Tuesday 9 July 2013

It's the first of Ramadaan!

Hi peeps! Today is the first day of the Islamic month of Ramadaan and the beginning of a month of fasting for Muslims around the world. Islam follows a lunar calendar, so the month begins with the sighting of the new moon (hence the image!). I come across many people who don't know much about this, so I thought I'd share a very brief explanation (I'm a Muslim, by the way ;).
During this month Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset - that means no food, drinking or smoking of any kind for that period. People are often a bit shocked and think that sounds quite hectic, but it isn't as tough as you might think. We have a meal before sunrise (basically like an early breakfast) and then break our fast at sunset, like dinner, so we're kinda just leaving out lunch and tea/coffee breaks in terms of food.
It isn't just about the fasting though, it's a very holy month and spiritual time in which we try to increase prayer, minimise sinning and focus on trying to improve ourselves spiritually. I always look forward to it, you get such a great feeling during this month and feel so much more focussed on what's important.
For me it also means no coffee-shop office spaces for a month, haha! But I'll also probably be more productive :)
If you have any questions, please feel free to comment or drop me a mail.

In other news I'm hoping to release some new products very soon... If you have a wedding on the horizon, watch this space! :)

9 comments :

  1. Hey Fathima. I'm one of those people who don't know much about this, lol. Are you not allowed to drink ANYTHING during the day then? Not even water?

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  2. Thanks for your comment, Carmia!
    Nope, nothing at all, not a single drop of water :)
    In most of our normal, privileged lives we'd never normally experience something like that... really helps one empathise with those who are less fortunate. Also everytime you feel hungry or thirsty it's kind of a reminder of why you're doing it, so increases mindfulness.

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  3. I love the idea behind this! But I think if I did it I would have to adapt it to include the option to drink water. This was really informative (I too am... was!.. one of the ignorant!).

    I love the image you put up there, did you make it?

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  4. Thanks, Sam! So glad to be able to shed some light on this :)
    And yup, I did make the image, thank you!

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  5. Thanks for the super interesting post. I never really knew much about Ramadaan and it's always a good thing to be able to understand others better. Also, your image is gorgeous!

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  6. Thanks for the informative post. This morning I texted a staff member to ask if she was off for Ramadaan. Would've been a long few days off!
    Blessed month of Ramadaan to you!

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  7. Haha! True! She'll probably be off at the end of Ramadaan for Eid (1 day only! ;)
    Thanks, Tanya! And so glad you found it informative!

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  8. Thanks Monique! I agree it's always a good thing. Knowledge is power and it helps us all get along by understanding each other :) Thanks for your comment!

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