Ramadan can present extra challenges for the TU%s Muslim students. Three Muslim students who are fasting from sunrise to sunset talk about the difficulties of combining Ramadan and university life.
What%s the meaning of Ramadan, and does fasting cause bad breath?
For Mohamed Shatou, 23, a fourth-year civil engineering student from Palestine, Ramadan is the month when the Koran has descended to Earth. ”I see Ramadan as a month of praying and as a month when I’m trying to be at my best spiritually,” he says. The Fast of Ramadan, observed in this the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, is considered a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives.
Monika Indriasari is working on her final project for an MSc degree in urbanism at the Faculty of Architecture. She sees Ramadan as a month of being rewarded for your good deeds. ”People fast and fulfill their obligations towards God, hoping that they get rewarded for fasting,” she says. ”Ramadan is also a month of freedom and peace, not of war!” Fasting is the third ‘pillar’ or religious obligation of Islam and is said to have many special benefits. Among these is the importance of learning self-control. Because one is less preoccupied with satisfying bodily appetites during daylight hours of fasting, ascendancy is given to one’s spiritual nature and this becomes a means of coming closer to God.
For Al Baghdadi, a Syrian MSc student studying architecture, Ramadan’s also a joyous social event, when people come together to eat and drink. ”Can you imagine that whole cities and countries sit to eat at the same time during Ramadan!” Al Baghdadi exclaims. Indeed, when the sun sets, Muslims come together to eat small meals and visit with friends and family. Ramadan is a time of worship and contemplation, but it’s also an important time for strengthening family and community ties.
Neither Al Baghadi, Indriasari or Shatou experience great difficulty fasting, nor do they think it extreme to abstain from all food and drink for a month between sunrise and sunset. ”It’s no big deal,” Shatou says, ”because if you think about it, many students don’t eat during the day anyway, preferring to just drink coffee instead.”
The students agree that fasting is simply a matter of discipline and of getting used to eating at different times than the rest of the TU’s students. And as for any unpleasant side-effects of fasting, such as bad breath, they’re not bothered by it. Al Baghdadi said that eating in the morning before sunrise prevents bad breath, while Shatou says that brushing his teeth in the morning keeps his breath fresh.
Not all Moslems fast during Ramadan, and the students admit that to fast or not to fast is a personal matter for each individual. ”In the Netherlands you can’t control people and tell them not to eat,” Indriasari says. ”But in my country, Indonesia, you can do that.” According to Allah, as decreed in the Koran, Surah Al-Baqara, the only Muslims who officially do not have to fast during Ramadan are the insane, children who are not adolescent yet, the elderly and chronically ill, pregnant and nursing women, and travelers.
Each student has different ways of dealing with temptation, of resisting the appetizing sight of food in the TU cafeteria. Al Baghadi and Indriasari say they%re used to fasting and as long as their belief in fasting remains strong, they experience no difficulties. Shatou however simply avoids going to the places where food is served.
Good deeds
A natural consequence of not eating is that at the end of the day fasting students do not feel very energetic. Yet, none of these students believe that fasting TU Muslims should be given special treatment or be excused from exams, although that is the case in many Muslim countries, where the school days are shortened to make it easier for fasting student and where students are usually given the first four days of Ramadan off.
”I feel a lack of energy only for the first few days of Ramadan,” Al Baghdadi says, ”but gradually my days become like the other days of the year.” Indriasari says that perhaps because of the holiness of the month, she actually feels that she has even more energy during Ramadan. For Shatou, the most difficult part of Ramadan is not drinking during the day. ”I grew up in Africa and not drinking when it’s 35ºC is a lot worse than not eating,” he says.
Indriasari says that being a Muslim in the Netherlands is challenging, ”because you must make people aware of your needs as a Moslem.” And for this reason, she says, it’s often necessary to explain to Dutch people why she fasts and how she does it. Indriasari: ”I’ve never had a problem with anybody because I needed to have space to be able to practice my religion. I think Dutch people are understanding.”
For Shatou, fasting one month a year reminds him of what hunger feels like, and this reminds him not to forget to give to the needy, for whom hunger is an everyday reality. ”But the main reason for fasting is for God,” he says. ”We pray that we may be rewarded someday.” Indeed, while Ramadan is often associated with refraining from food and drink, it is after all a spiritual ritual, a time for worshipping intensively, purifying one’s behavior and doing good deeds. As the Prophet of Allah reportedly said, ”If one does notabandon falsehood in words and deeds, Allah has no need for his abandoning of his food and drink. ”Let the fast begin: According to the Holy Koran, one may eat and drink at any time during the night %%until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night.”
Ramadan can present extra challenges for the TU%s Muslim students. Three Muslim students who are fasting from sunrise to sunset talk about the difficulties of combining Ramadan and university life. What%s the meaning of Ramadan, and does fasting cause bad breath?
For Mohamed Shatou, 23, a fourth-year civil engineering student from Palestine, Ramadan is the month when the Koran has descended to Earth. ”I see Ramadan as a month of praying and as a month when I’m trying to be at my best spiritually,” he says. The Fast of Ramadan, observed in this the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, is considered a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives.
Monika Indriasari is working on her final project for an MSc degree in urbanism at the Faculty of Architecture. She sees Ramadan as a month of being rewarded for your good deeds. ”People fast and fulfill their obligations towards God, hoping that they get rewarded for fasting,” she says. ”Ramadan is also a month of freedom and peace, not of war!” Fasting is the third ‘pillar’ or religious obligation of Islam and is said to have many special benefits. Among these is the importance of learning self-control. Because one is less preoccupied with satisfying bodily appetites during daylight hours of fasting, ascendancy is given to one’s spiritual nature and this becomes a means of coming closer to God.
For Al Baghdadi, a Syrian MSc student studying architecture, Ramadan’s also a joyous social event, when people come together to eat and drink. ”Can you imagine that whole cities and countries sit to eat at the same time during Ramadan!” Al Baghdadi exclaims. Indeed, when the sun sets, Muslims come together to eat small meals and visit with friends and family. Ramadan is a time of worship and contemplation, but it’s also an important time for strengthening family and community ties.
Neither Al Baghadi, Indriasari or Shatou experience great difficulty fasting, nor do they think it extreme to abstain from all food and drink for a month between sunrise and sunset. ”It’s no big deal,” Shatou says, ”because if you think about it, many students don’t eat during the day anyway, preferring to just drink coffee instead.”
The students agree that fasting is simply a matter of discipline and of getting used to eating at different times than the rest of the TU’s students. And as for any unpleasant side-effects of fasting, such as bad breath, they’re not bothered by it. Al Baghdadi said that eating in the morning before sunrise prevents bad breath, while Shatou says that brushing his teeth in the morning keeps his breath fresh.
Not all Moslems fast during Ramadan, and the students admit that to fast or not to fast is a personal matter for each individual. ”In the Netherlands you can’t control people and tell them not to eat,” Indriasari says. ”But in my country, Indonesia, you can do that.” According to Allah, as decreed in the Koran, Surah Al-Baqara, the only Muslims who officially do not have to fast during Ramadan are the insane, children who are not adolescent yet, the elderly and chronically ill, pregnant and nursing women, and travelers.
Each student has different ways of dealing with temptation, of resisting the appetizing sight of food in the TU cafeteria. Al Baghadi and Indriasari say they%re used to fasting and as long as their belief in fasting remains strong, they experience no difficulties. Shatou however simply avoids going to the places where food is served.
Good deeds
A natural consequence of not eating is that at the end of the day fasting students do not feel very energetic. Yet, none of these students believe that fasting TU Muslims should be given special treatment or be excused from exams, although that is the case in many Muslim countries, where the school days are shortened to make it easier for fasting student and where students are usually given the first four days of Ramadan off.
”I feel a lack of energy only for the first few days of Ramadan,” Al Baghdadi says, ”but gradually my days become like the other days of the year.” Indriasari says that perhaps because of the holiness of the month, she actually feels that she has even more energy during Ramadan. For Shatou, the most difficult part of Ramadan is not drinking during the day. ”I grew up in Africa and not drinking when it’s 35ºC is a lot worse than not eating,” he says.
Indriasari says that being a Muslim in the Netherlands is challenging, ”because you must make people aware of your needs as a Moslem.” And for this reason, she says, it’s often necessary to explain to Dutch people why she fasts and how she does it. Indriasari: ”I’ve never had a problem with anybody because I needed to have space to be able to practice my religion. I think Dutch people are understanding.”
For Shatou, fasting one month a year reminds him of what hunger feels like, and this reminds him not to forget to give to the needy, for whom hunger is an everyday reality. ”But the main reason for fasting is for God,” he says. ”We pray that we may be rewarded someday.” Indeed, while Ramadan is often associated with refraining from food and drink, it is after all a spiritual ritual, a time for worshipping intensively, purifying one’s behavior and doing good deeds. As the Prophet of Allah reportedly said, ”If one does notabandon falsehood in words and deeds, Allah has no need for his abandoning of his food and drink. ”Let the fast begin: According to the Holy Koran, one may eat and drink at any time during the night %%until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night.”
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