Download Audio

Audio Playlist
Can Fasting Bring You Closer To God?

In researching this show, I found one claim that some of the writers of the Constitution fasted to enhance inspiration and mental clarity. I couldn’t confirm that, but in 1775, the Continental Congress proclaimed July 20 as a day of “fasting and humiliation.”

The notion was that a day of fasting would shake the cobwebs out of some people and wake their senses up to the necessity of independence. Thomas Jefferson and the Lees, Richard Henry and Patrick Henry, had been pushing the fasting concept in the Virginia House of Burgesses, and Benjamin Franklin was known advocate of fasting.

I guess I’m saying that, instead of pigging out at cookouts and shooting off firecrackers, we’d be staying truer to our roots if we fasted on July 4.

The idea came back in 1798 when John Adams proclaimed May 9, 1798 as a day of fasting.

We’ll talk about the spiritual legacy of fasting in American religions on today’s show with an interfaith panel of experts.

You can join the convesation. Do you fast? Email colin@wnpr.org or tweet us @wnprcolin.

Eid prayer August 8th and Eid Carnival

 Eid Al-fitr InshaAllah will be on Thursday the 8th. This is the ruling of the Fiqh Council of North America/ ISNA and ICNA.
 
Prayer times will be as follows (please allow for 15 minutes for a parking):
 
1stprayer – Takbir 7am, Salat 7:30am
 
2ndprayer – Takbir 9am, Salat 9:30am
 
3rdprayer – Takbir 11am, Salat 11:30am.
 
Zakaatu Al-Fitr (Fitrana)is a minimum of $10 per person in the household including young children to be paid before Salaat El- Eid
 
There will be a donation box for the masjid which will help offset costs for the youth center, the cemetery project and a full time Imam – Inshah-Allah. Please donate generously that Allah may give you generously Inshah-Allah
 
Parking – Please park responsibly – if you are parked illegally or blocking others you will be towed.
 
Please follow the proper regulations and listen to those that we are assigning to be in charge of the parking. Please note that no one will be allowed to park on the streets even partially or to block the neighbors’ driveways.
 
Let us make our holiday a safe and happy one – Inshah-Allah.
 
The Muslim Coalition of Connecticut ‘Eid Carnival’ at Lake Compounce will be on Sunday the 11th of August from 10am to 10pm. Please go to their website at www.mcct.us for information
 
Tickets:$33.00 per person including Halal buffet dinner, free parking, free ticket to return (must use by June 30th 2014), free rides and drinks or $18 per child (4-6yrs). Under 4 yrs free
 
Please purchase the tickets by August 8th(this Thursday)- deadline.
 
We want to wish you and your families a blessed Eid. May Allah accept
your fast, dua, prayer and zakat/sadaqat – Inshah-Allah!