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Spirituality
The Purpose of Fasting for Ramadan
A Personal Perspective: Muslims fast during Ramadan from sunrise to sundown.
Posted March 22, 2023 Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster
While growing up in Yemen, I was introduced to the practice of fasting, where all the families will encourage their children to fast. In my house, my parents gave me the option to fast at seven, abstaining from food and drink. We had to wake up at 6 a.m. to eat a meal known as “suhoor,” an Arabic word that means the time at dawn at which the meal is provided. We will eat a heavy protein meal because we are about to embark on an epic journey of self-restraint, completely abstaining from food and drink. We often eat rice and an option of meat–fish, chicken, or lamb. We then break out fast around 8 p.m. in a meal known as “futoor,” an Arabic word that means “breaking the fast.”
On my first day of fasting, my trick was to stay up all night–a common practice in many Arab and Muslim societies during Ramadan–so I could sleep through the day. The plan worked until I woke up in the afternoon; I was living in the southern part of Yemen, where the afternoons get hot. Walking outside induces thirst, so I stayed in the house but had to go out and meet friends. While exposed to the sun, I felt a great thirst and had to break my fast. My first attempt at fasting ended prematurely. At least I got half-credit–or so I thought!
The last 10 days of March 2023 will mark the first 10 days of Ramadan, when Muslims devote their time, attention, and energy to serving God. Ramadan has three dimensions–personal, social, and spiritual.
Muslims aim to emerge from Ramadan transformed. Observant Muslims look inward and practice mindfulness in their daily actions because they cannot eat, drink or have sex from sunrise to sundown. The abstinence is performed at the will of, and service to, God for an entire calendar month each year.
Yet while Ramadan is about the individual looking inward, it is also about reminding Muslims of those who live in chronic poverty. Ramadan provides all observant Muslims with a shared human experience as they dramatically change their daily habits. Ramadan is a spiritual month when Muslims recharge and reconnect with God. Besides fasting, the most revered activity in Ramadan is reading the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Muslims believe fasting trains the self to heighten compassion and self-discipline; it imparts sympathy to the poor for whom hunger is a common experience.
Where I grew up in Yemen, Ramadan completely changes the community's spirit. People congregate at night instead of during the day. The mosques get full, similar to the large collective focus on the Super Bowl in the United States. Even those who don’t regularly attend the mosque show up during Ramadan. However, Ramadan's social aspect has been compromised since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since COVID-19, Muslims could neither pray nor socialize in congregations. The communal aspect of Ramadan has come to a halt. But as we slowly transition back to normalcy, this Ramadan might be different.
How can non-Muslims support Muslims during Ramadan?
1. Don’t assume your Muslim colleagues are fasting. Muslims are a heterogeneous group with diverse practices, from liberal to conservative, observant to secular. Don’t make comments if you observe your Muslim colleague eating during the day. One may skip fasting for either personal or medical reasons. Islam makes legitimate excuses for those who are ill or traveling.
2. Accommodate the needs of Muslims during Ramadan. For some, including myself, fasting may present a real challenge because we can neither eat nor drink for 12 consecutive hours, roughly from sunrise (around 6 a.m.) to sundown (around 8 p.m.). Support your Muslim colleagues by allowing them to work remotely or even to provide time off such that they partake in the spiritual activities of Ramadan.
3. Feel free to say Ramadan Mubarak to your Muslim friends. Muslims greet each other with Ramadan Mubarak, meaning “I wish you a blessed month of Ramadan.” It is similar to “Merry Christmas,” which means “I wish you a Merry Christmas.” Just as you do not have to be a Christian to wish Merry Christmas, you do not have to be Muslim to say Ramadan Mubarak to your Muslim fellows.
From a Muslim to both Muslims and non-Muslims: Ramadan Mubarak!
