Ramadan promotes physical and spiritual healing

Abu Dhabi: Australian Abdul Rafiu is a Maths teacher at a public school in the capital. While his day-job teaching Grade 7 students helps him connect with the young ones, Ramadan provides him with an exceptional opportunity to spend much-needed quality time with his family.

“Every day is like a mini-celebration at iftar,” the 34-year-old father of two said.

The Australian expat finds solace in performing Taraweeh prayers (performed after isha’a) at the mosque, reading the Quran and enjoying his time at home. Even though fasting hours in Australia are typically shorter, Abdul Rafiu believes that Ramadan in the UAE is relatively easier.

“In Australia, it was more challenging to fast because the working hours do not change and people are still eating in restaurants, at work and in the streets. When fasting in Australia, every day is a reminder that you are fasting whereas in the UAE, it goes by smoothly,” he said.

“In the UAE, the collaborative nature of the month where the majority either is fasting or knows that you are fasting, really helps alleviate the difficulty. Malls and restaurants are virtually free of anything that might offend someone who is fasting and the community is urged to pay respects to those who are practising during the month,” he added.

In fact, when approached by his non-Muslim colleagues at work, Abdul Rafiu takes the opportunity to educate them on Ramadan etiquette and the significance of fasting.

“I get asked certain questions especially pertaining to students who are fasting such as, ‘Why are the students not eating or drinking?’ I tell them that Islam preaches mercy and Ramadan is not meant to harm anyone and that if anybody is incapable of fasting, they can simply break their fast and make up for the lost days later,” he said.,

“Spiritual and physical healing are the main aims of Ramadan and the whole occasion is just beautiful to be a part of,” he added.