In the UK, Muslims fast for long hours

Because the Islamic calendar is based on lunar system, months in the calendar have 29 or 30 days; which makes an Islamic year 354 or 355 days – ten or 11 days shorter than the solar calendar. The implication is that since the lunar year recedes 11 days each year, the month of Ramadan makes […]

Because the Islamic calendar is based on lunar system, months in the calendar have 29 or 30 days; which makes an Islamic year 354 or 355 days – ten or 11 days shorter than the solar calendar. The implication is that since the lunar year recedes 11 days each year, the month of Ramadan makes a complete cycle in 35 years; thus anyone who fasted 35 years or more, would have fasted in all solar seasons: summer, autumn, winter and spring. This explains why Muslims sometimes fast long or short hours; or in rainy or dry season.
This year’s Ramadan fast, which commenced on Wednesday, July 10th, will go down as the Ramadan with the longest fasting hours in the UK for more than 30 years, and many people, especially first timers and those from countries where fasting hours are relatively short are struggling to cope.
This year’s Ramadan time-table released by the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, shows that fasting commenced on the first night at 3:01 hours (3:01 am) and ended at 21:19 (9:19 pm), which makes fasting time a whopping 18 hours and 18 minutes. Today’s (Saturday) fast commenced at 3:16 and will end at 21:09, which is 17 hours and 53 minutes – seven minutes short of 18 hours. The average fasting time in Nigeria and many countries in Africa is 14 hours. If you take into account an average of one and a half hours for the taraweeh prayers, Muslims have just about two to three hours of rest at night before the next fast begins. In some mosques, the taraweeh is observed in two batches, with the last one beginning at 12:30 am. Those who opt for the second batch normally go for their Sahur immediately after and head back for Fajar prayers after the Sahur.
In view of this disparity in the number of hours of fasting between Africa and the UK, Weekly Trust sampled opinions of some Muslims in London and below are some excerpts.
Taofeek Mudasheer, a student who came to the UK from Nigeria last year, said the first two days were very challenging, especially as this was his first experience of fasting in the UK. According to him the most challenging part is the long hours one has to keep without food or drink, but stressed that he was gradually learning to cope with situation.
Another Nigerian student, who simply gave his name as Mustafa, said this is his third year in the UK. “I have some experience of fasting long hour here. So it is not too challenging and I am coming well”, he said, adding however that the current heat wave in London, which reportedly killed more than 650 people in the UK in the last few days, is making things a bit hard.
For Dian Bah, a casual worker from Guinea, it doesn’t make a difference whether one is fasting in Africa or Europe “because it is a religious injunction and we must strive to fulfil it wherever we may be”. Bah, who said he normally had his Sahur before midnight, added: “the period I keep without food or drink is about 21 hours and it doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is if I am off work or during weekends when I don’t go to work. The hours then feel very long and I feel bored”.
Bah’s colleague, Camara Wumbu, from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), said the long fasting hours make him weak, and the heat that has been on for the past few days make it more intense this year. “I eat normally but drink a lot of water. Coming from Africa, it is an experience to fast here in the UK. But the consoling thing is that time goes round and one day the short hour fasting will return”.
One Brother Mukhtar from Burkina Faso on his part argued that fasting is easier in Europe, especially in the UK than in Africa. He explained that clement weather in Europe and availability of food means that one may eat what one wants at both Sahur and Iftar, unlike in Africa where people struggle to make ends meet. “Food is not a problem here. If you are single or you don’t want to cook, you can go to any mosque during Iftar and eat whatever food you want. You may even take some home for Sahur. But in Africa, people find it difficult to feed. So in spite of the long hours here, people at home (Africa) feel the hardship of fasting more.
Fatima Malik from Ghana, who said she has been living in the UK for six years, said fasting in the UK or Africa is a none issue despite the disparity in hours. “What matters is for every Muslim to observe the ethics and etiquettes of fasting in accordance with divine injunction. Whether one fasts here or in Africa, the reward is the same, depending on one’s deeds”.
Fatima’s view were emphasised by Imam Khalifa Ezzat, Head of Religious Affairs of the Islamic Cultural Centre and the London Central Mosque, who stressed that whether Muslims fast short or long hours, they would received the same reward from Allah, depending on each one’s piety and good deeds. He told Daily Trust that though those who “run away” from long hours their fasting would not be affected, it was better that every Muslim stays and fasts where they normally live.
Many other respondents, who do not wish to be named, argued much or less like those above. But one female respondent claimed that a lot of Nigerians “have gone home to fast because of the long hours here”. A top official at the Nigeria High Commission who chose not to be named told Weekly Trust that fewer Nigerians, especially from the northern part of the country were visiting the UK since the beginning of Ramadan.
Weekly Trust correspondent who went round London reports that fewer Nigerians were seen in areas such as Oxford Street, Edgware Road, Cricklewood, Sussex Gardens with its plethora of hotels, as well as Metropole Hotels on Edgware Broadway and Paddington. The long hours of the Ramadan fast and perhaps the unusual heat wave this year may be responsible for these.