Ramadan begins next week – Ramadan Mubārak!

Dr Norasieh Md Amin (for Unitec Muslims’ Club) shares some tips and ideas for Ramadan

Ramadan in Aotearoa will start early April (either 3^rd or 4^th). I’m hoping that this year’s Ramadan will be better than the last couple of years. I am truly hoping for more “normality” with communal Iftar (the meal at sunset), to congregational Tarāwīkh (night prayer only performed during Ramadan), to charities, to learning, reading, and understanding the Qurān (Muslims’ sacred book), and to the commemorating the Nights of al-Qadr (the Night on which God revealed the Holy Qurān to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him صلى الله عليه وسلم).

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. You will see different spellings based on the countries of the writer, alternate spellings include Ramadhan, Ramazan and Ramzan. The word Ramadan means “the hot month” (from the Arabic word meaning “intense heat”), but the month does not always fall in summer, it bounces around because the Islamic calendar is lunar. The Lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, and the Māori calendar follows this too.

I am going to share some tips on the Do’s and Don’t’s, which I reckon could make you look cool with your friends, colleagues, and learners during this fasting month 😊

Do wish “Ramadan Mubārak” or “Ramadan Kareem”
I would certainly appreciate it if my non-Muslim friends and colleagues wish me, even if you forgot how to say “Mubārak or Kareem”, you can always say “Happy Ramadan”, although the former would be cooler.

Don’t out your learner in front of the class
A lot of Muslim learners especially teenagers will not feel comfortable if you announce to the whole class that they are fasting or ask them to talk about their Ramadan fast. It is more of a personal journey to most, but a general wish, for example: “To all of you who are observing Ramadan this year we wish you Ramadan Kareem”. That will certainly put a smile of their faces.

Do eat and drink as normal in front of us
Feel free to drink your coffee/tea or water during online meetings. It is not going to hurt my feelings unless you go overboard telling how nice your mochaccino tastes or how refreshing your orange juice is.

Don’t organize work lunch
Well, if you must organize it just don’t feel bad if your fasting Muslim friend seats at the corner like a vegan in an all-meat barbeque party. Let them know when precisely the food will come or when you start feast so they can politely excuse themselves.  Pack a cookie for them so they can eat it during Iftar.  Otherwise, you can push the lunch to a work dinner party instead. Easy!

Do remind them they are doing this for a good cause
Sometimes Muslims tend to forget why we are fasting in Ramadan. Kids at school or even us adults at work. When work gets stressful and you are caffeine-deprived, a good word of wisdom from your close friend would certainly go a long way. As well, not all Muslims fast.  People who are exempted from fasting include the elders, people who are sick, women who are menstruating, pregnant, or breastfeeding and travellers. To some, this year’s Ramadan may be their first, so be kind.

Don’t say “I should fast too, I need to lose weight!”
Ramadan is a spiritual practice where Muslims will refuel their soul, reflect on their connection with God and mankind, stop relying on food/drink and self-fulfilment, re-examine their everyday life, spend time alone in introspection but to be present for one another, responsible and care for the needy and refocus on what is important in life. It is not all about food and losing weight.

Observing Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam along with the testimony of faith (sahadah), five daily prayers, charitable giving and performing pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca. For these 29 or 30 days of Ramadan, I am joining my Muslim brothers and sisters in Aotearoa and around the world to abstain myself from consuming any food, drinking any liquids, smoking cigarettes or vape, and engaging in any sexual activity, from dawn to sunset. It is business as usual for us, just mind the halitosis and our growling stomachs.

(Ideas adapted from Otago Polytechnic internal newsletter, April 2022 by Dr Suhaimi Abd Latif)