'Supporting each other helps immeasurably'

Scorching heat, long lines of traffic while on the way to work, endless telephone calls and meetings and then back in the gridlock to get home - and all this without a sip of water or a morsel of food.

For Ridwan Adi, an Indonesian expatriate, the one factor that makes Ramadan all the more challenging is the desert heat.

He said: "It is good that our days go by quickly, as most of us are busy with work or studies. But if we stop for a moment to think about how hot it is or how thirsty we are, it can be disastrous."

A resident of Ajman, Adi has been in the UAE for five years and readily admits that keeping the fast here is very different from doing so back home. "It was easier to observe the fast back home, because the weather is usually very pleasant," says the father of two.

Longer days

As summer in the UAE makes for longer and more tiring days, Adi noticed how residents tried to adapt their schedules to the after-hours, especially during July and August.

Adi's career is to do with customer relations. "Even at work, I have found that customers do not prefer going out during the day. They make appointments to meet with me either before or after the fasting hours," he says.

But how does one cope while observing the fast?

For Adi, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Muslim Association in Dubai, the explanation is easy: only good intentions can assure good results, he says. "As Muslims, fasting is an important part of our religion and once we have made the decision to fast, it is like second nature to abstain from eating and drinking."

Along with controlling basic desires, Adi said fasting is also about restricting the tongue, the eyes and the ears. This means yelling at other motorists when stuck in traffic, or constantly grumbling is not the way to go. "If we support each other and try to be as patient and considerate as possible, it helps immeasurably."