Intermittent fasting is Sunnah
Intermittent fasting is everywhere.
It’s discussed on podcasts, praised by doctors, packaged into plans like 16:8 or 5:2 and presented as a modern solution to modern problems — weight gain, metabolic issues, constant eating.
What’s rarely acknowledged is this: Muslims have been doing a form of intermittent fasting all along.
Not as a health hack. Not as a trend. But as worship.
When science “discovers” restraint
The idea behind intermittent fasting is simple: the body benefits when it’s not constantly fed. Periods without food allow systems to rest, reset and function more efficiently.
That insight is now supported by research. Fasting windows. Metabolic switching. Reduced insulin spikes. Improved regulation. But restraint around food was never missing from Islam.
The Prophet ﷺ regularly fasted outside of Ramadan, particularly on Mondays and Thursdays.
Abu Hurayrah reported:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to fast on Mondays and Thursdays.”
(Tirmidhi)
When asked about fasting on Mondays, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“That is the day I was born and the day revelation was sent down to me.”
(Muslim)
This wasn’t occasional. It was consistent.
The similarity no one talks about
If you strip away the branding, the parallels are obvious.
The 5:2 diet involves eating normally five days a week and significantly less (or fasting) on two non-consecutive days. Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays follows a similar rhythm — regular eating, interrupted by deliberate restraint.
Intermittent fasting emphasises:
breaking constant eating patterns
creating space between meals
restoring sensitivity and balance
The Sunnah already does this but without obsession, tracking or performance. And crucially, without centring the self.
The difference that actually matters
There is an important distinction here. Intermittent fasting is framed as control over the body. The Sunnah frames fasting as submission and discipline.
Health benefits may follow, and often do, but they are not the primary aim. That difference matters, because it changes how the practice is lived.
In the Sunnah:
fasting is regular, but not extreme
it fits into normal life
it’s sustainable
it’s connected to intention, not identity
You don’t “become a faster”. You simply fast.
Why this works better long-term
One of the reasons many people struggle with modern fasting protocols is that they demand constant decision-making.
When to eat. When not to eat. How long. How strict.
The Sunnah removes much of that mental load. Mondays and Thursdays arrive whether you feel motivated or not. The structure is external. The decision is simpler. The practice becomes routine rather than dramatic.
And because it’s not tied to outcomes, it’s easier to return to when you fall off.
Not everything needs to be optimised
Modern health culture often pushes fasting as another way to optimise, to become more efficient, more disciplined, more impressive.
The Sunnah doesn’t optimise. It regulates. It places restraint into the week in a way that’s human, repeatable and proportionate. Fasting twice a week doesn’t dominate life. It punctuates it. It reminds the body, and the self, that constant consumption isn’t normal.
When science catches up
This is one of the clearest examples of something often overlooked: Islam didn’t wait for scientific validation to introduce restraint. And science didn’t invent the benefits of fasting — it noticed them.
That doesn’t mean every modern fasting method maps perfectly onto the Sunnah. It also doesn’t mean Muslims need to adopt trends to justify their practices. It simply highlights a familiar pattern.
Guidance came first. Understanding followed later.
Fasting as orientation, not intervention
Fasting in the Sunnah isn’t an intervention to fix a problem. It’s an orientation, a regular return to balance.
It teaches the body that hunger is not an emergency. It teaches the self that desire does not lead. And it places restraint back into ordinary time.
Whether or not we understand every mechanism behind it, the benefit is there. And as with so much in the Sunnah, the question isn’t whether it works. It’s whether we are willing to trust it before we fully understand why.
