Dubai: Lack of sleep, hunger and thirst experienced during Ramadan present huge challenges to faithful worshippers seeking higher spiritual attainment in the holy month.
But enduring the discipline and hardship in the journey towards a closer relationship with God does not dismiss the duties of Muslims around the world to honour every day work and family commitments, says an expert.
In short, Ramadan is not an excuse to be lazy.
Contrary to those who subscribe to any suggestion that Ramadan is a time to focus only on the spiritual side of life at the expense of remaining productive at work and at home, an expert who has studied the issue for seven years says the holy month is not a time to relax and take a holiday.
Mohammed Faris, founder of ProductiveMuslim.com and author of ‘The Productive Muslim: Where Faith Meets Productivity’ told Gulf News that despite the physical, spiritual and mental challenges of the holy month, worshippers should maintain the same levels of activity.
Productive Muslim is an organisation with volunteers around the world dedicated to helping Muslims reach their fullest potential.
“The Quran states that the purpose of prescribing fasting to the believers is to achieve “Taqwa” or Righteousness. Allah says in the Quran: “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous” (Surah Al Baqarah, Chapter 2, Verse, 183),” Faris said. “Many Muslims believe that righteousness is restricted to only acts of worship, so they focus on acts of worship at the expense of performing their duties. However, personally I argue, that righteousness is fulfilling the rights of all those around you including Our Creator. So in effect, Ramadan is a test of our human capacity to see how we’ll perform our best despite the challenges of fasting and Ramadan rituals.”
A big aspect of staying on top of daily demands while fully adhering to the expectations of Ramadan, Faris said, is planning.
“It’s all about preparations — plus divine help I must admit,” he said. “Start by changing your mindset that Ramadan is a lazy month or nothing gets done in Ramadan. Set the right intentions and plan Ramadan very carefully including how you’ll spend your energy, focus, and time during the month of Ramadan.”
In 2011, Faris’s organisation released a study in partnership with New York-based Muslim business media firm Dinar Standard which found that countries in the region which mandate a six-hour working day during Ramadan witnessed falling productivity.
At the time, Saudi Arabia lost $2.4 billion (Dh8.81 billion) in productivity during the holy month, according to the report titled ‘Productivity in Ramadan, Strategies for the Modern Muslim Work Environment’.
By comparison, the UAE lost an estimated $1.4 billion (Dh5.14 billion) in gross domestic product (GDP) due to reduced daily work hours.
Combined, the six GCC countries lost $5.8 billion (Dh21.3 billion) in GDP due to reduced work hours. Estimates are based upon the last recorded annual GDP per country.
“For those countries who average two-hour workday reduction (GCC, Pakistan, Egypt), the total hours lost are approximately 40, which is essentially equivalent to one week of economic productivity.”
The study, based upon 1,524 Muslims surveyed around the globe, said that loss of productivity was not due to a lack of performance by workers who were observing Ramadan.
The study reported that 77 per cent of Muslim professionals said they made every attempt to maintain the same level of workload during Ramadan as they do during any other time of the year and believe work should continue in a normal fashion.
Sidebar
‘It’s about time management’
Dubai: Muslim residents living in the UAE who spoke with Gulf News agree that Ramadan is not the time to slack off regarding spiritual, family or work commitments.
In fact, residents said observers should work harder to improve their lives in all areas.
Nahla Fadhlani, 36, is a PhD candidate at UAE University writing her thesis on work engagement across three generations.
Fadhlani said she is very productive and splits her time between worship, family and work commitments.
“We spend long nights in the mosque, especially between June 20 and 29. We also have strong family commitments. Work is also a way to offer prayers to God, it is a tool you can give back to your country. Spirituality is my number one priority,” Fadhlani said. “It’s about how balanced you are. Ramadan is about time management.”
Christina Curciur, a Romanian national, converted to Islam when she was 16 and said that she feels stronger in spirit during Ramadan because she is active and productive across many areas of her life.
“Fasting shouldn’t stop us from doing what we do on a daily basis. I have more energy and I have more time to organise myself because I don’t have to prepare lunch for the children. It gives me time to do other things,” Curciur said. “Being compassionate means to give more, to think of others more. This is a special month to really recollect ourselves, reconnect with God and people. Let’s do good.”
Bader Al Ali, an architect with Dubai Municipality, said working five hours instead of eight each day for Ramadan means he puts more effort into his workday to feel productive.
During the holy month, Al Ali said: “I am working a normal day. It’s a good time to work, not to sleep or take a holiday or vacation. You don’t have lunch so you are free.”
Eating less during the day gives him more energy, he said, because he is not sluggish after consuming a large midday meal.
“I am not eating so I have good power,” Al Ali said.
