A Day Of Fasting During Ramadan

A Day of Fasting with Momna Arif , Audit and Governance Manager.

#Ramadan is the 9th?month of the Islamic calendar (which is Lunar based) and this year this important month begun at the end of March lasted for 29 or 30 days to the end of April. The first few days of Ramadan, my day was beginning at 3:45am and ending at around 6:20pm. However, most of the month has been and will be like my day below.?

The banner image shows the little Ramadan corner I created at home for my family, including Ramadan advent calendars counting down to Eid, the English translation of the Holy Qur'an, a fun Ramadan activity box and some other children's books.?

5:00am?– My fast begins and my pre-dawn meal, also known as?suhoor,?consists of some boiled eggs, berries with Greek yoghurt and honey and plenty of water. This may seem like very little, but this year I’ve been learning about how eating carbs so early in the morning spikes my insulin levels and causes me to crash by 11am, therefore I aim for a good amount of protein in the morning! I pray the first prayer?(salah),?Fajr,?and this is where I am tempted to go back to bed, but?I stay awake and do some Islamic learning on YouTube or read some pages of the English translation of the Holy Qur’an.

8:45am?– I am logged in for the day. I run through any emails I may have missed and go through the to-do list I make every Monday. Mornings are my most productive and I try to do the larger pieces of work during this time so that I can complete them to the best of my ability.?

10am – 1pm –?I have been working, managing any meetings as well as taking regular screen breaks. Without water I am unable to refresh myself, so stepping away and going up and down the stairs, walking around the house, helps me to stretch my muscles, keep the blood pumping and stay energised.

1:30pm?- It’s time for the 2nd?prayer of the day, known as?Zuhr,?it usually takes me around 15 minutes to pray.

2pm?– Back to my desk, working through the rest of the afternoon attending any meetings or completing any pieces of work.

5-5:30pm– I have logged off and it’s time to pray the 3rd?prayer of the day?Asr.?I am then in the kitchen preparing the meal to break our fast with also known as?iftaar.?We make the fruit salad to accompany the main meal. This time the meal will be a little higher in carb content with plenty of protein options available.

6:30pm –?I do a quick at home workout session! Yes! I work out without water and it works so well. I usually do boxing during this time, and this is more for me to feel like I’ve moved and gotten my heart rate up otherwise I feel extremely lazy. They also say that this is the time where the body will use the most body fat for energy and so a prime time to work toward those fitness goals.

7:38pm?– The sun has started to set and the call to prayer?adhaan?is playing on my phone. We can now break our fast. We have one juicy and extremely tasty Medjool date and a glass of water, before praying the 4th?prayer of the day?Maghrib.?I then tuck in to my main meal, and that’s Iftar complete!

8:55pm?– It’s time for the final prayer of the day?Isha?and I must admit I read these just before bed as I need some time to myself where I am not ‘on the go’ or tending to work or other responsibilities. There are nightly congregational prayers at the mosque, known as?Tarawih,?I am usually less likely to go as I prefer being at home in the evenings and by this time, I am just about ready to crash into bed!

10:30pm?– I have prayed, eaten, drunk about 1.5L of water and had some ‘me time’, but now I am ready to hit the hay. I have been awake since 4:30am and in desperate need for some sleep! It’s been a tough day mentally, physically and emotionally and I need as much sleep as I can to repeat the same thing tomorrow.?

The spiritual high I get during Ramadan is like none other for me, but it is extremely taxing on me physically as a mother to a four-year-old. The above is a typical work from home day, however, the routine changes on the days I am in the office and on the weekends.?I have been using the month to regulate my emotions better and create a sense of internal calm that I hope I can continue beyond the month of Ramadan.