How to survive Ramazan

If you are living in the Northern hemisphere, and observing traditional fasting, then this year’s Ramazan is particularly difficult. The difference between the Islamic calendar and the Gregorian calendar means that every year it shifts nine or ten days, and for those fasting, this year it falls slap bang in the middle of the longest days of the year. This means for around 30 days, Muslims will not eat, drink, have sex or do anything immoral (so no swearing too…) for at least 14 hours in Pakistan and over 16 in the UK.

Muslims believe that the Quran was first revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during the month of Ramazan (for the difference between Ramadan and Ramazan see our next blog, next week). Fasting is obligatory for all healthy Muslims and is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is common to have one meal, known as the Suhoor, just before dawn and another, known as the Iftar, immediately after the sunset. Muslims do a lot of charity work during this month and it is believed that virtue and reward is high during this period. The end of Ramazan is marked by “Eid-ul-Fitr”.

Of course, as this time Ramazan is happening together with the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, including the UK and Pakistan, that makes the challenge all the more difficult – it is particularly difficult for those in hot countries, such as Pakistan (day time temperatures in Islamabad are normally over 40 degrees, and can rise to 52 degrees further South in places like Larkana and Jackababad), and for those countries like Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Norway where they have the longest daylight hours. Even in the UK, depending upon the location, fasting can last anything from 16 hours to 19 hours.

Muslims need to follow Ramzan no matter what; so we have developed some coping mechanisms. Those observing the fasts should try to minimise their exposure to the sun, particularly between 1200 Hrs and 1600 Hrs. If it becomes unavoidable to go out, then they should have umbrellas along with them. They should drink a lot of water between Iftar (sunset) and Suhoor (sunrise) and concentrate on consuming foods with juice, like water melons. It is also believed that plain yogurt at the time of Suhoor is a great food to consume as it minimises the thirst during the day. Plain Yoghurt with ground Cardamom (ilachi) is thought to be a particularly effective.

Observer must also try to avoid hard work during the day and try to avoid consuming spicy foods during the Suhoor and Iftar time. Spicy foods create acidity, which require water to help with digestion. Taking regular baths throughout the day also helps cool the body and helps control dehydration. The only issue is that although the British High Commission in Islamabad is a great place to work, it doesn’t go as far as letting its staff have baths at work.

The real challenge of Ramazan is not the lack of food or water; it is the lack of sleep. Observers in Islamabad breaks their fast just after 7pm (later the further north you go) and take part in the Tarviah prayer (a Ramazan specific prayer after the Isha Prayer) between 9pm until 11pm. You then go home and sleep for about three hours before waking up again to cook for Suhoor at 2am – so you are finished before dawn, which as around 315am in Islamabad. It is very important that observers finish the Sahoor meal in the morning before the call for the morning (Fajar) prayer, which is at dawn. You then try and manage a bit more sleep before going to work. This means that those observing the fasts are sleeping for only about four to six hours in a day.

For Muslims, despite the apparent hardship, Ramazan is an incredibly important time. It is a period of reset, a period to be closer to God, and, particularly through Iftar meals and the Eid celebrations at the end of Ramazan, a time to get closer to friends and families. You just get through it, knowing Ramazan will be a little shorter next year. Besides, the only alternative is to move to the southern hemisphere for period. Actually, Camberra, you got any short term vacancies?