Ramadan starts tonight

[Fedupfatandfrumpy]

Ramadan starts today and I often get lots of questions about it at work from colleague so thought I'd open up an AMA

I hope this is ok to ask - do you look forward to Ramadan or do you dread it due to the difficulty of fasting?

Do you break fast at a set time or wait until you can't tell a white thread from a black thread?

Ramadan Mubarak !

Following with interest!

What is your favourite time of year for Ramadan to take place?

What is your favourite thing about Ramadan?

Does fasting make you feel better in general? When you eat do you eat loads to make up for fasting?

Sorry cheeky two questions

I'm 47 and have just realised what breakfast means, I've never even thought about the word before. I amaze myself sometimes and not in the good way.

@userxx there was a thread recently calledsomething like 'what've you only just realised?' and a few people said that. 😁

I look forward to the month as it's a month where the family is guaranteed to eat together each day. The fasting can be tough initially but you soon get used to it. A lot of my non-Muslim friends do the 16:8 fast diet as it's said to help with weight loss, lowering cholesterol and other things too! In some ways it's similar. I use the month to reflect spiritually, take stock of where I'm at and where i want to be. I also find that as during the month of Ramadan I make an active choice not to spend as much time on social media, tv etc I am more productive in other aspects of my life.

The time for breaking fast changes by a minute or two each day. In the ancient times, you would look outside to see the times and you would stop eating when the sun began to rise; you'd start to eat when the sunset. These days we have a calendar that tells you the sunrise and sunset times which makes it a lot easier!

Ramadan Mubarak to you too!

I don't have a favourite time of year for Ramadan to take place! As much as I love Ramadan, I also love the school holidays as I get to spend them with my children usually doing activities or travelling. I don't like to go on holiday during the month of Ramadan so when the school holidays and Ramadan clash, it is unfortunate! However, it doesn't make me dislike Ramadan. I just accept it and know that next year it will be different as the dates will move by approximately 2 weeks. ☺️

In terms of eating... generally I tend to eat a normal meal but some days I do end up eating much more than I ordinarily would! This is usually a result of my eyes being bigger than my stomach and me cooking different things for different people in our household OR being sent food by family and friends in addition to whatever I've cooked. It's quite common practice for neighbours, family and friends to drop off food to others during the month of Ramadan. Islamically sharing food (and other provisions) is seen as a blessing and something that is rewarded. Muslims also believe your rewards for any good deeds you do during Ramadan are multiplied so you may notice that a lot of charity work also happens in the Muslim community during Ramadan.

Sorry! I mixed up @Diorinthecountry's second question with yours although it does somewhat tie in.

One of my favourite things about Ramadan is the way in which the majority of the community actively try to be better people in Ramadan than they are the rest of the year. They will make up with family they have fallen out with, ask each other for forgiveness, feed the poor, visit the sick, give to charity etc. I do wish this was something people made an extra effort to do all year round but seeing the noticeable increase in the efforts across communities during Ramadan always puts a smile on my face.

Are there any rules around socialising at this time? Just interested in anything that goes on alongside fasting.

Fasting does make me feel better in general. I actually find that after the first few days I stop getting hungry. Sometimes I really miss my caffeine and could do with a cup of coffee to get me through the afternoon but generally I feel better overall. I tend to lose weight during Ramadan too as I carry a little excess 🤭

I never intend to overcompensate for the fasting but sometimes it's easy to do. Friends, family etc send food to each other during Ramadan so often we end up with extra food and eat a little more than usual. Also, if my husband is craving something in particular I will cook what he wants as well as what I fancy. I find that my overall portions are smaller in Ramadan as my appetite shrinks with fasting.

Lots of my students will be fasting, I'll see some of them tomorrow - do I greet them with Ramadan Mubarak? Should I try to keep my classroom cooler?

There are no specific rules around socialising. However, there view that fasting shouldn't just be a case of not eating. It's about self control and abstaining from sin and temptation. So for example you're not allowed to have sex with your spouse whilst fasting as that is giving in to temptation. Similarly, music, dancing, tv etc is also forbidden in Islam, however more liberal or less-practicing Muslims simply abstain from doing these things during the month of Ramadan and then continue living life as they were prior to Ramadan. Some people continue going to the cinema, watching tv etc. Some people don't even own a TV and have never been to the cinema! I suppose with all religions, your relationship with god and your faith is personal to you so people will always follow it to different extents. I meet up with my friends to break fast together at least once in the month. It's become an annual tradition. We all live in different cities so it can be difficult to organise but we always make it happen! I have previously attended a colleagues wedding in Ramadan a few years ago. I attended the service but didn't stay for the dinner and dance due to Ramadan.

Hello!

Yes! Ramadan Mubarak is a common greeting to welcome the month of Ramadan. It translates to Happy Ramadan :D I am sure they will appreciate the effort. On warmer days, I would definitely recommend keeping your classroom cooler but if it's not particularly warm then I wouldn't worry about it.

Do you eat special food or just your normal meals at different times?
What age do children start fasting from?
Are their allowances made for special issues like being pregnant, an illness like diabetes or a person with special needs?

Sorry that's a lot of questions!

Thank you OP

Generally, we tend to eat normal food but sometimes you crave things that you wouldn't normally cook so it can feel like a treat! Equally a lot of people make starters such as samosas and other fried/baked delicacies or they will make dessert in Ramadan because they are craving something sweet but wouldn't normally have a dessert midweek. It's down to your own preference. Food wastage is a sin and so is gluttony so having huge feasts isn't encouraged but as families often get together, share food with each other etc it can sometimes become that way even though it was never intended.

It is tradition to break your fast with a date and a glass of water before your main meal.

Children are not obligated to fast until they reach puberty. For a girl, this is when she starts her period as long as she is over 9 years old. For a boy, it is when he has had a wet dream provided he is over 12 years of age. There are lots of exclusions to the fasting requirements. For some of the exemption categories, you are required to make up the fasts at a later date of your choice but for others you are not expected to fast at all and can feed a poor person instead of fasting. Some of the excluded groups include, women on their period, pregnant or breastfeeding women, the old, the sick, the mentally impaired and those who are travelling on a long journey.

@Cuwins Hope that helps explain but please feel free to ask anymore questions you have!

@Cuwins A lot of people let their children do 'multiple fasts' because they want to be involved in Ramadan but it's not necessary or healthy for children to be fasting when they don't need to be. I remember we used to tell our eldest that he was getting so many extra rewards as we were only keeping one fast a day but he was keeping 3! Breakfast to Lunch, lunch to dinner and dinner to Breakfast

Thank you that's interesting

Thank you for this thread, it’s good to learn more about it. My teen DD has many Muslim friends and says all they’ll now talk about at school is food!

How do you manage without drinking during the fast? (I mean water!) Are you allowed any if you feel faint?

You're most welcome. If you feel faint, you would
be allowed to eat and drink enough to make you feel ok but then shouldn't eat until the ordinary time to break fast. You'd then have to make up that fast at a different time. It's not very common to feel faint when fasting unless there is an underlying health issue so of course you should always make sure you get that checked too!

I don't struggle with not being able to drink water. I do sometimes struggle without caffeine if I've had a late night or I am particularly tired. If I know it's going to be a hot day whilst fasting, I'll be sensible and stay in the shade, wear cooler clothing than usual and do anything I can to avoid heat exhaustion. I have some crazy friends who do starved cardio an hour before they are due to break fast. I could never do that!