BRIAN Clewes, a teacher of religious education in Sheffield, England, observed Ramadan in 2001 “in an attempt to understand an aspect of the Muslim faith. He discovered what it felt like to fast from dawn to dusk.”
“I experienced a sense of well being,” noted Brian in the diary that he kept for each day of the holy month.
He also spent an evening and an early morning with a Muslim family, Iftikhar Minhas, “in order to appreciate an insider's perspective.”
Clewes said he gained some new insights about himself and more especially about Islam itself. “The experience brought me to a greater awareness of the significance of Ramadan for the devout Muslim.”
The following are some excerpts from his diary:
Day 1: The alarm sounded at 5 a.m. and I awoke on the first day of Ramadan (Friday, Nov. 16, 2001). My first pre-fast meal would hopefully sustain me for the day. I decided to go off the school premises at lunchtime, in order to have a quiet time. I felt tired for about 30 minutes during the lunch break and later seemed to increase my energy and felt I could carry on teaching in the afternoon without feeling physically uncomfortable.
Day 2: The pre-fast meal was leisurely and focused. It was not easy to watch others eat when you feel hungry. The feeling of hunger focused the mind on what really mattered in life.
Day 3: The alarm went at 5 a.m., but unfortunately I went back to sleep until 5.50. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!” I finished eating and drinking at 6.26 and sat quietly for 10 minutes. I was tired during lunchtime and lay on the bed for 40 minutes while the family had a meal.
Day 5: I am beginning to get used to rising at 5 a.m. My pre-fast meal is feeling less awkward and constrained.
Day 7: I normally have a mug of tea on my morning bus duty at 8.30 — yet another habit I needed to break!
I didn't seem to need a 10 to 15-minute snooze at lunchtime in the car. My energy level enables me to cope well.
When I talked to a member of staff about how well I was feeling, during the afternoon, she commented that “it was probably because the toxins were being flushed out of my system.”
This makes me wonder how much damage we are doing to our bodies and minds through overeating and eating unhealthy foods.
Day 10: When I returned home I engaged in my first Muslim prayer. I performed “wudu” (ablutions) by washing and rinsing in the bathroom washbasin. I proceeded to perform 3 rakahs, much to the amusement of my younger son who came into the bedroom. “Are you a Muslim now, Daddy?”
Day 14: The first 14 days of my fast of Ramadan have been a period of self-discipline and increased awareness of the ways that food plays such an important role in our lives. I have also been able to engage others in my experience albeit at a superficial level.
Day 22: Awoke at 5.20 a.m. and had a wholesome pre-fast meal. I am looking forward to my Muslim experience this evening and tomorrow morning, with the Minhas family.
Wudu is feeling more natural. I travelled to Doncaster straight from school at 4 p.m. and arrived at the Minhas family house at 5.15 p.m. I received a warm welcome, and felt accepted. The family had already eaten, but offered me a meal of chicken curry and chapattis, followed by a fine vermicelli milk pudding and a mug of tea. For a non-Muslim, it is not easy assuming a kneeling position regularly throughout the rakahs. At the end of the prayer time Minhas introduced me to several Muslims personally.
Day 26: I am eating and drinking less than when I first started my fasting meal. My body has evidently adapted to one substantial meal per day and a light meal before sunset. I no longer miss coffee and biscuits at 11.05 a.m. However, I welcome the break at 12.20 p.m. I phoned Minhas to know about Lailatul Qadr (Night of Power). I decided to set the alarm for 4.15 a.m. and attempt to pray from 4.30 a.m. for 1 hour.
Day 30: I am looking forward to Eid not just because it is the end of the fasting, but probably as it is the culmination of all I have been working up to.
A Christian teacher recalls his Ramadan experience
