By Mahmood Asim, TwoCircles.net,
Ramadan brings about many changes at the personal front. Day-long fasts have impact on students as well as worker. How do then Muslims adjust to Ramadan while still going about their lives.
Ramadan brings the change in the timing of eating and drinking and even determines the time to sleep and awake. Muslims get up early in the morning to have sahri (pre-dawn meal). “But this not a big change,” says Sajid Iqbal, an aspirant to Indian Administrative Services (IAS) adding “I skip taraweeh but pray five-times strictly during Ramadan.I avoid unnecessary activities during fasting and it helps me to increase my dedication towards my aim.”
Shahnaz Parveen who teaches at Delhi University says Ramadan improves time-management skills. Citing her own example of punctuality in Ramadan she says that “I become more punctual and follow the timing strictly in Ramadan and even I got praise from my principal for that.” Shahnaz informs excitedly.
Ramadan brings the change in hours of running business. Does it cause any loss to the business? “Though business hours have been reduced during Ramadan but we enjoy good business and better profit, ” informs Abdul Qayoom who runs his business in Central Mumbai. “We including our staff, relax more than other months in Ramadan, nobody miss prayer and hence feel more relaxed and fresh in this month,” adds Mr. Abdul.
But not everyone has the flexibility to change their working hours. Muslims working in big companies have to work with company schedule. “I do night shift and hence have to skip taraweeh. Even I eat sahri here in my office,” Saleem Ansari who works in a company in Mysore tells TwoCircles.net. But quickly adds that “you have to face some problems everywhere, if you have determination nothing could stop you doing anything.”
But not just the daily schedule, Ramadan brings the change in the moral life of those who observe fasts and changes their behavior. “When we control our desire it boosts us morally. We curb our anger when we stuck in the traffic for example keeping the respect of Ramadan in our mind,” says Prof. Ayub Tajuddin of Jamia Millia Islamia. “When we analyse social aspect of Ramadan we find that it helps us to become good citizen of the country,” Prof Ayub clarifies.
“Ramadan begins with special mercy from Allah. We witness coolness of weather since its beginning, we pray more and become more active,” says Seema shoukat, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University. “I live in hostel and not so much bother to cook, I spent whole night awoke reading or involved in any other activity,” says Seema. “I compensate sleeping hours in the night and study more.”
Arshi Shaik who is a housewife and lives in Azamgarh tells TCN that “we cook extra items like pakodi and chana etc. and there are many extra chores to do in Ramadan. We change our hours of sleep and awake”. Informs Arshi. “We concentrate on prayer more in this month than others. I complete Quran once at least in Ramadan which is not possible in other months.”
Consumption of food is a major issue in this month and some people struggle with it. “Instead of losing my weight I gain some extra weight during Ramadan when I observe the fast, ” says Abdur Rahman, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Waseem Ahmad, a research scholar who is always concerned about his weight says that “Ramadan has many benefits medically. It helps me lose fat that is why we see many Non-Muslims who observe the fast for the same purpose.”
But Muslims who are involved in physical labor thinks differently, “it is too difficult to pull the rickshaw when you feel hungry but I do observe the fast, though many people in my locality do not fast,” informs Qasim Ali of 42 who hails from West Bengal and lives in Okhla area of New Delhi.
Link:
Ramadan 1435: TCN series