Thursday 23 April marked the start of Ramadan for our Muslim colleagues and patients, with the first fast taking place on Friday 24 April. Mark, Senior Communications Officer in our Communications team, shares what this important time means for Muslims: 

“The holy month of Ramadan is a huge event in the Islamic calendar. Muslims all over the world will fast for around 30 days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next. Fasting during Ramadan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

“It’s the month in which Allah (the Arabic word for God) contacted the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him), to give him the verses of the holy book, or Quran. Islam is part of the same Abrahamic religious family as Christianity and Judaism.

“My story is different to many Muslims in that I converted to Islam on 5 March 2017. Muslims call this reverting as we believe everyone is born a Muslim. As an atheist before then, you can imagine I’ve been on quite a journey. My reversion allowed me to marry my beautiful Muslim wife, Samina.

“Like Easter, Ramadan is not a fixed date due to the lunar calendar. It moves forward around ten days each year. My first Ramadan three years ago was a challenging one took place in a June heatwave. It tested my resolve but the enjoyment of fulfilling it was worth every moment of hunger.

“During the daylight hours of Ramadan, Muslims are not permitted to consume food or water while fasting. As the month progresses, the daylight hours get longer and therefore the duration of our fast. To give you an example: on the last fasting day, that will mean from around 3.30am to 8.45pm I will not eat or drink. This is around 90 minutes longer than the first day of fasting.

“In Islam, the spiritual reward (thawab) of fasting is multiplied during Ramadan. Muslims refrain not only from food and drink in daylight hours, but also smoking, sexual relations, swearing, or general bad behaviour.

“Ramadan is a chance for Muslims to reflect, become closer to God, and to think of those less fortunate than themselves. We are lucky to live in a country where, lockdown or not, food is generally available and our standard of living high. It’s easy for me to fast for a month when due to poverty I know at least billion or more people on this planet live on one small meal a day for 365 days a year.

“Exemptions to taking part in Ramadan include long travel, menstruation, severe illness, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. This year, Muslim staff who are at risk of dehydration and making clinical errors, due to wearing PPE and long shifts, are also exempt.

“Covid-19 has also meant there will be no congregational “Taraveeh” prayers during Ramadan – all Mosques are closed and have been since mid-March.

“Tradition is to break the daily fast (iftar) with dates or a sweet treat. You might presume I’ll have a huge evening meal to make up for the lack of food during the day. However, it’s no bigger than normal; the stomach and mind adjust accordingly. I’ll then sleep for a few hours before eating again early in the morning (suhur), which needs to last the whole day.

“When Ramadan ends, Muslims celebrate for three days. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Shawwal, the next lunar month. It usually consists of a huge feast.

“Giving to charity is integral in Ramadan. Like a lot of Muslims I donate a proportion of my monthly wages to good causes. Giving during Ramadan is considered extremely rewarding.

“I wish everyone taking part a happy and peaceful Ramadan in 2020 and beyond.”