I’ve been fasting for Ramadan since about the 11th of August and despite the usual challenges, it’s going pretty well. So if you’re curious about how it works or what the daily experience is like, shoot me a question!
Are you hungry?
Please tell me the dates this year, and a little of how you break your fast in the evenings. Could you please also tell me a little behind Ramadan and why you fast?
When I was a child I grew up amongst many Muslims, and I fasted for Ramadan even though I am Hindu just because I didn’t want to be left out. (I even got new clothes for Eid!) But I was thinking about this recently because my coworker was fasting, and I realized - I didn’t remember why, or really much about it.
It’s dawn to dusk, right? Is it easier in the wintertime, when the days are shorter?
Also, my friend says that often people GAIN weight during Ramadan because they pig out in the evenings. Has that been your experience?
Thank you for starting this thread! I guess I had questions.
More than a little, but not as much as you’d think. The actual fasting tends not to be the toughest part of Ramadan, but rather whole ethos of “bettering yourself.” 
Do you go to the lengths of not even swallowing saliva? Are there many muslims you know who go to that extreme?
Is there any special dispensation for people in jobs that need full energy? e.g. pilots, surgeons etc? I imagine undertaking open heart surgery without having eaten for 15 hrs could be dangerous!
Is the fasting time based on local daytime or “mecca central time”? e.g. a muslim in the high arctic could be faced with 24hr daylight which is very different to a muslim on the equator.
This year it’s from the 11th of August to about the 11th or 12th of September, and we do it for a number of reasons - primarily because it’s supposed to encourage empathy with the less fortunate for whom hunger might be a daily reality, but also to encourage self-control and help you focus on trying to be a better person. Refraining from food and drink is just one part of it, we’re also supposed to pray more, read the Qur’an more, keep our tempers, be extra-charitable and generally much a more concerted effort to be better.
It’s dawn to dusk, so winter is definitely easier, and your friend is right. You can easily gain weight over Ramadan, because some people eat/nibble practically the whole evening and then become very sedentary during the day to conserve energy. Plus to tend to eat more fatty, starchy and sugary foods rather than healthy stuff. However I’m deliberately trying to keep an eye on that myself (bar the odd cookie or two!), and I’m aiming to shed a few pounds by the end of it.
I do swallow saliva and don’t know anyone that doesn’t. That seems a bit extreme to me. What are you supposed to do - spit it out all day? I really don’t know how people in high-stress jobs handle it in Muslim countries as I live in the UK - perhaps you’re allowed a pass if fasting would endanger someone else’s life, but i assume thay must have figured something out because it’s not as though the airports and hospitals shut down for a month.
Plus I know of some athletes who keep playing while fasting Like Hakeem Elijuwon - they just accept that they won’t be at the top of their game.
Fasting is based on local time, so we eat when it’s sunset here (and I can give you the time to the minute!)
Not so much as question as a comment. I’m impressed that you can manage to function while fasting. When I fast (and the Jewish calendar only has six fast days, all spread out) I can barely stand up by the end of the day. Do you have any tips for getting through the day somewhat functional? Any special before-hand foods or such?
How does it affect your work? Does your boss give you slack because it’s a difficult holiday, or do you have be at the top of your form all month?
Sometimes the midnight sun phenomenon in parts of the northern hemisphere can last until late August. How would the fasting period work in a place like that?
I wanted to ask this of a new acquaintance the other day, but didn’t get the chance. So I’ll ask you instead!
Which do you think is harder:
Fasting during daylight hours for a month (Ramadan)
Fasting for a 24 hours straight (Yom Kippur)
Had this conversation with a muslim friend, and oddly, we each thought the other person’s practice sounded more difficult. I guess it’s what you’re used to?
Are you allowed to drink water or anything else during the day? Are there foods that are traditionally eaten to break the fast?
Where do you live? I know that if you have a smaller Muslim community, it can be harder to observe Ramadan.
Just thought I’d stop in to share something I learned yesterday - that apparently the head of my practice group at work uses Ramadan as an angle when having people make collections calls to Muslim clients. And that apparently it works. (He does the same for Jewish clients around Rosh Hashanah - the 10-day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur serves many of the same spiritual purposes.)
Thanks! Try eating just before the fast begins and go for foods that release energy slowly, like oatmeal, dried fruit or something with complex carbs. Also make sure to avoid caffeine and salty stuff and make sure you drink plenty of water. As for work, I don’t really get a pass. If I make a mistake I can’t (and don’t) expect to use fasting as an excuse - life is supposed to carry on as normal and you don’t get special dispensations.
Good question. I’ve always wondered that myself but I’m afraid I don’t have the answer. I assume they must have figured something out otherwise they’d starve to death!
Depends - do you have to be awake for the whole of Yom Kippur? If not, I suppose you could sleep for the first ten hours, take it easy during the day, maybe take a little nap around mid-afternoon, then hang in there till it’s time to eat! If you have to be awake the whole time then I think it would be harder as your body doesn’t have a chance to adjust over time - it’s a single protracted fast.
No water or drinking at all. Also no smoking and no sex. After sunset though, you can go nuts, although smoking is still frowned upon.
As for foods, we traditionally break the fast with a couple of dates with a drink of water or milk. After that we usually have some soup as a warm-up to the main course. This might differ depending on where you are though - I’m guessing Muslims in Malaysia have their own traditions versus those in South Africa or China.
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Swollow saliva? Don’t know anyone who thinks it wromgs
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The dispensations are for
i) Preganant or women or women having their periods.
ii) The old
iii) The very young
iv) The ill
v) Travellers
vi) Those whose occupational duties precludes it, its a on case by case basis. A pilot would be exempt when actucally flying that day and a surgeon when operating, not when in they are to spend the day in the office doing paperwork.
Last year I had a major trial and did not fast on days I was to make oral arguements. This year Ramazan has coincided with the court holidays so not as much pressure.
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A Muslim in the high arctic would come under the definatiion of “traveller” and be exempt.
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Its dawn till dusk, timing are announced on TV and published in the newspaper. Timings are variable. For example the iftar i.e breaking of the fast is at 6:47 PM Islamabad time today.
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During winters you feel bloody cold during the fast, luckily its fairly short. Summers the thirst is what gets you. I make it a point to drink lots of juices and at least 8 glasses of water before fasting. Makes me want to throw up at the time but make the rest of the day easier.
According to this GQ thread, some muslims at extreme latitudes use the times for Mecca.
How much easier does it get over the month?