My fasting experience as a Muslim

It’s been slightly over a decade since my first fasting experience, marking my commencement of the Ramadan practice.

During Ramadan, all Muslims are required to abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk for 30 days as a way of sympathising with the poor and the needy.

Fasting gives one an experience of what it feels like to go hungry for a day.

Every morning during Ramadan, I wake up at 3am for Suhoor, which is a meal that we, Muslims, have to help sustain us while fasting.

Ramadan is characterised by five daily prayers without which one's fast is not considered complete.

The prayers begin after Suhoor, with the first one taking place at about 5.20am, and is referred to as Fajr (dawn) prayer—then the fast begins.

The next prayer known as Dhuhr (afternoon) takes place at 12.33pm.

However, between the dawn and afternoon prayers, one is expected to practise righteous acts like reading the Quran, Dhikr (mentioning the 99 names of Allah).

The same thing applies to the time between Dhuhr prayer and Asr (evening) prayer, which comes in at 3.49pm.

Before the Maghreb (sunset) prayer, I start preparing for my Iftar—the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.

I begin cooking the meal of choice, lay my table as I wait for the Adhaan (call of prayer). The call of prayer signifies that it is time to break the fast.

After breaking my fast with either dates or water, I then perform the Maghreb prayer before I proceed for my Iftar. I then rest for a while before I perform the Ishaa (night) prayer at 7:49pm.

The Ishaa (night) prayer is the last one to be performed among the five daily prayers.

During Ramadan, Muslims are also expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam by refraining from violence, anger, envy, greed, lust, angry/sarcastic retorts and gossip. We are required to get along with one another better than normal.

All obscene and irreligious stimuli are to be avoided as the purity of both thought and action is important.

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. One question that is raised the most is why the holy month starting date varies every year. An answer is provided in the Islamic calendar, which is lunar—meaning each month begins with the new astronomical moon.

As lunar months are shorter than solar, the Islamic calendar does not correspond with the Gregorian calendar followed in the West and means Ramadan occurs around 11 days earlier every year.

This year, Ramadan comes under different circumstances because of the Covid-19 pandemic, hence the guidelines put out for safety measures come in between the Islamic norms.

This includes limitation of social interactions that are common during Ramadan in mosques and at home during prayers.

In Islam, fasting is believed to be a shield. It protects one from evil, as while fasting, a Muslim is exempted from doing any forbidden act by the Islamic law.

Fasting during this month was made obligatory during the month of Shaban in the second year after the Muslims migrated from Makkah to Medina.

This is the month prior to the month of Ramadan according to the Islamic calendar.

Although fasting at Ramadan is obligatory, exceptions are made for persons in particular circumstances.

Fasting during Ramadan is not obligatory for several groups for whom it would be excessively problematic—among them the elderly and people with a medical condition.

Pre-pubescent children are not required to fast, though some choose to do so, and some small children fast for half a day to train themselves.

If puberty is delayed, fasting becomes obligatory for males and females after a certain age, usually at 14.

Diabetics and nursing or pregnant women are usually not expected to fast.

Observing the Ramadan fast is also forbidden for menstruating women.

Other individuals for whom it is usually considered acceptable not to fast are those in battle and travellers who either intend to spend fewer than five days away from home or travel more than 50 miles.

If a circumstance preventing fasting is temporary, a person is required to make up for the missed days after the month of Ramadan is over and before the next Ramadan arrives.

Should a circumstance be permanent or present an extended amount of time, one may recompense by feeding a needy person for every day missed.