Ramadan: Trials and Blessings of the Holy Month
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is one of the five pillars of Islam. It’s a month where Muslims around the world fast from sunrise to sunset and this includes abstinence from all food and drink, (if I had a pound for every time someone said ‘not even water? What about chewing gum?!’) other physical needs such as sex and smoking, and certain behaviours like gossip or swearing during fasting hours. Certain people are exempt from fasting (such as the elderly and pregnant women) and I personally find that fasting is a great test of physical and mental endurance. It’s a time to reflect on your blessings and walk in the shoes of those who don’t have life’s basic necessities.
Ramadan is one of my favourite times of the year as it’s full of spirituality, reflection and family time – did you know the crime rate falls drastically in Muslim countries during Ramadan, sometimes by 40%! The months’ end is greeted by Eid-Ul-Fitr which is the religious holiday that marks the end of Ramadan and is celebrated by Muslims around the world, often within cultural traditions. It’s also a time when Muslims donate lots of charity – you probably never heard that British Muslims donated £100m in charity during Ramadan in 2016!
Ramadan is likely to begin tomorrow if there is sighting of the crescent moon; if there isn’t then it will begin on Saturday. On reflection, as Ramadan has moved further into the longest daylight hours over the past few years, the combination of summer holidays from university and part-time employment never made it too difficult for me to cope with. However, last year was the first time I fasted the month of Ramadan while working 9-5. It was also the longest fasts I’d ever kept, roughly 20 hours between sunrise and sunset, with the majority of the fasts opening after 10pm. Sadly, Ramadan 2016 also coincided with Glasgow’s (rare) heat wave. I remember struggling with sleep; waking up in the middle of the night to close my fast then again at 7.30am for work, which left me feeling tired and sometimes low on energy.
I had lots of facilities in place to support me, particularly at work. I spoke to my manager before Ramadan and asked him if there was a private room I could use for prayer. He found a great spot and I was allowed flexibility with the timing of my lunch break so I could always catch the afternoon prayer. I was also told to rest and take it easy if ever I needed a break. I found my colleagues were supportive and curious - I had lots of great chats about the purpose of Ramadan and the spiritual and health benefits of fasting.
The further we moved into Ramadan, the more my reflections took a different tone. I thought about the delicious food and clean water I would open my fast with every night, the great support system I had, peace, good health, air conditioning and all the other comforts I could ever need. I started to think about people around the world who were fasting for Ramadan – last year, the Syrian Civil War was into its 5th year, of the 65 million refugees worldwide, 54% were from three predominantly Muslim countries (Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia), Yemen was being pushed further towards the brink of famine and the Gaza strip (which is the most densely populated area on the planet) suffered from numerous power cuts in the hot weather. I couldn’t even imagine how difficult it must be to fast in these conditions; I suddenly felt very privileged to know that my greatest struggles were less sleep and the occasional headache.
Despite their hardships, I’ve heard many stories of people being met with love and compassion when they’ve visited some of these countries during Ramadan. You can see pictures of people full of life celebrating Ramadan around the world here.
Ramadan is about so much more than starving yourself – the experience, the energy, the awareness, the empathy and the changes to your thought process whilst you’re hungry cannot be put into words. I urge you all to learn more about Ramadan; make a Muslim friend and ask them of their experience, go to an Iftar (opening of the fast) party, visit a mosque, watch a documentary or ask me if you’d like to know more. You could even try and fast if you’d like! Although I would cheekily suggest you look at the calendar beforehand to decipher which day your fast will open the earliest. You can watch a short video of this guy beautifully summing up why he found it so beneficial and some of the thoughts fasting provoked in him.
I truly believe that a common understanding of the month of Ramadan is one of the best ways to counter Islamophobia around the world. There is so much love and positivity experienced by Muslims and our neighbours during the month of Ramadan and sadly, people know so little about it. I often see people claim that it is the Muslim’s responsibility to condemn terrorism – I heartily disagree – we need to disassociate ourselves entirely from diseased ideology we neither condone nor recognise and focus our energies on educating people on the true message of Islam. Hopefully small steps, such as this blog, will go a long way in promoting the positive image of Islam which is so lacking, yet equally vital, especially in light of recent events.
