Fatima Allahnanan: 5 Things You Can Relate To If You’re Fasting This Ramadan

Ramadan is that time of the month, Muslims fast from sun up to sun down. On the 27^th day of Ramadan, the Quran – the sacred book of Islam – began to be revealed to the prophet, Muhammed. It is the month of spiritual cleansing. The lunar calendar is used – which is 354 days, making Ramadan the ninth month. Nothing is consumed, not even water. Sex and smoking is also forbidden. Normal day to day activities still go on. We believe that fasting purifies the body and strengthens faith.

There are some problems during Ramadan that most households don’t talk about, specifically:

The messy kitchen

Here we go again. You are done cooking, setting the table and waiting for Adhan (call to prayer), one thing you have to know is that evenings are mostly festive during Ramadan. You are making iftar (meal eaten after sunset) for more than 14 people but things have changed now due to COVID-19. You make all of these and when all is done and set, you are left with dirty dishes that can take you all day. Sometimes, you have no option but to go to bed with a sink full of dirty dishes.

Hack: Use disposable plates and cups during Ramadan. The dishes can be overwhelming and sap your energy to even do the taraweeh (prayer observed during the month of Ramadan, usually at night).

Timing

This is another major problem during Ramadan. Time can be as fast or as slow as whatever it decides to be. You check the time and see 2:00pm, you just adjust your position and tell yourself you have a few hours left. Before you say Aisha Buhari, you are still in the kitchen, trying to fry and serve. Time management has always been a problem and only few people get it right.

Hack: You are probably poor with time management because you don’t want some meals to go cold. Why not make your Kunu earlier and put in airtight flask, some dishes can be microwaved. Fried dishes can be last because they are best eaten hot.

Table now and then

The first week of Ramadan, you get to see full tables. After that, tables hardly look like that again. This is mainly because when you are fasting, before breaking your fast, you are thinking of various dishes. You are thinking of making a new recipe out of yam, the left-over soup in the fridge is now calling your name, you are also torn between a bowl of fruit and a glass of smoothie. You think you can eat everything you think of but immediately after that Adhan, just that stick of meat you eat is enough.

Hack: It’s good to have a timetable before Ramadan. Having a timetable makes meal planning easier and reduces food wastage, especially the first week of Ramadan because you can’t consume all the dishes.

Missing Sahoor

This is the meal you eat before sunrise. It is beneficial to wake up for sahoor. You eat what you feel would be able to take you through iftar. Some household have the habit of cooking fresh meals. The problem is, you might wake up late and end up not doing sahoor.

Hack: As earlier stated. Iftar timetable is advisable, sahoor timetable should also be a thing. You can prepare sahoor meals before or while preparing Iftar and put in the fridge. You wake up and just warm it in less than 10 minutes.

Portion Control

Poor eating habits are instigated during Ramadan. Some break their fast with very cold water, which is terribly wrong, unless you cannot afford fruits. Eating non-stop makes you heavy and might make you shorten your prayer session. Iftar is not the time to eat all meals in the world. Control your portions.

Hacks: Start with dates or fruits. I recommend ‘watermelon’ because of its nutrients. The water content is also a plus. Eating fruits in between meals makes you eat healthy.

What are some other Ramadan problems you know about? Share your problems and maybe hacks