During the month of Ramadan, Muslims won’t eat or drink from dawn to dusk. This is called fasting. We are required to start fasting when we reach adolescence. For females, this is when they begin their periods (although we don’t fast whilst on our periods) and for males it is slightly more ambiguous but they should begin to fast when they are able to – so usually between the ages of 12-14.
Ramadan remembers the month the Qur’an (the Muslim holy book) was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago. The actual night that the Qur’an was revealed is a night known as Lailut ul-Qadr (‘The Night of Power’).
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. It encompasses so much more than just not eating and drinking. It’s a month that Muslims look forward to because it gives us a chance to increase our faith and get more in touch with our religion. The annual observance of Ramadan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts twenty-nine to thirty days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next.
I think one of the struggles we face is a lack of awareness of what Ramadan is and what we do during this month (and I feel other Muslim students would agree). A lot of the time people don’t realise we’re even fasting and even then, they think we can drink water which is always an interesting conversation.
Some of the ways in which we could be supported more throughout Ramadan is understanding that we may need to be excused from class for 10 minutes or so to pray. Even introducing more rooms to be able to pray would help because at my university the prayer area is on the other side of campus for me and just to get there would take 10/15 minutes. It would also be great if lecturers understood that we may need to break fast at times which overlap with classes.
One situation which I faced personally was last year during Ramadan when I was in a lab session and our group was very close to being finished with our project (literally like 1 hour). My lecturer had said we could finish the next session but it was potentially Eid on that day so I asked if it was possible that we could come in at an earlier date to which I was told “this is your coursework”. I was a bit stunned to hear that but eventually he said that if the lab tech agreed then we could and thankfully the lab tech was happy enough to do so.
I really don’t mind if people eat or drink in front of me when I am fasting and I think it’s the same for most Muslims – we would just appreciate some understanding that we can be tired and perhaps not entirely our usual selves at times (especially towards the end of a long day).
I also hope that people understand that even though it is difficult to fast, we do really enjoy Ramadan and it gives us a chance to become better Muslims and people.
Learn more
- PDA BAME Network produces factsheet to mark Ramadan | The Pharmacists’ Defence Association
- Supporting colleagues taking part in Ramadan | The Pharmacists’ Defence Association
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