BENEFIT 78: Medical Fasting

Question: Is it true that Imam Al-Albāni (may Allāh have mercy on him) fasted for forty days without consuming any food, drinking only water? And can this be termed "medical fasting"? Sheikh Najeeb Ash-Shar’abi hafidahullah: Imam Al-Albāni (may Allāh have mercy on him) himself responded to this question in Silsilat Al-Ahadith Aḍh-Ḍha’eefah (vol. 1, p. 419), where he stated: "Towards the end of the year 1379 AH, I subjected myself to a period of fasting for forty consecutive days, during which I did not consume any food at all—only water entered my body! I did this in pursuit of healing from certain ailments, and while I was cured of some, others remained. Before this, I had undergone medical treatment for nearly ten years without noticeable benefit. From this fasting experience, I derived two tangible benefits: 1. The realisation that a human being can endure hunger for such a long period, contrary to the belief of many people. 2. That fasting is beneficial in treating ailments caused by excessive bodily intake, as mentioned by Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allāh have mercy on him)." Additionally, in Silsilat Al-Huda wa An-Noor, he clarified: "I hope that my brothers who read about my forty-day fast understand that it was a form of medical fasting, not a religious fast. In other words, whenever I felt the need for water, I would drink, just as I am drinking now, for example. This was not the type of fasting where one abstains from dawn until sunset; rather, it was a process of controlled starvation." Source https://t.me/qweasdzxcmnblkjpoik/3904