By Dr Benish Chaudhry
Dr Benish Chaudhry is a Wyndham resident, member of Point Cook Action Group and the founder of the Point Cook Library of Things (PCLoT). She is an advocate for better opportunities for the community, especially for migrant women.
Ramadan is almost here and many of you would have observed ‘Ramadan Kareem’ signs up at the grocery stores and the fridges being stocked with dates.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar, and it is the month of detox for Muslims.
Muslims anxiously await Ramadan, because it gives us the opportunity to refresh our faith.
During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset.
We usually start our day early in the morning and have our meal before Fajr (morning prayer) and stay hungry the rest of the day until we break our fast at Maghrib (sunset).
As it may sound, it is not very easy to fast especially when you are living in a multicultural country like Australia.
The smell of coffee when you walk past a café can trigger a migraine for a coffee lover.
Similarly, it is not easy to be around a restaurant at lunch hour.
The drive back home around 4 to 5pm, when our sugar levels are crashing, is daunting.
There is an extra struggle for the Muslim smokers who have to get through the day without smoking, but we somehow make it through.
The first three days of Ramadan are the toughest, especially when they fall at the start of a week, because we must wake up earlier than usual, fight our digestive system and our
body clocks to stuff up a meal at around 4 to 5am.
If we take a short nap before going to work, it is usually followed by a series of sour burps that make us feel worse.
We have to sit by ourselves through lunch at work, or watch and hear our colleagues devouring their meals.
Some Muslims don’t pray regularly and during Ramadan, they make extra effort to pray.
They use up their time during lunch to offer the midday (Zuhur) prayer.
There is a special prayer in Ramadan called Taraweeh, which is clubbed with Isha prayer (last prayer of the day) and is usually very long.
If Ramadan falls during summer, our fasts are longer than usual, and we get shorter sleep.
Scientifically, it has been proven that fasting for a month every year can be very beneficial.
Nobel Prize winner Yoshinori Ohsumi’s work on autophagy talks about the benefits of fasting.
When we starve, our cells break down proteins and other cell components and use them for energy.
These cells destroy viruses and bacteria and get rid of damaged structures.
Fasting triggers autophagy and as a result, it improves blood sugar, inflammation, improved brain function and weight loss.
Autophagy is important for cell renewal, repair and survival and that’s why there is an association of fasting with longevity.
While we do starve the whole day during Ramadan, we usually leave no stones unturned to overeat when we break our fast.
Ramadan comes with its own special menu.
We usually break our fast with dates.
We love fried savoury food, snacks and thirst-quenching drinks for Ramadan.
We may feel like we have had a lot but it’s never enough.
There are some exceptions where there is relief from fasting.
A sick person doesn’t have to fast and a traveller doesn’t have to fast.
Similarly, a feeding mother is not bound to fast.
While fasting is a pillar of Islam, if you are not well, you are not bound to fast.
You can give charity in return and make up your fasts later.
The reason we look forward to Ramadan is because of the opportunity to refresh our faith.
Muslims unite in following the same routine and refrain from eating and drinking.
Your fast is not valid if you don’t pray, so it is an opportunity to get into the habit of praying.
In Ramadan, the reward for every good deed is multiplied by 70, so we all attempt to be at our best behaviour.
You are not meant to lie, backbite or ill-treat anyone.
We all get into the race to finish the recitation of the Holy Quran.
By small and big habitual change, we try to become a good person, Muslim and citizen.
The fast is a reminder for us of those who are struggling to fill their stomachs.
It increases us in gratitude, and we increase our charities and share our meal with others.
The last ten days of Ramadan are the most sacred for us.
It is the hunt for Laylatul Qadr or ‘The Night of Decree’.
It is a special night from one of the last ten days of Ramadan, where the reward is multiplied by 1000.
It is like you have prayed for more than 83 years of your life.
Muslims extend their prayers during these nights.
We reduce our sleeping hours and try to stay up in the hope to catch that night.
We don’t know if we have, but we all yearn for it all our life.
Muslims make up 3.2 per cent of the Australian population.
You may see a lot of people rushing to the mosques to pray early in the morning and late at night.
You may have heard of “Jihaad”, which literally means “struggle” – that’s exactly what we are doing.
We are struggling to be better Muslims by starving all day, praying more and staying up late, all with the usual work routine, school runs and the normal battles of life.
Our normal life doesn’t change, but our Ramadan life runs parallel, and we try our best to make justice to both.
If you happen to be an employer of a Muslim, be kind this Ramadan and check if they are doing okay or ask them if they need a break to pray.
See if there is an opportunity for flexible working hours so they can get home in time.
If you see a Muslim rushing at the checkout, let him get through that aisle so he can get home in time to break his fast.
If you see a brother angry, either he missed his suhoor (morning meal) because he slept in or maybe he is craving for a smoke.
We are all at our reserve battery at the end of the day.
So be kind, smile at us and say “Ramadan Kareem, mate”.
